The ignored Papuan war on PNG’s border

BY ARTHUR WILLIAMS

“Every day planes come in, vomiting migrants”: West Papuan eyewitness

I HAVE WATCHED the West Papua story for many years but especially since Epel Tito lost the Defence Ministry when he named Indonesia as PNG’s most likely future enemy.

He’d also said he was ashamed at the treatment of the Melanesian people by their own government in Jakarta with its transmigration (now called in-migration) policy of swamping PNG’s brothers and sisters with non-Melanesians.

He said he was also ashamed with the lack of support for West Papuan independence by PNG, the biggest Melanesian nation, which shares a common border with the Indonesia colony. Only tiny Vunuatu had the balls to stand up for these unhappy people.

Here’s what I found when I researched some of the events that have unfolded this year across the PNG border [Crisis Watch # 83]:

4 January - Police in Timika 16 Dec shot Kelly Kwalik during raid by counter-terror unit. Hundreds of mourners rallied in Timika 16-21 Dec, clashing briefly with police 19 Dec. Several arrested 1 Dec during rallies marking 40th anniversary of Act of Free Choice and Papua’s formal incorporation into Indonesia; banned Morning Star flag raised in various locations

1 February - 3 police, 6 Freeport employees injured 24 Jan in ambush by unidentified gunmen; 3 killed as tribal groups clashed mid-month near Timika. Jeck Kemong named regional Free Papua Movement (OPM) commander 19 Jan, replacing Kelly Kwalik, killed Dec

1 March - Local bupati (regent) claimed killing not related to Free Papua Movement, police say otherwise; second killing in province this year after bus driver killed 27 Jan. 11 Feb murder of TV reporter followed by violent protests in Jayapura

1 April - demonstrators in Jayapura 18, 22 March called for provincial legislators to meet with US President Obama during planned visit to discuss Papuan grievances; at least 15 protesters arrested. Other demonstrations held across province 22 March

1 May - 2 workers killed 13 Apr in Puncak Jaya, allegedly by Free Papua Movement fighters. 3 police officers injured, 25 civilians detained 15 Apr following tribal clashes in Kwamki Lama, Mimika. Police 22 Apr detained 20 West Papua National Authority demonstrators, protesting against recent Papua-Jakarta dialogue initiative, in Manokwari. Local elections in 32 districts postponed 18

1 June - Thousands demonstrated 18 May in Jayapura demanding govt implement decree requiring regional election candidates be indigenous Papuan amid continuing confusion over electoral laws. In Puncak Jaya regency, military 17 May killed suspected separatist; 21 May attack by suspected separatists on military post left 3 injured. Tribal conflict erupted in Timika 24 May.

1 July - Papuan People’s Council held forum 9-10 June concerning Special Autonomy; culminated in 18 June estimated 2,000-person march to Papuan Legislative Assembly building to demand dialogue with Jakarta over perceived failure of Special Autonomy Law

1 August - Demonstrations demanding referendum on Papuan independence continued: some 2,500 in largely peaceful 8 July protest across province; protesters occupied provincial parliament in Jayapura

I cannot have missed all these stories in the PNG media. Why did these news items go missing?

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative, Walpurga Englbrecht, said in March that there are nearly 10,000 West Papuans in PNG. But the UNHCR does not recognise them as refugees!

Meanwhile what of our courageous leader?

16 March - President Yudhoyono also expressed satisfaction over Sir Michael’s reaffirmation of the PNG Government’s recognition of Papua and West Papua as an integral part of the Republic of Indonesia. (Post-Courier)

Sori tumas!

Comments

[Peter]

While we all know about and deplore Indonesian atrocities in West Papua, there are many example of 'rough justice' occurring in PNG.

These are some anecdotes from my experience in the five years I spent in PNG between 2003 and 2008.

I have personally seen a suspected thief on a PMV hauled out of the bus and beaten senseless in front of me by a mob of enraged passengers.

When some of the suspects in the notorious downtown Moresby helicopter bank heist were caught, they were driven around in a police car and progressively shot in the feet, then the legs, then the genitals, then further up their bodies until they died slowly and agonisingly from loss of blood.

When I was held up at gunpoint and robbed by raskols, some of our neighbours caught a suspect then dragged him along the street beating him and urinating on him until he was handed over to the police where he fared worse.

A security guard was shot at the place where I worked. The security force (a private company) caught a suspect then tied him by rope to the back of their car and dragged him along the road at high speed until he died.

Very disturbing, but it would be wrong to pretend that these things don't happen in PNG to this day.

[Peter]

This week the Governor-General is reported as recognising Indonesia's right to occupy the West Papuan provinces.

Maybe Sir Paulias should take notice of the graphic and disturbing video showing a West Papuan man being poked in the genitals with a fiery stick as he is interrogated by a group of men who appear to be members of Indonesia's security services.

The video has come to light as the Indonesian government faces continuing criticism about abuses by its security forces in Papua, scene of a long simmering separatist struggle.

