2) Ministry dispatches team to Jayapura for post-disaster response
3) Papua records damage to buildings following quake
4) Denying OPM links, former Papua Governor Lukas Enembe reaffirms loyalty to Jakarta
-----------------------------------
1) VP calls for better flight security in Papua
A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil (The Jakarta Post)
PREMIUM Jakarta ●
Sat, February 11 2023
A Susi Air plane is reported to have been set on fire by rebels on February 7, 2023 at a landing strip in Paro, Nduga, a restive regency in Papua’s central highlands.(Various sources/JP/Swi Handono)
Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has called for better safeguards for civilian flights into Papua after the recent abduction of a New Zealand pilot by rebel fighters, as a joint security team continues its search in the mountainous jungle region beset by conflict.
The torching of an airplane operated by frontier airline Susi Air and the abduction of its foreign pilot in Nduga regency earlier this week exposed yet another problem, the Vice President suggested on Friday, as he called for security to be tightened around air travel infrastructure in Papua. “An aircraft that has landed can only be set on fire if there is not enough security.
There should have been some security attendance,” Ma’ruf said during a visit to Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, as quoted by state news agency Antara. The commercial airplane had landed on an airstrip in Paro district, deep in Highland Papua province, on Tuesday with five local passengers and the pilot onboard, before armed rebels raided the airstrip, took hostages and torched the plane in a gesture of defiance against the government.
The West Papua Liberation Army, the military wing of the Free Papua Organization (OPM), claimed responsibility for the attack and demanded that the governments of Indonesia and New Zealand facilitate talks to liberate the region from what they consider an ongoing occupation.
A spokesperson for the rebel group claimed it had released the five Papuan passengers but had held onto the pilot, Captain Philip Merthens, as a bargaining chip. Jakarta authorities say they believe the foreigner has escaped capture. A team of Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police personnel has since been dispatched to rescue the pilot.
Prosecution and prosperity Ma’ruf demanded that the rebels be held accountable. “So Highland Papua is still known for its security threats. This is why I request that these agents provocateurs be pursued in the name of law enforcement,” the Vice President added. He also claimed that the government had been building prosperity in the region in efforts that had been backed by a variety of Papuan stakeholders, including local figureheads, missionaries and customary leaders. “We will keep developing prosperity and will adjust things in tune with what the people of Papua want,” Ma’ruf said.
The country’s easternmost region, with abundant natural resources underneath its jungle canopy, has been plagued by severe underdevelopment and exploitation, which has galvanized a separatist movement that has simmered in the background for decades. Jakarta has been criticized for employing a tough security approach in the region, though officials claim the focus has recently shifted to a shared prosperity approach.
Merthens’ abduction is the first since 1996 to involve a foreigner, and analysts have warned the state not to repeat the mistakes of the past, in which two Indonesian hostages lost their lives.
As the team continues its search for the pilot, security and military personnel have evacuated residents of Paro to the Nduga regency capital of Kenyam. Some 25 people have been transported there on two Bell helicopters, according to a police statement. Cenderawasih Military Command commander Maj. Gen. Muhammad Saleh Mustafa said the evacuation had been carried out for the safety of the residents.
Not a hostage?
Mustafa also claimed there was no hostage situation. “We reiterate that there is no hostage situation.
We are currently looking for the whereabouts of the Susi Air pilot,” the Army general said in a statement on Friday. New Zealand is working closely with Indonesia to evacuate the pilot, officials have said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said on Friday that communication with Wellington over the pilot’s abduction was ongoing, although he declined to elaborate. “What we can confirm is that this aspect of citizen protections is one that any country takes seriously,” he said at a press briefing in Jakarta.
Meanwhile, Papua Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Ignatius Benny Adi Prabowo said authorities were still searching for the New Zealand national. “We are currently still mapping [his whereabouts],” Benny told The Jakarta Post on Friday, claiming there was no definitive proof that Merthens was still with the rebels.
He also said authorities were seeking the assistance of local figureheads in Paro who might have ways of communicating with the armed group. In Jakarta, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Dudung Abdurachman designated the incident a "terror act”.
