2) Today's Minkes: Racism at heart of Jakarta-Papua conflict
3) Indonesian Military on Alert as Conflict in West Papua Rises
4) Fiery protests erupt in Indonesia's West Papua region
5) Indonesia Papua: Local parliament torched in Manokwari unrest
6) East Java Police avers no Papuan students faced racism
7) Police Chief confirms situation placated in West Papua
8) Injured policeman discharged from Papua's Bhayangkara Police Hospital
9) Gov't Will Strive for Papua's Honor, Prosperity, Says Jokowi
10) President Jokowi Calls for Peace Following West Papua Unrest
11) Papuan Chieftain Calls for Probe into Surabaya Incident
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1) Riot in West Papua; Police: Negotiations Hampered
19 August 2019 13:24 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The riot in Manokwari City, West Papua has yet to be put down. Kasuari Military XVIII commander, Regional Police Chief, and Governor Mohammad Lakatoni are at the location, trying to negotiate with the demonstrators.
"Negotiations are still ongoing. They directly meet the protesters," said National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo at his office in Jakarta, Monday, August 19.
However, according to Dedi, the negotiation process is hampered considering the mass remains violent. When the three officials met with the protesters, several demonstrators threw them stones. As a result, negotiations must be postponed.
"The team must retreat to calm down the situation so that the mass will be calmer," he said, adding that the negotiations will be resumed after the situation turns to conducive.
He said the police chief, military commander, and deputy governor will later face the protesters again long with Manokwari community figures.
The riot broke out today, August 19 was thought to be the aftermath of the protests over the persecution against Papuan students in Surabaya and Malang by security officers. A number of public facilities were damaged, including West Papua DPRD Building.
M ROSSENO AJI
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2) Today's Minkes: Racism at heart of Jakarta-Papua conflict
Evi Mariani The Jakarta Post
Jakarta / Mon, August 19, 2019 / 02:03 pm
Around Aug. 17 every year, Indonesians brim with nationalism. This year, one of the nationalism-evoking events was the launch of Bumi Manusia, a film by Hanung Bramantyo adapted from Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s legendary novel of the same title, about a love story between a young Javanese hero called Minke and the mixed-blood Annelies.
The bearer of the nickname believed that the name Minke, given by his condescending Dutch teacher, means “monkey”. The way the teacher said it, with bulging eyes and certain impatience, led Minke to believe he meant “monkey” not in a good way and he was called that because he was the only brown-skinned Javanese boy in the school.
While the fictional drama of colonial racism and love unfolds in big city cinemas, a real drama of racism, sans the love story, unfolds in Surabaya. The reaction was no less dramatic as on Monday dozens of Papuans in the West Papua capital of Manokwari vented their anger over the Surabaya incident while thousands rallied in the streets in Jayapura in Papua province.
According to a report from the Surabaya Legal Aid Institute (LBH Surabaya) on Friday, security officers in the East Java capital allegedly yelled “monkey” at students hailing from Papua for disrespecting Indonesian Independence day by reportedly damaging an Indonesian flag in front of their dorm.
Dozens of Papuan students were reportedly locked in and denied food even when two non-Papuan students attempted to deliver food to them. These two people were arrested by the police, LBH Surabaya said.
On Aug. 17, military, police and public order officers and members of mass organizations gathered in front of the dorm, some of them shouting: “Banish the Papuans!” Later, the police arrested 43 students living in the dorm, after they shot tear gas into the building.
Like Minke, Papuans are said to have endured racial discrimination from the majority Javanese. A political activist from Papua, Filep Karma, wrote in 2014 in his book, Seakan Kitorang Setengah Binatang: Rasialisme Indonesia di Tanah Papua (As If We Are Half Animal: Indonesia’s Racism in Papua Land), that he experienced racism when he studied in a state university in Surakarta, Central Java. He often heard his friends called Papuans “monkeys”, he said in the book.
The book speaks volumes of the crimes against humanity facing Papuans on their own land.
On Wednesday, a team consisting of members of human rights NGOs, Papuan churches and the Nduga regency administration reported on their fact-finding work about conflicts between the Indonesian Military and Papuan armed groups in the outlying regency. They discovered that at least 182 people, mostly women and children, died, some at the hands of the security forces. Many others died of hunger or sickness while fleeing their conflict-ridden villages.
If such a tragedy had happened on Java, it would quickly have outraged many, even President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, but the deaths in Nduga just happened quietly. Worse, the deaths were not the first or only tragedy. Many more civilians have fallen victim to Jakarta’s security approach in Papua, where sporadic armed movements to secede from Indonesia have been underway for decades.
