Papuan Rebels Surrender, Leader Expected to Follow: District Head
Jakarta. At least 10 rebels from the separatist group Free Papua Organization, or OPM, operating in the remote highlands of the restive province of Papua have surrendered to Indonesian security officials, a local government official told media on Tuesday (26/1).
Henock Ibo, district head of Puncak Jaya, said the surrendered fighters had been led Goliat Tabuni — who is believed to be behind several low-level insurgencies, including the shooting deaths of a number of soldiers in the mountainous area.
The rebels surrendered their arms after attending his office on Jan. 15, telling Henock they had become disillusion with Goliat's leadership. At least two of the rebels were trusted lieutenants of Goliat, he said.
“And about Goliat, I think it’s only a matter of time [before he follows suit] as the government has built a relationship with him for long time,” Henock told reporters at Papua Police headquarters in provincial capital Jayapura, Tuesday.
http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/...rrender-leader-expected-follow-district-head/
Elite troops enter forest
to hunt Santoso
Ruslan Sangadji and Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Poso, Makassar | Archipelago | Wed, January 27 2016, 3:09 PM
Nowhere to hide: Military personnel and police officers patrol in Poso, Central Sulawesi, on Tuesday. A joint military and police team has begun to enter the jungles believed to hide Santoso, the wanted leader of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) group, and 45 of his followers.(JP/Ruslan Sangadji)
Elite troops from the National Police and Indonesian Military (TNI), involved in Operation Tinombala in Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, have moved into the forest to pursue members of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terror group led by Santoso.
Operation Tinombala commander Sr. Comr. Leo Bona Lubis said that many of the troops had spread throughout the forest and were now posted at key posts, while others had only recently finished a briefing at Battalion 714 Sintuwu Maroso in Poso.
Lubis, who is also Central Sulawesi Police deputy chief, said the briefing had covered technical matters and details could not be publicized.
“The briefing was to forge synergy in the field,” Lubis told
The Jakarta Post at the Poso Regency Police headquarters on Tuesday morning.
Around 1,500 police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) troops are currently deployed in Poso, said Lubis, consisting of pioneer, diving and skydiving members. TNI soldier numbers, according to Lubis, are nearly the same as those of Brimob.
“In total, around 2,500 police and TNI personnel have been deployed,” said Lubis.
They have been deployed to pursue the MIT group, currently thought to consist of 45 members. The location of the manhunt, added Lubis, is very harsh and includes dense forests and mountainous terrain that stretches for approximately 7,000 kilometers.
Besides the rough terrain, several of the MIT members are former illegal loggers and are, subsequently, very familiar with the area, said Lubis.
He expressed optimism that Operation Tinombala would quash Santoso and his followers.
“We managed to kill one member on Jan. 15, 2016, in Gunung Tineba, Taunca, Poso Pesisir,” said Lubis, adding that the body of the deceased member of Santoso’s gang, identified only as R, who was shot and killed, was being kept at the Central Sulawesi Police Bhayangkara Hospital’s morgue in Palu as it had not yet been collected by relatives.
According to Lubis, the deceased hailed from Java and is thought to have joined Santoso just three months before he was killed in the shootout.
Meanwhile, in South Sulawesi, members of the police counterterrorism unit Densus 88 and Luwu regency Police arrested two Poso terror suspects in Belopa, Luwu, on Monday evening.
Both of them were transferred to Jakarta by plane on Tuesday evening.
Luwu Regency Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Adex Yudiswan said police identified the suspects as Chandra, of Belopa and Ardi, a newcomer who had been staying at Chandra’s house for the past two weeks.
According to Adex, Ardi had been on the Poso Police wanted list in Central Sulawesi. He killed two Poso Regency Police members and mutilated their bodies in Taman Jeka, Poso, in 2011.
“The Densus 88 team had also been in Luwu in pursuit of two male terror suspects from Poso and the two men were, by chance, Ardi and Chandra. We immediately teamed up to capture them,” said Adex.
Both suspects resisted, but with bare hands they had easily been overpowered.
Prior to their eventual transfer to Jakarta, Ardi and Chandra were taken to the Luwu Regency Police headquarters for questioning and then sent to Makassar, South Sulawesi.
Densus 88 and Luwu Police personnel seized evidence, including sharp weapons, camouflage clothing that resembled TNI uniforms, police uniforms and a box filled with books and communications gear. - See more at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/...forest-hunt-santoso.html#sthash.trYyp4cr.dpuf
