A humanitarian air service has been accused of transporting Indonesian military personnel and ammunition for an armed operation in the West Papua territory.
Evidence has been presented suggesting Associated Medical Aviation, an Indonesian privately-run organisation acting on behalf of the Catholic Church, has violated its non-political, humanitarian charter to provide aviation transport for essential goods to remote communities inaccessible by road.
The allegations have been made by the West Papua National Liberation Army, who have also issued a formal warning of repercussions for the alleged actions of the Indonesians.
Associated Medical Aviation has denied the allegations, however its spokesperson has admitted to primarily financing its air service through Indonesian government subsidies.
An operations spokesperson said the organisation "regretted the allegation" while adding it has never received a formal warning from the armed group which is fighting for Papuan independence and a proposed separatist state.
The denials also come after the shock death of Nicholas Gosselin, a 29-year-old American pilot who flew for the aviation operators.
He was shot and killed on July 2 after landing an aircraft on a remote airstrip among Indonesia's Papua highlands.
Communication with the aircraft, which had also been carrying seven passengers, was lost shortly after landing, the operators confirmed.
The West Papua National Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the incident, adding its fighters shot the pilot and later burned the plane.
The passengers reportedly survived, according to Indonesian authorities.
An Associated Medical Aviation spokesperson said the aircraft is only used to deliver food supplies, transport critically-ill patients from isolated villages to urban hospitals in West Papua, and to provide other essential humanitarian services.
The spokesperson issued the remarks from the Bhayangkara Hospital in Jayapura — the largest city in West Papua — on Friday while awaiting the completion of the forensic, post-mortem examination of Mr Gosselin's body.
The organisation confirmed the deceased body was first given a farewell mass before the examination.
However, access to the examination room in the hospital was said to be restricted, according to reports.
Mr Gosselin's body was flown to Jakarta where the US Embassy in the Indonesian capital were overseeing arrangements for the body's repatriation.
West Papua National Liberation Army activist, Sebby Sambom, said the fighters from the army's Yahukimo Regional Command's Bakusip Company were responsible for the shooting and for later setting the aircraft on fire.
The attack took place in Balinggama, a village located in the Yahukimo Regency of the Papua Highlands province.
"We burned the aircraft because the pilot had violated the West Papua National Liberation Army ultimatum," Sambom said in an online statement.
Mr Sambom confirmed the aircraft was targeted as it had allegedly been utilised to transport armed personnel and had ignored an earlier West Papua National Liberation Army's warning.
The resistance group believes the civilian aircraft has routinely been used to transport Indonesian troops and military logistics into West Papua's interior to support its armed operations, which it alleged has resulted in a number of civilian casualties among West Papua's Indigenous population.
"We have issued an ultimatum banning all civilian aircraft from entering the operational area of West Papua National Liberation Army Kodap XVI Yahukimo," Mr Sambom added.
