Jayapura — Communities in vulnerable areas of Papua such as Intan Jaya must be aware of attacks by Separatist and Terrorist Groups (KST) because they occur more frequently than in other regions. Vigilance and alertness must be increased and when there is an attack, residents are expected to cooperate and immediately report it to the police station. However, they don’t need to worry too much because the security forces are continuously guarding them.
In Papua, disturbances from KST are very troubling. They intensively carried out various heinous acts against Papuan civilians, ranging from showing off their firearms to shootings that ended in murder. Even KST was also desperate to attack the security forces first, even though it was clear that they were lacking in experience and weapons.
Most recently, KST Papua set fire to a Susi Air plane with flight number SI 9368 that was burned by terrorists from the armed criminal group (KKB) in Nduga Regency, Central Papua. The incident occurred on February 7 2023. Not only that, KST also took the passengers hostage including the pilot Captain Philips M, who is a citizen of New Zealand.
indeed sSo far, there are several areas prone to KST attacks, such as Intan Jaya. Therefore, the public is expected to be aware of KST so they don’t become the next victims. However, the residents were advised not to worry too much because the guard from the security forces had also increased, because the duty of the security forces was to protect the people.
Papua Police Chief Inspector General Mathius D Fahiri stated that at the end of December 2022 and at the beginning of January 2023 there were still disturbances from KST. especially in Yahukimo this happened once, and repeatedly happened in the Bintang Mountains. The areas in Papua that are being paid attention to by the Papuan Regional Police regarding security disturbances by KST include Gunung Bintang, Yahukimo, Nduga, Puncak Regency, Dogiyai, Paniai, Intan Jaya, and Jayapura City.
Inspector General Mathius D Fahiri continued, the police would take measured, firm action against KST. The police force in Gunung Bintang has been strengthened by the presence of the Carstensz Peace Task Force and the Papua Police Mobile Brigade Unit. This team is in charge of chasing after KST.
The vigilance of Papuans who are in vulnerable areas must be increased because there will be an increase in KST attacks in 2022. According to data from the Papua Regional Police, throughout 2022 there were 53 fatalities due to KST attacks. They consist of civilians and security forces. This was stated by the Papua Police Chief Inspector General Mathius D Fahiri.
Whereas in 2021 there were 44 fatalities due to the KST attack. The increase in victims is of course very sad because the majority of them are civilians. Therefore they, especially those living in vulnerable areas, are expected to increase their vigilance.
People don’t need to worry too much about KST attacks even though they are in a vulnerable area like Intan Jaya. There is indeed the potential for an attack, but security from the security forces has also been tightened and the number of members of the Carstensz Peace Task Force has also been increased. They are trying hard to keep the people of Papua safe from any attacks, including KST.
Meanwhile, Deputy V KSP (Presidential Staff Office) for Law, Security and Human Rights Jaleswari Pamodhowardani explained that KST was very brutal, therefore the apparatus had to act and thoroughly enforce the law on KST.
Jaleswari added that KST deserved to be arrested because they disturbed civil society, especially in vulnerable areas. They also damaged public facilities and health facilities. Therefore the arrest of KST by the apparatus is fully supported, both by the government and the people.
Officials are always on standby in Papua, especially in vulnerable areas. The aim is not to ‘conjure’ it into a military operation area, but to maintain the security of the people on Cendrawasih Earth. Apart from the officers who are usually on duty, they were greatly assisted by the Nemangkawi Task Force, which was specially deployed to hunt down KST members.
The Nemangkawi Task Force actually went down directly to look for the KST headquarters, because they were guerrillas to the middle of the wilderness and mountains. Papua’s geographical conditions which are still green are favorable for them to hide. So that KST has to be very careful to find the KST headquarters, especially since the bases are not just 1 but many and scattered around.
In the press release of the Nemangkawi Task Force Public Relations, it was stated that the joint team of TNI and Polri succeeded in mapping the hiding places of KST members. The location is not only in Intan Jaya, but also in Iwika, Mimika and other areas. With this mapping, the arrest will be more structured and it is predicted to be 100% successful.
The combined TNI and Polri officers were indeed assigned to assist the Nemangkawi Task Force in the arrest of KST. The goal is to ensure the security of residents is really awake. Don’t let KST escape and shoot civilians and another tragedy occurs because of the many victims.
Residents in Papua’s vulnerable areas are expected to increase their vigilance because the KST attacks are getting more brutal every year. But they don’t need to be overly suspicious or paranoid, because the security forces are increasing their performance. KST is being chased even more so that the separatist group will no longer disturb the people of Cendrawasih Earth.
