Mimika, Central Papua – The tragic incident that occurred on Monday, August 5 2024, in Alama District, Mimika, Central Papua, killed Mr. Glen Malcolm Conning, helicopter pilot belonging to PT. Intan Angkasa Air Service, and caused four health workers to be taken hostage, leaving deep sorrow for many parties.
Luky Mahakena, S.Sos., M.Sc., Chair of the Mimika Regency Community Early Awareness Forum (FKDM), expressed his disappointment with the incident. “Honestly, when I heard this news, my heart was cut, especially since this treatment was directed at pilots and medical personnel,” he told Koranpapua.id on Tuesday, August 6 2024.
According to Luky, pilots and health workers who work in remote areas such as Mimika do not only work for wages, but also because of their calling to serve the community. “Their duty is very noble, because they serve people who are far from the city. They must be willing to leave their families just because of their service. Please respect them and don’t hurt them,” he said.
Luky emphasized that this shooting and hostage-taking case must receive serious attention from the government, both central and regional. Security forces are asked to move quickly to arrest the perpetrators for the sake of law enforcement, so that similar incidents do not happen again and do not disrupt services in the transportation and health sectors.
“This incident must have traumatized the health workers and pilots. They can think twice about serving the people in the remote area of ​​Mimika. “So the perpetrator needs to be arrested,” asked Luky.
Apart from that, Luky highlighted that the perpetrators’ actions were a violation of international law and human rights (HAM). “Whatever the reason, this case cannot be justified. Transportation and health services are vital because they relate directly to the community, with the aim of building civilization,” he stressed.
According to Luky, acts of terror carried out by the Armed Criminal Group (KKB) had a huge impact on the implementation of development. “Regional governments, TNI-Polri need to be more responsive and always alert to the movements of all criminal groups that deliberately hinder development aspects in the Republic of Indonesia,” he stressed.
Previously, the media reported that apart from shooting the pilot, KKB also burned the helicopter and took hostage four medical personnel and two toddlers who were on the flight. The four medical personnel taken hostage were Kolariak Gwijangge (head of administration), Hasmaya (midwife), Naomi Kambu (nutrition), and Demianus Pakege (general department).
Saulus Pokniangge, Kepala Puskesmas Alama, sangat menyayangkan peristiwa tersebut. Selama dua tahun, pihaknya telah melakukan kontrak dengan perusahaan pemilik helikopter untuk mengangkut tenaga kesehatan dari Timika ke Alama tanpa ada gangguan keamanan. “Kenapa ini bisa terjadi, sungguh sangat disayangkan,” ujarnya.
Hari ini, Selasa, 6 Agustus 2024, delapan tenaga kesehatan yang bertugas di Puskesmas Alama dievakuasi ke Timika sesuai petunjuk Kepala Dinas Kesehatan Mimika. Langkah ini diambil untuk menghindari trauma berkepanjangan, mengingat situasi di Alama pasca peristiwa tersebut masih belum kondusif.
