Indonesian police respond to large anti-racism protests,
Jayapura, 19 August 2019 Photo: Whens Tebay
Indonesian police in West Papua claim to have thwarted an underground arms syndicate in the region.
The Antara news agency reports that the ammunition was smuggled from the Philippines and destined for North Sulawesi and Sorong in West Papua.
Three people, including two in West Papua, have been arrested.
According to police, it's not the first arms trafficking syndicate operating in Papua.
Police in Papua are poised to crack down on the trade in illegal weapons which is linked to ongoing conflict in the highlands regencies.
In the past two years, Nduga and more recently Intan Jaya have been the focus of deadly exchanges between the West Papua Liberation Army and Indonesian security forces.
Let’s Do Our Part to End Misery, Shame and Despair Our People Have Endured for 57 Years!
West Papua solidarity march in PNG draws thousands
By Natalius Pigai, Defender of the Weak / Commissioner of the National Commission on Human Rights 2012-2017
I write this article based on the reality faced by the people of Papua for 57 years. I was born in a remote place in the interior of Papua, the center of war and conflict. Eventually, I became an activist in the struggle for civil rights and reached the peak of my career as a commissioner of the 2012-2017 Indonesian Human Rights Commission. Today I am still active as a humanitarian activist.
Since I was a child, I have seen, monitored, listened and recorded all the contents that were checked directly to the people of Papua as well as stories with no less than 15 regents / former regents and officials still active, and also based on the results of investigations and monitoring. I write this as a professional investigator who has handled no less than 15 thousand cases in Indonesia.
This paper is my contribution to the common good and improvement (bonum commune).
57 Years of Papua living in misery, hundreds of thousands of Papuans were arrested, tortured, slaughtered and killed based on racial hatred of the black Papuan people and curly hair.
Words that contain verbal violence such as monkeys, apes, and gorillas have long been received by Papuans. Perpetrators are not only ordinary Malay people but also state officials both in Papua and outside. More and more newcomers are behaving racistly and with the segregative attitude toward the people of Papua. Today they showcase the racial and segregative behavior of apartheid, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism which had developed in the past century in Africa, America, and Europe. Today, Indonesia is the only country on earth that has allowed racism to develop not only in the civilian population but also in Government, especially to the Papuan-Melanesians.
Even more ironic is that the intelligence officers, the military, and the police have made the migrants as partners to smooth the politics of occupation in Papua, to collect information, and even actually to form militia forces to hack and kill civilians in Papua.
Intentionally or not, the officers herded migrants who were innocent civilians to try their luck in the land of Papua as a militia group. That is the trigger of the acute hatred of the people of Papua against migrants. So when Papuans are angry and commit violence against migrants, why are the Indonesian people not angry at the officers that lead migrants and innocent civilians do to play in the embers of Papua, which is indeed a conflict area.
Did we ever know that in Wamena, the city center and in other areas HIV / AIDS is growing rapidly, threatening the extinction of the Papuan Melanesian, not because Malay women commercial sex colonizers sell themselves in “lokalisasi”, but because there is no localization, yet they make small huts and migrant restaurants, in “what do you want to eat, raw or cooked meat?” Raw meat means sex, cooked meat means food. That is the illustration if a native Papuan eats. And that was done openly in the center of the city, the authorities also witnessed it without going to prevent or even curb it. We have never witnessed an operation to curb social pathology or operation of justice.
When there were protests by Papuans in urban centers, the authorities often searched Papuans in migrant houses or kiosks and migrant restaurants, even straying bullets towards Papuans. Too many Papuans have died because of this pattern. This method is witnessed by the Papuans because Papua is a small town brightly lit.
All of this is recorded in the memory of the suffering Papuan people. Oral speech spread throughout the Papuans and these modes are widely known. Once again not migrants but migrants led by officials, inevitably “obedient” to participate in the wishes of the state in the name of integration in conflict areas.
But one of the behaviors that are not beautifully exhibited by migrants is when they conflict with Papuans, migrants always ask for or take cover behind the barrel of weapons, they do not follow legal channels, I have never found a migrant sought justice in court against the Papuan people fairly.
