Kelly Kwalik
Encyclopedia
Kelly Kwalik was a senior separatist leader
and military commander with the Free Papua Movement
(OPM), a separatist organization based in Indonesia
's West Papua
region.
Kwalik, a known separatist, had been on Indonesia's most wanted list for years. Indonesian police had accused Kwalik of being responsible for a series of shooting incidents and attacks targeting the United States
mining
company, Freeport-McMoRan
, which operates large copper
and gold
mines on West Papua. In 2009 meeting with police, Kwalik repeatedly denied responsibility for the attacks.
On December 16, 2009, Kwalik was shot in a police raid on one of his hideouts in the Gorong-Gorong neighborhood of Timika
. Police claimed that Kwalik was armed when he was shot while trying to flee. Kwalik died at a hospital in Timika.
Kwalik's funeral was held at local Papua government's Regional Representative Council building in Timika. Kwalik's family and supporters had requested that they be permitted to fly the Morning Star flag at the funeral. However, the request was denied by Indonesian and local Papuan police, as the flag, which symbolizes the Free Papua Movement, is banned in West Papua.
Kwalik's Catholic
funeral Mass
was officiated by Bishop John Philip Saklil of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Timika. He was buried in Timika.
In January 2010, the Free Papua Movement (OPM) appointed Jeck Kemong as the new Supreme Commander of its military wing, the West Papuan National Liberation Army (TNP) and regional commander of Nemang Kawi following Kwalik's death.
Leader
A leader is one who influences or leads others.Leader may also refer to:- Newspapers :* Leading article, a piece of writing intended to promote an opinion, also called an editorial* The Leader , published 1909–1967...
and military commander with the Free Papua Movement
Free Papua Movement
The Free Papua Movement is a militant organisation established in 1965 to encourage and effect the violent overthrow of the current governments in the Papua and West Papua provinces of Indonesia, formerly known as Irian Jaya to secede from Indonesia, and to reject economic development and...
(OPM), a separatist organization based in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
's West Papua
Western New Guinea
West Papua informally refers to the Indonesian western half of the island of New Guinea and other smaller islands to its west. The region is officially administered as two provinces: Papua and West Papua. The eastern half of New Guinea is Papua New Guinea.The population of approximately 3 million...
region.
Kwalik, a known separatist, had been on Indonesia's most wanted list for years. Indonesian police had accused Kwalik of being responsible for a series of shooting incidents and attacks targeting the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
company, Freeport-McMoRan
Freeport-McMoRan
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., often called simply Freeport, is the world's lowest-cost copper producer and one of the world's largest producers of gold...
, which operates large copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
mines on West Papua. In 2009 meeting with police, Kwalik repeatedly denied responsibility for the attacks.
On December 16, 2009, Kwalik was shot in a police raid on one of his hideouts in the Gorong-Gorong neighborhood of Timika
Timika
Timika is a chartered city , and the capital of Mimika Regency of Papua, Indonesia....
. Police claimed that Kwalik was armed when he was shot while trying to flee. Kwalik died at a hospital in Timika.
Kwalik's funeral was held at local Papua government's Regional Representative Council building in Timika. Kwalik's family and supporters had requested that they be permitted to fly the Morning Star flag at the funeral. However, the request was denied by Indonesian and local Papuan police, as the flag, which symbolizes the Free Papua Movement, is banned in West Papua.
Kwalik's Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
funeral Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
was officiated by Bishop John Philip Saklil of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Timika. He was buried in Timika.
In January 2010, the Free Papua Movement (OPM) appointed Jeck Kemong as the new Supreme Commander of its military wing, the West Papuan National Liberation Army (TNP) and regional commander of Nemang Kawi following Kwalik's death.