Kopassus soldiers carry a coffin holding the body of Sgt. Siswanto Bayu Aji, who will be buried at the Kusuma Bhakti Heroes\' Cemetery in Grobogan, Central Java, Saturday (9/3/2019). Siswanto Bayu Aji is one of three soldiers killed on Thursday (7/3/2019) in a shootout with an armed group in Mugi district, Nduga regency, Papua, where he was on duty to protect the trans-Papua road construction.
Three Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers died last weekend in Papua’s Nduga regency. They were involved in a crossfire with armed separatist groups.
We are concerned about the incident in Mugi district, because TNI and police personnel have repeatedly fallen victim to armed violence in Papua. In January, a TNI soldier was also reportedly shot dead in Nduga. Another TNI soldier, and 19 construction workers, were victims of violence in December last year from criminal separatists.
Many a TNI soldier has lost his life serving in Papua in the past. The record number of casualties was eight TNI soldiers killed in an armed contact in Puncak Jaya regency in February 2013. The TNI and National Police must have data on the number of soldiers killed in duty in Papua.
Human rights organization Amnesty International noted that at least 95 Papuan civilians died in violence with TNI or police personnel in the period of 2010-2018. In the records of the security forces, some of those dead people may be listed as members of armed separatist groups. Even though Papua is not an area of military operations, there is still frequent armed contact between security forces and armed groups.
The three TNI soldiers killed in Nduga last week were not, in fact, chasing armed separatist groups. They were on duty to safeguard the relocation of TNI forces that will guard the construction of the trans-Papua Wamena-Mumugu road (Kompas, March 8-10, 2019).
ANTARA FOTO/FIKRI YUSUF
The body of Indonesian Military (TNI) member Sgt. Mirwariyadin was laid to rest upon arrival at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali on Friday (8/3/2019). The body of Sgt. Mirwariyadin, who was killed in a gun battle with an armed group in Mugi, Nduga regency, Papua, was later flown to his hometown in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).
According to Article 7 Paragraph (1) of Law No. 34 of 2004 concerning the Indonesian Military (TNI), the main task of the TNI is to uphold state sovereignty, maintain the integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) based on the state ideology of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution and to protect the nation and territory of Indonesia from threats to the integrity of the nation or state. That task is
carried out through warfare and non-warfare military operations, including cracking down on separatism and facilitating state duties.
The late Gen. Sudirman, in his People’s Security Force (TKR) message on Jan. 1, 1946, said the TNI was born from the people and grew up with the people. Such a statement could be interpreted as follows. In dealing with the armed separatist groups, whose members are Papuans as part of the NKRI, a security approach should not always be used. The TNI can integrate it with a humanitarian and development approach, involving as many Papuans as possible, such as through the TNI Manunggal Pembangunan Desa (TMMD) program or an integrated development project involving residents.
Through the TMMD program, which is entering its 104th round (formerly known as ABRI Masuk Desa), TNI soldiers and the people unite to develop the region for the prosperity of the people. This kind of program that shows the unity of the people and the TNI must be reproduced. Let the people show their love for the TNI and defend it. The people must protect the TNI, which truly benefits the people
