By: Kelly Krei) *
The attack on the Armed Criminal Group in the former PT Housing Development (PP) camp took place in Nduga Papua. A TNI member Prada Usman Hambelo was killed after being shot at the waist. The brutal KKB action took place on Saturday 20 July 2019 at around 12:45 a.m.
The attack occurred when members of the TNI were carrying out security in the former PT PP camp which was the site of the Yuguru River bridge construction project. The criminal group launched a blind attack from the direction of the thicket that was right in front of the camp.
Colonel Inf Muhammad Aidi said in his written statement that the attack was carried out very briefly, a barrage of shots that emerged from behind the bush in a hit and run. Actors are estimated to number 4-5 people. TNI troops tried to return fire and chase. However, due to security considerations because of the very closed thicket and many steep gorges, the chase was stopped.
Apart from the unfavorable terrain conditions, the KKB attack also occurred when members of the TNI were carrying out breaks, prayers and meals.
Aidi said, the attack emerged from the thicket with a distance of about 300 meters from the position of the soldier who was ISHOMA.
He revealed that the KKB attack was carried out by a group led by Egianus Kogoya. After the attack, the TNI troops immediately carried out consolidation and local security parties.
The incident was then reported to the upper unit to get helicopter assistance in order to evacuate. Because the only means of transportation to the scene is only by helicopter. But because of the rainy weather in the Nduga region, the evacuation process cannot be carried out until late at night.
The action taken by the KKB led by Egianus Kogoya certainly does not reflect Papua, even before Rev. Nataniel who was a religious figure in Nduga also said that the KKB group was an irresponsible child of God, his party refused the existence of the KKB in Papua.
Rev. Nataniel also added, as a pastor of the Church, he was responsible for keeping all Papuans and non-Papuans who came to Nduga District to build.
KKB crimes are certainly no longer tolerable, especially when they carry out attacks when TNI members are resting, this certainly shows that the KKB is a serious threat.
The death of Prada Usman certainly adds to the long list of KKB atrocities, they not only disturb the security of the community, but also often interfere with a number of development works, especially the central government’s strategic projects, namely the construction of the trans Papua road that will connect lanes between districts in Papua Province.
They also noted that they had hacked a toddler after his parents were massacred before his eyes, besides rape and persecution of a number of teachers and medical personnel in Mapenduma, as well as a sadistic massacre of dozens of PT Istaka Karya workers.
This series of savagery certainly rounded up the Indonesian people especially for the TNI to criticize and fight against the group.
Meanwhile, even though the threat from the KKB is enough to make N district as an unsafe place to visit, the government will continue to carry out development projects to realize the ease of access that exists in Papua Province.
The actions of these groups are certainly included in the category of acts of terrorism, where they commit acts of crime without any sense of humanity at all. Of course Indonesia has enough evidence to ask UN-level organizations that the group led by Egianus Kogoya be designated as a terrorist group.
There is no more reason for the TNI – POLRI not to quell the crimes that exist in Nduga Papua, the development projects in Papua should have increased security, so that the project can run without casualties like what happened in December 2018 ago.
Indonesian citizens, especially Papua, should also play a role in maintaining a sense of peace with fellow Papuans and not easily provoked by the separatist movement.
We also hope that a similar incident will not happen again, the attack on members of the TNI is certainly an alarm that the group led by Egianus Kogoya still wants to exist in launching its depraved attack.
) * The author is a Papuan student, living in Jakarta
