PAPUA - Management of the Headquarters of the National Liberation Army of West Papua (TPNPB) officially issued a strict instruction to carry out death executions against airplane pilots and ship captains who are caught transporting the Indonesian military to armed conflict regions throughout West Papua. This order began to be implemented following intensive monitoring conducted by the Papua Intelligent Service (PIS) of TPNPB in various cities and armed conflict regions which showed that the dropping of Indonesian military troops is still continuously facilitated by a number of civilian aviation airlines and sea ship operators.
​Airlines that are highlighted by TPNPB among them are Smart Aviation, Susi Air, NGA, Trigana Air, Lion Air, and various sea ship operators. TPNPB asserts that this death execution order is not limited to when they carry out their operational duties, but rather also applies outside of working hours if those pilots or captains are proven to be involved in the activity of transporting Indonesian military troops.
​TPNPB bases this order on special rules in international air law, namely the 1944 Chicago Convention which strictly prohibits the use of civil aircraft for purposes that are not in line with civil agreements, including covert military operations. The misuse of civil markings by utilizing aircraft with commercial logos for military missions is called an act of deception or perfidy, which is categorized as a war crime in International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
​Meanwhile, TPNPB refers to Article 3 or Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol II of 1977 which regulates protection for people who are not involved in combat such as civilians, medical personnel, and combatants who have surrendered or been wounded. TPNPB asks the Indonesian military to no longer be involved in civil functions such as health workers, medical personnel, teachers, and other service functions so that they do not become targets of TPNPB operation.
​TPNPB is committed to upholding humanitarian law so that civil facilities such as aircraft, hospitals, and education are still permitted to serve the community as long as there is no involvement of the Indonesian military. However, TPNPB states its readiness to attack at any time if those civil functions turn into supporting tools for Indonesian military operations.
​TPNPB also appeals to President Prabowo Subianto and his ranks to respect and honor IHL while facing TPNPB in 36 Defense Regional Commands (Kodap) throughout West Papua so that civil facilities do not become targets. The utilization of schools, hospitals, churches, until houses of civilian residents which have been used as Indonesian military posts must immediately be returned in their function fully to the civil realm.
​TPNPB also continually reaffirms its commitment in safeguarding the safety of civilians outside of military activities. (One Papua)