Papuans are herded in Togel gambling games everywhere in the cities; they have no more saving for the family because they have finished it playing Togel gambling. While Indonesia has banned gambling firmly, it is still rampant in Papua. The migrants, the Togel bandars, are surrounded by officials. Selling liquor is managed by migrants and accompanied by officials. There is even liquor whose alcohol reaches 40 percent written specifically for Papua.
Did we ever know that illegal mining areas are controlled by migrants, backed by authorities, selling liquor, narcotics and even operating prostitution such as in Degeuwo, Tembagapura, Mamberamo areas, etc? Residents pay gold pieces for liquor or prostitution under pressure and gunpoint.
The authorities are backing migrants to control 3 main sources of Papuan ownership:
seizing natural resources by illegal mining, fishing, and extraction of wood.
Seizing the economic resources of Papuans in all city centers, the distribution of goods and services is controlled by migrants, economic resources are controlled. Stalls, markets and even public transportation and motorcycle taxis are controlled by migrants. Papuans are only as vegetable sellers on the porch or the roadside. Even then, the nimble mamas, as women do everywhere they dared to make a living and provide enough education for their children. As is common in the world mothers are more militant; Papuan men are locked in to compete so they cannot make ends meet.
Depriving the political rights of the people of Papua, deprivation today has penetrated the world of bureaucracy and politics. Newcomers are too hungry for power, they want to be regents, deputies, people’s representatives utilizing bribery, scattering money here, scattering money there, today’s election is almost controlled by migrants. There are regencies whose members of the House of Representatives are almost 100% migrants, there are regencies where a family has 7 members in the house of representatives. The police are also marginalized Papuans when recruiting.
Recruitment filled with corruption, collusion, and nepotism.
Recruitment of civil servants in Papua often witness the coming of migrants’ relatives who were born, grew up and went to schools in Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi; they were called to join the test in Papua, and with a bribe, they could pass. There was also a graduate of agriculture test who passed as a doctor and was accepted when he was placed in a clinic (puskesmas). It happened in Intan Jaya Regency. This is one mode of taking the land of Papuan by migrants.
If the 3 main sources of life for Papuans are controlled, is there any hope of life for Papuans? The future is certainly bleak. There is no hope of living in their homeland.
Do you know that the regional heads and officials in Papua are held hostage by the contractors and his subordinates who are mostly migrants? The contractors use state officials to smooth the project, even disburse money before the project runs.
The Regent is almost certain to be held hostage by the head of services with large budgets such as Public Works and Finance and has to cooperate with the Police and the District Attorney.
Throughout Papua, the Auditor of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) came or was visited by local officials to bribe the BPK to issue a letter called “finished checking”, once again the letter was named “finished checking” even though the BPK had never checked it. As a result, all the people of Papua are surprised why almost all districts in Papua each year can get the title WTP (Fair Without Exception), robbing public money in large amounts without physical development.
If I may be honest “as is”, then hospitals in Papua have been labeled as “places of death” not human nurseries, not places of life, especially government hospitals including those of the Police, and now Papuans have begun to suspect private hospitals even though they belong to the church. Papuans are very afraid to go to the hospital, they prefer natural remedies. The hospital has long been suspected by Papuans as a place for ethnic Papuan cleansing, on average young mothers who have been hospitalized during pregnancy or after childbirth cannot give birth, some mothers are injected with anti-fertilities without their husbands’ and their consent (maybe asked when experiencing pain during childbirth). So today the average young mothers cannot give birth.
Indeed, the average physical appearance of the building and inside the hospital is very “rotten” even when I see firsthand the water of the faucets in the number one hospital in Papua, the water faucets are dead a week. Even though water is vital, the water of life without human water must die, especially in hospitals. Indeed, in this world, medical personnel and medics are special / they are God’s representatives in the world, but for Papua, the assessment is different. It is an old saga. One indicator of the threat of Papuans, in particular, is the increasing ratio of maternal and child mortality because until this moment there are no maternal and child hospitals throughout Papua. In contrast to outside Papua, each district has a mother and child hospital even more than one.
