He mentioned that the government will also monitor the on-site conditions.
"If the officers act recklessly and a victim is harmed, we would face serious consequences. We need to carefully calculate our actions; there is no room for reckless behavior," Moeldoko said during a press conference on Monday.
He emphasized that the military, police, and Foreign Affairs Ministry have understood their respective roles and functions in the rescue operation of the New Zealander pilot.
Moeldoko further highlighted that the Indonesian government is employing a soft approach based on diplomacy and negotiation to secure the release of Mehrtens.
New Zealand has also urged Indonesia to proceed cautiously in rescuing their national, added the KSP chief.
Previously, President Joko Widodo assured that the government will make every effort to bring Mehrtens back safely.
"We will continue to try and negotiate," he stated at a press conference at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport on Monday morning.
He confirmed that the government has implemented several strategies to secure the release of the Susi Air pilot, although not all of them can be disclosed to the public.
"Actually, we have taken significant actions, but I cannot reveal the details here," he informed.
Mehrtens was abducted by an armed separatist group affiliated with the Free Papua Movement and led by Egianus Kogoya on February 7, 2023.
The group also set fire to the Susi Air Pilatus Porter PC 6 aircraft that he was piloting after it landed at Paro Airfield, Nduga district, Papua Highlands province.
Related news: Efforts still ongoing to free abducted New Zealander pilot: Jokowi
Related news: Negotiation main strategy for freeing abducted Susi Air pilot: TNI
"We will keep trying and negotiating," Jokowi told reporters at the Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in Jakarta on Monday.
He departed for Australia to attend the 2023 Annual Leaders Meeting.
Jokowi drew attention to several steps taken by the government to free the New Zealander, but said that information about them could not be disclosed to the public.
"Actually, the government has done a lot of things there, but I cannot reveal them here," the president explained.
The pilot was abducted by the armed separatist group on February 7, 2023.
The group also set fire to the Susi Air Pilatus Porter PC 6 aircraft that he was piloting after landing at Paro Airfield, Nduga District, Papua Pegunungan Province.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD refrained from providing details on the progress made in efforts to release the abducted pilot.
Mahfud told journalists at the Presidential Palace to inquire with the Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief about the matter.
Earlier, Papua Regional Police Chief Inspector General Pol Mathius Fakhiri expressed hope that the group led by Egianus Kogoya would release Mehrtens.
According to Fakhiri, security forces are prioritizing negotiations to free the pilot.
However, he noted that the two issues of independence and firearms could not be agreed upon.
Meanwhile, TNI Commander Admiral Yudo Margono affirmed that negotiation would remain the main strategy for freeing Mehrtens, while stating that violence would not be the best approach.
Jokowi is scheduled to visit Jayapura, Papua, on July 7 to attend the Papua Street Festival.
Related news: Negotiation main strategy for freeing abducted Susi Air pilot: TNI
Related news: Police widen search for Susi Air pilot to Yahukimo, Puncak
A meeting held last week in the European Parliament called for the EU to reconsider its relationship with Indonesia in light of the dire state of human rights in occupied West Papua.
The meeting, titled ‘The Human Rights situation in West Papua: What can the EU and UN do?’, was hosted by Carles Puigdemont MEP, former President of the Government of Catalonia, and saw contributions from Human Rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson and ULMWP Head of EU Mission Oridek Ap, among others. The full list of speakers is below.
Human rights in West Papua have significantly worsened since 2018. Since the West Papua uprising, between 60,00-100,000 Papuans having been internally displaced, while arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings have also become increasingly common. Participants called for the EU to halt ongoing trade negotiations with Indonesia until the illegal occupation of West Papua is addressed.
Speakers:
- Alex Sobel, Labour MP and Chair of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP)
- Jennifer Robinson, Barrister, Doughty Street Chambers,
- Oridek Ap, ULMWP Head of EU Mission
- Stephanie Caligara, Global Legal Action Network
- Igor Zulaika, EH-Bildu
Jayapura, Jubi – Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Mathius D. Fakhiri believes Egianus Kogoya, the leader of the The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), will release Philips Mark Mehrtens, the Susi Air pilot who has been held hostage by the group since February 2023. On Saturday, July 1, 2023, Fakhiri expressed confidence in the collaborative efforts of all parties involved, including the military, police, and traditional leaders to facilitate a smooth and successful release of Mehrtens.