In July last year, Amnesty International Indonesia released a report saying at least 95 civilians had been killed since 2010.
"Papua is one of Indonesia’s black holes for human rights. This is a region where security forces have for years been allowed to kill women, men and children, with no prospects of being held to account," Amnesty Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said in a statement last year.
Paraphrasing Noam Chomsky in his book Manufacturing Consent, in the eyes of the elites in Jakarta, Papuans are “unworthy victims”: unworthy of our outrage, unworthy of our attention, unworthy of a peaceful solution.
Many non-Papuans would just accept the statement as normal. Under the pretext of nationalism, they may think Papuans have no right to be outraged. After all, some would say: “We give them roads, development and a lot of special autonomy funds.”
It is true that the central government has since 2002 transferred special autonomy funds amounting to 2 percent of the General Allocation Fund to Papua (including West Papua). The transfers are to end in 2021, according to the 2001 Law on Special Autonomy for Papua.
However, we fail to give the Papuans respect they deserve and recognition that they are equal to us. As citizens of Indonesia, they have equal opportunity to protest when they think they are being treated unfairly. Of course, such failure only amounts to racism.
Non-Papuans, the majority, would say Papuans, the minority, have no right to call for justice or determine their future after the relentless acts of violence, injustice and racism they have endured for decades. Unless they find peace, justice and prosperity, they will consider living in the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia merely a rhetorical statement.
Just like the Dutch teachers who looked down on Minke in Bumi Manusia, we may need to do some honest soul searching to admit that some of us scorn Papuans because of their skin color.
Papuans deserve peace and prosperity on their rich land and without eradicating our racism against them, there would never be peace in Papua.
Racism in the love story in Bumi Manusia is the prequel to Indonesia’s budding nationalism against the occupation of the Dutch before our independence in 1945. Surely, we would not want the racism befalling Papuans to pave the way for their struggle for independence from “Indonesian occupation” on their land.
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3) Indonesian Military on Alert as Conflict in West Papua Rises
Translator: Dewi Elvia Muthiariny Editor: Petir Garda Bhwana 19 August 2019 10:54 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel are on alert following the increasing tension in Manokwari, West Papua. TNI’s Kasuari Kodam XVIII Lt. Col. Andi Gus Wulandri said the TNI Commander had ordered them to stand guard.
"We have been ordered to stay alert. The Kodam is on standby,“ Andi said via a phone call on Monday, August 18.
Andi suspected the riot in the eastern part of Indonesia was the impact of the violence against Papuan students in Malang and Surabaya.
Previously, on the commemoration of Indonesian Independence Day on Saturday, August 17, TNI and Police Public Order conducted a raid on Papuan student dormitory on Jalan Kalasan Number 10, Pacar Keling, Surabaya City, East Java. As many as 43 students were taken to the Surabaya Police Station.
The raid was allegedly triggered by a misunderstanding following the Indonesian flag belonged to Surabaya administration office fell in front of the dormitory.
Meanwhile in Malang, there was a clash between the police and Papuan students who staged a demonstration on August 15.
At present, a Twitter post suggested that the Papua Legislative Council (DPRD) in West Papuacaught fire allegedly set by a group of people this morning. Andi also confirmed the incident. “It is reported so,” he said.
FIKRI ARIGI
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4) Fiery protests erupt in Indonesia's West Papua region
Government buildings and commercial establishments burned as angry Papuans protest against arrest of students.
by Febriana Firdaus 15 hours ago
Jakarta, Indonesia - Large demonstrations in Indonesia's West Papua region have turned violent as thousands of protesters, angered by alleged police abuse against ethnic Papuan students, burned public facilities and blocked roads.
In West Papua province's capital of Manokwari, protesters burned the parliamentary building and local stores, according to police and images obtained by Al Jazeera.
A building previously occupied by West Papua Provincial Governor Dominggus Mandacan was also burned, Indonesia's national police spokesman, Dedi Prasetyo, told Al Jazeera.
There were no immediate reports of casualties. The demonstrations are still ongoing.
"For now, we are still focusing on collecting the data on the casualties and trying to calm down the masses," he told Al Jazeera.
Images obtained by Al Jazeera showed the demonstrators, including many young students, waving the "Morning Star" flag, which is seen as a symbol of self-rule by Papuans.
"We are not white and red, we are morning star," the protesters shouted, in reference to the Indonesian flag and the Papuan banner. Individuals carrying the banned flag could face arrest and imprisonment of up to 15 years.
There are also demonstrations reported in the city of Jayapura, the capital and largest city of Papua, the country's easternmost province. Hundreds of people riding their motorbikes were seen joining the protest.
