he recent release of a Susi Air pilot after one and half years in captivity marks a milestone in Indonesia’s attempt to settle the long-standing armed conflict in Papua beyond doubt. Philip Mehrtens’s freedom proved that the non-violent approach, rather than the use of violence, worked in the government’s efforts to deal with the Papuan armed rebel group.
New Zealand national Mehrtens was set free on Sept. 21 by the Papuan rebels who abducted him on Feb. 7 last year. Exchanges of fire between the group and Indonesian troops were absent during the peaceful yet long negotiations to release Mehrtens, which involved a lot of parties.
In the early days of the kidnapping, rumors had it that the rebel group had demanded a ransom. Nevertheless, the group leader, Egianus Kogoya, denied the reports, saying the group’s sole demand was that Indonesia let Papua form an independent state.
On the other hand, the then Indonesian Military (TNI) commander, Adm. Yudo Margono, confirmed that the military would not object to the ransom demand in order to save Mehrtens. He also gave an assurance the military would refrain from the use of force in their attempt to release the pilot.
Yudo’s predecessor Gen. Andika Perkasa was probably the first TNI commander to change the military approach into dialogue in dealing with the armed rebellion in Papua. Andika’s peaceful initiative came after the issue of Papua was not debated in the United Nations General Assembly in 2022 for the first time in several years.
Nevertheless, the TNI had to pay the price for the new approach, with the number of soldiers killed or injured in the strife-torn territory increasing. More police officers also lost their lives in a number of attacks.
Many human rights defenders and international entities had called upon the Indonesian government to prevent further bloodshed and secure the release of the pilot, despite the fact that there have been numerous clashes between armed rebels and Indonesian security forces throughout the course of events.
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