The number of officers on guard in Papua has increased, following the attack by the Separatist and Terrorist Group (KST) on a house of worship. The community is not surprised because the apparatus are friends of the people and they are happy because they are guarded by members of the Police. KST must be eradicated so that it no longer disturbs the people of Papua who are going to worship, therefore increasing the number of troops there is a natural thing.
Papua is currently famous for several things: tourism, beautiful nature, and agricultural products. However, there is one negative thing that tarnishes the name of Bumi Cendrawasih KST. They unanimously wanted to be independent from Indonesia and did not believe in the results of the Pepera (the determination of people’s opinion), even though this incident had occurred decades ago.
To expedite their actions, the KST deliberately created riots in Papua and made enemies of the apparatus, which they consider to be representatives of the government. So far they have injured too many people, both civilians and officers on guard. Latest, Latest, KST opened fire on the Preparatory Military District Command in Gome District, Puncak Regency, Tuesday (28/3/2023). Apart from that, KST was also proven to have set fire to the teacher’s house. This brutal action was carried out by Ugly Waker and Numbuk Talenggen. Therefore, if there is a measured decisive action, it is permissible.
Currently, the number of officers on guard in Papua is increasing. The Papuan Police added troops to Puncak Jaya by deploying Brimob members to the area. The addition of these troops in order to create security for the community. Papua Police Chief Inspector General Mathius D. Fahiri, stated that he was deploying his members to back up troops in Puncak Jaya Regency, Papua Mountains.
Inspector General Mathius continued, the deployment of members to strengthen the troop was carried out by the Papua Regional Police in order to provide a sense of security and comfort to the community. This method was adopted after the KST carried out an attack on TNI Polri soldiers who were securing people who were worshiping on March 25, 2023.
The effort to add troops was in response to the shooting of TNI-Polri members by KST. Apart from that, it is also to improve security in the area, for the actions of the KKB Papua which are worried about the community.
The eradication of KST should be the main focus for officers on duty in Papua. After the formation of the Cartenz Peace Task Force which consisted of a combination of TNI and Polri members, they immediately moved quickly to eradicate KST to their headquarters. The goal is that the members of this terrorist organization are quickly caught.
The apparatus acted decisively when they pushed into the KST headquarters in the Puncak Regency area. Even though they haven’t caught some of their DPO members like Sabius Walker and Lekagak Telenggen, the Nemangkawi Task Force’s maneuvers have scared KST. They ran to another base and hid so as not to be hit by bullets.
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. They also damaged public facilities and health facilities. Finally, KST had the heart to attack medical personnel in Kiwirok and caused casualties, even though at that time he was on duty to check the health conditions of the people there. Therefore the arrest of KST by the authorities is fully supported.
The security forces are always on standby in Papua, not to turn it into a military operation area, but to maintain the security of the people on Cendrawasih Land. 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 members of the Task Force are the best sons of the nation who are willing to go on a guerrilla journey into the jungle to defend their country.
The Carstensz Peaceful Task Force 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. They had to be very careful to find the KST headquarters, especially since there wasn’t just one base, but many and scattered around.
In the press release of the Cartenz Damai Peace Task Force, 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 joint TNI and Polri officers were assigned to assist the Cartenz Damai Task Force in the arrest of KST. The goal is to ensure the security of residents is really maintained. Don’t let KST escape and shoot civilians and another tragedy occurs because of the many victims.
When there was an operation to arrest KST members, the community fully supported the security forces. They don’t mind it, because even though KST is both Papuan, his behavior has harmed civilians in Cendrawasih Land. They also damage public facilities and make people afraid and feel uncomfortable when doing activities outside the home.
The apparatus was deployed so that the people of Papua are comfortable in their activities, especially when worshiping. The reason is, KST was desperate to shoot the apparatus even though they were on guard so that the community would go smoothly during worship. With the addition of officers, we are optimistic that Papua will be safer without KST disturbances.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Bali