Al Jazeera also received reports that angry protesters forcibly took down the Indonesian flag outside the office of Papua Provincial Governor Lukas Enembe.
Indonesia's West Papua region is divided into two provinces, West Papua and Papua.
The demonstration on Monday erupted following the arrest last week of ethnic Papuan students living in Surabaya and Malang in Java island.
The students were accused of throwing the Indonesian flag into a sewer - allegations that they have denied in an interview with the local media, Suara Papua.
Responding to the report, the police locked down the dormitory of the Papuan students and fired tear gas to clear their rooms.
The Indonesia-based news website, Tirto, and other news agencies reported that the students were then subjected to racial abuse. They were reportedly called "monkeys" by bystanders, as they were rounded up by police.
The students were released from police detention on Sunday. But by then, tensions have already risen, with the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) calling on Papuans to join the protest against the government.
The region was a Dutch colony until the early 1960s when Indonesia took control, cementing its rule with a controversial referendum that followed.
The government in Jakarta maintains that West Papua region, which occupies the western half of the island of Papua New Guinea, is Indonesian because it was part of the Dutch East Indies which forms the basis of the country's modern-day borders.
A low-level armed rebellion by indigenous Papuans, who now make up about half the population after years of migration by people from other parts of Indonesia, has been rumbling ever since.
West Papua is the poorest region in the country, and there have been allegations of human rights violation taking place since then.
In December, violence also erupted in the province, killing at least 17 people and triggering a military crackdown.
Some 35,000 civilians have been forced from their homes as the security forces attempt to flush out the rebels from the forested mountains.
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- 9 hours ago
Indonesian authorities say they have regained control after protesters set fire to a local parliament building in the eastern province of West Papua.
Businesses, trees and vehicles were also damaged in the unrest in the capital Manokwari.
Violence broke out on Monday over claims of racism toward Papuan students elsewhere in Indonesia.
Comprising what are now Papua and West Papua provinces, Papua became part of Indonesia controversially in the 1960s.
The former Dutch colony declared itself independent in 1961 but its larger western neighbour later took control.
A referendum on its independence was then held in 1969. Though it was overseen by the United Nations, many consider the vote flawed because only slightly more than 1,000 people were allowed to take part.
A separatist movement continues to this day and Indonesian authorities have faced allegations of human rights abuses in the region.
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The latest anger stems from an incident involving Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java - Indonesia's second biggest city - over the weekend.
Forty-three students were taken into police custody over reports an Indonesian flag was found damaged outside their building amid national independence day celebrations.
A local police spokesman told ABC Australia they stormed the building over fears a crowd outside were "close to attacking" the group. Activists claim police used tear gas during the raid.
Papua province Governor Lukas Enembe said people were angry because of the "extremely racist words" used by locals and officials during the incident. The governor of East Java has apologised in a televised statement, Reuters reports.
National Police spokesman General Dedi Prasetyo said the students were released after being questioned.
A reporter from the AFP news agency estimated that several thousand people took to the streets of Manokwari on Monday.
Police officials told Reuters that another 500 were estimated in Jayapura - the region's biggest city, and the capital of Papua province.
Images from Manokwari showed plumes of smoke as protesters gathered in the streets.
Some protesters were seen displaying the Morning Star flag - used by pro-independence groups - and shouting separatist slogans.
"Most of them were provoked by content circulating in social media about the racial abuse of Papuan students in Surabaya," Gen Prasetyo said on Monday.
News of the unrest spread across social media - with almost 100,000 mentions of Papua on Twitter by 17:00 local time (10:00 GMT) in Indonesia.
The Indonesian government considers Papua an integral part of the nation. The region is incredibly resource rich and is home to the world's biggest gold mine - one of Indonesia's largest taxpayers.
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6) East Java Police avers no Papuan students faced racism
10 hours ago
(This appeal is especially addressed) to the public to please see what is happening objectively. Do not be provoked by (information) on social media or incited by issues that are untrue
Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA) - The East Java Police dismissed reports of its officers having spoken a racist word while securing 43 Papuan students for allegedly throwing Indonesia's national flag into a ditch before the students' dormitory in Surabaya on August 16.
Senior Commissioner Frans Barung Mangera, spokesman of the East Java Police, clarified here on Monday that the police did not use the word “animal” to address the students.
"(This appeal is especially addressed) to the public to please see what is happening objectively. Do not be provoked by (information) on social media and (incited) by issues that are untrue," he emphasized.
The East Java Police have yet to detain any Papuan students but protected the students from a possible clash with members of mass organizations that had protested against the national flag incident, he remarked.
