Jayapura, Jubi – Deputy Speaker IV of the Central Papua Legislative Council (DPR Papua Tengah, John NR Gobai, has alleged attempts to manufacture tensions and perpetuate a cycle of violence in Paniai regency, Central Papua province.
Gobai made the statement in response to the recent deployment of additional non-organic Indonesian Military (TNI) and Marine Corps personnel to Paniai regency.
He said the policy had further inflamed tensions in Paniai and created an increasingly unsafe environment for local communities.
“The situation in Paniai today can be described as an attempt to create a new situation on the ground, following the end of operation in Puncak Jaya, Puncak and Intan Jaya regencies,” Gobai told Jubi via a messanging application on Tuesday night (3 November 2026).
He said Paniai had previously been relatively peaceful, despite the presence of various groups that the Indonesian military refers to as leftist groups or pro-independence movement.
According to Gobai, tensions began to emerge in 2011, when a Mobile Brigade (Brimob) police unit from Kelapa Dua, operating under the codename Operation Tumpas Matoa, arrived in Paniai to dismantle a Free Papua Movement (OPM) base in Eduda.
“For several months, we have been making various request to the central government to withdraw non-organic troops from Paniai, as their presence could have serious consequences for local communities if armed clashes, pursuit operations or similar activities occur,” he said.
Gobai said that continuing such patterns of violence would only perpetuate the cycle of violence in Papua, particularly in Paniai.
“Who will take responsibility for feeding the people who are forced to flee when armed clashes or pursuit operations occur? Throughout history, neither security forces nor the OPM have ever provided food for those displaced,” he said.
Gobai said defending the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) with guns and ammunition was an outdated approach that the central government should reconsider.
He said the way to maintain Indonesia’s sovereignty in Papua was through genuine development, giving Papuans opportunities to participate in government, supporting their economic activities and properly empowering local communities.
For the sake of residents’ safety and peace of mind, Gobai called on security personnel in Paniai to withdraw from villages and return to their respective posts in Enarotali.
“The presence of security personnel in Tuguwai and surrounding areas makes residents feel uncomfortable and unsafe in their own villages,” Gobai said. (*)
