On 2 July 2026, separatist rebels released a video saying that they had shot dead a US pilot and set his plane on fire in Indonesia's Papua region.
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The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) said they killed Nicholas F Gosselin after he landed in the Highland Papua province, and claimed that the pilot had been transporting Indonesian troops into the region.
Indonesia’s military rejects those claims, saying the passengers were indigenous Papuans.
Indonesian officials confirmed that Gosselin's plane had been found burnt, but said it was unclear what happened to him or his seven passengers on board.
This is the latest in a string of events spanning decades in the resource-rich region over which the Indonesian government and West Papua’s indigenous people are fighting.
On this episode of Asia Specific, host Mariko Oi unpacks the years of conflict in the contested area with two journalists who have been covering West Papua - Johnny Blades from Radio New Zealand and Abraham Utama from the BBC’s Indonesian language service.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8j2k137emzo
00:00 Introduction
01:22 What happened in Papua where an American pilot was killed?
03:52 Who are the TPNPB rebels in Papua
04:54 The history of the conflict between Papua and the Indonesian government
06:02 What are the West Papua Liberation Army’s demands?
07:16 Why was the American pilot flying to Papua?
08:20 How did the Indonesian government respond to the incident?
10:11 How do people in Papua feel about the rebel groups?
11:47 How involved are neighbouring countries in the Papua conflict?
13:18 Is there a way to stop the cycle of violence in Papua?
14:56 How does Jakarta respond to human rights allegations?
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Presenter: Mariko Oi
Producers: Derek Cai, Rachel Lee
Camera: Muhammad Firdaus Bin Mohd Ansary, Rosalehin Bin Rosli
Editor: Bill Birtles
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