PNG-Indonesian border villagers warned of rebels

The National National

PAPUA New Guinean villagers along the PNG-Indonesian border have been urged not to be misled by false reports of military operation to search for a missing New Zealand pilot, a top Indonesian military officer says.
Indonesian military commander in Papua Command Brigadier-General J O Sembiring told Indonesian media yesterday that there was no military operation along the border on the Indonesian side to search for the New Zealand pilot allegedly kidnapped by an Operation Papua Movement (OPM) rebel group at Paro district.
The pilot was reportedly kidnapped about 400km away from Tabubil in Western.
“Rumours of reprisal by Indonesian military have caused panic among villagers in Paro district and they might cross the border to seek refuge on the PNG side,” Sembiring said.
“The people who already left were afraid of being threatened as a result of the terrorist act carried out by an OPM group, the Egianus Kogoya group.
“They set fire to the plane and kidnapped the pilot of the Susi Air plane last Tuesday.
“There are people who are sick, some are not strong, and there are even small children who are tired of walking for about two days in the forest.
“So the Regent (district administrator) asked for help from the TNI-Polri (military/police) to save them as a form of humanity,” Sembiring said.
“Once again there are no TNI (Indonesian military) operations currently being carried out in the Paro area that threatens to kill the community and make the people afraid to run out of Paro.
“All of this is not true. If there are parties who say that, then it is an attempt to provoke the KST mob and sympathisers.”
Meanwhile, Indonesian military intelligence has urged PNG villagers along the border to look out for this rebel group leader Egianus Kogoya, the group is also named after him. He has created a lot of inhuman attacks on civilian and military personnel indiscriminately, whether they are Papuans, non-Papuans and foreigners (like the New Zealand pilot).
Since 2018, his group’s attacks have led to panic, Indonesian villagers crossing into PNG side causing insecurity among PNG villagers and putting pressure on the PNG Government and non-governmental organisations like churches and Red Cross.