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https://en.tempo.co/read/1502038/attackers-of-military-soldiers-in-west-papua-arrested
1) Attackers of Military Soldiers in West Papua Arrested
Translator: Dewi Elvia Muthiariny
Editor: Markus Wisnu Murti 3 September 2021 19:22 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The West Papua’s Kasuari XVIII Military Commander Maj. Gen. I Nyoman Cantiasa said his personnel had arrested two perpetrators of the attack on the Subdistrict Military Command Post (Koramil) in Kisor village, South Aifat district, Maybrat regency.
“They admitted their actions,” said Cantiasa after seeing off the bodies of the four Indonesian soldiers who died in the attack on Friday, September 3. The two perpetrators are still under police investigation.
According to Cantiasa, they admitted to being involved in the attack on Thursday. “We don’t know how many perpetrators there were, because only two have been arrested,” he added.
He also called on the quarrelling parties in West Papua to cease all conflicts and develop the region for the welfare of the people. “If they are stubborn and insist to fight, they will be destroyed,” said Cantiasa, issuing a warning.
West Papua Police Chief Insp. Gen. Tornagogo Sihombing added that the two perpetrators were being investigated at the South Sorong Police Station.
West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Movement (TPNPB-OPM) spokesman Sebby Sambom previously claimed responsibility for the attack launched in the early hours of Thursday as a form of war against the Indonesian security forces.
Read: Papua Task Force Nabs KNPB Leader Over Allegations of Inciting Hatred
FRISKI RIANA
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A spokesman for the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free PapuaMovement (TPNPB-OPM) Sebby Sambom admitted that his side launched an attack on the Subdistrict Military Command Post (Koramil) in Kisor Village, South Aifat District, Maybrat Regency, West Papua. The attack resulted in the deaths of four Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel.
“The commander of the Sorong Raya TPNPB-OPM Kodam IV is responsible for this attack,” Sebby told Tempo on Thursday, September 2.
He said the attack was a war for the liberation of West Papua carried out by troops throughout Papua under the command of the Supreme Commander of TPNPB General Goliath Tabuni. He stated that the war will continue in all Papua lands.
Sebby asked the government not to pursue, kill, or conduct military operations in civilian areas. “But look for TPNPB in the headquarters, and make war there. TPNPB is ready, TPNPB does not have weapons but we have tools to fight with the TNI and Polri (National Police),” he added.
He also asked the government under the leadership of President Joko Jokowi Widodo to be willing to have a negotiation with the TPNPB OPM which is affiliated with all organizations. “The war will not stop, the war will continue in Papua as long as Indonesia is still occupying the land [of Papua],” he said.
Tempo is trying to reach the Kasuari XVIII Military Command spokesman (Kapendam) Colonel Hendra Pesireron regarding the attack which was confirmed by the OPM, but there has been no response yet.
Read: OPM Terrorist Label May Hamper Indonesia's Diplomacy, Says Expert
FRISKI RIANA
Maria Baru, Kota Sorong – Papuan students studying in Bali say that the Indonesian state must release West Papua National Committee (KNPB) international spokesperson Victor Yeimo from all charges because it is inappropriate to prosecute victims of racism.
The call was made during a silent action by the Papuan People's Petition (PRP) in Bali as detailed in a press release on Thursday August 26.
Bali PRP spokesperson Jefry Kossay said that the silent action was held to demand the release of Yeimo who has been detained since his arrest on May 9, saying that it is as if the state wants to revive the issue of racism in Papuan and Indonesian society.
"We are urging the Indonesian state to release Victor Yeimo unconditionally. Victor Yeimo is not the perpetrator but a victim of structural and massive racism by ormas [social or mass organisations] and state officials against indigenous Papuans", the group said in a press release received by Suara Papua.
The criminalisation of Yeimo on the pretext of the anti-racist protests and riots in August 2019 is not based on facts because the racism against Papuan people took place in Surabaya, East Java.
"Papuans are the victims of racism. All elements of Papuan society from Sorong to Samarai must support Victor Yeimo's release from the charges. [We] are also calling for his trial to be halted because he has been detained over the issue of racism and then indicted under the makar [treason, rebellion, subversion] articles and others", the group explained.
Kossay said that Yeimo has struggled for the dignity of the Papuan people to be free from colonialism and oppression so there are no grounds for his detention and prosecution.
"[We] call for unity from all components of the Papuan people who are in the land of Papua and Indonesian solidarity activists to demand Victor Yeimo's release. We assert that Victor Yeimo and Papuan people are the victims of racism", said Kossay.
During the silent action, field coordinator Nolen Sanchez strongly condemned the security forces for always acting repressively against the Papuan people whenever they hold mass actions.
In speeches, Sanchez and his comrades slammed the curbing of democratic space and intimidation as well as the criminalisation of Papuan activists, human rights defenders and the Papuan people.
