A gunman fatally shot a New Zealand national who was piloting a helicopter in Indonesia's Papua region, intensifying the area's ongoing unrest.
According to ABC News, a group attacked the aircraft immediately after it landed in the remote Alama village on Monday, taking the pilot's life and setting the aircraft ablaze, though sparing all passengers.
Glen Malcolm Conning was employed by PT Intan Angkasa Air Service. According to Faizal Ramadhani, who leads the joint security peace force in Papua, Conning had flown into a notoriously dangerous zone controlled by the West Papua Liberation Army—the military limb of the Free Papua Movement.
The gunmen released the passengers—two health workers and two children, all local Indigenous Papuans—because of their local status. Afterward, the gunmen fled into the dense wilderness surrounding the area. New Zealand's Foreign Ministry acknowledged Conning's death, announcing that their consular officials in Jakarta were actively gathering details about the tragedy. They aim to understand the circumstances leading to the violent encounter.
Sebby Sambom, a spokesperson for the West Papua Liberation Army, indicated a lack of direct communication regarding the incident. However, he noted that the area was off-limits.
But, if that happens, it was his own fault for entering our forbidden territory. We have released warnings several times that the area is under our restricted zone, an armed conflict area that is prohibited for any civilian aircraft to land.
Sambom also demanded that Indonesian authorities stop all developmental efforts in Papua until they initiate negotiations with the rebels. He warned of the risks entailed in violating this proscription.
Monday’s dire incident is the latest in a string of aggressions affecting foreign nationals within the troubled Papua region. Last year, kidnappers abducted another New Zealand pilot under similar circumstances, with demands for Indonesia's withdrawal from Papua complicating the negotiations.
In a further dated but relevant incident from 2020, gunfire struck seven workers from PT Freeport Indonesia, claiming the life of another New Zealander amongst them during a routine activity in a local mining town.
Papua, rich in minerals but marred by poverty and dissent, became part of Indonesia in 1969 after a contentious UN-supported referendum and has since been the stage for an ongoing low-intensity conflict.
The mountainous terrain of Papua and West Papua provinces generally necessitates air travel to reach numerous local villages. The lethal peril faced by aviators in this region underscores the broader security issues stemming from the longstanding insurgency. A security force has been sent to pursue the assailants, concentrating on the complex jungle areas that might be hiding the fugitive gunmen.
The killing of Glen Conning in Papua not only highlights the severe risks associated with air travel in conflict zones but also raises critical questions about safety and sovereignty in this geopolitically complicated and resource-rich region.
In summary, the tragic event underscores an increasingly volatile situation among Indigenous Papuans, Indonesian authorities, and foreign nationals. It brings to focus the risks, the toll, and the ongoing struggle to capture Papua's decades-long conflict, with Monday's killing marking another dark day for the region and its international interactions.