Fakhiri’s optimism stems from his view of Egianus Kogoya as an Indigenous Papuan who possesses a conscience and values peace. He emphasizes the compassionate nature of the Papuan people, suggesting that Kogoya is likely to demonstrate empathy and release the captive pilot.
When asked about the timeframe, Fakhiri refrains from specifying a deadline. Instead, he focuses on the ongoing negotiation process, stating that it aligns with the desired outcome. Fakhiri remains hopeful that the combined efforts made thus far will pave the way for a prompt and safe reunion of the pilot with their family.
In expressing his confidence, Fakhiri acknowledges Egianus Kogoya’s role as a responsible citizen who loves peace and humanity. He believes that Kogoya is motivated by a sense of compassion and will ultimately choose to release the hostage.
Fakhiri concludes by reiterating his desire for the ongoing efforts to yield positive results, enabling the swift and secure release of the captive pilot. His primary hope is for the pilot to soon be reunited with their loved ones, as the negotiation process continues.
“Hopefully, the efforts that have been made so far can go well, and the pilot who is being held hostage can soon reunite with his family,” he said. (*)
THE West Papua International spokesperson for the Free West Papua Campaign has visited the Malaita Provincial capital, Auki, for the first time.
Raki Ap, who is based in the Netherlands, arrived in the country on Monday last week.
He visited Auki last Friday where he conducted an information-sharing session about the threats his people of the Melanesian region of West Papua continue to suffer in the hands of Indonesia since 1963.
The information-sharing session held at Auki Central Market attracted many ordinary Malaitans who were happy to get firsthand information regarding the struggle of West Papuans for self-determination.
Speaking to Solomon Star Auki in an interview after the information-sharing session, Mr Ap said he was happy to come to Auki to share the message of hope and the dream of his people of West Papua with his Melanesian brothers and sisters here in Malaita.
It is his hope that his brothers and sisters from Malaita would put pressure on their leaders to take a stand in favor of West Papua to liberate them from the hands of Indonesia.
Members of the public who were part of the information sharing session walked away with shirts bearing the Free West Papua slogan.
Mr Ap, who was accompanied by local supporters of the Free West Papua campaign left Auki yesterday morning back to Honiara after what is regarded as a successful trip to Malaita Province.
By WILSON SAENI in Auki
Authorities in Papua New Guinea have clamped down on displays of the West Papuan independence flag ahead of the Indonesian president’s visit to the Pacific island country this week.
Papua New Guinea, which has a 760-kilometer (472-mile) border with Indonesia, is home to thousands of refugees from the Papuan provinces of its powerful neighbor, where an indigenous Melanesian independence movement and armed insurgency has simmered for decades.
Officers from Papua New Guinea’s National Intelligence Organization removed Morning Star independence flags and banners at the Rainbow refugee camp in the capital Port Moresby on Saturday. Supporters of Papuan self-determination were marking the July 1 anniversary of a decades-old proclamation of independence from Indonesia.
“We will not allow the raising of the West Papuan flag,” said one of the officers, who identified himself to BenarNews as from the National Intelligence Organization. “But you can carry on with your program,” the officer, who declined to give his name, told residents at the camp.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo will arrive in Papua New Guinea for a two-day visit on Wednesday, the Pacific island country’s government has said. Widodo was last in Port Moresby in 2018 for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders summit.
Indonesia, an archipelago nation of some 270 million people, is a rising Southeast Asian power that reaches into the South Pacific region and says it is on track to be the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2045. Its military, economy and population dwarfs Papua New Guinea’s.
In recent years, Indonesia has contributed aid and technical assistance to Melanesian nations in the Pacific including Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands in an attempt to counter criticism of lack of development and militarization of its Papuan provinces. The region, which makes up the western half of the island of New Guinea, is referred to as West Papua in Pacific island countries and by supporters of independence.
