Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Liberation Army, known as TPNPB, has claimed responsibility for the death of an Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) soldier, Private First Class (Praka) Bayu Oktara, in Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua, on Saturday (27/6/2026).
TPNPB Spokesperson Sebby Sambom stated that Praka Bayu Oktara was killed after being shot in the right shoulder during a firefight between TPNPB and TNI forces in Taosiga Village, Agisiga District.
“The Management of the TPNPB National Commission Central Headquarters has received an official report from TPNPB in Intan Jaya that Mayor Aibon Kogoya and his forces are responsible for the death of Praka Bayu Oktara and seven other [TNI soldiers] wounded in a firefight with TPNPB forces in Agisiga District, Intan Jaya Regency on June 27, 2026,” Sebby Sambom wrote in his press release on Monday (29/6/2026).
According to Sambom, Mayor Aibon Kogoya also reported that after eight Indonesian military personnel from Task Force Rajawali IV/Yonif 744/SYB were killed and wounded, the Indonesian military immediately retaliated using helicopters, bomb-equipped drones, and RPG fire.
He said military operations in the area had escalated from the night of June 26–29, 2026 into the early morning hours. Numerous bombing attacks struck villages in Agisiga District, causing residents’ homes and churches to be burned to rubble.
“Ground operations were also carried out, during which [the military] completely burned down civilian homes in the Agisiga District area. Residents have fled into the forests and to villages in Sugapa District seeking refuge,” he said.
The Management of the TPNPB National Commission Central Headquarters also urged the United Nations (UN) to mandate the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council to investigate and probe alleged war crimes in the Land of Papua, purportedly committed by the Indonesian military.
Based on gathered information, the remains of Praka Bayu Oktara arrived at his hometown of Tri Lomba Bintuhan Village, South Kaur District, Kaur Regency, Bengkulu Province, for burial on Monday (29/6/2026).
Praka Bayu Oktara was a soldier of Task Force (Satgas) Rajawali IV/Yonif 744/SYB from the Special Raider Infantry Battalion 744/Satya Yudha Bhakti.
The Special Raider Infantry Battalion 744/Satya Yudha Bhakti is an elite infantry combat unit under the command of Brigade Infantry 21/Komodo, Kodam IX/Udayana. The battalion is headquartered in Atambua City, Belu Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province. (*)
Puncak Jaya Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Yudha Wicaksono, said on Monday that the joint patrol was conducted as a preventive measure to deter potential crimes and acts of thuggery while providing a greater sense of security for local residents.
"We carried out this joint patrol to ensure the public can go about their daily activities safely. The presence of TNI and Polri personnel on the ground also reflects our commitment to maintaining a safe and conducive security situation," he said when contacted from Nabire.
Five four-wheeled vehicles were deployed to patrol 14 strategic locations across Mulia Town, including the Puncak Jaya district government office complex, Papua Main Road, Central Mulia Market, Nagalomuni Market, Mulia Regional Hospital, ACP Mulia gas station, and several residential areas.
During the operation, officers inspected residents' belongings and urged the public not to carry bladed weapons or other dangerous objects that could threaten public security and order.
The operation resulted in the seizure of 16 machetes, an air rifle, a bow with arrows, and six slingshots, all of which were secured as evidence.
Wicaksono urged the public to help maintain security and refrain from carrying bladed weapons without lawful justification.
He also called on residents to immediately report any potential security disturbances so authorities can respond promptly.
According to him, the security situation in Mulia remained safe and conducive throughout the joint patrol.
"Community activities and traffic continued to run smoothly. We hope the presence of security personnel on the ground will further strengthen the public's sense of safety and trust in the TNI and Polri," Wicaksono said.
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Translator: Ichsan, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Journalists, editors, researchers, and human rights organizations are invited to request a review copy of the book, supporting documentation, or an interview with the author to examine the documentary record and discuss the book's findings.
"The question is not whether an investigation occurred," Wilson said. "The question is why its findings remain absent from the public record."
