Fika Nurul Ulya, Diamanty Meiliana, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has stressed that all activities in Papua must be accompanied by security forces both from the TNI (Indonesian Military) and Polri (National Police).
This reflects the hostage case involving Susi Air pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens, who was taken hostage by an Armed Criminal Group (KKB, the government term for the Papuan rebels) in February 2023 and has now been successfully released.
"In all activities in Papua, I always emphasise that they be accompanied by security forces", Widodo said at the Merdeka Palace in the Presidential Palace Complex in Central Jakarta on Saturday September 21.
The head of state said that this applies to various kinds of activities, both infrastructure development and logistics distribution. This even applies to building infrastructure such as a bridge – the process must be watched over by the security forces.
That way, everything can proceed properly and there will be no more hostage incidents such as the Susi Air pilot. "Pilots who bring logistics from Nduga through to Wamena, up to Puncak, all of them must be escorted by the TNI-Polri for their safety", he said.
Furthermore he said, the release of the Susi Air pilot was the result of a very long negotiation process. "Yes, this right, was a very long negotiation process and our patience not to do it repressively so that what we prioritised was the safety of the pilot who was being held hostage", he said.
As has been reported, New Zealand national Mehrtens was released by the KKB led by Egianus Kogoya on Saturday after being held hostage since February 7, 2023.
TNI Information Centre head Major General Hariyanto expressed his gratitude for the release of the hostage. "We are very grateful that the hostage, the Susi Air pilot, has been successfully released", said Hariyanto in a press release on Saturday.
Hariyanto said that the release was the result of intensive negotiating efforts between security forces from the TNI and Polri with other related parties.
Hariyanto emphasised that the safety of hostages was a top priority. Right from the start, he said, the TNI was committed to making every effort to ensure the safety of the hostage. "We appreciate the patience and support of the victims' family during this process", he added.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was " Pilot Susi Air Bebas, Jokowi Tekankan Setiap Kegiatan di Papua Harus Didampingi Aparat".]
