Westnoken – TNI officers revealed that the Free Papua Organization (OPM) did not only launch attacks through gunfire. They spread fake news (hoaxes) with the aim of provocation and propaganda. Hoaxes spread by West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) OPM spokesperson Sebby Sambom include that the TNI is carrying out open military operations, forming militias, torturing the Papuan people, violence against civilians and terrorizing places of worship. All negative propaganda against the TNI in Papua is based on OPM lies. One of the provocations and propaganda carried out by Sebby Sambom was spreading the news that TNI officers shot dead a teenager. In fact, it is certain that the KKB members who died in armed contact with TNI officers were adults (35 years). Based on the results of facial matching on the KKB wanted list (DPO), not only the face, the attributes of the perpetrator in the photo are similar to the body found at the location of the gunfight.
Sebby’s statement shows the fault of the KKB, namely the existence of a 17 year old KKB member, proving that the group is indoctrinating teenagers to become armed criminals. If the KKB is in the name of the interests of the Papuan people, why do they have the heart to indoctrinate the younger generation, who are the future of Papua, to follow in their footsteps of brutality? . There is a lot of information from the Papuan people regarding the intimidation carried out by the KKB against their children. Intimidation was carried out by the KKB so that the teenagers would inevitably join them.
The propaganda technique often used by OPM is card stacking, namely presenting unfounded information and distorting facts by cornering the Indonesian government. Another propaganda technique is name calling by negatively stereotyping everything about Indonesia. The use of glittering generalities and bandwagon propaganda techniques by spreading sweet promises and beliefs about referendums and independence.
OPM propaganda and provocations will be accepted as such, if counter-propaganda is not carried out by providing correct and trustworthy information to the Papuan people. For this reason, it is important to provide education and instill a sense of belonging to Indonesia as the key to fighting propaganda and separatist actions carried out by the OPM for the Indonesian people, especially the Papuan people.
Propaganda posts are produced personally by the respective account owners. Posts were submitted sporadically, repeatedly, and were submitted by fictitious accounts at home and abroad. Propaganda is produced massively to make the Papuan people believe, especially with oral propaganda for the people in the interior of Papua who cannot access information. It will be difficult for the public to clarify the truth. If the propaganda of the Free Papua KKB continues to be ignored, efforts to maintain security in Papua seem fragile because thinking is undermined by various negative propaganda which is false, but is considered to be the truth. Maintaining physical security is indeed important, maintaining the security of the Papuan people’s minds is even more important.