https://thediplomat.com/2021/11/indonesia-and-the-papua-issue-resolution-increasingly-unlikely/
1) Indonesia and the Papua Issue: Resolution Increasingly Unlikely
With a more violent armed separatist organization being active, and Jakarta’s reticence to win hearts and minds, the avenues for reconciliation are decreasing.
By Uday Bakhshi
November 30, 2021
The Papuan provinces, or West Papua, the easternmost part of Indonesia’s territory, have been wracked with conflict for decades. Indonesia annexed them through controversial means, including but not limited to the 1962 New York Agreement, and the ironically named “Act of Free Choice” of 1969. Western countries like the United States facilitated Indonesia’s takeover of the region from the Netherlands due to larger Cold War considerations. As a result, Indonesia essentially replaced the Netherlands as a colonizer, failing to integrate West Papua into the country in a holistic manner.
The annexation sparked a resistance, with a pro-independence movement organizing under the banner of Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM), or the Free Papua Organization. The conflict has been simmering for decades, and recent developments show how the avenues for reconciliation are decreasing.
Over the course of the decades following annexation, Indonesian rule over Papua has been marked by allegations of human rights abuses committed by Indonesian forces. These allegations continue to this day, and have been documented over the years. Some perspectives label Indonesia’s actions as genocidal.
There are high levels of racism against Papuans, who are often referred to as monyet or monkeys. This racism is not only at the state level but also at a grassroots level among a wide swathe of Indonesian society. The state over the years also continued and accelerated the Dutch program of transmigrasi, or transmigration. Indonesians, mainly from the populous island of Java, were moved across the country, especially to the Papuan provinces. The Papuan identity is categorically different from the various ethnic groups that make up the rest of Indonesia. Papuans are also Christians, while most Indonesians are Muslims. Transmigrasi diluted this identity, and has contributed to deep-seated tensions.
Underpinning all of this, as is the case for most conflict across the world, is resources. West Papua is resource rich, yet it remains among Indonesia’s least-developed provinces. It has gold, silver, copper, natural gas, and timber, among other resources, and Indonesia and Western companies such as the U.S.-based Freeport-McMoRan have reaped considerable profits from West Papua. This has contributed to allegations of resource exploitation and appropriation, as Papuans have not seen much benefit. The government of Indonesia officially gained the majority stake in the Freeport-run Grasberg Mine in 2018. Papuans still demand the closure of the mine, with protests occurring from time to time.
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Meanwhile, the OPM continues to mount a low-level insurgency to combat Indonesian forces. Some high-profile incidents took place, such as the 1996 Mapenduma hostage crisis. However, clashes and attacks were sporadic, with periods of heightened activity and periods of lulls in violence.
The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has emerged in the last few years, bringing with it an escalation of conflict. Indonesian media and others sometimes refer to the TPNPB and the older iteration of the OPM as one and the same, yet that is not the case. The TPNPB is a new breed of separatist fighters, with disparate intentions, also organized under the banner of Papuan independence. The TPNPB, like the Papuan people, is not a homogenous and centralized entity. It is younger, more violent, and more of a threat to Indonesia. Since the 2018 Nduga attack, violence has escalated in the Papuan provinces.
The TPNPB has issued threats against Freeport, and it killed a foreign contractor in March 2020 in a very notable attack. The theater of conflict has expanded, with unrest occurring in multiple regencies of the Papuan provinces. The TPNPB has issued warnings against non-Papuans living or working across West Papua; it has frequently targeted workers employed for President Joko Widodo’s flagship Trans-Papua Highway project. The TPNPB attacks more frequently than the OPM, and the TPNPB attacks are also more deadly. Security forces have killed prominent TPNPB leaders, but they are quickly replaced and the TPNPB continues operations.
