3) Teacher and six students reportedly tortured during detention in Sinak District, Puncak Regency
The Indonesian military launched a wide-ranging operation to capture armed rebels from a major insurgent group accused of shooting 8 gold miners to death in the Christian-majority, restive Papua region.
The alleged killing took place in the Korowai forests of Yahukimo Regency, Central Papua province, on May 17 and 20, media reports say.
The military accused the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) of atrocities, but it dismissed the allegations, claiming the deceased were military soldiers and police in disguise.
The rebel group said the killing was an act of revenge for the military’s recent shooting and killing of their fighters.
Lieutenant Colonel M. Wirya Arthadiguba of the Indonesian National Armed Forces dismissed the TPNPB claim while announcing the operation on May 21.
He told journalists that the military is also conducting another operation to retrieve the bodies of the victims by using helicopters.
“We are preparing victim evacuation with combined personnel and helicopter support to reach the remote location,” he said, adding that security patrols have been beefed up in the area following the attack.
TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom said in a statement that the operation was “a retaliation for our troops who were killed last week.”
“The victims were civilians and not native Papuans. They were migrants from outside Korowai, even outside Papua,” he said.
Tomarubun noted that gold mining at the Fis River and Korowai is both “arduous and dangerous,” only accessible by helicopter, and often financed by external backers.
“Korowai residents still live traditionally and rely on the forest for food,” he added, underlining that locals rarely engage in commercial mining.
The area has seen an upsurge in illegal gold-mining activities since 2017, attracting migrant miners and organized operators due to the rich alluvial deposits, who defy security risks, according to media reports.
Papua, the western part of New Guinea, declared independence after the end of the Dutch colonial rule in 1962.
Pro-independence Papuans formed rebel groups and started an armed battle against Indonesian security forces, beginning one of the world’s longest-running insurgencies.
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Movement (TPNPB-OPM) has claimed responsibility for the deaths of eight gold panners in the Korowai region of Yahukimo Regency, Papua Highlands, on Wednesday, May 20.
TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom maintained that the militia had strong reasons to crack down on gold panning. They deemed miners collaborators of those in power who have been damaging Papua's natural ecosystem.
"They are stealing our natural resources," said Sebby in a voice message via WhatsApp on Friday, May 22, 2026.
The recent shooting against gold panners by TPNPB is far from the first. Over the past five years, 34 panners have reportedly been killed by the armed group.
For example, in 2021, three gold panners in Kali Kabu, Yahukimo, were found dead with multiple stab wounds found on their bodies. The TPNPB Kodap XVI Yahukimo militia claimed responsibility for the incident.
Two years later, in 2023, a similar incident occurred. This time, seven gold panners in Seradala, Yahukimo, lost their lives due to stab wounds and gunshots. TPNPB, again, claimed responsibility.
In April 2025, 11 gold miners in Kali Kabu were killed, and six gold miners in Muarakum were also found dead just days later. TPNPB stated that they were the perpetrators of these acts.
Sebby Sambom admitted that acts of violence and killling gold miners by the TPNPB militia have actually been carried out since 2017. However, he admitted that he did not have data on the total number of victims.
According to Sebby, TPNPB considered ecosystem preservation and preventing the stealing of Papua's natural resources to justify their actions. It is notable that the indigenous Papuans have yet to reap the benefit from the region's natural resources.
Nevertheless, Sebby said TPNPB had declared Yakuhimo a war zone, which civilians, especially outsiders, shall not enter. He assured that warnings have been given, so there was no reason to consider these actions as violating human rights.
"These [panners] are agents of TNI-Polri intelligence. We always find evidence of pistols and walkie-talkies in their bags," he said.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Wirya Arthadiguna, the Head of Information for the Habema Task Force, strongly condemned the shooting of eight gold panners in Papua's Yahukimo.
According to him, the militia accusation that the eight panners were military agents is propaganda often used to cover up TPNPB's criminal acts against civilians, including indigenous Papuans.
"Those eight individuals were civilians, not security personnel as alleged," said Wirya in a written statement on Friday.
The task force is now intensifying patrols across several high-risk locations in Yakuhimo, although Wirya claimed the situation remained under control.