The intelligence agency officers arrived at the refugee camp in Port Moresby in two unmarked white vehicles with tinted windows.
Their activities caused a commotion and some women and men cried as they sang the West Papuan national anthem in protest.
“Even if they remove our flag, they cannot remove us. We are the flag,” said Samuel Inggamer, a community leader. “I urge President Widodo to give us independence. He would make history if he did that.”
Authorities in Papua New Guinea have clamped down on displays of the West Papuan independence flag ahead of the Indonesian president’s visit to the Pacific island country this week.
Papua New Guinea, which has a 760-kilometer (472-mile) border with Indonesia, is home to thousands of refugees from the Papuan provinces of its powerful neighbor, where an indigenous Melanesian independence movement and armed insurgency has simmered for decades.
Officers from Papua New Guinea’s National Intelligence Organization removed Morning Star independence flags and banners at the Rainbow refugee camp in the capital Port Moresby on Saturday. Supporters of Papuan self-determination were marking the July 1 anniversary of a decades-old proclamation of independence from Indonesia.
“We will not allow the raising of the West Papuan flag,” said one of the officers, who identified himself to BenarNews as from the National Intelligence Organization. “But you can carry on with your program,” the officer, who declined to give his name, told residents at the camp.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo will arrive in Papua New Guinea for a two-day visit on Wednesday, the Pacific island country’s government has said. Widodo was last in Port Moresby in 2018 for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders summit.
Indonesia, an archipelago nation of some 270 million people, is a rising Southeast Asian power that reaches into the South Pacific region and says it is on track to be the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2045. Its military, economy and population dwarfs Papua New Guinea’s.
In recent years, Indonesia has contributed aid and technical assistance to Melanesian nations in the Pacific including Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands in an attempt to counter criticism of lack of development and militarization of its Papuan provinces. The region, which makes up the western half of the island of New Guinea, is referred to as West Papua in Pacific island countries and by supporters of independence.
The intelligence agency officers arrived at the refugee camp in Port Moresby in two unmarked white vehicles with tinted windows.
Their activities caused a commotion and some women and men cried as they sang the West Papuan national anthem in protest.
“Even if they remove our flag, they cannot remove us. We are the flag,” said Samuel Inggamer, a community leader. “I urge President Widodo to give us independence. He would make history if he did that.”
Vincent Manukayasi, director of civil society group PNG Trust, said the intelligence agency’s actions called into question the independence of a state institution.
“As a sovereign state, the NIO cannot be seen to be dictated to by another foreign government,” he said.
Poorly armed Papuan fighters – collectively known as the West Papua National Liberation Army – have battled Indonesia since the early 1960s, when it took control of the remote mountainous region from the Dutch.
Papuans, culturally and ethnically distinct from the rest of Indonesia, say they were denied the right to decide their own future. Indonesian control was formalized in 1969 with a U.N.-backed referendum in which little more than 1,000 Papuans were allowed to vote.
Documented and alleged killings and abuses by Indonesian military and police, from the 1960s until the present day – along with impunity and the exploitation of the region’s natural resources and widespread poverty – have fueled resentment of Indonesian rule.
Papuan liberation fighters have also become more unified and aggressive in recent years, stepping up attacks on Indonesian soldiers and civilians.
In a recent attention-grabbing raid, a rebel unit under Egianus Kogoya kidnapped New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens hoping to gain international exposure.
Within Papua New Guinea, there is a grassroots support for the Papuan independence movement in Indonesia. The Papua New Guinea government says it recognizes Indonesia’s sovereignty over the territory.
After a decade’s delay, Papua New Guinea in March ratified an agreementgoverning its border with Indonesia, possibly opening the way to relieving a longstanding pressure point in relations.
Researchers say that Jakarta is concerned by the prospect of Papuan insurgents moving between both countries. Over the decades Indonesia itself has periodically made incursions into Papua New Guinea’s territory, deliberate and accidental, they say.
Ahead of Widodo’s visit, Indonesia’s national airline Garuda, through its Citilink subsidiary, on Sunday began twice-a-week flights between Port Moresby and Denpasar, Bali.
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