TPNPB-OPM Denies Responsibility for New Zealand Pilot Killing

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB-OPM) has denied responsibility for the killing of New Zealand pilot Glen Malcolm Conning. Spokesperson Sebby Sambom claimed the incident occurred within a declared war zone and therefore is the responsibility of the Indonesian military (TNI) and police (Polri).

“It’s not our responsibility, it’s the responsibility of the TNI-Polri. We've announced it every time,” Sebby told Tempo on Monday evening, August 5.

Sebby emphasized the TPNPB-OPM's longstanding ban on civilian flights in the region and accused Indonesian authorities of disregarding this warning. He argued that the government should have initiated dialogue to prevent such incidents.

Glen Malcolm Conning, a helicopter pilot belonging to PT Intan Angkasa Air Service, was killed by the TPNPB-OPM on Monday, August 5. Brigadier General Faizal Ramadhani, head of the Cartenz 2024 Peace Operation, confirmed that the 50-year-old man was killed in the Alama District, Mimika Regency, after the IWN, MD. 500 ER PK helicopter he was piloting landed there. 

There were four passengers in the helicopter, consisting of two health workers, a child, and a baby. The aircraft was subsequently burned.

A spokesperson for the Cartenz 2024 Peace Operation, Senior Commissioner Bayu Suseno, revealed that a witness, D, told about the killing of the helicopter pilot. In his testimony, the armed group immediately blocked the pilot and passengers using firearms. “And the pilot Mr. Glen Malcolm Conning was immediately slained,” he said.

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