KSAD: TNI Soldiers Must Love Papuan People, Task Force Doesn't Have To Fight KKB But Embraces

TIMIKA - Army Chief of Staff (KSAD), General TNI Dudung Abdurachman, reminded the soldiers serving in Papua to love the local community and never hurt people's hearts.

"Don't even think about killing, you have to love the people and you have to show love to the Papuan people. You have to be kind to the Papuan people, don't hurt their hearts", said the Army Chief of Staff while giving a briefing to soldiers of the Indonesian Army, Persit KCK and Task Force Battalion Infantry Battalion PR 328/Dirgahayu at the Raider Battalion Headquarters 754/ENK20/3 Kostrad, in Timika, Papua quoted by Antara, Tuesday, November 23.

General Dudung's visit to Timika was his first visit to Papua since being sworn in as Army Chief of Staff by President Joko Widodo on Wednesday, November 17.

General Dudung said that his visit to Papua, especially to the Timika region this time was in order to visit the Operations Task Force in Papua to listen to various inputs from soldiers and find solutions to overcome the difficulties faced by soldiers in carrying out operational tasks in Papua.

According to him, TNI (Army) soldiers must be able to embrace armed groups so that they can return to the fold of the Republic of Indonesia.

"The task force does not have to fight the KKB, but they need to be embraced with a pure and sincere heart because they are our brothers. Success in their duties is not measured by getting weapons but how our brothers can come to their senses and return to the NKRI (Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia)", he said.

To the soldiers of the Army, the Army Chief of Staff advised them to serve in Papua for the sake of serving the nation and state, as well as protecting and protecting the Papuan people.

The benchmark for the success of a TNI soldier's duties, he said, is if they are loved, loved, proud and admired by the Papuan people.

"When you finish the Task Force and the people cry for you because they still want you to work and live with them, it means that you have won the hearts and sympathy of the Papuan people", he said.

After briefing the soldiers of the Indonesian Army in the Timika area, he continued his working visit to Jayapura.