1) New Zealander's kidnapping in Papua has brought a hidden conflict into focus

 

2) Hostage-taker Demands Release of Papua After Kidnapping Pilot and Passengers of Susi Air

3) Ministry temporarily closes Paro Airfield in Nduga, Papua 

4) Human rights researcher pleads for release of NZ pilot

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https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/131180291/new-zealanders-kidnapping-in-papua-has-brought-a-hidden-conflict-into-focus

1) New Zealander's kidnapping in Papua has brought a hidden conflict into focus 

Maire Leadbeater08:45, Feb 09 2023

Maire Leadbeater is a member of West Papua Action Tamaki Makaurau and author of the book, See No Evil: New Zealand’s Betrayal of the People of West Papua.

OPINION: There has been an organised armed resistance to Indonesian control of West Papua since 1965.

Sadly, however, it has taken the devastating hostage ordeal of New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens to focus our attention on this hidden conflict in our region.

The hostage-taking occurred in the remote mountainous region of Nduga , an area which has been a war zone since late 2018.

The military escalation has much to do with resource exploitation on a grand scale. Construction of the Trans Papua Highway is well under way, stretching across the highlands from Sorong in the west to south-eastern Merauke.

READ MORE:
* No sign of Kiwi pilot taken hostage despite extensive searches
* West Papua is on the verge of another bloody crackdown
* The people of West Papua on a quest for right to self-determination

Its purpose is to link the capital Jayapura with the hugely lucrative Freeport McMoran mine complex, gas-rich Bintuni Bay, and monoculture food estate project which threaten peatlands and pristine rainforest.

The people of Nduga, subsistence farmers, have been displaced in their tens of thousands and more than 400 have died from conflict related causes. Few receive any government help.

Villages have been bombed and strafed as the military and police conduct indiscriminate retaliatory raids, so it isn’t safe to return home.

In 1961, West Papua was on a clear path to independence from Dutch colonial control – a legislative assembly had been set up and on December 1, the new national Morning Star flag was raised for the first time.

Then, without any consultation, Papuans were traded off to Indonesia. The United States brokered the 1962 deal – the so-called New York agreement – between the Netherlands as the then-colonial power and Indonesia.

After a 7- month period of UN administration, Indonesia took control of the territory. The agreement stipulated an “act of free choice” –but when this eventually took place in 1969 it was a cruel farce involving only 1022 press-ganged participants.

Since then the indigenous population has been marginalised culturally and economically by a relentless inward flow of migrants from other parts of Indonesia.

Papuans have no agency over their rich resources – gold, copper and timber – and the poverty and HIV/Aids figures rank above other parts of Indonesia.

In the towns and cities a peaceful resistance movement has taken strong root. A key demand is the right to hold a new fair referendum on the political status of the territory.

The Indonesian government regards this as “separatism” and security forces clamp down hard on peaceful demonstrations, and even on seminars and prayer meetings if they decide that a banned topic is being discussed.

Victor Yeimo, the charismatic leader of the youthful West Papua National Committee, is on trial for treason for taking part in peaceful anti-racism protests.

New Zealand’s record is one of consistent betrayal. Our ambassador was present at two of the assemblies that made up the “act of free/no choice”, and reported on the “questionable morality of the whole process” and of a people “heavily coerced”. However, New Zealand voted at the United Nations to endorse this outcome.

Since then, successive governments have prioritised the bilateral relationship with Indonesia and clung to the mantra that Indonesia has the right to protect its “territorial integrity”. This despite a Papuan death toll that commentators refer to as a“slow genocide”.

The United States, closely followed by New Zealand, broke off defence ties with Indonesia in 1999, at a time when the Indonesian military unleashed a storm of destruction and deadly violence in East Timor.

The new nation of Timor Leste gained its freedom, but the generals and commanders responsible for this deadly mayhem were never held to account.

The United States restored defence ties with Indonesia in 2005, New Zealand in 2007.

Selected Indonesian officers, of major-equivalent and higher rank, regularly attend the six-month New Zealand Defence Force Advanced Command and Staff Course (ACSC).

Indonesian officers are also invited to New Zealand to attend bilateral defence talks, workshops, and meetings.

English language training is offered when Indonesian officers attend the ACSC.

New Zealand officers visit Indonesia to take part in study tours, conferences, and ceremonies.

