"Along with the Papua independence movement, there was also the Papua Free Army, which insisted on seeking independence through armed struggle."
Downing continued to describe the unrest on Irian Island.
"In the past more than half a century, the Free Army of Papua has broken out in armed conflicts with government forces many times. Both sides have suffered heavy casualties. The Free Army of Papua has also been designated as a terrorist organization by the Batavia government."
After listening to Tangning's introduction, it was not difficult for Gao Fei to tell that she was more sympathetic to the Batavia government and the rebels.
"Sister Tang, do you think the Papua Free Army is a terrorist organization?" Gao Fei asked cautiously, "We are on a business trip to represent the position of Tiangong. If the Batavia government believes that Tiangong is cooperating with terrorists, we will not protect Tiangong.
It is not allowed to cause diplomatic disputes."
Tangning pondered for a moment and said reluctantly: "To be fair, the Free Army of Papua has indeed launched terrorist attacks."
“One of the most famous incidents occurred on December 2, 2018, when a group of Batavia construction workers in Nduga were attacked by more than 50 anti-government militants on the construction site, 19 of whom were
Kidnapping.”
"After the incident, the Batavia government quickly dispatched troops to suppress it, and finally rescued four people. Two people were missing, and the remaining hostages unfortunately died."
"This attack is the most notorious one among the Papua liberation movements in recent years, and the organization that launched this attack... is the Free Army of Papua."
"After the tragedy, Batavia President Joko ordered the military and police to arrest the perpetrators, claiming that these anti-government elements would have no place to stay."
"The army was ordered to march to the West Papua region where guerrillas were active, burning down houses and bombing villages. More than 39,000 local residents were forced to flee their homes, and many died of hunger and disease in refugee camps."
"The Free Army of Papua also launched more intense retaliation."
"In April last year, Brigadier General Nugraha, who was in charge of intelligence work in the Batavia military, was ambushed and killed by militants. Afterwards, the Free Papua Army claimed responsibility for the incident."
Gao Fei nodded thoughtfully and remained silent.
Tangning didn't ask him what he thought of the "Free Army of Papua".
As for whether to cooperate with this organization, the two of them had already reached a tacit understanding while talking, and it was tacitly understood.
The special police followed the guerrillas led by Lieutenant Colonel Gale and walked upstream along the creek.
Climbing up the hillside, the woods gradually become sparse, and in the center of the gentle slope lies a clear lake, which is the source of the creek.
The temporary camp of the guerrillas is on the lakeside, with tents, ammunition boxes and other debris piled up. A flag with a red background and a white star at the top and blue and white stripes at the bottom is erected. It is the "Morning Star Flag", the symbol of the Free Army of Papua.
There are more than 300 guerrilla fighters in the camp, most of whom are brown-skinned Papuan youths, with a few whites and Chinese.
Out of curiosity, Gao Fei chatted with the Chinese guerrillas for a few words and learned that they were all volunteers who had traveled thousands of miles to join the guerrillas, and their conversation seemed very educated. When he inquired, he found out that they were all college students.
The most outrageous thing is that the guerrilla military doctor is actually a doctor of medicine who has returned from studying in Europe. He claims to be a Trotskyist who worships Che Guevara, and he is really an "internationalist fighter".
Regardless of whether they agree with the political philosophy of the Free Army of Papua or not, the young special police officers cannot help but be deeply moved by this noble and romantic spirit of internationalism.
Lieutenant Colonel Gale asked the visitors to wait outside the camp and report to their superior, Colonel Willen.
After a while, Lieutenant Colonel Gale came back and asked everyone to follow him.
Gao Fei and his party followed Lieutenant Colonel Gale across the camp and reached the highest point of the hillside.
A tall and thin man wearing camouflage uniform stood on the hillside, looking through the telescope at the mining area below the mountain.
The direct distance between the temporary base of the guerrillas and the Hiti Gold Mine is less than two kilometers.
From here, you can see the chimneys of the mines with billowing black smoke and hear the roar of the machines in the factories.
More importantly, the only road leading in and out of the mining area can be monitored from here.
Colonel Willen, the commander of the guerrillas, seemed to hear the footsteps, put away his binoculars, turned around and walked down the top of the slope.
This Che Guevara of Irian Island had a thick beard and held a pipe in his left hand. He smiled and extended his right hand to shake hands with the visitors one by one.
"Good afternoon, Batavia's Bird of Paradise, and welcome back to Parian Island!"
Colonel Willen is about forty years old. He looks like a typical Papuan man, but his conversation is elegant and decent. He speaks with a pure London accent.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Colonel, I didn't expect to see you here again." Tangning shook hands with Colonel Willen and introduced to Gao Fei: "Mr. Colonel graduated from Cambridge University and is considered an old senior of mine. He is a staunch
Marxist."
"Cambridge graduates, it's no wonder." Gao Fei joked casually, "Smart people in Cambridge have always had a tradition of supporting the Communist Party."
Upon hearing this, Colonel Willen smiled knowingly and shook hands vigorously with this young man from the East.
"Colonel, I heard that you are planning to attack the Hitti Gold Mine?"
Tangning asked straight to the point.
"I do have this plan."
"I advise you not to do this!" Tangning looked serious. "The Hiti Gold Mine has at least 200 well-equipped Vanderwal mercenaries responsible for security. If the guerrillas attack the gold mine, they are just asking for trouble!"
"Ms. Bron, I'm not stupid enough to hit my head on an iron plate even though I knew it was erected on the opposite side." Colonel Willen laughed, "There is our inside line in the mining area, and I know the security situation of the mining area better than you."
learn."
"Since you know that the Hitti Gold Mine is a tough nut, why are you still chewing on it?"
Goofy asked Colonel Willen in half-baked English.
"In fact, we don't plan to attack the gold mine directly." Colonel Galen lowered his voice. "According to the intelligence provided by insiders, a truck transporting gold will leave the mine tomorrow morning and drive to the dock in Merauke. We are at
The purpose of the ambush here is to rob the truck transporting gold and use the money to supplement the scarce military expenditure."
"For trucks transporting large amounts of gold, the number of armed escorts is definitely indispensable," Gao Fei said.
"If the mercenaries come to escort the trucks, we will change plan B, go straight to the Hiti Gold Mine, which has no defense, and kidnap the top employees of the gold mine. The Suharto family will have to pay a ransom for these losers." Lieutenant Colonel Gale sneered.
Let's talk.
Gao Fei exchanged glances with his teammates beside him, and they both disapproved of the Papua Free Army's practice of kidnapping civilians for ransom.