The task force is also pursuing the suspects, who are believed to be the militia group TPNPB Kodap XVI Yahukimo under the leadership of Kopitua Heluka and Dejang Heluka.
Cahyo Pamungkas, a Research Professor at the Center for Regional Research, at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), believes that the killing of gold panners by the TPNPB militia cannot be justified for any reason.
The group must not resort to violence against unarmed individuals, he said. "There is indeed hatred from TPNPB towards non-Papuans, but these actions cannot be justified," said Cahyo.
Therefore, to ease the situation, he suggested that the government, through TNI, engage in dialogue rather than using a military approach that risks prolonging the chain of violence in Papua.
"We can see this in how the conflict in Aceh was resolved," said Cahyo.
"There needs to be appreciation, which is through direct dialogue, not representation. From this dialogue, trust can be built to prevent any armed contact," said the Anthropology lecturer at the University of Indonesia.
3) Teacher and six students reportedly tortured during detention in Sinak District, Puncak Regency
Document ID: HRM-CAS-069-2026
Region: Indonesia > Central Papua > Puncak > Sinak
Total number of victims: 7
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Nikanus Murib | diverse | minor | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention, torture |
| 2. | 1 | Arendis Murib | male | minor | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention, torture |
| 3. | 1 | Ois Tabuni | minor | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention, torture | |
| 4. | 4 | unknown | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention, torture |
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Military (TNI)
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence, women and children
Archbishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi of Merauke has censured a documentary about development projects in Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua for presenting a one-sided narrative that excludes the perspective of the Catholic Church.
The prelate accused Pig Feast: Colonialism of Our Time of serving as a political propaganda tool, as tensions deepen between him and Papuan lay Catholics over development policies and indigenous land rights.
“Why did they not come to ask the bishop or the priests who live here?” he said. “They only took opinions from those who share the film's purpose,” Mandagi said in a video interview released by the archdiocese on May 21.
Pig Feast has ignited debate for its portrayal of the government's National Strategic Project in South Papua, which focuses on food estate and bioenergy expansion across indigenous land.
The film depicts how forests traditionally used by Papuan communities have been converted into industrial plantations.
It includes perspectives from within the Catholic Church — among them an interview with Bishop Bernardus Bofitwos Baru of Timika, who has been vocal in criticizing the social and environmental impact of large-scale development in Papua.
Mandagi said the decision to seek a bishop from another diocese while ignoring the Church leadership in Merauke reflected a selective approach aimed at supporting a predetermined narrative.
He rejected claims reflected in the film that his archdiocese endorsed the project or cooperated with companies responsible for deforestation, calling such allegations “a major slander.”
The prelate also took issue with the film's portrayal of the pig feast tradition as universal across Papua, when in some communities it is considered a sacred and restricted ritual.
"The pig feast is sacred. It strengthens brotherhood and connects people with God," he said. "If it is used as a political tool, it becomes an insult to Papuans."
Defending his long silence on the National Strategic Project, Mandagi said it was a deliberate pastoral choice.
He also challenged what he called the disproportionate scrutiny of South Papua.
“There are big eyes on South Papua, but no eyes on destruction elsewhere” — a reference to environmental damage caused by mining operations in other parts of Papua.
Mandagi’s remarks come amid escalating tensions with the Voice of the Papuan Catholic Laity, a lay movement that has organized weekly protests at churches since 2024, accusing the archbishop of aligning the Church with state interests.
Tensions worsened after Mandagi warned during a homily last month that protesters inside churches could face divine punishment. Some members have since called for his resignation.
Soleman Itlay, a prominent figure in the movement, said he was disappointed that the archbishop had spoken out only after public scrutiny intensified.
“Why didn't he speak before?” he told UCA News while disputing Mandagi's denial of support for the National Strategic Project.
“He has previously made public statements endorsing these projects. He has received company executives and military officials at the diocesan office, while closing the door to us, the indigenous Papuans,” he said.
“He only reacts when the spotlight on him becomes too strong to ignore,” he added.
The film screenings have drawn a heavy-handed response from authorities, with military personnel deployed to shut down public screenings across Indonesia.
This has prompted condemnation from press freedom groups and civil society organizations.