These military links undermine New Zealand’s human rights advocacy for West Papua which usually takes the form of “quiet diplomacy”.

Access to West Papua is severely limited for humanitarian workers and journalists, and local journalists who dare to uphold Papuan rights face harassment.

Our government backs the call for the UN Human Rights Commissioner to visit but doesn’t press the issue.

Papuan church leaders including the late Father Neles Tebay and Rev Socratez Yoman have asked for New Zealand to act as a mediator and remind us that New Zealand played a positive role in resolving the conflict in Bougainville. It isn’t too late to heed these calls.

Of course New Zealand’s failings don’t justify the kidnapping of our national Philip Mehrtens, or anyone else for that matter. My hope is that every effort is being made to find go-betweens who can help to resolve Philip’s ordeal.

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https://en.tempo.co/read/1689395/hostage-taker-demands-release-of-papua-after-kidnapping-pilot-and-passengers-of-susi-air

2) Hostage-taker Demands Release of Papua After Kidnapping Pilot and Passengers of Susi Air

Translator Editor Petir Garda Bhwana 9 February 2023 08:11 WIB  

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - After taking hostage the pilot and passengers of the Susi Air plane, the leadership of the West Papua National Liberation Army Forces-Free Papua Organization (TPNPB-OPM) made demands on the Government of Indonesia. In one of their demands, the TPNPB-OPM led by Egianus Kagoya demanded Indonesia to let go of Papua region.

"We, TPNPB Kodap III Ndugama-Derakma, will not release the pilot we are holding hostage, unless the Unitary Republic of Indonesia recognizes and releases us from the colonial state of Indonesia (independent Papua)," said TPNPB-OPM spokesman Sebby Sambon quoting Kogoya's statement, Tuesday, February 7, 2023.

Sebby through his written statement also demanded that the Government of Indonesia immediately close all incoming flights to Nduga Regency. He also conveyed demands that TNI-Polri members to not shoot or interrogate Nduga civilians. Apart from that, they also demanded that the construction that had been carried out by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia on Ndugama land be completely stopped. If development activities are still found, said Sebby, they will threaten to wipe out all existing developments.

In his official report, Egianus claimed that his troops had taken the pilot of the Susi Air plane hostage. It is known that this is the second time that a similar incident was carried out by TPNPB-OPM since the Lorenz Team in 1996 in Mapnduma. "The pilot had been taken hostage and we are on the way out," said Egianus in his report.

Not only holding a pilot and five passengers hostage, Sebby said that Egianus' troops also burned a Susi Air plane with registration number PK-BVY at the airfield in Paro district, Nduga Regency, Papua Mountains. The plane flew from Mimima to Paro district at 06:26 WIT. "TPNPB troops succeeded in burning it," said Sambom.

In order to thoroughly investigate this case, National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the Peaceful Carstensz Operation team in Papua would be deployed to rescue the pilot and passengers of the Susi Air plane who were being held hostage.

"We are a joint team from Operation Peaceful Carstensz currently carrying out a search operation. We will inform you about the results," said National Police Chief General Sigit in a press conference, as quoted from the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel, Tuesday, 7 February 2023.

HARIS SETYAWAN

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https://en.antaranews.com/news/272091/ministry-temporarily-closes-paro-airfield-in-nduga-papua

3) Ministry temporarily closes Paro Airfield in Nduga, Papua 

 21 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Transportation Ministry temporarily closed the Paro Sub-district Airfield (Lapter) in Nduga District, Papua Province, after the Susi Air PK-BVY aircraft attack incident on Tuesday.

"The Paro Airfield is still temporarily closed due to the position of the damaged plane that is located in the middle of the airfield, (thereby) making it impossible to operate flights to or from Paro," the ministry's spokesperson Adita Irawati noted in a press statement received here on Wednesday.

Irawati remarked that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, through the Head of Merauke Region X Airport Authority Office, continues to coordinate and monitor developments in the Susi Air plane attack case.

"Until now, the exact whereabouts of the pilot and passengers on the plane are not known," Irawati stated.

Responding to this incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation took steps to further improve security, she remarked.

First, airport administrators should always coordinate with local security forces and be more vigilant by checking entry permits for people before entering the restricted security area of the airport.

"Second, air transport operators should carry out more intensive checks on passengers by checking their boarding passes and checking personal identities and checking luggage for flight safety," she stated.

