Silpester Kasipka, Jayapura – The Borme District Government in Pegunungan Bintang Regency, Highland Papua Province, together with church leaders from 13 villages, have declared their rejection of a plan to establish an Indonesian military (TNI) post in their area.
The Chair of the Borme Church Classis, Pastor Minus Deal, emphasized that the church, district authorities, village heads, and the entire community of Borme District collectively oppose the proposed military deployment.
We, as church leaders serving in Borme District, together with the village heads and the entire community, state that we do not accept the plan to station military personnel in Borme District, Pastor Minus Deal told Jubi via text message on Saturday (28/02/2026).
He explained that the position reflects a shared understanding among all local stakeholders, including the district government, village heads, customary leaders, youth leaders, women leaders, and church authorities.
According to him, the Borme Classis oversees 13 villages, 25 congregations ot churches, and two mission pots. To date, the community has lived in a oeaceful and secure environment.
In Borme District, people live in faith and peace. There are no issues disrupting security. Therefore, we do not need security assistance from either the TNI or the police, he said.
Pastor Deal added that the church and the community are determined to preserve the stable and harmonious conditions that have been maintained for years.
For that reason, the church firmly rejects the plan to deploy military forces in the area and will submit an official statement to the relevant authorities.
Borme District Head Eran Kulka, representing the district administration, village governments, customary leaders, youth and women leaders, as well as the wider community, expressed the same rejection on Friday (27/02/2026).
According to Kulka, all community elements across the 13 villages have agreed to oppose the construction of a TNI post, as they believe Borme District has remained safe and free from armed conflict.
The 13 villages under our administration are secure. People live peacefully. There is no conflict. Government services, church activities, education, and healthcare services are all running smoothly and under control, Kulka said.
He added that since Borme District was established several years ago, there has never been any security disturbance. The community lives by strong religious values and upholds principles of humanity and togetherness.
Kukla said this situation forms the basis for the community s view that a military post is unnecessary. The district government and residents do not want the experiences seen in other parts of Tanah Papua, where civilian life has reportedly been disrupted following the presence of military personnel, to occur in Borme.
We, as leaders of the district government, leaders of the 13 villages, and church representatives, declare our rejection of the establishment of a TNI post in Borme District. We do not grant permission for this plan, Kulka stated.
The Borme District Govenrment also called on both the regional and central governments to respect the community s aspiration and cancel the plan to build a military post in their territory, including the Ketengban tribal area withing Pegunungan Bintang Regency.
As of now, there has been no official statement from the regency government or the TNI regarding the rejection.