KKB Kills 8 PTT Employees, DPR Asks For Papua's Natural Exploitation To Stop

Illustration/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - Commission I of the DPR condemned the incident of the murder of 8 employees of PT Palapa Timur Telematika (PTT) by the Papuan Armed Criminal Group (KKB) terrorists.

Member of Commission I DPR Sukamta, emphasized that the violence that killed civilians in Papua was a barbaric act that the government must immediately respond to firmly.

He asked the government to immediately take measured steps, even to stop the exploitation of Papua's natural resources.

According to Sukamta, the government must immediately thoroughly investigate this tragic incident and know the facts on the ground regarding the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) and the OPM, the Free Papua Organization.

"Second, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the shooting and create better security procedures to protect people in Papua from various violent threats from the TPNPB and OPM terrorist groups," Sukamta said in a statement, Sunday, March 6, evening.

The deputy chairman of the PKS faction in the DPR assessed that what the employees at that time were doing to repair Telkomsel's Tower Base Transceiver Station (BTS) 3 in Beoga District was an activity that was beneficial for the Papuan people.

Therefore, continued Sukamta, the terror shooting further emphasized that the TPNPB and OPM groups were trying to hinder development efforts in Papua and create fear among the Papuan people.

For the massacre incident, Sukamta then remembered the incident that killed 31 Trans Papua road construction workers in 2018. Apart from that, there were various other incidents targeting civilian groups. Sukamta considered that there was a pattern that more and more civilian targets were being terrorized and attacked, this should be the government's attention.

"Conduct an in-depth study of the socio-political dynamics of security that is happening in Papua. So that anticipatory steps can be taken from the start," said Sukamta.

The DI Yogyakarta legislator hopes that the government will be more serious in overcoming the problems in Papua. Sukamta said that various efforts to accelerate development contained in the Presidential Regulation (Perpres) concerning the Steering Committee for the Acceleration of Development for Special Autonomy in Papua (BP3OKP) and the Presidential Regulation on the Master Draft for the Acceleration of Development for Special Autonomy in Papua 2021-2041 (RIPPP) must be able to overcome basic problems in Papua.

The most basic thing, he added, is to humanize Papua and make Papuan people more empowered. Thus, he said, efforts to accelerate development must be able to improve the quality of human resources in Papua.

"Also stop the exploitation and dredging of Papua's natural wealth, because this will always present the issue of injustice for Papuans," concluded Sukamta.

Previously, the Director of Investigation and General Crime of the Papua Police, Grand Commissioner Faizal Rahmadani, said that the perpetrators of the attack on the East Palapa Telematics (PTT) employees, which were estimated to number around 10 people, were a group led by Terry Aibon alias Aibon Kogeya.

Terry Aibon is known to be a subordinate of one of the KKB leader Nau Waker.

Efforts to evacuate eight PTT employees from their locations were shot at BTS 3 of the East Palapa Ring Project in Jenggeran Village, West Beoga District, Puncak Regency to Timika, Mimika Regency on Sunday morning because helicopters could not reach the location due to bad weather conditions.

Eight PTT employees were massacred to death by armed gangs in the camp they were in on Wednesday, March 2, in the early hours of the morning at around 03.00 eastern Indonesia time.

The PTT employees were in a remote area in the mountains of Papua to work on repairing Telkomsel's BTS 3 at CO 53M 756085 9585257.

The eight PTT employees who died were identified as Bona Simanulang, Renal Surea Tagasye, Bili Galdi Balion, Jamaludin, Sharil Nurdiansyah, Eko Septiansyah, Bebei Tabuni and Ibo.