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Indonesian security forces recovered the body of New Zealand pilot Glenn Malcolm Conning on Tuesday following a deadly separatist attack in Papua. Conning, a pilot for PT Intan Angkasa Aviation Services, was shot dead by gunmen believed to be from the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, shortly after landing in the remote district of Alama in Mimika regency in central Papua.
Bayo Suceno, spokesman for the Katentse peace task force, said the attackers released all six passengers, including two medical workers and two children, and that they were suspected to be from the Nduga district and led by Aegianus Kogoa. Suceno described the group as very dangerous and active in the town of Timika near the Grasberg mine.
Lieutenant General Richard Templebolong, commander of the Papua Joint Regional Command, reported that bad weather delayed initial search and rescue operations. Konning’s body was found inside the helicopter and taken to a hospital in Timika for an autopsy.
“Preliminary medical examinations showed that he had gunshot wounds and cuts from sharp objects,” Templebolon said, condemning the killing as inhumane.
The West Papua Liberation Army claimed responsibility and said the area was a restricted area for civilian flights. The incident highlights ongoing security challenges in Papua, which has endured a low-intensity insurgency since it was annexed by Indonesia in 1969.
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