Lenis Kogoya Promises To Help Apparatus Free Susi Air Pilot Who Was Hosted By KKB Papua

JAKARTA - The head of the Papuan Indigenous Community Institute, Lenis Kogoya, promised that his party would intervene to provide an approach to freeing Susi Air's pilot, who has been held hostage by the armed criminal group (KKB) led by Egianus Kogoya for 1.5 months.

"We come with a heart approach. This approach has several concepts. The first concept is that we traditional institutions must intervene, our Kogoya clan intervenes so that we invite us not to kill, not good," said Lenis who is also the Expert Staff of the Presidential Staff Office for Political and Security Affairs at the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, Monday, March 27, which was confiscated by Antara.

Lenis said he would call on Egianus to immediately stop the violence.

The central government, said Lenis, has made efforts to improve and develop in Papua. One of these efforts is the establishment of four new provinces in Papua, namely Southwest Papua, Central Papua, Mountains Papua, and South Papua.

According to Lenis, it is better for Egianus and his group to immediately join forces to cooperate with the government in creating progress and prosperity in Papua.

"It is better for Egianus and the Papuan people not to kill. Let's build it because it has been given by the province. From one province, two provinces, now six provinces. Why do we continue to fight to kill people? We traditional institutions will pursue them," he said.

According to Lenis, currently the closest step to freeing a Susi Air pilot named Captain Philip Mark Mehrtens is with a persuasive approach. He promised to do his best so that Captain Philip could be released immediately.

"We are responsible for coordinating with the community, we have to let go. All of us go, we build everything because we have been given the province," said Lenis.

Captain Philip, a pilot from New Zealand, has been held hostage by the KKB since February 7, 2023 after landing his plane at the Paro airport, Nduga Regency, Papua Mountains.

In addition to taking Philip hostage, the KKB also burned a Pilatus Porter aircraft belonging to Susi Air.