Jayapura, Jubi – One of the directors of the documentary film Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time, Cypri Paju Dale, said the film is not merely a work of art or an ordinary social critique, but a testimony to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Land of Papua.
He said the film also serves as a space to document the experiences of Indigenous Papuans living amid violence, oppression, and prolonged conflict.
According to Cypri, he and fellow director Dandhy Laksono were only a small part of the overall filmmaking process.
Cypri made the statement online during a discussion session following the public screening and online release of Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time, held at the hall of Kristus Terang Dunia Catholic Church in Heram District, Jayapura City, Papua, on Friday (22/5/2026).
“This is a collaborative work, where Dandhy and I are only part of that collaboration,” Cypri Paju Dale said.
He also expressed gratitude to communities in South Papua who welcomed him during the research and production process.
According to him, spending months living alongside Indigenous Papuan communities gave him a deeper understanding of their lives, struggles, and the conditions they face daily.
Cypri emphasized the importance of collaboration in addressing humanitarian issues. He said struggles cannot be carried out individually, but must be built through collective solidarity.
“We know that the strength that comes from the people is a great force. But if it is done separately, it is not resistance,” he said.
According to him, the film was created not only to deliver social and political criticism, but also to reveal the humanitarian realities experienced by Indigenous Papuans.
He compared the situation to major tragedies in world history, including colonialism and systematic oppression.
“The situation happening today is a humanitarian tragedy that deserves broad attention. This film is not merely social criticism or political criticism. This film is a testimony about a humanitarian tragedy,” he said.
Cypri explained that the film portrays how communities struggle not only politically, but also through cultural and spiritual approaches.
Communities seek strength from their ancestors and from God while facing difficult circumstances.
Therefore, he said, the struggle against colonialism and oppression cannot rely on a single approach. Social, cultural, political, and religious elements must unite in confronting humanitarian issues.
He hopes the film can become a space for reflection while also building broader solidarity around the humanitarian issues taking place in Papua.
One of the film’s speakers, Vincent Kwipalo of the Yei Tribe, voiced concerns over the impact of corporate presence in his customary territory.
He said the arrival of companies has affected the daily lives of Indigenous communities in South Papua.
According to the Kwipalo clan leader from Blandin Kakayo Village, Jagebob District, Merauke Regency, South Papua, the film raises many issues so that the wider public can better understand the realities currently faced by Indigenous communities in South Papua.
“If things like this are not written down, filmed, and shared, then people will never know the reality being experienced by Indigenous communities,” Vincent Kwipalo said.
He said many of the problems in his customary territory involve large corporations, security forces, and certain political interests, while Indigenous communities become the most affected parties.
“The community is often the victims. Some are arrested, some are pressured, while the companies continue operating according to their own interests,” he said.
According to him, companies enter Indigenous territories by approaching influential figures with vested interests, a tactic that ultimately triggers division and conflict within communities.
“I witnessed myself how companies enter and exploit communities. They approach certain figures, divide communities, and create tensions,” he said.
Kwipalo stressed that Indigenous communities should not be divided by outside interests, because conflicts among communities only benefit corporations.
He hopes the issues faced by the Yei Indigenous people will be understood not merely as investment issues, but as part of the struggle of indigenous people to defend their livelihoods, living spaces, and rights.
“We are family and we live side by side. If communities continue to be pitted against one another, then the companies are the ones who benefit,” Vincent Kwipalo said. (*)
Teminabuan, Jubi – The Indigenous Nasawat community in South Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua, has rejected a village forest scheme currently being formulated by the local regency administration.
The rejection was expressed by members of the Indigenous Community Institution (LMA) Nasawat, together with Indigenous youth groups, Wsan Kmindin, the Indonesian Christian Student Movement (GMKI), and the Indonesian National Student Movement (GMNI) of South Sorong Regency, during a visit to the South Sorong Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) office on Friday (22/5/2026).
The Indigenous Nasawat community opposes the scheme because the government is considered to have unilaterally included their customary territory in the village forest and social forestry schemes without the consent of Indigenous customary landowners.
They demanded that the government immediately halt all processes related to drafting social forestry documents in the Nasawat Sawiat Raya customary territory.
The village forest scheme is viewed as a new form of state control over customary land that Indigenous communities have protected for generations without state intervention.
