By : Rebecca Marian )*
The situation in Kenyam, Papua, is conducive again and residents who were previously displaced have returned to their homes. The apparatus continues to guard so that there are no further attacks from KST. The security of the Papuan people comes first, therefore the eradication of KST continues to its headquarters.
On Friday 26 May 2023, there was gunfire between the Cartenz Peace Task Force team and KST Yotam Bugiangge in Nogolait Village, Nduga. The officer at that time repelled KST. Initially the car was shot in the Sanggong area then the group gave chase and they ran to the Dibini River.
KST Yotam Bugiangge was detected to be closer to Nogolait Village for the next two days, on Saturday and Sunday respectively. As a result, gunfire occurred again. Then the Cartenz Peace Task Force team again arrested 5 other KKB members on Tuesday 30 May 2023.
For your information, KST Yotam Bugiangge is an armed criminal group that carried out the massacre of 11 residents in Nogolait Village, Nduga, Highlands Papua on Saturday, July 16 2022. Now 7 members who were arrested are currently being interrogated.
After the gun battle occurred, 162 residents fled to Kenyam. Nduga Police Chief AKBP Alexander Penelewen stated that they fled because they were afraid of the KST attack. But they have returned home because the situation is conducive.
The people returned to their homes because the situation was safe and they were sure that there would be no more KST attacks. Especially after the arrest of a KST member in May 2023. When the number of KST members decreases, their strength automatically weakens and they are easy to catch.
Meanwhile, Head of Public Relations of the Papua Regional Police Kombes Pol Ignatius Benny A Prabowo stated that the people returning to the Nogolait complex were escorted and escorted directly by the joint apparatus and the regional government to ensure the safety of the residents. The aim is to ensure the safety of the people in Nogolait Village so they want to return to their homes
Papuans, especially in the Kenyam area, are very grateful because members of the TNI, Polri and BIN are working together to secure their area. The authorities moved quickly to hunt down KST members and make sure they didn’t come back to attack residents. Security guarantees make residents return to their homes.
Then, the community also appreciated the security forces who escorted them until they arrived home. With an escort, the residents will feel safe and not afraid or even traumatized by the KST follow-up attack.
Police and TNI personnel conduct patrols in Kenyam and its surroundings. The reason is, KST members could come and attack residents’ settlements. Security is getting tighter so that there are no more tragic incidents throughout Papua.
Patrols were carried out strictly to secure the entire Kenyam area. It is hoped that the entire Kenyam area will be safe, and the condition of the area will not complicate patrols carried out by members of the Police, BIN and TNI. The apparatus remained on guard to prevent something bad from happening, and were assisted by Propam.
Meanwhile, Kenyam residents and all Papuan people are hoped not to be provoked by hoaxes spread by KST. If they are consumed by fake news, they may flee again for fear of attacks by the separatist group. Even though hoaxes could be deliberately spread to attack society psychologically.
Papuan youth leader Absalom Yerisitou stated that the Kenyam people are urged to remain calm and not be provoked by the issues that exist. In a sense, when there is a riot, what must be watched out for is the potential for repeated riots to occur due to provocation by elements. KST did this on purpose, so that the Papuan people hate the security forces and leave Indonesia.
When there is a riot, the apparatus comes to reconcile and settle it legally, because Indonesia is a country of laws. However, KST even fueled the issue that the authorities had come to eradicate the people of Papua. Therefore, the public is urged not to fall for any hoaxes and provocations spread by KST.
KST often throws tantrums and wants the Papuan people to be divided and then defend them and leave Indonesia. You do this by spreading news and hoax videos and propaganda. The public is asked to be more vigilant and ignore these hoaxes, because they are not true.
The Papuan people are asked to be wiser in reading the news or viewing photos that are spread on social media or WA groups. Don’t be easily provoked by provocation as a result of what turns out to be a hoax deliberately spread by KST, to make Papuans hostile to the security forces, or to divide them and make them expel migrants.
Kenyam’s situation has started to become conducive and the community has returned to their homes after taking refuge in a house of worship. They were escorted by security forces and thanked them for being so closely guarded. Meanwhile, the authorities continued to try to catch up with the KST, so that there would be no more evacuations or further attacks.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Jakarta