1) No communication from Papuan armed group on hostage pilot: Susi Air

2) Throughout 2022, 9,205 security forces sent to Papua and West Papua 

3) Komnas HAM Papua sends investigation team to Wamena 

4) Indonesian Military set for long-term operation to rescue NZ pilot 

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https://en.antaranews.com/news/274320/no-communication-from-papuan-armed-group-on-hostage-pilot-susi-air

1) No communication from Papuan armed group on hostage pilot: Susi Air 

 5 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Papuan armed separatist group that has taken Susi Air pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens hostage has not established any communication with the airline so far, a Susi Air attorney informed here on Wednesday.

"The group did not try or never made any communication with the company. There has been no communication between us until now," Donal Fariz said.

The airline has not received any information regarding the ransom demanded by the group led by Egianus Kogoya for the release of the New Zealander pilot who has been in captivity for 22 days now, he added.

According to Fariz, the company has only obtained information on the whereabouts and the condition of the pilot from media reports.

"They communicate by sending photos and videos to our fellow journalists. So, I got the pictures from the media, not from them," he added.

The Nduga district administration, he said, has sent representatives to establish communication with the armed group.

"It is a one-way (communication). We are waiting for information from the team in the field, they screen the information, then share it with us," he expounded.

Fariz said that the airline’s representatives met with New Zealand Ambassador Kevin Jeffrey Burnett recently to exchange information.

"They have more or less the same information as we have," he said.

Responding to reports that the armed group has demanded a sum of money as ransom, Fariz said that the company does not have any information regarding this.

"We do not know how much and how they collect the ransom. It would be impossible to ask for money from Susi Air while our plane was burned. The plane itself is worth US$2 million," he added.

Susi Air has handed over the case to the government and the authorities will negotiate with the kidnappers to release the pilot.

"We let the government handle this. If they asked for firearms, it would be impossible. We don't have firearms," he said.

Earlier on February 23, 2023, the Kogoya-led armed group demanded firearms and ammunition as ransom for the release of the Susi Air pilot.

"It is true that Egianus Kogoya has demanded some ransom, among others, firearms and ammunition, for the release of the New Zealander pilot Philip Mark Merthens," Papua Police chief, Inspector General Mathius Fakhiri, said in Timika.

The request was impossible to fulfill because it was considered dangerous, disturbing security and risking casualties, he said.

Merthens, Susi Air's Pilatus Porter pilot, was taken hostage by the Papuan armed group on February 7 after the group burned down the airplane he was piloting at Paro airport in Nduga district, Papua Pegunungan province.

Related news: Captured New Zealand pilot not part of separatist group: Susi Air
Related news: Negotiations underway to free Susi Air pilot from Kogoya group

Reporter: Melasusa S Khalida, Sri Haryati
Editor: Anton Santos

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https://en.jubi.id/throughout-2022-9205-security-forces-sent-to-papua-and-west-papua/

2) Throughout 2022, 9,205 security forces sent to Papua and West Papua   

News Desk - Additional Troops In Papua

 1 March 2023

Jayapura, Jubi – The Democracy Alliance for Papua (AlDP) recorded at least 9,205 Indonesian Military (TNI) and Poice personnel were stationed in Papuaand West Papua provinces in 2022. AlDP assesses that such placement is related to the division of Papua and West Papua to four new provinces.

Coordinator of the AlDP Administration Division Antoni Ibra, during the launch of the 2022 General Situation Report on Human Rights in Papua held online on Monday, February 27, 2023, said throughout 2022 there were 4,205 TNI members known to be seconded in Papua, and six task forces whose exact number of personnel was unknown. AlDP estimates that the number of TNI personnel seconded to Papua in 2022 reached 7,850 people.

There are also 455 Mobile Brigade (Brimob) members sent to Papua, and at least nine other Brimob squads. AlDP estimates their total number to be at least 1,355 people.

Antoni said it was difficult to ascertain how many personnel were seconded in Papua because neither the TNI nor the Police have clearly announced the figure.

According to him, the security approach taken by the Indonesian government in Papua has always been characterized by sending massive troops to carry out a number of military operations.

“There are military operations other than war, pursuing armed groups, securing border areas,” he said.

Antoni Ibra assessed that although the security apparatus often changed the name of the task force seconded to Papua, there was no change in the way they worked.

“Gen. Andika Perkasa when he became TNI Commander changed the name of the task force from Nemangkawi to Cartenz Peace. However, we doubt there is actually a change in the approach and actions taken that can resolve the conflict in Papua,” he said. (*)

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https://en.jubi.id/komnas-ham-papua-sends-investigation-team-to-wamena/

3) Komnas HAM Papua sends investigation team to Wamena   

News Desk - Mob Rage And Shooting Of Citizens In Wamena 

1 March 2023

Jayapura, Jubi – The Papua Representative of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM Papua) has sent an investigation team to Wamena, the capital of Jayawijaya Regency, to investigate alleged human rights violations in the handling of clashes between residents and police in Wamena on February 23, 2023.

