In a previous report, Nang had reportedly become one of the five slain civilians, Papua Police Spokesperson Senior Commissioner Ahmad Kamal said in a statement that ANTARA quoted here Sunday.
In fact, he survived the fatal shooting, and had been evacuated from Bingki Village in Seradala Sub-district, Yahukimo District, to Jayapura, the capital of Papua Province, on Saturday.
In Jayapura, he would have received further medical treatment for a gunshot wound on his thigh from the Papua police hospital's team of doctors and paramedics, Kamal said.
Meanwhile, four other civilians died owing to the armed separatist terrorists' fatal shooting and torture. They were identified as workers employed by a Bingki villager to build his house.
The bodies of three of the four slain workers, identified as Sudarto (45), Rufaidin (40), and Suardi (60), had been evacuated to Merauke for burial, he said.
Kamal, however, did not disclose the identity of the fourth civilian who fell victim to the notorious Papuan terrorists' acts of terror.
Following Thursday's attack, many Bingki villagers have taken refuge to Dekai, the capital of Yahukimo District, for security reasons, he added.
Over the past few years, armed Papuan groups have applied hit-and-run tactics against Indonesian security personnel and unleashed acts of terror against civilians in the districts of Intan Jaya, Nduga, and Puncak to instill fear among the people.
The recent targets of such acts have included construction workers, motorcycle taxi (ojek) drivers, teachers, students, street food vendors, and even civilian aircraft.
On April 25, 2021, Papuan separatists, operating in Beoga, ambushed State Intelligence Agency (Papua) chief, Maj. Gen. I Gusti Putu Danny Karya Nugraha, and several security personnel during their visit to Dambet Village.
Following Nugraha's fatal shooting, President Joko Widodo instructed the TNI and National Police to track down and arrest the members of all separatist and terrorist groups operating in Papua, stressing there is no place for them within Indonesian territory.
In response to the ongoing security disturbances, People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo has warned that the state must not allow armed separatists to continue to terrorize communities in Papua.
It must ensure that the Papuans' rights to enjoy the outcomes of development programs in the country's easternmost province are not disrupted and hijacked by continued acts of terror, he stressed.
Related news: Villagers from Papua's Bingki seek refuge following armed attack
Related news: No workers held hostage after attack on Papua's Yahukimo
Related news: Fate of Papua's 30 construction workers still hangs in balance
The Governor said he was surprised by the fact that Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian was the one who granted permission for him to go to Singapore for medical treatment in April. Governor Enembe asked: “Why, then, is Mr. Tinto trying to replace me, knowing that I am still alive and recovering?”
Muhammad Rifai Darus, Governor Enembe’s spokesperson, said Enembe was still active as the head of Papua’s regional, provincial government and criticised the appointment in its breach of proper procedure and mechanism (as reported by Papua Today online news, June 25).
Discriminatory move
Ricky Ham Pagawak, the vice-chairman of the Democrat party in Papua, said that this appointment was discriminatory and a civil coup d’état against Governor Lukas’ office (Papua Post, June 26).
Pagawak continues to criticise the appointment by saying the letter was issued in the morning and in the afternoon on the same day Flassy was appointed.
“Is this fair?” he asked.
In response, Papuans have already blocked several government buildings, including the office of the Democrat Party.
“If there is no withdrawal of this appointment from the central government, Papuan people will continue to galvanize mass rallies and occupy provincial office until the matter is fully resolved,” said Pagawak (Suara Papua, June 26).
A member of the Papuan Provincial Parliament, Nason Utty, also expressed his disappointment at Flassy’s move, sending a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs, requesting to be appointed as Acting Governor of Papua.
“It is inappropriate for the provincial secretary to do this. Mr. Enembe remains the legitimate Governor of the Papuan Province, so this is an important decision that should be consulted first with him,” said Nason Utty (SindoNews.com, June 26).
Severe criticism
Despite the severe criticism by Governor Enembe and Papuans, Luqman Hakim, Vice-Chairman of Commission II of the House of Representatives in Jakarta, said that this appointment was appropriate and proper procedures and mechanisms had been followed.
“The decision of the Minister of Home Affairs to appoint Papua Provincial Secretary, Dance Yulian Flassy, as acting Governor was needed and legitimate. In the principles of constitutional law, it is not permissible for a government to have a power vacuum,” Hakim told DetikNews reporters (June 26).
There is an element of common sense in Hakim’s statement –- such high office should not be left as a power vacuum infinitely. Especially in Papua, one of the most conflict-ravaged regions of Indonesia and the world.
But even simple rules that govern such as common sense differ significantly between Jakarta and Papua.
In Papua, strong local leadership is needed to respond to never ending impending crises.
However, Jakarta is also notoriously known for introducing harmful policies, opposite to the wishes of Papuan people, which aggravate these conflicts and crises.
One such failed policy is the infamous Papuan Special Autonomy Law No. 21 of 2001, introduced 20 years ago to deflect the ever-growing demand for Papuan independence, following the fall of Suharto’s 32-year iron fist rule in 1998.
