Gunmen attacked a helicopter in Indonesia's Papua region, killing its New Zealand pilot shortly after it landed in a remote village in Mimika district of Central Papua province. The pilot, Glen Malcolm Conning, was shot to death by gunmen believed to be from the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement. The gunmen released two health workers and two children who were on board and set fire to the plane.
The Indigenous Papuan passengers were unharmed as they were local residents of Alama village, which is located in a mountainous district accessible only by helicopter. A joint security force has been deployed to search for the attackers who fled into the dense jungle.
The West Papua Liberation Army spokesperson stated that the pilot's entry into their restricted zone was his own fault, as they had warned multiple times against civilian aircraft landing in the area. The spokesperson called on Indonesian authorities to halt all development in Papua until negotiations with the rebels take place.
Conflicts between Indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces are common in the region, with a recent spike in violence resulting in casualties among rebels, security forces, and civilians. This incident marks the latest violence against New Zealand nationals in Papua, following previous attacks on pilots and miners in the region.
Papua, a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea, has been a site of ongoing low-level insurgency since its incorporation into Indonesia in 1969. The mineral-rich region is divided into six provinces, with flying being the primary mode of transportation to access remote areas in the mountainous easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua.
