By : Moses Waker )*
Susi Air pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens is still a KST hostage. Related to this, the government does not remain silent and seeks its safety. The security forces continued to be deployed for the KST hunting mission, to eradicate them and at the same time free the pilot.
KST carries out terror and disturbs the community. Even their attacks were indiscriminate. The public is asked to be vigilant and careful when doing activities outside the home. If there is an attack by the KST, they are urged to immediately report it to the security forces, so that it will be dealt with immediately.
Apart from terrorizing Papuans, KST also set fire to the Susi Air plane and kidnapped the pilot. Until now Capt Phillip, the pilot, has not been released. KST members boast that they will take Capt. Phillip, if his wish is not granted, that is, Papua must be liberated.
The KST request will certainly never be granted by the government. If they still ask for money or goods, they can still give them, as long as the hostages are released immediately. However, Papuan independence will never happen because according to international and national law, Papua is part of Indonesia. Moreover, KST misfired because the pilot was a foreign citizen, not an Indonesian citizen.
Even though the KST request was rejected, it does not mean that the government remains silent. The security forces continue to be deployed in the context of the KST eradication mission as well as hunting for their members, in order to save Capt. Phillip.
One of the KST leaders, Jefri Pagawak, is on the wanted list (DPO). Jefri’s whereabouts are known to be in Papua New Guinea (PNG). This was revealed by the Head of Peaceful Operations Cartenz 2023, Kombes Pol Faizal Ramadhani.
In addition, the Susi Air pilot is still being held hostage by KST led by Egianus Kogoya and is currently in good health. The apparatus continued to search and arrest KST until they succeeded in capturing Egianus Kogoya’s men with the initials YL. He served as a spy overseeing whether there were officers pursuing KST.
Having YL arrested is a good thing because he can be interrogated so he can confess where the KST headquarters are. He was also forced to tell the location where Philip Mark Mehrtens was being held hostage so that he could be found and released immediately.
Meanwhile, Papua Police Chief Inspector General Mathius D Fakhiri said the police were ready to give a ransom of Rp 5 billion to KST led by Egianus Kogoya so that Susi Air Pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens was released from hostage taking. However, his party requested that KST not use the money to accommodate its acts of terror. KST must be able to guarantee that the money will not be used to buy ammunition and firearms.
In a sense, the government did not remain silent when KST took the pilot of the plane hostage. Even though he is a foreign citizen, he still has to be saved, because the incident happened in Indonesia. Safety must come first.
The government through the Papua Regional Police also emphasized that KST’s main demands for independence and the fulfillment of weapons would not be fulfilled. This is because these demands have violated the sovereignty of the state. The Papua Police Chief also emphasized that the Susi Air pilot was released in good health.
KST must be strictly enforced so that it no longer commits kidnapping and burning of planes. Moreover, what was burned was a commercial plane, so it had nothing to do with the central government.
The Joint Team of Carstensz Peaceful Operations continues to search the Nduga area and its surroundings and they are determined to find the KST headquarters, which is suspected to be the hiding place of the victims. The search continues so that the victims return safely.
When later meeting with the KST, the apparatus is allowed to take decisive, measurable action. The reason is because they are terrorists who have the heart to burn planes and kidnap pilots ruthlessly, and threaten to take their lives. Only with firm action can KST be eradicated and it will not repeat its crimes.
Egianus Kogoya as the leader of KST must be responsible for releasing the victims including the pilot. To face the KST led by Egianus Kogoya, you can use the old method. They once kidnapped Papuan workers and were eventually released, with the approach of community leaders and religious leaders. Currently, apart from the deployment of security forces, community leaders can also be sent to approach Egianus Kogoya to free the victims.
Religious leaders and community leaders are expected to help eradicate KST. With its influence, KST will soften and then release the hostage passengers. Especially if these characters still have the same surname or are closely related, and their seduction will be easier to get KST to stop their atrocities.
The security forces continued to hunt down KST and rescued the Susi Air pilot who was being held hostage. KST must be eradicated and warned loudly because this time their mistake is very fatal. The authorities are trying hard to find the victim to be released quickly. KST will be dealt with strictly measurably so as not to endanger the people of Papua and not repeat their mistakes.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Makassar