The government’s approach has been one of zero tolerance. It frequently arrests Papuan activists and jails them for treason, over perceived politically motivated charges. Security forces usually crack down harshly on protests in Papua. Following the killing of a general of the State Intelligence Agency, the highest ranking Indonesian victim of the conflict, Indonesia designated the separatist groups as “terrorists.” Jakarta’s approach is all stick and no carrot.
Given these dynamics, with a more violent armed separatist organization being active, and Jakarta’s reticence to win hearts and minds, conflict is increasing. Historical tensions, a lack of development, environmental concerns, and the suppression of the Papuan identity has led to increased polarization between Papua and Jakarta. Indonesia will never agree to separatists’ demands, while pro-independence elements are hardening their positions. The avenues for dialogue and a potential resolution are shrinking, with the possibility of peace in the Papuan provinces in the next few decades growing increasingly dimmer.
GUEST AUTHOR. Uday Bakhshi
Uday Bakhshi is a political and security risk analyst with a focus on Southeast Asia. Follow on Twitter @udayxSEA.
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Jayapura, Jubi – A total of 3,121 people in the Maybrat Regency, West Papua, have been displaced following the attack on the Indonesian Military (TNI) post in Kisor by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) on September 2. Of the total, 2,546 people are adults, toddlers, and infants, while 575 others are children aged 7-18 years, who have not been able to go to schools in the past three months.
The displaced people came from 50 villages in five districts in Maybrat, namely South Aifat, East Aifat, Far East Aifat, Middle East Aifat, and South East Aifat. Most of them evacuated to Sorong Regency and Sorong City. They stayed in their family homes or made huts in the forest. Some also took refuge in villages in Ayawasi, Kumurkek, Fategomi, South Sorong, as well as Bintuni Regency.
Lawyer of PAHAM Papua Yohanis Mambrasar, who is a member of the Coalition of Civil Society for Displaced People of Maybrat, said in a written statement received by Jubi on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, that the displaced people began to experience food shortages, health problems, and economic problems.
“Only in the first month they were able to fulfill their needs through family support and government assistance,” said Mambrasar. However, he said, entering the third month, the condition of the displaced people was just getting worse.
Following the attack on the TNI post in Kisor, eight civilians were detained and prosecuted, four of whom were students. Meanwhile, eight people died and at least 55 people experienced violence in the form of persecution, torture, intimidation, shootings, and unlawful arrests. A man named Manfred Tamunete was shot by soldiers during a sweep in Fuog Village in October 25. The TNI and police, however, claimed they were unaware of Tamunete’s whereabouts.
On the other hand, there are six companies that acquired concessions for 573,824.96 hectares of land in Maybrat. Two of them are logging companies, PT Bangun Kayu Irian (BKI) and PT Mitra Pembangunan Global (MPG), which operate along the Kamundan River and Kais River. Administratively, their area covers three of the five districts whose residents are now displaced: Aifat, East Aifat, and North Aifat. The security forces reportedly built posts at certain points and are suspected of restricting civilians from returning to their villages located near the companies.
Bernardus Baru of the Secretariat of Justice and Peace of the Integrity of Creation of the Order of Saint Augustine (SKPKC OSA), also spoke in the written statement, urging the central government, the TNI and police, and the TPNPB to immediately call a truce and resolve the conflict peacefully.
He also urged the TNI commander and National Police chief to immediately stop any operations in Maybrat and withdraw all organic and non-organic troops, as well as reveal the whereabouts of Manfred Tamunete and return him to his family.
Bernardus also asked The Maybrat Administration to immediately return 3,121 displaced people and provide them a guarantee of security. He demanded the West Papua Attorney General’s Office, the Sorong Attorney General’s Office, and the Jayapura High Court stop the legal process of eight Maybrat civilians who are victims of wrongful arrest and immediately release them.
The coalition also called on human rights institutions, church leaders, academics, human rights observers, and countries in the Pacific, Asia, Europe, Scandinavia, America, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa to join in solidarity in monitoring the human rights situation in Papua. (*)
Reporter: Timoteus Marten
Editor: Kristianto Galuwo
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