In its last two issues, in connection with the on-going hostage crisis, Gatra has brought to light some little-known information on the personalities within OPM (Organisasi Papua Merdeka - Free Papua Movement, the name originally given to it by the Indonesian government when this area was still known as Dutch New Guinea). The action is part of renewed OPM activity in recent years - including an attack on the Indonesian consulate in Vanimo, the kidnapping of 2 Indonesian surveyors working on a road (one was found dead, the other has disappeared), and the kidnapping of two transmigrant school children for a ransom (so far unresolved).
It seems the foreign and Irianese hostages were taken by a group led by Daniel Yuda Kogoya, who operates under the command of former Catholic school teacher Kelly Kwalik. Kogoya worked with the Catholic mission till 1974 before entering OPM ranks in the forest. Kwalik, about 40 yrs old, has been in the forest since 1977. He is an Amungme who has lost land to Freeport, and has had several family members killed by Abri in recent months. The Gatra report quotes Australian freelance journo Ben Bohane, who met Kwalik in Irian Jaya last November (see Sydney Morning Herald 30 Dec. 1995).
OPM spokesperson in Sydney, John Otto Ondawame, says the OPM has nine more or less independent commands. Bohane says there are seven. Abri says the OPM has two main wings, the 'Victoria Headquarters' and 'Defenders of Truth'. The former is small, and was led by M L Prawar until he was shot dead in 1991. The latter is much larger and operates all over Irian.
Commanders of groups within the Defenders of Truth include David Jebleb, who operates near Kembi and Cotian (where is that?); Melky Sousa, also near the PNG border; Udin Kalangame, from South Sulawesi and not an ethnic Papuan, who operates near Skopro (where?); Bernadus Bawean, around Waropko also near the PNG border; Simon Kogoya, around Wamena; Tadius Yogi, near Paniai (away from the border); Miki Wangmang, former Freeport employee, now leading a group to the southeast of Timika. Mathias Wenda, who kidnapped the school boys near the PNG border in the north last November, is OPM's 'Supreme Commander'. He also kidnapped the two surveyors last November. Hans Bomay, 57 yr old former policeman now leading a group to the east of Wamena near the PNG border, works in tandem with Wenda.
OPM groups communicate by SSB radio, as well as by courier. They have an assortment of firearms, some still from the Dutch era, some bought in PNG, some stolen or bought from Abri.
Kelly Kwalik's group killed 8 Indonesian student hikers from Java here in 1986 - they had been kidnapped and were knifed in a panic when Abri got very close to them. This is no doubt the reason why elite Abri troops - personally led by Kopassus commander Prabowo - are apparently treading more carefully this time. Latest in the Indon. press is that the kidnappers have shut off radio communication and may be trying to walk around Abri 'encirclement' towards the PNG border, 400 km away. They have dropped earlier demands for an aircraft and food and medicine.
Papuan groups outside - in Jakarta, Sydney, and the Netherlands - have been less than supportive of this tactic of taking civilian hostages. Like the Kashmir hostage-taking, and like the Chechens storming hospitals, it creates much publicity, but wins no sympathy. It is leading to a severe military crackdown on innocent civilians throughout the area around Freeport and the border area in the south. Irian Jaya's terrain will always offer sanctuary to expressions of armed dissatisfaction such as the OPM represents. That dissatisfaction will be there as long as the political process to deal with the dislocation and environmental destruction caused by mining, logging and transmigration is limited to brutally disproportionate reprisals by Abri against Papuan villagers. But taking civilian hostages is not part of the solution.
Additional note: According to Abri, the number of firearms is only about 50: Bomay 12, Kwalik/ Kogoya 7, Jebleb 10, Sousa 9, Udin 3, Bawean 2, Simon Kogoya 2, Yogi 20. That is in fact 65, and not all are accounted for - perhaps there are 100 - but very little ammunition.
Gerry van Klinken, editor, 'Inside
Indonesia' magazine.
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