Release Of Susi Air Pilots, Government Actions Must Not Be Gegabah

Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko gave a press statement to reporters at the Binda Graha Building, Jakarta, Monday (3/7/2023). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said that the effort to release Susi Air pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens who was held hostage by the Egianus Kogoya group in Papua should not be carried out rashly.

"So, we (the government) will also see the dynamics of the field. If the soldiers will be inconsequential, it will be troublesome, they must be calculated as well as possible, there should be no rash actions," said Moeldoko, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, July 3.

According to him, the TNI, Polri and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have understood the role that must be taken in the effort to release the New Zealand pilot.

"Each of them already knows how to carry out their roles. The police carry out what roles, the TNI carries out what roles, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs carries out what roles it plays. There are paths taken," he explained.

Moeldoko said the New Zealand government also requested that efforts to release its citizens be carried out properly. The Indonesian government is currently prioritizing efforts for a soft approach through diplomacy and negotiations.

President Joko Widodo on the previous occasion stated that the government was continuing to try to free Susi Air Pilot Philip Mark Merthens who was held hostage by the Egianus Kogoya group in Papua.

"We will continue to try, negotiate," Joko Widodo told reporters in his statement at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Jakarta, Monday, when he was leaving for Australia to attend the Annual Leaders Meeting.

Jokowi said that the government in Papua had many things to do regarding the efforts to release the Susi Air Pilot, but this could not be disclosed to the public.

"Actually, there are many things that we (the government) do there, but I can't open them here," explained the President.