Head of Komnas HAM Papua Frits Ramandey said the investigation team had been in Wamena for several days. However, the team has not been able to work optimally due to the weather.

“Now we will withdraw the team first, and then reschedule the investigation,” said Ramandey on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

According to Ramandey, the investigation team has recorded 11 deaths in the clashes between residents and police. However, the team can only confirm the cause of death of ten victims. Meanwhile, one other person’s identity and cause of death have yet to be determined.

Ramandey said his team had also met five injured victims on February 23 and 25. “We also recorded that as a result of the incident, approximately 13 buildings and houses were burned,” he said. (*)

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https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2023/03/01/indonesian-military-set-for-long-term-operation-to-rescue-nz-pilot.html

4) Indonesian Military set for long-term operation to rescue NZ pilot 

Nur Janti (The Jakarta Post)

 Jakarta   ●   Wed, March 1 2023 

The Indonesian security forces are set to conduct a long-term operation to rescue the New Zealand pilot who has been held hostage by an armed Papuan rebel group in Nduga Regency, Papua Highlands, for more than 20 days. Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Adm. Y

udo Margono said he had no plan to deploy additional troops to the restive regency to help with the rescue operation, which he said would continue to be carried out “persuasively” to protect the local civilians.

 “We do not set any target. The [armed criminal groups] are interspersed with the locals, including children, to protect themselves. We will try to carry out [the rescue operation] persuasively. 

We do not want the local community to become collateral because of it,” he said as quoted by kompas.com on Monday.   New Zealand pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens was captured by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) led by Egianus Kogoya on Feb. 7 after landing in Nduga, along with several Indonesian passengers, who were later released. 

The group, which is linked to the Free Papua Movement (OPM), has demanded that Jakarta recognize Papuan independence in return for Mehrtens’ release and has used the ongoing hostage crisis as a way to internationalize its political cause.     

A spokesperson for the TPNPB shared photographs and videos of Mehrtens surrounded by about a dozen fighters, some armed with guns and bows. Mehrtens is heard saying his captors asked for the TNI's withdrawal from Papua, otherwise he would be held for life.   

Negotiations underway Nduga acting regent Namia Gwijangge and local religious and tribal leaders are still negotiating with the captors for Mehrtens’ release, according to Yudo. 

New Zealand diplomats had reportedly traveled to Papua to monitor the negotiation process. The military commander has said that the authorities had chosen to allow negotiations with the rebels to continue as fears grew that the use of force in the rescue attempt would only repeat the errors made in previous operations that went awry. 

The fact that the TPNPB members have blended with the local civilians has been cited as the primary obstacle for the whole operation. “It is not easy to nab this group,” Yudo said. Cendrawasih Military commander Maj. Gen. Muhammad Saleh Mustafa told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the security forces in Papua had managed to take over the camps and routes used by the abductors as well as their belongings. 

"[We will run the operation] until the pilot can be safely freed. That is our top priority. Arresting Egianus Kagoya is the next priority,” he said. Jakarta has refused to grant Kogoya’s demands. Last week, Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Mathius Fakhiri said the rebel group demanded the delivery of guns and ammunition in exchange for the release of Mehrtens. 

The authorities have rejected the demand, saying doing so would only further aggravate the security situation in the region.   1996 hostage crisis The incident is the first in nearly three decades to involve a foreign hostage, and violates a deal in November 2022 on a humanitarian pause that was agreed between the ad hoc National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), the state-backed Papuan People’s Assembly and the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, a forum for Papuan self-determination. 

The first hostage crisis incident in Nduga took place in 1996 when a group of OPM rebels led by Kelly Kwalik kidnapped 26 people, including seven foreigners. The ordeal lasted from Jan. 8 to May 15, 1996.

 During the hostage crisis, the government engaged in a long negotiation with the rebels before resorting to a dramatic seven-hour military operation led by the then-commander of the army’s special forces (Kopassus), Prabowo Subianto, to rescue the 11 remaining prisoners, including four British scientists. Eight OPM fighters and two Indonesian captives were killed in the rescue operation that involved 100 Kopassus members, according to the Independent.    

Conflict between security forces and indigenous Papuan rebels has simmered for decades in the country’s easternmost region, which remains among the most impoverished despite its rich mineral deposits. More recently, flaring tensions amid the stalemate in the pilot’s rescue mission have forced authorities to evacuate local residents from parts of Nduga. (ahw)

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