Jayapura, Jubi – The hostage-taking of two Indonesian citizens by an alleged rebel group in Papua New Guinea has been used as a pretext to deploy more troops on the border, accoriding to a Papuan legislator.
A member of Commission I of Papua Legislative Council for Politics, Law and Human Right Affairs, Laurenzus Kadepa, claimed that the incident was a plan to legitimize military deployment to Papua, in particular in border area.
"I think it was intentionally done in order to expand the number of military personnel at Indonesia – Papua New Guinea border area. If they were been hostage, why they could be released easily?" Kadepa told Jubi by phone on Sunday evening (27/9/2015).
According to him, after this incident was blown up to the public, in the same day, on Saturday (12/9/2015), hundreds of Military personnel from Battalion Infantry 406 Unit – Purbalingga, Diponegoro IV Regional Military Command and Battalion Infantry 411 Raider Salatiga and Brigif 6 Army Command were departed to Papua to be assigned as Special Security Force on Indonesia – PNG border area.
"As reported by an online media, they were departed from Tanjung Emas Seaport, Semarang. They were launched as Border Special Guard by Diponegoro IV Military Regional Commander Major General Jaswandi and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo," he said.
Earlier, on 12 September 2015, two Indonesian citizens who work in a logging company, Sudirman and Badar were reportedly taken hostage and detained by an armed group to PNG area while were in the forest.
On 17 September 2015, both hostages were released. After their release, Papua Police Chief stated the Police still couldn't determine the perpetrators or the rebel group who kidnapped Badar and Sudirman.
Meanwhile, the Cenderawasih XVII Regional Military Commander Major General Hinsa Siburian said there is no extra deployment at the border area. "Not yet. We don't think about it now. I think we have enough strength," said the Commander Siburian at that time. (Arjuna Pademme/rom)