Deputy Chairperson I of LMA Nasawat, Marten Saflela, stressed that the Indigenous Nasawat Sawiat Raya community is defending its customary forest based on Constitutional Court Decision No. 35/PUU-X/2012, which affirmed that customary forests are no longer classified as state forests.
“We, the Indigenous Nasawat Sawiat Raya community, firmly state that customary forests are ancestral heritage that we have protected for generations,” Marten Saflela said.
“The areas now included in the village forest scheme cover thousands of hectares of customary land in Wehali Village, Magis Village, Sfakyo Village, and the Ween area, all of which were included without consultation or approval from Indigenous communities,” he said.
According to him, around 4,989 hectares in Wehali Village have been included in the village forest scheme, along with 1,692 hectares in Magis Village, approximately 5,000 hectares in Sfakyo Village, and around 2,537 hectares in Ween.
He said Indigenous communities are fighting for full recognition of customary forests as inherent Indigenous rights passed down from their ancestors.
Meanwhile, GMKI South Sorong Chairperson Gofon Arky Lemauk said his organization stands alongside the Indigenous Nasawat community in protecting customary forests from policies that ignore Indigenous rights.
According to him, the state must not make unilateral decisions without listening to the voices of customary landowners.
“The government cannot speak about development while trampling on Indigenous rights,” Gofon Lemauk said.
He said the issue of customary forests in Papua is not merely an administrative matter, but also concerns Indigenous identity, history, livelihoods, and the future of communities that have protected forests for generations without destroying them.
Therefore, he argued, the state is obliged to respect Indigenous peoples as the primary actors in forest management in the Land of Papua. For Indigenous communities, forests are not merely timber and land, but a mother that sustains life.
“When the state enters without the consent of Indigenous communities, it is essentially taking away the lives of Papuan Indigenous peoples. This is what we are fighting against together,” he said.
Lemauk also highlighted the government’s weak public outreach regarding social forestry regulations in Southwest Papua. He said if Indigenous communities reject the scheme, it indicates flaws in the process.
He argued that many government policies are made without understanding the realities faced by Indigenous communities in villages, resulting in state programs that instead create new conflicts within Indigenous societies.
“We will not remain silent. GMKI, together with Indigenous communities, will continue to speak out until the state fully recognizes customary forests as Indigenous rights,” Lemauk said.
Meanwhile, Head of the Watershed Management and Social Forestry Division at the Southwest Papua Environment, Forestry, and Land Agency, Sarteis Yulian Sagrim, acknowledged while receiving the community’s demand that the provincial government had not conducted sufficient public outreach regarding the social forestry scheme.
“We acknowledge that the provincial government has weaknesses because it has not conducted comprehensive outreach regarding Law No. 11 of 2021 and social forestry regulations. That is our weakness,” Sagrim said.
According to him, the provincial government is only implementing regulations issued by the central government, including policies related to social forestry schemes established through various national regulations.
However, the explanation was not fully accepted by the Indigenous communities. Protesters insisted that the village forest and social forestry schemes would instead become an entry point for state control over customary territories without full recognition of Indigenous rights.
They urged both central and regional governments to immediately revoke all ministerial decrees on village forests issued without Indigenous consent, and replace them with full recognition of Indigenous customary forests.
During the protest, LMA Nasawat delivered a statement rejecting the village forest and social forestry schemes in Nasawat customary territory because they do not align with rights and existence of Indigenous people.
They also rejected few decrees issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry — Decree Nos. 8366/2024, 8368/2024, 8373/2024, and 8371/2024 — which they said incorporated customary forests into village forest schemes without involving Indigenous communities.
The protesters further rejected the establishment of social forestry groups within customary territories without the consent of Indigenous customary rights holders.
They urged central and regional governments to respect Indigenous rights and involve Indigenous communities in every decision-making process concerning customary territories.
They also emphasized that Indigenous communities would only accept the recognition and formal designation of customary forests as protection of Indigenous rights in accordance with existing laws and regulations.
Finally, they called for the aspirations of the Nasawat Sawiat Raya Indigenous community to be followed up immediately in order to protect the rights, dignity, and survival of Indigenous peoples. (*)
