Ikhsan Reliubun, Jakarta – The West Papua National Liberation Army-Organization of Free Papua (TPNPB-OPM) stated that there will be an award given to the health workers to coincide with the celebration of Independence Day or the 79th Anniversary of Indonesia.
The TPNPB-OPM claimed that the award is related to the murder of New Zealander Glen Malcolm Conning, 50, pilot of PT Intan Angkasa Air Service.
Management spokesman for the TPNPB-OPM National Command Headquarters, Sebby Sambom, alleged that the award was a reward for the health workers who successfully cooperated with the Indonesian National Army (TNI-Polri) in shooting Glen.
"So the Indonesian government prepared a reward for the nurses who rented the helicopter," Sebby said via messaging application on Saturday, August 17, 2024. Glen was executed when he landed in Alama District, Mimika, Central Papua, on Monday, August 5. "The health workers chartered a helicopter, part of the pilot's execution strategy. The director (of this execution) is the TNI-Polri."
The New Zealand pilot was killed in a helicopter, inside it, there were two health workers and two children on board. All four passengers survived. Sebby accused Glen's murder of being a successful cooperative mission between the health workers and the TNI-Polri.
Sebby alleged that the plan to give the award was given to coincide with the Indonesian Independence Day celebration in Nabire, Central Papua. "This is a special mission that has been successfully carried out by the health workers, so that on August 17, 2024 an award will be given," he claimed.
He accused the medical staff to be involved in setting up a trap for the pilot to be killed. "Logically, the pilot can be considered being framed by the health workers, because the health workers rented the helicopter," he said.
Sebby demanded that the health workers need to be legally processed. In addition, thet made no effort to rescue Glen. "They should be prosecuted for endangering the pilot, and not providing information on the danger in Alama, instead the pilot was forced to land," he said.
Not only did they not act to save Glen's life. He claimed that the health workers did not oppose the group that carried out the shooting. "Instead, the health workers let the pilot be killed and they were escorted up to Timika," he said.
According to Sebby, another mistake was the awarding of the health workers. The award should have been given to the health workers who tried to save Glen after he's being shot. "The question is in what way the state gives the award?," he said.
Sebby denied that TPNPB-OPM was the perpetrator of Glen's murder. According to him, it was an armed civilian group, known as the Indonesian military's "Fostered Forces", who allegedly killed Glen. "The one who shot the pilot was a group fostered by the Indonesian military," he said.