Papua: 17 Gold Miners Killed by TPNPB-OPM Over the Past Four Days

April 10, 2025 | 11:25 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Seventeen illegal gold miners were killed in the Yahukimo Regency of Highland Papua Province over the past four days. They were killed by the West Papua National Liberation Army, a faction of the Free Papua Organization (TPNPB-OPM).

This was confirmed by TPNPB-OPM spokesperson Sebby Sambom. “That is correct. And around 50 people managed to escape, with three injured,” he said when contacted via messaging app on Thursday, April 10.

Sebby estimated that around 100 gold miners were operating in the Yahukimo region. Most of them, he claimed, were not Indigenous Papuans (OAP) and were therefore suspected to be government intelligence agents. “Yes, we are saying they are [intels],” Sebby said in a voice recording sent to Tempo.

He reiterated his warning to all non-local residents in Papua to leave areas that have been declared war zones by the TPNPB-OPM. Otherwise, he said, they could be considered infiltrators and become targets of the group.

“If they ignore our warning, then we will consider all of them part of the Indonesian security forces,” he said.

In an earlier statement, Sebby said that between April 6 and 8, the TPNPB-OPM had killed 11 gold miners, whom they alleged to be Indonesian government intelligence agents. On Wednesday, April 9, the group claimed responsibility for the killing of six more miners, again accusing them of being intel operatives. All killings occurred in the Yahukimo area.

Yahukimo Regency is one of nine areas declared as war zones by the TPNPB-OPM. The other regions are Pegunungan Bintang, Nduga, Puncak Jaya, Intan Jaya, Maybrat, Dogiyai, Paniai, and Deiyai.

Brig. Gen. Faizal Ramadhani, head of the Cartenz Peace Operation Task Force, stated that his team had deployed a joint force to respond to the killing of 11 residents in Yahukimo, Highland Papua. He said 15 police officers from the Asmat District Police had been deployed, along with 11 joint personnel from the Tindak Task Force and the Gakkum (Law Enforcement) Task Force of Operation Peace Cartenz. “The Cartenz Peace Operation Task Force will continue to pursue the perpetrators and ensure the safety of residents in Papua,” he said.

Commander of the 1715/Yahukimo District Military Command, Lt. Col. Inf. Tommy Yudistyo, denied allegations that the gold miners killed by the armed separatist group (KKB) near the Silet River on the border of Yahukimo and Asmat were members of the Indonesian military. “The victims were confirmed not to be members of the TNI, so the claims made by the KKB are false, hoaxes, and untrue,” he said as quoted by Antara in Yahukimo on Wednesday, April 9.

Tommy added that the separatist group had deliberately spread disinformation by claiming the victims were military personnel, when in fact they were civilians engaged in gold panning activities.

M. Raihan Muzakki contributed to the writing of this article.

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