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Indonesia is bolstering its military presence in disputed Papua province, following the assassination of a senior military officer on April 26.
On Sunday, Indonesian media outlets reportedthat the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) had deployed 400 members of the elite Infantry Battalion 315 to Papua after the completion of a month of special training at the end of April.
Nicknamed
pasukan setan, or “Satan’s forces” in Indonesian, the battalion has previously taken part in conflicts in East Timor and Aceh. A video, purported to feature the battalion executing a series of menacing drills on arrival in Papua, also surfaced on social media on May 1.
The recent killing of an Indonesian brigadier general heralds an intensification of the conflict in eastern Indonesia.
By
May 04, 2021
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On April 25, while taking part in a military patrol in the village of Dambet in Beoga district, part of Papua’s Puncak Regency in eastern Indonesia, Papuan separatists succeeded in killing Brig. Gen. Gusti Putu Danny Karya Nugraha. Gusti was the head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN)’s Papua regional office, having taken over the position only in June of last year. Prior to his Papua posting, Gusti served the much-feared Indonesian Special Forces, Kopassus, and held key positions in Jakarta, including as assistant for intelligence for the Jakarta Military Regional Command.
Indonesia designates Papuan separatists as terrorist aa.com.tr - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aa.com.tr Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Church people call for calm in Indonesia s Papua
Government and rebels urged to talk and prevent increased tensions spilling over into a wider conflict in the restive region
Police pallbearers carry the coffin of one of their officers in Mimika on April 28 after he was killed in a gun battle in Indonesia s restive Papua region between police and separatist rebels. (Photo: Saldi Hermanto/AFP)
A senior Catholic official in Papua has called on Indonesia’s military and rebel leaders to declare a ceasefire and prevent an escalation in violence and wider conflict following the government’s decision to designate separatists as terrorists last week.
Ironically, with the annual World Press Freedom Day being observed on Monday many commentors also warn about the increased dangers for journalists covering the conflict.
Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy chairperson Hendardi (Indonesians often have a single name) has criticised the government’s move against “armed criminal groups” in Papua, or “KKB)”, as the Free Papua Movement (OPM) armed wing is described by military authorities.
The move to designate them as terrorists is seen as a short-cut and an expression of the government’s “desperation” in dealing with the Papuan struggle for independence.
“The labeling of resistance groups in Papua will not break the long and recurring cycle of violence”, Hendardi said, according to a report in