Third, all airfields located in Nduga District, which have been managed by the regional government, must be selective and always coordinate with security forces in terms of granting flight permits.

Earlier, Susi Air's plane, with flight number SI 9368, was torched by an armed group at the Paro Sub-district Airfield on Tuesday morning.

The Pilatus Porter-type aircraft had departed from Timika at 5:33 local time and was scheduled to return to Moses Kilangin Airport in Timika at 7:40 local time.

New Zealand national, Captain Philips M, the pilot of the Susi Air aircraft, carried onboard five passengers: Demanus Gwijangge, Minda Gwijangge, Pelenus Gwijangge, Meita Gwijangge, and Wetina W.

The representative from Susi Air, Donal Fariz, said that the aircraft, carrying five passengers and luggage, with a total payload of 452 kilograms, lost contact on Tuesday at 6:35 local time at Paro Airfield during a flight on the Timika-Paro-Timika route.

Two hours later, Susi Air located the plane's Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT) in an active position at 9:12 local time. The company then conducted the protocol for an internal emergency situation by sending another aircraft to check the plane's position and found that it had been set on fire on the airfield's runway. 

Related news: VP Amin calls on TNI commander to maintain Papua's security

Related news: West Papua needs security guarantee to draw investors: minister
   

Reporter: Benardy Ferdiansyah, Resinta S
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga

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https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/483940/human-rights-researcher-pleads-for-release-of-nz-pilot

4) Human rights researcher pleads for release of NZ pilot

2:41 pm today 

Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific 

Journalist lydia.lewis@rnz.co.nz

A researcher at Human Rights Watch in Jakarta is calling for the immediate release of the hostages including a New Zealand pilot being held by a rebel group in Indonesia's Papua region.

The rebels in Highland Papua are threatening to execute Susi Air pilot Phillip Mehrtens if their demands are not met.

Five other people were also believed to have been taken hostage in the attack.

The West Papua National Liberation Army has posted an ultimatum on social media demanding Jakarta negotiate with them over independence for the region.

"Pilot is still alive and he will be held hostage for negotiations with Jakarta, if Jakarta is obstinate, then the pilot will be executed," the statement read.

"We will take the New Zealand citizen pilot as hostage and we are waiting for accountability from the Australian Government, the New Zealand Government, the European Union Governments, and the United Nations, because for 60 years these countries have supported Indonesia to kill Indigenous Papuans."

Researcher Andreas Harsono knows the main spokesperson of the rebel group Sebby Sambom after decades of research in the field.

He made a call to him personally to let the hostages go.

"I call on this group to immediately release all of the hostages including the pilot - it is a crime to kidnap anyone including this pilot," he told RNZ Pacific.

"I do not know how to measure the seriousness of such a threat but this is a hostage situation, things could be out of control. So the best way is to negotiate and ask them to release the pilot.”

Harsono noted the difficulties in New Zealand attempting to negotiate with the group, particularly given their demands.

"I don't think it is easy or even internationally accepted to pressure the New Zealand government to negotiate for West Papuan independence from Indonesia.

"It is way too complicated for any country in the world including New Zealand to negotiate the independence of this particular territory but of course the Papuan people have suffered a lot and the Indonesian government should do more to end impunity and human rights abuses in West Papua.

"But this is a hostage situation. The most important thing is to call on this group to immediately and unconditionally release all of the hostages including the New Zealand pilot."

Harsono said he does not know whether the passengers have been taken hostage, nor does he know if they are indigenous Papuans.

"The area is very remote, only certain people go there, mainly construction workers, and there were killings against Indonesian workers back in 2018," he said.

Audio

Police encounter difficulties looking for pilot 

Indonesian authorities say it's facing difficulties locating Merhtens because of the lack of telecommunications facilities in Paro District and the absence of any Indonesian Military or police post in the area.

Jubi TV quotes Papua Police spokesperson Ignatius Benny Ady Prabowo saying his party continued to track the whereabouts of Mehrtens and are preparing to go to Paro District.

He said that before the burning of the plane, rumours had been circulating that a rebel group had threatened 15 construction workers who were building a health centre in the district.

"The New Zealand embassy in Indonesia is working on the case," New Zealand's prime minister, Chris Hipkins, told Radio New Zealand.

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