Risk intelligence (15/03/2021) - Indonesia
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ARMED GROUP TARGETS CHARTER AIRCRAFT IN PAPUA, INDONESIA, AS TNI ACCELERATES DEPLOYMENT
Security forces are pursuing members of an armed group responsible for holding an aircraft and its passengers captive in Puncak regency, Papua, Indonesia last week. About 30 armed men ambushed the Susi Air flight after it landed at the Wangbe Airport at around 0620hrs local time on 12 March.
The airport is located about 40 kilometres from the regency capital Ilaga.
The armed men forced the pilot, a New Zealand national, and three Papuan passengers off the aircraft. A military (TNI) spokesman said that the men asked the pilot to inform the airline’s management not to transport police and TNI personnel to Puncak.
The armed men also reportedly complained to the Papuan passengers that they had not received funds from local village heads in the regency.
The four were released unharmed after being held for about two hours.
Police said that the perpetrators are members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNB) - the military wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).
The TPNB spokesman Sebby Sambom said that he had received reports about the incident, however the leader of the TPNPB in Ilaga had not confirmed its involvement.
Hill & Associates Assessment
The security situation in Puncak regency remains unpredictable and violent confrontation between armed groups and government security forces is likely to continue as the TNI deploys additional personnel from the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad).
The TNI has not confirmed numbers however a spokesman said that it will accelerate the deployment following last week’s incident.
Members of the TPNPB have targeted military and civilian aircraft in the past.
In September last year, the TPNPB threatened to shoot down any aircraft suspected of transporting police and TNI personnel.
On 6 January 2021, members of the TPNPB fired warning shots into the air after a Mission Aviation Fund (MAF) plane landed at the Pagamba airfield in Intan Jaya regency.
The TPNPB claimed that the MAF had previously transported security forces in the region.
Also in January, TPNPB fighters fired shots at a helicopter gathering information for a survey near Tsinga hamlet in Tembagapura district, Mimika regency. No injuries were reported but bullet holes were discovered in the helicopter after it landed.
Police allege that the attack in Puncak last week was carried out by separatist fighters led by TPNPB leader Penny Murib who is allegedly responsible for a number of violent attacks in the regency in recent years.
Murib was also blamed for the murder of a Papua Police officer in Ilaga in August 2019.
The TPNPB has accused security forces of falsely claiming that it is targeting civilians to justify the deployment of more troops to Papua.
Efforts to deploy additional personnel have to date been hampered by transport limitations, as charter companies are increasingly reluctant to fly to regions where armed groups have been identified, such as Intan Jaya and Puncak regencies.
There is a high risk that civilians will continue to be caught in the middle of violence between security forces and armed groups.