Jakarta, IO – Admiral Yudo Margono, the newly-minted commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), said that the current situation in Papua has yet to warrant a martial law status as the acts of violence committed by Papua Separatist and Terrorist Group (KST) are still criminal in nature, thus it is still within the authority of the National Police (Polri).
“We will continue to assist [the police] in law enforcement efforts. In my opinion, it is not yet an emergency, but I will coordinate with the territorial units first. I think there is yet to be any escalation,” said Yudo during the handover of office ceremony (sertijab) at TNI Headquarters plaza, Cilangkap, Tuesday (20/12).
He said that under his leadership, the efforts to resolve the conflict in Papua must be firm yet still humane.
“We will continue to enforce the law. We will arrest the those who break the law and disturb security and hand them over to the police. We will continue to conduct territorial operations according to evolving situations and strengthen our presence including by providing security support, especially in schools where many teachers have fled. This is where TNI is needed,” he said.
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The handover ceremony was enlivened by military parade involving personnel from TNI Headquarters, the Army, Navy, Air Force and special forces comprising Quick Reaction Forces (Kopasgat), Navy’s Frogmen Command (Kopaska) and Army’s Special Forces (Kopassus). (rr)