By: Ronald Owens)*
The Papuan Terrorist Separatist Group (KST) has carried out a series of violent acts that have harmed the Papuan people, threatened the integrity of the nation, and hampered development. One of the most recent incidents was the KST attack on TNI soldiers who were members of the Eagle IV Task Force of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) on Sunday (17/3) in Muara District, Puncak Jaya, Papua. According to the Head of Information (Kapen) Kogabwilhan III Colonel Czï Gusti Nyoman Suriastawa, this incident caused the death of one security personnel named Sertu Ismunandar.
The attack incident occurred when Sertu Ismunandar and Serka Salim came to meet the informant at a location. At that time, suddenly the two soldiers were attacked by KST members who had trapped them and were waiting for the arrival of the two security personnel. Shortly after injuring Sertu Ismunandar, the perpetrators immediately ran away and Serka Salim was rescued by local religious leaders.
KST Papua’s brutal actions always justify any means. They used terror tactics, including burning people’s houses and destroying public facilities. Their actions have caused many casualties and the Papuan people live in fear and uncertainty. Apart from that, the existence of KST in Papua with all its actions so far has caused fear in the community so that its existence is strongly rejected by the community.
The Papuan people firmly reject the existence of KST Papua as a terror group. They reject the violence and acts of terror carried out by KST Papua, because they realize that these actions will only worsen the security situation and hinder development. The Papuan people want to live in peace and prosperity, and they are aware that the existence of KST Papua will only hinder the development and progress of the Bumi Cenderawasih region.
The government has also shown a firm stance towards KST Papua. They have taken firm action to deal with this separatist group and protect the Papuan people. Security forces have been deployed to fight KST Papua and bring them to justice. The government has also launched a development program aimed at improving the welfare of the Papuan people and addressing the root of the problems that have caused the emergence of separatist and terrorist movements. Apart from that, after the government officially labeled KST Papua as a terrorist and terrorist organization since 2021.
Furthermore, the Government asked the TNI and Polri to take action against KST Papua which is increasingly disturbing, this refers to Law Number 5 of 2018 concerning Eradication of Terrorism. Member of Commission III DPR RI, Arteria Dahlan, believes that this should be appreciated and KST Papua must be fought, because it has caused many casualties from the community and security forces.
It should be noted that Papuan society as a whole does not support KST Papua. They realize that acts of violence and terror will not bring positive change. On the contrary, society wants to live in peace and progress along with the massive development that is being promoted by the government.
Papuan religious figure, Pastor Jupinus Wama, emphasized that the Papuan people do not support the existence of the Papuan KST at all and the people really don’t like the existence of the Papuan KST because of their frequent acts of terror and even attacking innocent civilians.
Therefore, many Papuans oppose the existence of KST Papua and support the government’s efforts to tackle these armed groups in order to create a safe and stable environment that allows sustainable development in the region.
All Papuan people reject the existence of KST Papua and the activities carried out by this group. This is because KST Papua is the main obstacle to economic, social and political development in the region. KST Papua activities also often cause insecurity, disruption of economic activities, and damage to public infrastructure.
The Papuan people have shown a firm attitude in rejecting the KST Papua terror act. This is to ensure smooth development for easy access to various facilities. So as to stimulate the creation of a superior and highly competitive future generation. Therefore, the community’s firm stance in rejecting the KST Papua terror act because it really hinders development is a necessity.
The community really longs for a safe and comfortable environment. The security forces’ firm action against KST Papua was also fully supported by the community. If this has been realized, then infrastructure and human resource development can run smoothly in Papua. So that in the end it accelerates the Papuan people to welcome the progress of the Indonesian nation.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Yogyakarta