Not only hospitals, Papuans today have lost respect for priests, priests especially Kiai, have long lost the prophetic voice in the land of Papua Melanesia. The church becomes an instrument of authority, a tool of the mysterious clique. Add God who defends the Papuans die suddenly in the interior, facing a gun barrel.
In remote areas of the island, they often sell expired items: biscuits, sardines, noodles, etc. People do not understand because they are uneducated and, as a result, many people get sick and die.
One of the crimes of migrants in Papua is that Papuans are forced to convert to Islam. Many modes have been found. In Wamena, an officer herded a village under gunpoint and took some students to convert to a religion that is not a religion. In several areas, migrants take children with the argument of being foster parents or educating them, to be sent to some Islamic boarding schools and become converts.
There is no law in Papua, no justice before the law for Papuans. Justice only applies to those who are migrants. Unless Papuans pay a “bribe” to a judge. Papuans who are young and quick can get a court decision and a copy of the decision in a matter of days, while poor Papuans find it difficult to get justice. Nearly 58 years the court has sentenced non-Papuans or police officers, I have never seen and read one document of the police being jailed for torturing and killing (Extra Judicial Killing).
All the groans lament, the sadness of the Papuans are silenced in the hearts of the people of Papua. The Papuan people have no room for expression, the mass media is silenced as a propaganda tool for the authorities and migrants. Civil society organizations and political parties as instruments of articulation of the interests of the people of Papua are silenced, freedom of expression is limited. As a result, what happened today was the explosion of the tip of the iceberg that had frozen for so long. That is what is not understood by the state and the people of Indonesia.
The Nation (Inter-Ethnic and Religious National Leaders) should find a solution to the problem of Papua in a dignified and more progressive manner, not in favor of military repression in Papua. If you ask for a military operation, then you don’t need to ask because 58 years of military operations have taken place, the people of Papua are living every day under threat in their bloody land.
I have to be honest to say that we are two different races namely the Melanesian Negro Race and the Malay Mongoloid Race. Like Oil and Water, it will never be able to unite unless racism, Papuan phobia, and discrimination are eliminated from this country and it seems impossible because discrimination in this country is already too acute.
(A Heart Wrenching reflection of a Papua man lamenting the plight and disaster facing our people of West Papua. 57 years of these abuses and suppression has exploded. The fear and submission has been replaced by anger and bravery. Nothing can stop it now! Only referendum will solve this crisis. We can’t rest or sit back having read with tears the cry of our people. Let’s us make sure we have a massive October 11th, 2019 Rally)
New Zealand’s government says it’s “deeply concerned” by recent violence in Indonesia’s West Papua during protests which have rocked the country.
At least 10 people have been killed in separate clashes between Papuan demonstrators, security forces and vigilante mobs.
Dozens of protestors and activists have been arrested by Indonesian police, which have deployed thousands of extra personnel to the region.
New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry said it was closely monitoring the security situation and has raised concerns with Indonesian authorities.
It said it has encouraged Indonesia to facilitate a visit to Papua by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, reiterating a call from the Pacific Islands Forum.
“We have urged Indonesia to respect and protect the human rights of all its citizens,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said.
“New Zealand recognises Papua as part of Indonesia’s sovereign territory. We continue to encourage Indonesia to promote peaceful social and economic development in Papua.”
Indonesian President Joko Widodo says he’s willing to meet West Papua leaders this week to discuss their demands for an independence referendum.
The offer comes as protests in West Papua enter a second week, with calls for the United Nations to investigate the deteriorating situation.
The Indonesian Government has blocked internet access to West Papua and deployed more than 1,000 troops to the province.
Warnings of an Indonesian crackdown come just weeks before Joko Widodo is inaugurated as president for a second term.
Guest: Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher, Human Rights Watch, and author of Race, Islam and Power: Ethnic and Religious Violence in Post-Suharto Indonesia
Indonesian police have defended their decision to storm into a dormitory of West Papuan students alongside the nation’s military, over vigilante allegations that someone had committed slander on the national symbol.
