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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Spokesperson of the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Movement or TPNPB-OPM, Sebby Sambom, said that their group buys weapons through the black market. According to Sebby, their group does not have any working relationship with any party, including PT Pindad, for the supply of weapons to Papua. "In principle, the Indonesian army and police need money and TPNPB needs weapons," he said in his statement on Saturday, March 8, 2025.
He emphasized that the weapons and ammunition obtained by the TPNPB-OPM group come from black market transactions. However, he did not elaborate on when these weapon transactions were carried out by them.
Recently, the Papua Regional Police or Polda Papua arrested a former member of the Indonesian National Army (TNI) who allegedly intended to sell firearms to the Armed Criminal Group (KKB) network in Puncak Jaya Regency, Central Papua.
The Chief of Papua Regional Police Inspector General Patrige Rudolf Renwarin said that the value of the firearm transaction involving the former TNI member with the initials YE reached Rp 1.3 billion. The police concluded that the firearms belonged to PT Pindad.
Patrige stated that YE had been dismissed from the Kodam Kasuari since 2022. He was dishonorably discharged because he was previously involved in the network of buying and selling weapons and ammunition for KKB. "The weapons were sent by sea from Surabaya, then continued by land from Jayapura to Wamena," Patrige said in a press conference at Polda Papua, Saturday, March 8, 2025.
Patrige said that YE's activities had been detected since March 1, 2025. After gathering sufficient information, the police arrested YE in Keerom Regency on Thursday night, March 6, 2025. The police confiscated six firearms from the perpetrator, including two units of disassembled ss1 VI Pindad long-barreled rifles, four G2 Pindad short-barreled firearms, 5 magazines, 882 rounds of ammunition of various calibers, and one air rifle.
Patrige believed that YE did not operate alone in conducting the arms trade. He mentioned that a team had been sent to Surabaya to investigate the illegal firearm distribution chain. 'We have sent a team to Java Island to trace how PT Pindad firearms could be transacted,' he said. For his actions, YE was charged under Article 500 of the Criminal Code regarding unauthorized firearm possession with the threat of imprisonment and fines.
Nandito Putra contributed to the writing of this article.
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