1) KRI Banjarmasin-592 with 400 soldiers departs from Jakarta for Papua

2) Interim President: Indonesia’s UN vote exposes its hypocrisy in West Papua 

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https://en.antaranews.com/news/175162/kri-banjarmasin-592-with-400-soldiers-departs-from-jakarta-for-papua

1) KRI Banjarmasin-592 with 400 soldiers departs from Jakarta for Papua 

 58 minutes ago

                         Indonesian naval ship KRI Banjarmasin-592. ANTARA/HO-Dispen Kolinlamil

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian naval ship KRI Banjarmasin-592, with 400 soldiers onboard, departed on Monday from North Jakarta's Military Naval Command (Kolinlamil) Pier for Papua's Merauke Port.

The deployment of soldiers from the Siliwangi Regional Military Command's infantry battalion is aimed at replacing their counterparts, who had been on duty for 10 months.

Those having accomplished their duties in safeguarding Papua Province, which still experiences security disturbances, will be withdrawn and sent back to their units.

The departure of KRI Banjarmasin-592 was flagged off by Commander of the Siliwangi Regional Military Command Maj. Gen. Nugroho Budi Wiryanto and witnessed by navy officers.

According to Lt Col Nur Rohmad Ibrahim, who commands the landing platform dock, the 400 soldiers will disembark at the pier of Merauke Port.

Over the course of the past five months, Papua has borne the brunt of a string of violent attacks by armed separatist terrorist groups targeting security personnel and innocent civilians in districts, such as Puncak, Intan Jaya, Yahukimo, and Pegunungan Bintang.

The armed groups often employ hit-and-run tactics against Indonesian security personnel while unleashing acts of terror against civilians to trigger fear among people.

Ojek drivers, teachers, students, and street food vendors, among others, have fallen victims to their terror acts. Civilian aircraft too have been the targets of such attacks.

In reinforcing law enforcement operations against the armed terrorist groups in the districts of Yahukimo and Pegunungan Bintang, the Papua Police recently dispatched two platoons of mobile brigade (Brimob) personnel.

Each of the platoons were deployed to Dekai Sub-district in Yahukimo and Oksibil Sub-district in Pegunungan Bintang respectively following the deaths of two soldiers and injuries to four others during separate attacks last week.

Following this deployment, Dekai received two platoons of Brimob personnel, while Oksibil has got one platoon, Papua Police Chief Inspector General Mathius D. Fakhiri noted.

On May 18, 2021, a group of armed Papuan terrorists ambushed 12 soldiers in Pegunungan Bintang District, resulting in leg injuries to four of the army personnel.

On that day, they also assaulted two members of Indonesia's elite unit of Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) -- M. Alif Nur Angkotasan and Ardi Yudi Ardianto -- while they were safeguarding the construction process of Dekai Airport's security fencing system.

The 12 soldiers went to Oksibil, the capital of Pegunungan Bintang District, for shopping. On their way back to Serambakon Sub-district, their car's engine suddenly malfunctioned while passing through a wooden bridge of Yapimakot Village.

While checking the car's engine, the soldiers were suddenly attacked by Papuan separatists. A gunfight broke out in which four soldiers suffered leg injuries.

The injured soldiers are identified as Master Sergeant Dian Hardiana, Master Private Kuku Ismail, 2nd Sergeant Sukrisdianto, and 1st Private Romi. 
Related news: Two platoons of Brimob personnel dispatched to Papua's Dekai, Oksibil
Related news: SOP followed in crackdown on armed Papuan terrorists: police
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EDITED BY INE

Reporter: Syaiful H, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto

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https://www.ulmwp.org/interim-president-indonesias-un-vote-exposes-its-hypocrisy-in-west-papua

2) Interim President: Indonesia’s UN vote exposes its hypocrisy in West Papua 

May 24, 2021 in Statement

The Indonesian government is speaking out about Myanmar and Palestine whilst voting to ignore genocide and ethnic cleansing at the UN. We are thankful that Indonesian leaders show solidarity with the suffering of the Palestinians and Myanmarese, but Indonesia is desperately trying to cover up its own crimes against humanity in West Papua.

At the UN General Assembly last week, Indonesia defied the overwhelming majority of the international community and joined North Korea, Russia and China in rejecting a resolution on ‘the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity’. Whilst the Indonesian Foreign Minister claims to ‘fight for humanity’, the truth is the opposite: they are committing crimes against humanity in West Papua and trying to ensure their perpetual impunity at the UN.

Indonesian leaders often talk about the right to self-determination and human rights, and the Indonesian constitution’s preamble calls for ‘any form of alien occupation’ to be ‘erased from the earth’. But in West Papua, the Indonesia government is carrying out the very abuses it claims to oppose. Their refusal to accept the UN resolution is clearly the consequence of ‘the Papuan question’, as the Jakarta Post put it.

The evidence is now overwhelming that Indonesia has committed crimes against humanity, colonialism, ethnic cleansing and genocide in West Papua. The same week as the UN vote, the Indonesian military – including ‘Satan’s troops’ implicated in genocide in East Timor – were attacking Papuan villages, killing unarmed women and children and adding to the over 50,000 people displaced since December 2018. The stated aim of the operations is to ‘wipe out’ all resistance to Indonesian colonialism. When you displace villagers, they lose their hunting ground, their home, their entire way of life. This is systematic ethnic cleansing, part of a long-running strategy of Jakarta’s occupation to take over our lands and populate it with Indonesian settlers and multi-national corporations. This is the intent, and we need action before it is too late.

After declaring resistance to the illegal occupation ‘terrorism’, Indonesia is launching a massive crack down. Victor Yeimo, one of our most popular peaceful resistance leaders, has already been arrested. Frans Wasini, a member of the ULMWP’s Department of Political Affairs, was also arrested. In the city, students at the University of Cenderawasih are being dragged out of their dorms by the police and military and made homeless. Anyone who speaks out about West Papua, human rights abuses and genocide, is now at risk of being arrested, tortured or killed. Victor Yeimo, Frans Wasini, and all those arrested by the Indonesian colonial regime must be released immediately.

Sending over 21,000 troops, killing religious leaders, occupying schools, shooting children dead – this is state terrorism, crimes against the people of West Papua. Indonesia’s leaders know what they are doing. They have sent the TNI, police, ‘counter-terrorism’ units, ‘Satan’s troops’, and intelligence services into West Papua. These units compete with each other to see who can kill my people more efficiently, who can steal our land more actively. Those most able to wipe out our population will gain in rank. My people have been turned into an object of Jakarta’s imperial games.

These developments show more clearly than ever the need for Indonesia to stop blocking the visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Eight-four countries have already called for the visit. There can be no more delays. The troops must be withdrawn, and the UN allowed in before more catastrophe strikes.

Benny Wenda
Interim President
ULMWP Provisional Government

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