On Monday morning, thousands of people in Manokwari, West Papua Province, and Jayapura, Papua Province, had rallied against the alleged racist treatment targeting Papuan students in Surabaya and Malang, East Java.
Chief of the Indonesian Police Gen. Tito Karnavian confirmed in Jakarta on Monday that the situation in Papua was brought under control following the rallies.
Karnavian affirmed that he had ordered the local police to adopt necessary measures to bring the situation under control and avoid the use of excessive force.
"I have received a report from the West Papua police chief that the situation has been brought under control. I have ordered the police chiefs of Papua and West Papua to adopt security measures and avoid the use of excessive force," he remarked.
Related news: Police Chief confirms situation placated in West Papua
Reporter: Fiqih A, Willy I, Fardah
Senior Commissioner Frans Barung Mangera, spokesman of the East Java Police, clarified here on Monday that the police did not use the word “animal” to address the students.
"(This appeal is especially addressed) to the public to please see what is happening objectively. Do not be provoked by (information) on social media and (incited) by issues that are untrue," he emphasized.
The East Java Police have yet to detain any Papuan students but protected the students from a possible clash with members of mass organizations that had protested against the national flag incident, he remarked.
On Monday morning, thousands of people in Manokwari, West Papua Province, and Jayapura, Papua Province, had rallied against the alleged racist treatment targeting Papuan students in Surabaya and Malang, East Java.
Chief of the Indonesian Police Gen. Tito Karnavian confirmed in Jakarta on Monday that the situation in Papua was brought under control following the rallies.
Karnavian affirmed that he had ordered the local police to adopt necessary measures to bring the situation under control and avoid the use of excessive force.
"I have received a report from the West Papua police chief that the situation has been brought under control. I have ordered the police chiefs of Papua and West Papua to adopt security measures and avoid the use of excessive force," he remarked.
Related news: Police Chief confirms situation placated in West Papua
Reporter: Fiqih A, Willy I, Fardah
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8) Injured policeman discharged from Papua's Bhayangkara Police Hospital
16 hours ago
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Adjunct Commissioner Saiin, who had suffered from a bullet shot in his left thigh in Jayapura, Papua Province, was permitted to go home after undergoing inpatient treatment at the Bhayangkara Police Hospital.
"The bullet casing most likely pierced through Saiin's thigh, so it was not found in his thigh," Senior Commissioner Agustinus, head of the health unit of the Papua Provincial Police, remarked here on Monday.
The police officer was shot on Monday at around 5 a.m. local time in Jayapura while taking off a brochure urging Papuans to partake in a protest against an incident in Surabaya, East Java, where several Papuan students were grilled for allegedly throwing Indonesia's national flag into a ditch.
In the meantime, Private 1 Sirwandi of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), who suffered chest and stomach injuries after being fired at by armed separatists in Papua failed to respond to the treatment offered at the Wamena Public Hospital, Jayawijaya District, Papua Province, and breathed his last on Saturday evening.
Members of a separatist group, led by Egianus Kogoya, shot down Sirwandi, an officer of the Indonesian Military's Infantry Battalion (Yonif) of RK751/VJS, in Trans Wamena-Habema, Jayawijaya, Papua Province, on Friday at around 3:30 p.m. local time.
The fallen soldier's remains will be returned to his hometown in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Lt Col Eko Daryanto, spokesman of the Regional Military Command (Kodam) XVII/Cenderawasih, stated here on Sunday.
He was operated twice in the ICU room of Wamena Hospital before succumbing to his wounds.
Sirwandi joined a military vehicle convoy carrying his battalion’s logistics when separatists abruptly ambushed them from the left and right sides of the Trans Wamena road.
A total of 12 military officers, guarding the convoy, exited the cars and fired back. The shootout lasted some 20 minutes, and the separatists then fled.
Two military officers injured in the shootout were Private Panji, who was shot at in his left hand, while Sirwandi suffered from injuries to his chest, stomach, and thigh.
"The bullet casing most likely pierced through Saiin's thigh, so it was not found in his thigh," Senior Commissioner Agustinus, head of the health unit of the Papua Provincial Police, remarked here on Monday.
The police officer was shot on Monday at around 5 a.m. local time in Jayapura while taking off a brochure urging Papuans to partake in a protest against an incident in Surabaya, East Java, where several Papuan students were grilled for allegedly throwing Indonesia's national flag into a ditch.
In the meantime, Private 1 Sirwandi of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), who suffered chest and stomach injuries after being fired at by armed separatists in Papua failed to respond to the treatment offered at the Wamena Public Hospital, Jayawijaya District, Papua Province, and breathed his last on Saturday evening.
