The Meaning of Pilot Hostage in Papua
The safety of the New Zealand pilots is a priority, but no less important is the safety and involvement of indigenous Papuans to build peace and stability in their territory.
The hostage of Captain Philip Merthens, a pilot of Susi Air, since 7 February 2023, by an armed group, has attracted the attention of the domestic and international community.
This is considering the long duration that the foreigner has been held hostage, the first since the hostage of foreign and domestic researchers in 1996, also in the Nduga region.
As reported by the media, the armed group calling itself the West Papua National Liberation Army, the Indonesian government labels it an armed criminal group (KKB), burned the Susi Air plane, then arrested and took the pilot to a hiding place. They will use this hostage as a "bargaining power" in the negotiation process at a later date.
The central government immediately formed a special team to free the pilot, who is from New Zealand. So far, the joint Police-Indonesian Military (TNI) team has succeeded in evacuating a number of health clinic construction workers in Paro district, who were previously intimidated by the armed group. The Papuan regional Police have also dispatched community and customary leaders as negotiators while preparing for a TNI-led "special operation" should negotiations with the group fail.
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The direct impact of the pilot hostage is the evacuation of hundreds of Nduga residents from Distrik Paro to Distrik Kenyam as the regency capital.
This hostage will only continue to exacerbate the armed conflict in Papua. A number of observers and humanitarian activists expressed concern and worry the actions of the armed group would increase the instability of the central highlands region of Papua. Even so, this hostage case also shows the state is still not effective in guaranteeing security for the people and aviation activities in Papua. There are a number of things worth reflecting on from the hostage-taking of the foreign pilot.
Alienation and militancy of resistance
Experience as a volunteer helping the Nduga internally displaced persons in 2019 helps the author understand this hostage-taking incident in a wider context. First, stories related to Nduga from the 1990s to the last six years have continued to be embellished with stories of violence, grief and "alienation".
In 1996, a military operation to free foreign and domestic researchers in Distrik Mapenduma resulted in the death of dozens of civilians and left deep trauma to this day. Since mid-2018, various cases of violence have become the main news in domestic and foreign media about Nduga. All of this affects the quality of life of the community and development in Nduga.
The human development index and the life expectancy rate for the people of Nduga regency are the lowest in Indonesia. With a population of 100,000, this regency lacks schools, teaching staff, health facilities and health workers to support the development process there. Not only that, hundreds of Nduga residents are still internally displaced persons in a number of areas of Papua since 2019 and no longer receive attention from the state.
Second, in the midst of deteriorating living conditions in Nduga, the armed conflict in Papua is protracted. Since 2019, there have been more than 250 exchanges of fire between the KKB and security forces. On the one hand, the state has not been able to provide comprehensive security guarantees in the mountainous region of Papua and has not been effective in dealing with the roots of the Papuan conflict for more than 60 years. In fact, these armed groups have continued to increase their resistance capabilities and militancy.
The availability of weapons and ammunition supplies from within the country and illegal trade between countries, coordination among a number of armed groups in the central mountainous region, the formation of a new organizational structure dominated by young groups, the support of some local residents, the ability to use intensive social media and the availability of financial resources have further strengthened the existence of the KKB. It also increases their confidence to carry out lethal attacks on civilians and security forces.
This situation is exacerbated by the lack of peace initiatives, such as peace dialogue and humanitarian moratorium, which do not work because of the troubled commitment from the conflicting actors. A number of things above actually continue to show the situation in Papua will continue to face the intensity of prolonged conflict (longevity) and strong resistance (intractability).
Internally displaced persons and trauma
Third, in contrast to the pilot hostage-taking case, the situation of hundreds of Nduga internal refugees seems to have been ignored by media coverage and state attention. Since 2019, hundreds of refugees are still living in a number of central mountainous areas, and have even sought refuge in Papua New Guinea.
Access to basic services, such as health, education, clean water and justice, is still very limited. Coordination between the central government and regional administrations to assist the internally displaced persons will increase the trust of the Nduga people and even the armed groups in the state in their efforts to find a solution to free the New Zealand pilots without violence. The trust of the local community is the key to development and security in Nduga in the coming years.
Fourth, the existence of the Egianus Kogeya group is an illustration of unresolved intergenerational trauma in Papua. A number of criminal acts that have occurred since mid-2018 deserve strict legal action.
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However, it should be remembered the existence and actions of these groups do not occur in a vacuum. Egianus is the son of Silas Kogeya, a local Nduga leader who was involved in the kidnapping of a number of foreign and domestic researchers in the Lorentz National Park in 1996. In the same year, the TNI apparatus carried out a military operation to free hostages in the Distrik Mapenduma, which killed many native people and caused deep trauma still being spoken of (word of mouth) today.
Egianus and many young people who were born and grew up in an atmosphere of conflict did not receive trauma treatment and psychological assistance. In 2019, a number of children from Nduga whom the author met shared their sadness, anger, disappointment and deep trauma due to armed conflict, neglect of the state and living amid uncertainty.
Even so, the school-age refugee children are very enthusiastic about the teaching activities at the makeshift school built by a team of volunteers with teachers who also had to flee from Nduga to Wamena in 2019. For these children, the teacher's presence and routine teaching activities at the “emergency school” compensates their "longing" for the same experience they did not get when they were still in Nduga.
In contrast to terrorism deradicalization programs, child victims of armed conflict almost never receive in-depth assistance regarding trauma management and the availability of basic services. This (trauma healing) assistance is crucial in reducing the resistance of young people, both using nonviolent channels and armed resistance in Papua.
In 2019, a number of children from Nduga whom the author met shared their sadness, anger, disappointment and deep trauma due to armed conflict, neglect of the state and living amid uncertainty.
Aviation security
Fifth, the pilot hostage in Nduga requires a thorough evaluation of commercial aviation activities in the hinterland of Papua.
In the last five years, this armed group has issued a number of warnings against commercial flights operating in a number of armed conflict locations, such as Nduga, Puncak, Intan Jaya, Yahukimo and Pegunungan Bintang. They have also shot down commercial airplanes in these areas several times. They even detained several foreign pilots in March 2021 in Puncak regency.
So far, pioneering flights with small planes have been operating in the mountainous region of Papua, which has minimal flight-support capacity. This also requires the pilot's skill to maneuver in terrain that is dotted with mountains, steep hills and dense forests. The operation of pioneering flights is the main key to providing basic needs, including air-transporting teachers, health workers and clergy, as well as logistics distribution for indigenous Papuans. However, the security of pioneering flights and airports has been a serious problem in Papua for many years.
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So far, the presence of security personnel has only been focused on strategic airports in the regency capital, while "guarding" a number of pioneer airfields in the central mountainous region only expects the participation of the local community. Responding to the hostage of the Susi Air pilot, a number of airlines have temporarily suspended flight activities in the mountainous areas of Papua.
This will certainly have a negative impact on the indigenous Papuan people and the state's development policies in the region. If this situation is not immediately corrected, isolation will continue to characterize development in Papua.
Some of the considerations above aim to review a number of state policies related to development and security, which are still ineffective in reducing tensions in the mountainous region of Papua. The safety of the New Zealand pilots is a priority, but no less important is the safety and involvement of indigenous Papuans to build peace and stability in their territory. If an extraction operation must be carried out, it is necessary to ensure the policy does not have a negative impact on the community. Ignoring this will only lead to ongoing patterns of violence in Nduga and other areas of Papua.
Hipolitus Wangge
Hipolitus Wangge, Researcher at the Australian National University andmember of the Academia Forum NTT
This article was translated by Kurnia Siswo.