Autonomy law opposed
This law will expire in November 2021. Jakarta’s insistence to extend what Papuans regard as a “failed and dead special autonomy” policy have already been met with severe criticism and massive rejection by Papuan society.
Exacerbating these situations further, controversial labelling of any Papuans who opposed Jakarta as “terrorists” in recent months, following the killing of a senior Indonesian intelligence officer, General I Gusti Putu Danny Karya Nugraha, also sparked outrage among Papuans and Indonesians alike.
Papuan civil society groups and churches strongly rejected this “terrorist” label and asked Jakarta to revoke the decision. This harmful label will give the green light for security forces to shoot any Papuan regarded as a West Papua National Liberation Army member.
Local media Suara Papua (Papua Voice) has recorded rare shocking footage on the current devastating humanitarian crisis in Papua’s highlands, as security forces continue to terrorise the locals in their pursuit for Papua’s liberation army.
Jakarta’s unsympathetic approach in not respecting Papuan’s customary practice of 40 days of national mourning for the May 21 passing of their Vice-Governor, Klemen Tinal, rubs salt in Papua’s deep wounds.
These are among many of Jakarta’s top-down, draconian policies that fan the burning flames in the hearts of Papuans in this decade-old-conflict-stricken region of the world.
Because the central government doesn’t even have the courtesy of asking their own elected Governor about the appointment of another Indigenous Papuan as acting Governor, indicates that Jakarta is creating and nurturing conflicts among Papuan Indigenous people.
Governors not consulted
Jakarta also did not ask the governors of both provinces (Papua and West Papua) about the impact that the recent “terrorist” labelling of Papuans might have on the psychology of the Papuan people.
It seems that Indonesia, a country that prides itself as the world’s fourth-largest democracy with an ambition to play a role in global affairs, struggles to decide what it stands for –- democracy and freedom? Or something else?
This indecisiveness was demonstrated further when Indonesia decided to join 14 other countries (including North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Russia and China) in rejecting a resolution on “The Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity during the vote in the UN Assembly in May this year.
This ambivalence reflects in almost every policy Jakarta has introduced for Papua. We have the ruling elites in Jakarta making statements of removing all Indigenous Papuans from their ancestral homeland.
On the other hand, President Jokowi wants to approach Papua through welfare.
Unfortunately, the same president that talks about welfare also gives orders to his troops for a manhunt looking for “terrorists” in West Papua.
The appointment of Flassy as Acting Governor without consulting Governor Lukas Enembe and Papuan people reflects Jakarta’s tragic mishandling of West Papua.
Practising what is preached
Jakarta should pick what principles and values it wants to live by and handle its affairs with Papuans accordingly.
Otherwise, any meaningful and permanent peace cannot be installed in the land of Papua if Jakarta continues to approach Papua with self-contradictory policies. It’s a case of practising what you preach.
Both Enembe and Flassy are Papuans and should be united in resolving the many challenges that their people face, not fighting over the top jobs. But unfortunately, elites in Jakarta continue to introduce policies that encourage Papuans to be at odds with one another for all sorts of things.
That is the true colour of the old colonial strategy of “divide and conquer” at work. We learned what happened over the past 500 years of European colonisation –- they used this strategy in decimate local indigenous populations.
Because of these unfortunate tragedies, Governor Lukas Enembe has stated that people in Papua remain calm and united to protect Papua and not be easily provoked by what is happening.
He has asked if Papuan people want to express their frustrations over the appointment of Dance Yulian Flassy, to do it peacefully without causing harm to all life in the land of Papua.
Muhammad Rifai Darus, Governor Enembe’s spokesperson, said Governor Enembe was alive and recovering.
When he comes home, he will deal with Jakarta and appoint his Vice-Governor in accordance with proper procedure and mechanism.
In the meantime, he asks the people in Papua to remain calm and not to provide any unnecessary opportunity for the enemy of Papua to use this moment to create more conflict and devastation.
- Yamin Kogoya is a West Papuan academic who has a Master of Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development from the Australian National University who contributes to Asia Pacific Report. From the Lani tribe in the Papuan Highlands, he is currently living in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- Other Yamin Kogoya articles
Members of the Free Papua Movement fired shots at a truck that was fleeing their ambush in Yahukimo district on Thursday (June 24), killing five bystanders, said regional military spokesman Colonel I Gusti Ngurah Suriastawa.
Suriastawa said the truck was carrying materials for the construction of a bridge when it was ambushed by the rebels.
"These people are terrorists," he said.
"They don't want Papua to be developed and prosperous and target civilians as their victims."
The Indonesian government in April designated separatist insurgents as terrorists after an army general was killed in a rebel ambush.
The killing prompted President Joko Widodo to order a crackdown on the separatist group.
The National Liberation Army of West Papua (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, claimed responsibility for the killing.
There has been a separatist insurgency in Papua since the 1960s, but deadly clashes between rebels and government security forces have intensified in the past several years.
Government security forces have been accused of human rights abuses in Papua, a mainly Melanesian region that was incorporated into Indonesia in a UN-administered ballot that rights groups and pro-independence activists criticized as a sham. - gpa
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