Members of a separatist group, led by Egianus Kogoya, shot down Sirwandi, an officer of the Indonesian Military's Infantry Battalion (Yonif) of RK751/VJS, in Trans Wamena-Habema, Jayawijaya, Papua Province, on Friday at around 3:30 p.m. local time.
The fallen soldier's remains will be returned to his hometown in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Lt Col Eko Daryanto, spokesman of the Regional Military Command (Kodam) XVII/Cenderawasih, stated here on Sunday.
He was operated twice in the ICU room of Wamena Hospital before succumbing to his wounds.
Sirwandi joined a military vehicle convoy carrying his battalion’s logistics when separatists abruptly ambushed them from the left and right sides of the Trans Wamena road.
A total of 12 military officers, guarding the convoy, exited the cars and fired back. The shootout lasted some 20 minutes, and the separatists then fled.
Two military officers injured in the shootout were Private Panji, who was shot at in his left hand, while Sirwandi suffered from injuries to his chest, stomach, and thigh.
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9) Gov't Will Strive for Papua's Honor, Prosperity, Says Jokowi
19 August 2019 21:26 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi has called on the people of Papua to restrain themselves following intense news of discrimination and racism against Papuan college students in Surabaya.
“My brothers and sisters, pace, mace, mama-mama, in West Papua, I know [all of you feel offended]. This is why I urge all of us as fellow countrymen to forgive each other,” said the President at the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta on Monday, August 19.
The president maintained that he was genuinely aware of the offense felt by the people of Papua following a discriminative encounter that was aimed at the students in Surabaya. However, the former Jakarta governor said forgiveness and patience were the better responses to the present situation.
“Believe me when I say that the government continues to preserve the honor and prosperity of pace, mace, mama-mama [Papuan words used to address adult Papuans] who are currently in Papua and West Papua,” said President Jokowi.
The riot that broke out in Manokwari, Papua, was a direct retaliation to the incident in Surabaya on Saturday, August 17, where Papuan university students were accused of disgracing the national flag on Independence Day. The incident was followed by alleged acts of discrimination and violence from a number of people against the students.
EGI ADYATAMA
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10) President Jokowi Calls for Peace Following West Papua Unrest
19 August 2019 20:48 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo immediately addressed the public unrest that happened in Manokwari, Papua, earlier today and called on Indonesians to stay composed and avert anarchy.
“I ask everyone to stay calm and refrain from anarchy. Be forgiving to each other, we are all brothers and sisters and fellow countrymen,” said the president to Tempo on Monday, August 19.
The president asserted that anarchy would only lead to widespread despair after he was briefed by National Police Chief Gen. Tito Karnavian on the condition in Manokwari.
Earlier today, public unrest broke out following an incident in Surabaya during the country’s Independence Day on August 17 where a dormitory filled with Papuan university students was raided by mass organizations and authorities following alleged flag mistreatment by some of the students.
Rumors were rife that the students were ousted from the region and became victims of violence, which eventually sparked rage among fellow Papuans in Manokwari.
“We must keep our composure and not be anarchic. It is our loss if we ruin public facilities,” said President Jokowi.
SYAILENDRA PERSADA
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11) Papuan Chieftain Calls for Probe into Surabaya Incident
Translator: Ricky Mohammad Nugraha Editor: Markus Wisnu Murti 19 August 2019 19:15 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The leader of the Papuan Customary Community Organization, Lenis Kagoya, has called for a complete and thorough investigation into the case of racism and discrimination against Papuan university students in Surabaya.
Lenis said the probe was necessary as the incidents had triggered a series of riots in Manokwari, West Papua, today .
“The incidents in Malang, Surabaya, we must take matters into the realm of law. Who threw the stones, who threw the racial slurs, who ousted them, and who threw the [National] flag,” Lenis said in West Jakarta today.
Lenis lamented that the incident happened in Surabaya and Malang, whereas non-Papuan residents had always been welcomed and treated fairly sans discrimination in Papua. He asserted that the racial slurs shouted during the incident on Saturday, August 17, severely offended Papuans but he asked the Papuan community to stay calm.
“As a chieftain, I advise that the incident should not be exaggerated,” he assured.
Lenis Kagoya also called on fellow Papuans not use the incident as a justification to ruin public facilities of Papua. “Go ahead and voice your aspirations. But don’t ever burn public facilities. That is just like burning your own home. This is truly regrettable and should not have happened,” Lenis said.
The riot that broke out in Manokwari, Papua, was a direct retaliation to the incident in Surabaya on Saturday, August 17, where Papuan university students were accused of disgracing the national flag on Independence Day.
EGI ADYATAMA
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