The PRP also called on the state to halt military operations in Nduga, Puncak Jaya, Puncak, Intan Jaya and throughout Papua. "The government must halt military operations and pay special attention to internally displaced people", they said.
Sanchez also said, "The PON [National Games] in Papua [should] be postponed because the local situation at the moment is far from being safe and peaceful. It's pointless organising a big event while the ordinary people are suffering. Who is the PON for? It will bring no benefits to the Papuan people".
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Mahasiswa Papua di Bali Minta Negara Bebaskan Victor Yeimo".]
Source: https://suarapapua.com/2021/09/02/mahasiswa-papua-di-bali-minta-negara-bebaskan-victor-yeimo/
https://thediplomat.com/2021/09/indonesian-soldiers-killed-during-papuan-separatist-raid/
4) Indonesian Soldiers Killed During Papuan Separatist Raid
The attack, which claimed the lives of four soldiers, was the deadliest to have taken place in the region this year
By Sebastian Strangio
September 03, 2021
As provincial military commander Maj. Gen. I Nyoman Cantiasa told a separate news conference, “About 30 people or more believed to be separatist terrorists armed with machetes attacked the post in the early hours of Thursday, resulting in the deaths of four members of the Indonesian Army and two others suffering stab wounds.” Cantiasa added that he had deployed two platoons of soldiers “to hunt down the group” responsible for the attacks.
WPNLA spokesperson Sebby Sambom quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest on state security forces this year in West Papua, one of two provinces which make up the unsettled Papua region in Indonesia’s east.
“Our militants under the orders of the West Papua Liberation Army supreme commander Goliath Tabuni are responsible for this morning’s attack,” he said in a statement yesterday. Sambom called on the government to negotiate with the Free Papua Organization (OPM). Otherwise, “The war will not stop,” he added. “It will continue in Papua as long as Indonesia is still occupying (Papuan) land.”
The attack follows the killing of two construction workers in Yahukimo regency, whose bodies were burned near a bridge project on August 23. Earlier this week, police arrested four suspected members of the WPNLA for the killings.
Papua was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 on the basis of a U.N.-sponsored referendum – the Act of Free Choice – that Papuan nationalists say was very far from free. Since then, a low-level insurgency has persisted in the region, flaring up periodically in response to the exploitation of the region’s rich natural resources and the transmigration of thousands of people from other parts of the archipelago.
In November, the regional U.N. Human Rights Office expressed its concern about the rash of violence and arrests that have taken place since 2018. “Military and security forces have been reinforced in the region and there have been repeated reports of extra-judicial killings, excessive use of force, arrest and continuous harassment and intimidation of protesters and human rights defenders,” the U.N. statement said.
The situation has worsened since April, when separatist fighters ambushed and killed Brig. Gen. Gusti Putu Danny Nugraha, the head of Indonesia’s intelligence agency in the eastern province. The assassination led the government to formally designate Papuan separatists “terrorists” and deploy additional troops to the region.
The campaign has resulted in deaths on both sides, dozens of arrests, and the mass displacement of Papuan villagers caught in the middle of the conflict. Then, in July, Jakarta renewed and amended a Special Autonomy Law that local activists say will increase Jakarta’s grip over the restive but resource-rich region.
Minister Hartarto and Minister Kartasasmita along with their entourage were accompanied by Sorong Mayor Lambert Jitmau and local officials.
During their visit, spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force in Sorong, Ruddy Rudolf Lakku, reported that six COVID-19 patients without symptoms were undergoing isolation there, out of which one had recovered.
Lakku noted that Sorong City had experienced a spike in cases of up to 346 in a day. Hence, as a precautionary measure against another spike in the number of cases, Mayor Jitmau had coordinated with the Ministry of Transportation to bring in the KM Sirimau ship for further assistance.
However, until August 2021, with the handling of COVID-19 cases by the local government, the positivity rate in Sorong had declined to 1.3 percent, from the five percent minimum standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
"Hospital occupancy has also decreased to 3.4 percent. It proves that the precautionary measures by the regional government are very good due to which the number of daily cases had decreased significantly," Jitmau remarked.
Minister Hartarto lauded the measures to handle the COVID-19 pandemic in Sorong and West Papua, as the positivity rate had declined below five percent, while the recovery rate was above 90 percent.
The minister remarked that the handling of the floating isolation site at KM Sirimau was also good, with good health services being offered to five people undergoing isolation.
"We certainly support and encourage the use of the floating isolation site, so that COVID-19 patients without symptoms are able to undergo isolation at the ship in a bid to prevent the spread," Hartarto stated.
The minister called on the public to stay vigilant amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He also invited other regions in West Papua to emulate the handling of COVID-19 cases in Sorong.
Related news: Sorong City's floating COVID-19 isolation center becomes operational
Related news: Police tighten entry curbs in West Papua's Manokwari, Sorong
Related news: COVID-19: Partial lockdown enforced in West Papua's Manokwari, Sorong
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