By : Saby Kossay )*
Security forces managed to arrest members of the Papuan Separatist Group (KST) group led by Yotam Bugiangge. This decisive step is necessary to gain community support as an effort to create a conducive situation in Papua.
Security officers from elements of the Cartenz Peace Task Force managed to arrest seven KST members led by Yotam Bugiangge in Nduga, Highlands Papua. The seven KST members were arrested separately because they were involved in the massacre of 11 residents in Nogolait Village, Nduga, Papua Mountains.
In this regard, the Head of the Nduga Police, AKBP Alexander Penelewen, said that the arrests started from a shootout between the Cartenz Peace Task Force team and KST Yotam Bugiangge in Nogolait Village, Nduga, on Friday (26/5) last week. According to him, at that time the officers managed to beat back KST.
Then, KST Yotam Bugiangge was detected again approaching Nogolait Village in the following two days, on Saturday and Sunday respectively. The Cartenz Peaceful Task Force team again chased the mob until they finally caught 5 other KST members on Tuesday (30/5).
Previously, security forces from the joint personnel of the Damai Cartenz Task Force and the Yahukimo Police Resort (Polres) also carried out a raid on a house that was suspected of being a nest or hiding place for groups of Papuan separatist and terrorist groups (KST) and their sympathizers.
The raid was carried out at the Obio Complex, Agricultural Road in the Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency, Highlands Papua Province on Tuesday, 16 May 2023.
From the success of the raids carried out, the joint personnel security forces managed to arrest as many as 22 people. Not only gangs of Papuan separatist and terrorist groups were arrested, but of the dozens of people arrested, it turned out that some of them were their sympathizers.
The arrests also yielded several other results, namely the success in securing a number of evidence such as sharp weapons (sajam), traditional weapons to air rifles which were also strongly suspected of being used by them to continue carrying out a series of heinous and barbaric acts that were completely inhumane.
All the people who were successfully arrested are now all still being questioned by investigators at the Yahukimo Police Headquarters in Dekai. Sadly, it turned out that some of the KST Papua sympathizers who were successfully secured were students, so there were as many as 3 (three) village heads there.
Even though these village heads should have been able to suppress the series of cruel acts carried out by the separatist and terrorist groups, instead of them, they even joined as sympathizers.
Because in truth these village heads are at the forefront of being able to continue to strive for and create peace and harmony in the community. This is because they are the most frequently and closest to being able to work directly in the community in providing various kinds of understanding.
The position of village heads cannot be underestimated, because they are actually very important in participating in efforts for the community to continue to protect each other’s conducive environment and situation so that security and public order (kamtibmas) can be maximized.
However, instead of being at the forefront of continuing to realize unity and integrity in the territory of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), they have instead joined a movement that clearly opposes state ideology and instead become sympathizers of KST Papua.
On the other hand, previously there were other regional officials who were arrested by the security forces because they actually helped separatist and terrorist groups to carry out their series of heinous acts.
For information, there is a Head of the Kenyam District, Nduga Regency, Papua Mountains with the initials MM aged 37, who was successfully detained by the Cartenz Peaceful Law Enforcement Task Force because this regional head was allegedly involved in supplying weapons and ammunition for the continuation of KST Papua.
Regarding the arrest, the Commander of the Damai Cartenz Task Force (Dansatgas), Chief Commissioner of Police (Kombes Pol) Faizal Ramadhani explained that the arrest of the regional head with the initials MM was carried out because previously the security forces had detected a number of oddities and irregularities.
The oddity is in the form of signs that the regional head has contributed money to separatist and terrorist groups in Papua, especially in the Nduga region for the purpose of buying weapons and ammunition. The security forces also confiscated 13 guns and 710 rounds of ammunition.
Of course the swiftness of the entire security apparatus from the combined personnel of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri) and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) deserves a very high appreciation. This is because they were able to disclose a number of cases and develop them into making arrests in order to enforce the law without discrimination for anyone who is affiliated with and sympathizes with KST Papua.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Yogyakarta