Separately, rebel spokesman Sebby Sambom said the New Zealand pilot was in good condition and was still in the hands of the rebels. He added that his release was something to be negotiated with New Zealand, not Indonesia. “If [New Zealand] does not want to compromise, the hostage will remain with us until Papua is free,” Sebby told the Post on Friday. (tjs)
--------------------------------------
2) Ministry dispatches team to Jayapura for post-disaster response
13 hours ago
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture has deployed a team to Jayapura City, Papua Province, to coordinate post-earthquake emergency response attempts after the quake jolted the region on Thursday (February 9, 2023).
"Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture has dispatched a team to Jayapura after the 5.4-magnitude earthquake," Sudirman, the deputy for equitable regional development and disaster mitigation coordination at the ministry, said when contacted on Friday (February 10).
According to the direct monitoring conducted by the coordinating ministry and Social Affairs Ministry’s teams, several residents were still displaced and in need of assistance.
"Although the residents' activities are gradually starting to return to normal after the earthquake, 2,136 people still flee their homes. Until now, data collection on fatalities and material losses is still being carried out," the deputy stated.
Sudirman expressed his condolences for the victims of the earthquake that struck Jayapura City on Thursday at 3:28 p.m. Eastern Indonesia Standard Time (WIT) and was centered on land at one kilometer (km) southwest of Jayapura City, at a depth of 10 km.
Acting Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s (BNPB’s) Center for Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Abdul Muhari noted that 50 families took refuge at the CV Thomas Complex, while another 50 families took shelter at state-run Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN) of Jayapura City.
In addition, there are 200 refugees in the Christ Raja Dok V area, 400 refugees in the Bhayangkara I area, 65 refugees in the Bhayangkari Baru area, 300 refugees in the B-One area, 110 refugees at the Jayapura City Manpower Office, 125 refugees at the Hamadi Fishery Market (TPI), and 260 refugees at the Dok IV Sumatra Street.
Meanwhile, 100 people sought refuge at the Hamadi Village Head’s office, 159 people at the Hamadi Aerial and Water Corps’ (Polairud’s) office, 254 people at the Gajah Putih area, 73 people at the RT 01 Tasangka area, 40 people in the United Tractor office, and 50 people in their relatives' houses.
It was recorded that 15 houses were heavily damaged, one house was moderately damaged, and 28 houses were slightly damaged by the earthquake.
The Jayapura City Hospital, a cafeteria, five office buildings, one mosque, two churches, one hotel, and one modern retail establishment were also damaged.
Related news: Papua records damage to buildings following quake
Related news: Jayapura city govt declares 21-day emergency period due to 5.4M quake
"Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture has dispatched a team to Jayapura after the 5.4-magnitude earthquake," Sudirman, the deputy for equitable regional development and disaster mitigation coordination at the ministry, said when contacted on Friday (February 10).
According to the direct monitoring conducted by the coordinating ministry and Social Affairs Ministry’s teams, several residents were still displaced and in need of assistance.
"Although the residents' activities are gradually starting to return to normal after the earthquake, 2,136 people still flee their homes. Until now, data collection on fatalities and material losses is still being carried out," the deputy stated.
Sudirman expressed his condolences for the victims of the earthquake that struck Jayapura City on Thursday at 3:28 p.m. Eastern Indonesia Standard Time (WIT) and was centered on land at one kilometer (km) southwest of Jayapura City, at a depth of 10 km.
Acting Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s (BNPB’s) Center for Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Abdul Muhari noted that 50 families took refuge at the CV Thomas Complex, while another 50 families took shelter at state-run Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN) of Jayapura City.
In addition, there are 200 refugees in the Christ Raja Dok V area, 400 refugees in the Bhayangkara I area, 65 refugees in the Bhayangkari Baru area, 300 refugees in the B-One area, 110 refugees at the Jayapura City Manpower Office, 125 refugees at the Hamadi Fishery Market (TPI), and 260 refugees at the Dok IV Sumatra Street.
Meanwhile, 100 people sought refuge at the Hamadi Village Head’s office, 159 people at the Hamadi Aerial and Water Corps’ (Polairud’s) office, 254 people at the Gajah Putih area, 73 people at the RT 01 Tasangka area, 40 people in the United Tractor office, and 50 people in their relatives' houses.
It was recorded that 15 houses were heavily damaged, one house was moderately damaged, and 28 houses were slightly damaged by the earthquake.
The Jayapura City Hospital, a cafeteria, five office buildings, one mosque, two churches, one hotel, and one modern retail establishment were also damaged.
Related news: Papua records damage to buildings following quake
Related news: Jayapura city govt declares 21-day emergency period due to 5.4M quake
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.