Susi Air Pilot Exchanged For Papuan Independence Called Requests Outside The Nalar

Susi Air Pilot Philip Mark Mahrentens and the KKB took him hostage. (ANTARA)

Observers of strategic and global issues Imron Cotan assess that the Government will not meet the demands of the armed criminal group (KKB) in Papua related to the release of pilot Susi Air Phillip Mehrtens which can be exchanged for Papuan independence. "It is impossible for the Indonesian government to become a big and sovereign country to comply with such demands," said Imron, quoted by ANTARA, Sunday, March 19. It was also stated that such demands include unreasonable demands that if met it would only bring up many new independent countries as the result of the hostage-taking. This has also been confirmed by Imron when he was a speaker in a webinar organized by Moya Institute entitled "Thendership of Pilot Susi Air: Terrorism??, last Friday. Imron also mentioned the potential for the emergence of empathy and sympathy from Phillip to KKB Papua. He assessed that this can happen and be called the oslo syndrome. "There is a theory called oslo syndrome developed, among others, by Kenneth Levin who said that if someone is held hostage, it will eventually love or sympathize with those who take it hostage. That could happen," he said. According to Imron, this factor also has the potential to make efforts to free Phillip more complicated and difficult because the person concerned has empathized with KKB Papua.

Meanwhile, Moya Institute Executive Director Hery Sucipto said the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) had confirmed that Law Number 5 of 2018 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Terrorism could be applied to acts of violence committed by the KKB, including the hostage-taking of Susi Air pilots. The KKB violence, according to him, has fulfilled elements of terrorism crimes because it has political motives, ideologies, security disturbances, and creates a broad sense of fear in the community. "The dilemmatic condition must be immediately solved," said Hery.