KKB Brings US-Made Weapons from Papua New Guinea When Arrested by TNI

The firearms confiscated from two members of the Armed Criminal Group (KKB) led by Ngalum Kupel in the Batom District, Bintang Mountains Regency, Papua are said to have come from Papua New Guinea.

The two people arrested were Yulian Uropmabin (36) and Kapol Uropmabin (42). The TNI said it would hand them over to the Papuan Police for legal processing.

"It has been confirmed from the serial numbers of the firearms made in the United States, not those of the TNI-Polri, which were taken from Bougenville, Papua New Guinea (PNG). From the provisional confession of the two KSB members who were arrested, it was revealed that the guns came from Bougenville, PNG," said Pangdam XVII. / Cenderawasih Major General TNI Ignatius Yogo Triyono, in Jayapura, Wednesday (8/9).

In his written statement, Thursday (9/9), Yogo explained that the arrests began when four soldiers from Koramil 1715-05/Batom received information from the public regarding the whereabouts of an unknown person recently.

They crossed using a Johnson-type boat from Papua New Guinea to the Mongham region. The area was allegedly the base area for the existence of the KKB. The boat he was driving, he continued, was damaged in Muara village.

The officers immediately made arrests and took the two KKB members to the Batom Military Command for examination.

"By using a speedboat, as many as 4 members of the Koramil along with several members of the community headed to Muara Village and then carried out a siege in the middle of the Oksip - Mongham river and succeeded in capturing two KST members with the initials YU (36) and KU (42)," he said.

The officers also secured several pieces of evidence in the form of two long-barreled M16 firearms, one of which was equipped with a grenade launcher module (GLM).

In addition, two shotguns and one Ultimax long-barreled weapon. In addition, he said, 35 rounds of 5.56 mm caliber ammunition, 2 GLM ammunition, two cell phones, six sharp weapons, a solar cell, five flash drives and an OPM flag were also found.

"The four Babinsa made extraordinary achievements. Without shooting and no casualties, they got five firearms (senpi). This also received extraordinary appreciation from Kasad (Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army)," he explained.

It is known, a number of parties in PNG support the independence of West Papua. In 2019, thousands of Papua New Guineans held demonstrations as a form of support and solidarity for the independence of West Papua, 2019, in the capital city of Port Moresby.

The Governor of Port Moresby Powes Parkop, who took part in the demonstration, said his party "felt the suffering of the people of West Papua".

For this action, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi stated that the PNG government still supports the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia.

"The position of the Papua New Guinea government has not changed, in the sense that they continue to support the territorial sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia. This has been conveyed by the Prime Minister and his Foreign Minister many times," said Retno, 2019.

SOURCE: https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20210909113036-12-691877/kkb-ditangkap-tni-bawa-gun-buatan-as-dari-papua-nugini