The book argues that the missing State Department report is not only an unresolved archival issue, but part of a larger accountability problem affecting natural-resource projects in remote regions.
Buried in Practice documents:
- A publicly acknowledged 1995–96 US State Department human rights investigation into Freeport-McMoRan's operations in West Papua, Indonesia, whose interim and final reports have not been publicly released.
- More than ten years of FOIA requests, appeals, and litigation seeking records related to the investigation.
- Declassified diplomatic communications documenting US officials' engagement with allegations of killings and abuses in the Timika area near Freeport's Grasberg mine.
- The relationship between government decision-making, corporate influence, and public accountability.
- Thirty comparative case studies involving Indigenous rights, environmental harm, security-force violence, and contested resource development across six regions, supporting the book's call for structural reform.
Rather than focusing solely on West Papua, Buried in Practice places the case within a broader international context, comparing resource-development disputes involving Indigenous communities in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Australia, the Pacific, and the Arctic.
The book also reviews cases that have resulted in civil settlements, criminal proceedings, sovereign wealth fund exclusions, or continuing public debate decades after the events occurred, arguing that questions of accountability often remain unresolved long after major development projects begin.
FOIA attorney C. Peter Sorenson writes of disclosures related to the US State Department investigation of Freeport in the book's foreword: "The frame is there. The picture is missing."
Wilson calls for stronger enforcement to protect Indigenous communities from development aggression linked to major natural-resource projects. Reforms discussed in the book include greater transparency around corporate payments to security forces, stronger investor and lender accountability, and possible Magnitsky-style targeted sanctions—such as asset freezes, travel bans, and other restrictions on responsible corporate officers, security officials, financiers, and complicit entities where evidence warrants.
Wilson, a former mining analyst with SG Warburg and SBC Warburg in New York and a Wharton MBA graduate, says the book is intended to encourage discussion about transparency, accountability, and preservation of the historical records.
Buried in Practice is the second volume in the Archives of a Wall Street Analyst investigative series and is available worldwide in paperback, hardcover, and ebook editions through major online booksellers.
About the Author
John C. Wilson is a former Wall Street mining analyst and Wharton MBA whose investigative nonfiction examines the intersection of resource development, state secrecy, human rights, and public accountability. As an analyst, he covered major international mining companies, including Freeport-McMoRan, for SG Warburg and SBC Warburg in New York.
Publishing Imprint
Buried in Practice is published under the Resource Capital Research imprint.
Media Contact
John C. Wilson
Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9439 1919
417700@email4pr.com
www.buriedinpractice.com
SOURCE John C. Wilson
Head of Papua Pegunungan Bapperida, Marthen Kogoya, said in a written statement received in Wamena on Monday (June 29) that the special autonomy funds will finance programs in economic empowerment, education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
"A portion of the special autonomy funds will be allocated to provide business capital, outreach, and economic assistance for Indigenous Papuans across Papua Pegunungan so they can better utilize available resources and turn them into sustainable sources of income," he said.
According to Marthen, the 2026 special autonomy fund allocation has been reduced by around 50 percent as part of the government's budget efficiency measures.
Despite the reduced allocation, economic empowerment programs for Indigenous Papuans will continue across the province's eight districts.
"Last year, Papua Pegunungan received Rp1.2 trillion in special autonomy funds. This year, the allocation has been reduced to Rp500.63 billion, so several programs will inevitably be discontinued. However, economic empowerment programs will continue," he said.
Marthen explained that the reduced allocation means some programs implemented over the past two years will no longer continue, as the provincial government must adjust its spending to the available budget.
He added that the regional administration remains committed to maintaining welfare and community empowerment programs despite the budget constraints.
Marthen also said Papua Pegunungan Governor John Tabo has instructed the provincial government to suspend new infrastructure projects financed through the special autonomy funds in all eight districts.
Instead, the provincial government will focus on completing infrastructure projects that began in 2025 but have not yet been finished.
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Translator: Bayu Prasetyo
Editor: Primayanti
