https://www.ucanews.com/news/indonesias-papua-is-on-edge-after-combat-alert/101058
1) Indonesia's Papua is on edge after 'combat alert'
Papuans are growing increasingly anxious about their security after the Indonesian military warned of a special operation following the killing of four soldiers involved in a mission to rescue a foreign pilot abducted by rebels.
Military operations are nothing new for Papua but a statement about "the start of a combat alert operation” from the military is something new for Papuans, said Yones Douw, a local human rights activist and chairman of the Justice and Peace Department at Kingmi Church
"The term adds to the panic, triggering psychological stress for the Papuan people who have been experiencing the bad effects of the militarization approach," he told UCA News on April 20.
Admiral Yudo Margono, the commander-in-chief of the Indonesian National Army, announced the combat alert operation on April 18 in response to the deaths of four soldiers during efforts to free New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens who has been held hostage by rebels since February.
The National Liberation Army – Free Papua Operation (TPM-OPM), which the Indonesian government labels as an armed criminal group, has claimed responsibility for the killings of soldiers.
Margono said combat alert operation will be implemented in certain areas considered vulnerable to the threat of rebel attacks, but there will be no increase in the number of troops.
Douw, who is based in Nabire and has been involved in helping internally displaced people in areas of the easternmost region, said the new operation “would not solve the problem, but instead make it worse."
"I believe that what will happen is continuous war because the TPN-OPM also uses weapons," he said.
Douw said the military approach cannot be used forever because it has proven to be a failure so far.
"I don't know why the path of dialogue or negotiations that has been proposed for a long time has never been considered as the path forward," he said.
Natalius Pigai, a Catholic activist and former commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission, also expressed concern that the new operation could justify the killing of civilians, as has been the case so far in Papua with the military approach.
“The term 'combat alert' means troops will always have their weapons and will not hesitate to fire them. Therefore, I still and always ask for peaceful dialogue to stop this humanitarian crisis,” he told UCA News.
Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia said in a statement that there is potential for human rights violations with even greater loss of life.
"We are reminded that the condition of human rights in Papua is very worrying. We have recorded that in the last five years, at least 179 people have died in dozens of cases of extrajudicial killings involving security forces and Papuan pro-independence groups," he said.
Christina Aryani, a Catholic and member of the national parliament said she hoped the military would "not take excessive steps" in carrying out this operation.
She warned that the term combat alert operation "has a fear effect in society” even though this policy is said to be enforced “only in vulnerable areas."
A former Dutch colony, Papua declared itself independent in 1961, but neighboring Indonesia took control two years later, promising an independence referendum. The subsequent vote in favor of staying part of Indonesia was widely considered a sham.
Since then, Indonesia has continued to maintain a military presence to fight rebels.
According to data from the advocacy group Imparsial, the number of soldiers in Papua is 16,900, most of whom are units with combat qualifications.
Indonesia’s military has confirmed that three soldiers missing since a weekend ambush by separatist fighters in a remote part of upland Papua have been found dead.
On April 15, fighters from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, opened fire on a group of 36 soldiers on patrol in Nduga Regency, a center of separatist activity in Highland Papua province. According to some international media reports, at least six died and 21 others fled into the jungle following the attack, while nine soldiers are believed to have been captured by the rebels.
Initially, army spokespeople only confirmed one death – that of a soldier who was shot and fell into a ravine. In a statement, Papua military spokesperson Col. Herman Taryaman confirmed that the bodies of this soldier, and the three recovered since “have been evacuated” from the area. Five wounded troops who were found the previous day had also been airlifted out. The Indonesian army says that the remaining troops have returned to their nearby base.
The soldiers were patrolling the area in an attempt to locate and rescue the New Zealand pilot Captain Philip Merthens, who was kidnapped by TPNPB rebels on February 7, after landing a small plane at Paro Airport in Nduga. The separatists said that Merthens would not be released until the Indonesian government acknowledged Papua’s independence, the goal of local independence fighters since the 1960s. Jakarta has pledged a harsh response to the abduction, the first that Papuan rebels have committed since 1996.
The announcement came a day after Adm. Yudo Margono, Indonesia’s military chief, dismissed a TPNPB claim that more than a dozen government soldiers has been killed during the ambush. In a statement on Monday, rebel spokesperson Sebby Sambom said in the TPNPB fighters were in possession of the remains of the 12 soldiers, including nine who he said “were arrested and executed” after being captured in the ambush.
Yudo and other high-ranking military officers flew to Papua on Monday. “I’m here to find out directly and accurately from our troops on the ground about the exact situation, so that we can evaluate our mission for the pilot,” Margono told a news conference in Timika, a town in neighboring Central Papua province.
Mehrtens’ capture has intensified conflict between the TPNPB and the Indonesian military in Papua, which has simmered since the region was incorporated into the Indonesian republic following a referendum in 1969. Independence activists claim that this “Act of Free Choice” was in fact tightly circumscribed and did not reflect the wishes of the region’s indigenous population.
The abduction is indicative of how the conflict has intensified over the past decade, as the Indonesian state has increased its efforts to economically and politically integrate the region, via the development of transport infrastructure and the encouragement of transmigration from other parts of the archipelago.
Sambom said in an earlier statement that separatists carried out the attack in response to Indonesia’s “massive military operation” in Papua and the killing of two rebels in a shootout with security forces last month, according to The Associated Press.
Indeed, the region appears to be locked into a spiral of conflict that shows no sign of slowing, let along reversing. All indications are that the Indonesian government will respond to this latest rebel attack by redoubling its efforts to eradicate the resistance movement by force. All of this almost guarantees a further response.
STAFF AUTHOR
Sebastian Strangio
https://en.antaranews.com/news/279294/west-papua-governor-boosts-forest-preservation-efforts-in-wondama-bay
3) West Papua Governor boosts forest preservation efforts in Wondama Bay
11 hours ago
"Let us protect forests together, so they can benefit all of us," Waterpauw stated in Wasior, Wondama Bay, on Thursday.
In protecting forests in Wondama Bay, he urged the province's forestry officials to work in an optimized manner in conducting their duties, supported by the newly inaugurated building of the forestry office branch (CDK) region III at Wondama Bay.
He noted that the improvement in infrastructure will support technical officials in protecting and preserving the forest areas there.
He also encouraged forestry officials to educate the public in order to invite them to help nurture nature and the environment.
According to Waterpauw, the entire forest area in Papua is the lungs of the world.
There were 9.7 million hectares of forest in West Papua before the Southwest Papua Province was established.
Related news: Shortage of rangers to guard West Papua's 8.39-million ha forests
Currently, West Papua has a forest area reaching six million hectares spread across seven districts.
"Especially in the Wondama Bay District, based on the 2020 measurements, the forest area reaches 433,587.78 hectares. This is huge with the rich potential of natural resources," he remarked.
Meanwhile, Wondama Bay District Head Hendrik Mambor explained that most of the district's forest area is protected forest in the form of nature reserves and national parks, including protected marine areas.
He noted that the lack of space that can be utilized makes it difficult for the local government to realize infrastructure improvement programs.
Mambor highlighted that the district government is striving to reconstruct or rearrange the boundaries of protected forest areas, so that there is room for the development for local communities.
In rearranging the forest boundaries, his side has been coordinating with the Forest Area Stabilization Center (BPKH), the provincial government, and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
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