VIVAnews - Kelly Kwalik, the man who allegedly helmed the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM), was shot dead by the Police Mobile Brigade of Papua and the anti-terror force Detachment 88 on Wednesday, Dec 16.
Kelly Kwalik became well-known in January 1996. On January 8, 1996 to be exact, Wamena Mission Aviation Fellowship filed a report to Jayawijaya Military District Command in Irian Jaya.
The report says that several researchers of Lorentz 95 Expedition were held captive by the OPM, the group of Kelly Kwalik. The hostages were detained in Mapenduma, Tiom sub district, Jayawijaya.
The expedition, which had been running since November 18, 1995, did take place in Mapenduma, around 160 km away in Southwest Wamena. Authorities immediately executed Operation Mapenduma Hostage Liberation.
Most of the operation members were personnel from the Army Special Forces (Kopassus). The operation was led by Kopassus Commander Prabowo Subianto.
During the operation, 2 out of 11 captives were found dead. They were Matheis Yosias Lasembu, an ornithologist, and Navy W. Th. Panekenen, a biologist from Jakarta National University’s Faculty of Biology. Lasembu was buried in Bandung while Penekenan’s funeral was held in Jakarta.
The story of detainment and liberation of the captives was told in a book entitled ‘Captives, 130 Days Trapped in Mapenduma’ by Ray Rizal and continued by Nina Pane based on the story of Adinda Arimbi Saraswati, one of the hostages who survived.
In 2002, Indonesian accused Kelly of being responsible for the attack against workers at Freeport’s gold and copper mining which killed two Americans. Kelly was also allegedly responsible for the shootings in Freeport along 2009.
“It was the OPM who was responsible. The document ordering operation Freeport Derangement, which was signed by Kelly Kwalik, is with us,” Military Commander of 17 Cenderawasih, May. Gen. AY Nasution said on October 30, 2009.
However, Kwalik denied the accusation. “All shootings in Tembagapura were the responsibility of PT Freeport Indonesia and the Indonesian Military and Police,” he said in an official statement given to VIVAnews on Wednesday, July 28.
Kwalik was a sleek fugitive. In January 2005, the Indonesian Police thought they had caught Kwalik and sent him to prison.
Apparently, the guy was one of the members of OPM who pretended to be Kwalik.
Kwalik’s movement overwhelmed Indonesian authorities. But, to Papuan separatist groups, he is a hero.
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Translated by: Nataya Ermanti
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