Key points:
Police arrested 43 students but released them without charge over allegations of “committing slander on the national flag”
Earlier this week pro-West Papuan protesters were attacked and hundreds arrested
The acquisition of West Papua by Indonesia has long been a cause of controversy
Police and armed military personnel stormed through the gates of the dormitory in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, firing around 20 tear gas canisters into the building, causing injuries, last Saturday.
Forty three students were arrested and taken to a police station in the city, but released around nine hours after without charge, over claims that the Indonesian flag was found in the gutter by the building.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has sought to ease tensions, with his Chief Security Minister pledging a “complete and fair” investigation into the incidents.
Mr Widodo called for calm in Papua and urged people not to damage public facilities.
“It’s OK to be emotional, but it’s better to be forgiving,” he said.
“Patience is also better.”
Today, protesters torched a local parliament building and set fire to tyres and branches in the West Papua provincial capital, Manokwari.
A separate, peaceful protest of about 500 people was also underway in the town of Jayapura, the capital of Papua province.
The protests appears to be in retaliation to the detention and treatment of West Papuan students in Surabaya between Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
Nationalist vigilantes gathered outside the student’s dormitory building from Friday night — a day before Indonesia’s independence day —singing the Indonesian national anthem, cutting power to the building, and attacking good Samaritans delivering food and drinks to the trapped students.
Officers shot tear gas canisters into student accommodation and took 43 people into custody after reports on social mediaHelen Davidson
Indonesian authorities raided a university dormitory in Surabaya on Saturday and arrested dozens of West Papuan students after a standoff over allegations the Indonesian flag was thrown into a sewer.
Officers broke down the gates of the Surabaya building and used teargas to clear the rooms, taking 43 people into custody on the Indonesian Independence Day weekend.
Surabaya police told Kompas news the students were brought in for questioning over the “destruction and disposal” of the Indonesian flag, which had been hanging outside the student hostel.
The students were released around midnight after questioning.
Surabaya city police chief, Senior Commissioner Sandi Nugroho, told the Jubi news outlet that witnesses claimed the individual who damaged the flag had gone inside the student accommodation.
Reports of the damaged flag had reportedly spread on social media, drawing a crowd of residents to the building to protest on Friday and Saturday, allegedly shouting anti-West Papuan slogans and threats, and singing the Indonesian national anthem.
On Friday night police urged the crowds outside the student accommodation to leave.
On Saturday afternoon police fired teargas into the building. CNN Indonesia reported at least 23 shots of teargas were fired.
“Fully armed police shot teargas into the dorm, charged into it, forced the students to squat and waddle along the ground, then arrested them,” Koman said.
“They were released at almost midnight. The students still could not go in because the teargas still smelt strong. Some of their stuff are still confiscated without any warrant.
“The arrest is totally disproportionate. The students were not even told why they were arrested. That violates the criminal procedural law.”
Guardian Australia has attempted to contact the East Java Regional Police for comment.
Koman said two Indonesian students who had attempted to bring food and water to the students on Saturday, prior to the raid, were beaten and arrested.
She said she had been speaking to the students on Friday night and could hear “racists chants” through the phone.
“People demanded the students to come out so they can kick them out from the city and kill them,” she said.
“They chanted ‘Out! Out! Papua out!’, ‘massacre Papua! massacre Papua’. The crowd sang Indonesian anthem until past midnight.”
CNN Indonesia also reported the chants from the crowd, which it said included people wearing clothing referencing the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the far-right Pancasila Youth organisation.
West Papua has been locked in a civil conflict for decades over its demands for independence from Indonesia, which annexed the territory on the western half of the island of Papua in the 1960s. In that time there have been claims of up to half a million people killed, and Indonesia has been accused of human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings.
Reports of growing support among non-Papuan Indonesians have bolstered the independence movement, and Koman said harassment and intimidation of West Papuans in Indonesia was worsening.
“Last year, mobs forced to fly Indonesian flag at the same location,” she said.
“This only happens towards the West Papuans.”
Last week Indonesian authorities broke up a number of protests across Indonesia – timed to coincide with consideration of the West Papuan independence claim at the Pacific Islands Forum – with mass arrests and some violence.
