The Papuan Separatist and Terrorist Group (KST) acted again by attacking the police twice and bringing casualties. Their attacks also hinder the development and progress of Papua.
So far, Papua is known for its exotic tourism, such as Raja Ampat. However, the safety factor is also a consideration whether tourists want to visit the Cenderawasih Earth or not. The government is trying hard to secure Papua and get rid of KST and OPM, so as not to disturb security.
The existence of KST is very disturbing, not only for foreign tourists but also for Papuan civil society. The KST disturbance hinders development because if there are no tourists, then there is no money for the local government and in the end the funds for development are too minimal.
KST was also criticized for always committing acts of violence. They carried out attacks and on January 26, 2022, they even dared to attack the officers 2 times and resulted in 3 fatalities.
Kapendam XVII Cendrawasih Colonel Inf. Aqsha Erlangga stated that the KST attack was carried out on the Gome Koramil Post, Kodim Battalion Raider 408 Task Force. The attacks were carried out 2 times and the victims were Serda Rizal, Private Tuppal Baraza, and Pratu Rahman. Meanwhile, Pratu Rahman was injured.
KST’s atrocities really angered the public because they were desperate to attack the Koramil post twice. If it is a security post that is being attacked, it means deliberately challenging it. KST was arrogant and fled immediately after the attack.
When there is an abomination of KST, then there needs to be another sweeping so that they can’t go their own way. TNI soldiers dare to be attacked, let alone civilians. How sorry the residents will be if KST is still entrenched in Cenderawasih Earth.
The existence of KST also hinders progress on Cenderawasih Earth. The proof is that when the Trans Papua road was still under construction, KST members intentionally harassed workers. This disturbance is certainly inconvenient and threatens the lives of the workers, therefore the apparatus is also deployed there to secure it.
How crazy is KST when it hinders the construction of the trans Papua road. In fact, this road is for the smooth mobility of the people on Cenderawasih Earth, so that they can use land roads without being dependent on very expensive air transportation. KST never thought that long, they just knew how to shoot blindly.
This was not the first time there was a KST attack because they had also shot at the security forces, even though the officers were distributing food aid. This is another proof that KST is interfering with progress in Papua because it does not want the people to get help from the government.
KST couldn’t think long, why did the officers who sent aid get shot at? In fact, the people who will receive the assistance are indigenous Papuans who incidentally are their own brothers and sisters. How can they lead if they can only be emotional without prioritizing intelligence?
The security forces are also always targeted by KST because they represent the government. In fact, the army and police are friends of the people and their job is to protect civilians and at the same time support development on Cenderawasih Earth.
Automatically when KST attacks the apparatus, it is the same as hindering development because performance is not optimal when protecting a project. Even though the development is for the progress of Papua, it seems as if KST does not want to be advanced. Stagnation is very dangerous because it can make Papua lag behind other provinces.
Therefore, all parties are united against KST. Not only security forces but also community leaders and civilians. The goal is that KST and OPM quickly disband and no longer interfere with the smooth development of Papua.
By: Timothy Gobay )* The author is a Papuan student living in Gorontalo