The Papuan man, stripped naked, bound and with one of the interrogators placing his foot on his chest, is being asked about the location of a cache of weapons. After he tells his interrogators it has been hidden in a pigpen, one of them screams at him: "You cheat, you cheat."

Another interrogator then yells "get a fire, get a fire'', before a colleague administers the torture with a smouldering stick that has been burnt in a fire. The man screams in agony, and does so again when the treatment is repeated.

The video appears to have been taken with a mobile phone by one of the interrogators, who speaks Indonesian and wears plain clothes.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/video-shows-papuans-being-tortured-20101017-16p7f.html

A YouTube video has been removed "as a violation of YouTube's policy on shocking and disgusting content", but the SMH article has some stills from it.

(YouTube's policy seems pretty hypocritical considering this is of political and social importance and some of the stuff they do allow is porno rubbish.)

[Trevor Freestone.]

I worked on the border at Pagei in the 1960's and witnessed refugees coming across the border. Their common complaint was about the way they were treated by the Indonesians.

Indonesia was brutal to anyone proposing that West Papua should receive Independence at the same time as PNG.

So many refugees started coming across the border that the Australian government set up a special branch officer to interview them at Pagei. Even in those days the refugees stories were horrifying.

Even though the Australian government was aware of their plight, they were always sent back over the border to an uncertain future.

I complained to the Australian Foreign Minister, who replied he was aware of the human rights abuses occurring in West Papua but Australia was unable to do anything about it.

I have always been ashamed at the way Australia ignored their plight.

[Reginald Renagi]

I am with you there Peter. If only government has the guts to do it and it just makes it equally hard with the Ausralian government going along with this charade by recently signing a joint security agrement with the Indons on matters of security affecting the two countries.

Australia als has a shameful history too when its governments for over 30 years ignored what happened to the 'Balibo Five' on Timor in the 1970s.

[Peter]

Standing up to Indonesia is no trivial task. However with international support something could be done. It eventually worked in the case of East Timor. I believe Papua's case is a similar if not worse case of gross injustice and oppression of indigenous people.

PNG's official silence on the matter is shameful.

[Reginald Renagi]

Kagl - I fully support your sentiments which are also shared by the majority of PNGeans. All our governments since Independence sadly have not have the spine to stand up on the global stage and defend the West Papuan peoples right to self-determination and subsequent autonomy.

PM Somare and his government must now come out and make some official statement about this issue. PNG needs to facilitate some initial dialogue now with the Indonesian government about the plight of our Melanesian people just across the western border.

[Kagl]

It is truly a tragic situation. This is both a humanitarian issue and a national security issue that has simply been ignored and white washed by successive PNG governments since independence.

I am sure relevant state agencies such as our National Intelligence Organisation and Defence Force Intelligence have briefed every government since independence of the great threat looming on our western borders.

International condemnation of the atrocities occurring in West Papua is well publicised and, unless they have been living in a cave, no-one can plead ignorance.

PM Somare supports a dictatorship in Fiji because "we Melanesians have to sort out 'our' problems 'our' way". What a hypocrite.

Our Melanesian brothers and sisters living a stone's throw away are being systematically eradicated and Sir Michael continue to trumpet that it is “an internal Indonesian matter”.

We must act now and support Vanuatu's motion to United Nations General Assembly asking for the International Court of Justice to give its opinion on the legality of the 1962 deal by which the people of West Papua were traded to Indonesia without their consent.

We are informed and therefore we must act. If we choose not to act then we have in fact chosen to condone and then we must then accept responsibility for all that transpires due to our inaction.

[Andrew Johnson]

The Vanuatu Parliament voted unanimously to
sponsor a motion to next month's United Nations General Assembly asking for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to give it's opinion on the legality of the 1962 deal by which the people of West Papua were traded to Indonesia without their consent.

If PNG had the balls to support this request for the independent ICJ opinion, then West Papua could be liberated and Indonesia compelled to withdraw from West Papua in accord with the previous UN resolution 1514.

Happy to assist with any questions I can.

Andrew
Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)
http://wpik.org

[Bruce Copeland]

Moslem extremists are the threat to our north. We have seen the bombings in Bali. If the OPM is talking about Jihad, that is a sign of problems to come.

Islam in Indonesia is the peaceful kind brought by traders. Times are changing.

[Phil Fitzpatrick]

I wonder how much money Yudhoyono is slipping into the Grand Thief's wallet.

Australian's care even less about West Papua than they do about PNG. This is difficult to understand when you see all those Javanese faces on the road between Merauke and Morehead only a few kilometres north of our border.

The West Papuans are now talking about giving the OPM carte blanche to carry on what they are now calling a jihad. That might make a few pollies sit up and take notice. One only hopes that it won't be too deleterious on the refugees at Kiunga and that Somare doesn't overeact in his treatment of the inevitable refugees coming into PNG.

[Peter]

This documentary about atrocities in Indonesian Papua is an eye-opener. This has never been shown on Australian TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHZ_fXTva9I