Civil Coalition Urges Govt to Free Kiwi Pilot in Papua Through Peaceful Dialogue

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform has urged President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to pursue a peaceful dialogue in the government’s effort to free the New Zealand pilot Philip Mark Marthens, who flew for Susi Air and has been taken hostage by armed groups in Papua. 

The coalition urges the government to stop military operations in the release effort as well as in handling conflicts in Papua in general.

"The President and the House of Representatives must stop combat operations and other militaristic approaches to handling the security situation in Papua," a representative from Papua Itu Kita, Michael Himan wrote in a written statement, on Tuesday, April 18.

Papua Itu Kita is one of the many human rights watchdogs joined in the coalition. Other members include the Indonesian Legal Aid Association (PBHI), YLBHI, KontraS, and Walhi. 

Himan insisted that the death of an Indonesian Army soldier in one of the military’s operations to free the New Zealand pilot is proof that a militaristic approach has not produced the intended results. 

Soldier Killed in Ambush 

The soldier who died was Private Miftahul Arifin who was shot in an attack by an armed criminal group in Mugi-Mam District, Nduga, Papua on April 15. At that time, the task force from the Raider 321/Galuh Taruna Infantry Battalion was patrolling the area after they believed Captain Philip had been moved to Mugi-Mam District.

Himan said the shootout that killed the soldier should be a lesson for the President and the House of Representatives (DPR)  to evaluate the militaristic security approach implemented in Papua.

“This is not the only time it has happened. Prior to this, the National Police Chief presented data suggesting that 22 law enforcement officers and soldiers had been killed from 2022 till now,” said Himan. 

Coalition representative from Imparsial Hussein Ahmad, in the same statement, said the militaristic security approach carried out in Papua has had a direct impact on violence and human rights violations against the community. Some of the cases recorded were the murder of Pastor Yeremia Zanambani in 2020 and other killings and torture.

Hussein believes that an evaluation of the militaristic security approach must begin immediately by reorganizing the number of troops stationed in Papua. He suspects that from time to time the number of troops stationed in Papua continues to increase.

Based on data collected by Imparsial, the number of TNI soldiers in Papua totals around 16,900 personnel. This number comes from organic soldiers, which were 13,900 people, and non-organic as many as 3,000 people. "If you look at the background of the unit, most of those sent to Papua are units with combat qualifications," he said.

Dialogue a Solution to Past Similar Conflicts 

According to Hussein, the government has the qualification and experience in resolving conflicts through peaceful means. This was evident in past conflicts that were successfully reconciled through dialogs, such as the cases in Aceh, Poso, and Ambon. 

"The experience of resolving the Aceh, Poso, and Ambon conflicts should be an important lesson for the government to resolve the Papua conflict," he said.

M ROSSENO AJI

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