Jakarta – Indonesian security forces regained complete control of the Ilaga airfield on Thursday after it had been occupied by rebels of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) for about a week, reports confirmed.
Timika Military District chief Lt. Col. Djamaludin was quoted by Antara on Thursday as saying that there were no casualties, either deaths or injuries, in the operation conducted to take over the air strip in the remote regency of Puncak Jaya of Irian Jaya province.
Troops were pursuing rebels who fled to the surrounding jungle after causing chaos in the town of Ilaga and attacking an abandoned police post on Friday, the officer said.
Some 400 to 500 tribesmen and separatist rebels occupied the airstrip in the outskirts of Ilaga following a foiled ambush on a group of police officers there on Friday, which left one of therebels dead. The rebels also burned down several buildings, including a police post, before taking control of the airfield.
Ilaga is a small town in the central highlands of Irian Jaya about 3,940 meters above sea level. "We used Army helicopters to reach the site, which has been possible because of the clear weather," the officer said. Irian Jaya is notorious for its sudden weather changes, with flights often canceled due to dark skies.
The news agency reported that at least eight officers in the Trikora Military Command were discharged from their positions following the rebel ambush. Antara quoted sources as saying that among the officers dismissed from their posts were Trikora Intelligence Assistant Col. Tonny Armien, Trikora Military Inspector Col. Nur Suraji, Trikora Territorial Assistant Col. H. Simanjuntak andTrikora chief of Zeni (Kazidam) Col. Endang Sutrisno.
The news agency said that in a closed briefing, Trikora Military Commander Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon reportedly expressed his anger over the officials' failure to deal with separatists matters.
The Free Papua Movement has been fighting for an independent state of West Papua since Dutch colonial rule in territory, before it became Irian Jaya, Indonesia's eastern-most province, in the 1960s.