Singgih Wiryono, Dani Prabowo, Jakarta – West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organisation (TPNPB-OPM) spokesperson Sebby Sambom has denied claims by the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the Indonesian Police (Polri) that the release of Susi Air pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens was a result of their efforts.
Sambom claims that Mehrtens' release was the result of a TPNPB policy. "Philip Mehrtens was not freed by the Indonesian military and police, but he was released by the TPNPB itself with respect and dignity according to international standards", Sambom said in a short message Monday September 23.
He considers that during the 19 months that Mehrtens was held hostage, the TNI and the police were unable to free him. According to Sambom, his release was done without incident and in accordance with the TPNPB's plan.
"Organisationally the TPNPB had already announced that for the sake of humanity, it was ready to free the Susi Air pilot from New Zealand and in this case the TPNPB was truly responsible and showed the international community that the dignified Papuan fighters for the political right to independence and self-determination for the Papuan nation cannot be ignored by the United Nations", he said.
Sambom also explained why it took as long as 19 months to release Mehrtens. According to Sambom, the release was postponed due to the mistakes by the New Zealand government which entrusted his release to the Indonesian military and police.
"Indonesia conveyed to the NZ government that the Indonesian military and police were capable and would be able to free the pilot Philip Mehrtens through military operations. But in fact, the Indonesian military and police were unable to free the pilot Philip Mehrtens", he said.
Speaking separately, 2024 Cartenz Peace Operation Public Relations Taskforce Head Senior Commissioner Bayu Suseno denied Sambom's claim. According to Suseno, Sambom's statement is just a propaganda exercise to counter what was done by the TNI and police.
"That is not true. It's more propaganda from Sebby Sambom (the TPNPB-OPM spokesperson)", said Suseno when contacted by Kompas.com on Monday.
According to Suseno, Sambom plans to spread inaccurate information to the public, thus creating a narrative that the TNI and police played no role in Mehrtens' release.
Suseno added that Sambom and his group have often issued propaganda campaigns, which are often corrected later. For example, Sambom said that Egianus Kogoya, the regional commander of the TPNPB group that was holding Mehrtens hostage, received a bribe in exchange for the pilot's release, which was later corrected.
According to Suseno, the revision of Sambom's statement shows that the information spread by him was invalid. "Yesterday he accused Egianus of received money. Today he's saying something different. Sebby Sambom's statement was part of personal propaganda", he said.
Earlier, the National Police stated that the release of the Susi Air pilot was the successful result of dialogue and a soft approach carried out through religious leaders, the church and Kogoya's family.
National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo said that the successful release was none other than the fruit of the Paro Operation, which involved the deployment of some 978 TNI and police personnel, and by prioritising a soft approach through negotiations and the Cartenz Peace Operation.
"Congratulations to all members of the TNI-Polri who are members of the Paro and Cartenz Peace Operations, who managed to rescue the pilot Philip safely", said Prabowo.
He claimed that an approach that prioritised dialogue proved effective. Not only was Mehrtens' life saved, but it also avoided victims on the part of the authorities and civil society.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Jubir KKB Klaim Pilot Susi Air Bukan Dibebaskan Polisi dan TNI, tapi oleh TPNPB".]
