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1) West Papua conflict: ‘Taken hostage in a country that has also been taken hostage’
19 May, 2023
Interview by Spike Keith, adapted by Rawan Saadi
The Morning Star flag is considered a symbol of West Papua independence and has been banned by Indonesian authorities. Photo: Canva.
In February of this year, New Zealand Pilot Phillip Mehrtens was taken hostage by the West Papua National Liberation Army.
West Papua is one of 38 Indonesian provinces and has been an occupied state since the 1960s.
The region has an indigenous population of Melansian descent who have become a minority among settler groups such as the Javanese population.
For decades there has been a strong push for independence, and since 2018 pro-independence groups such as the National Liberation Army have been in continuous conflict with the Indonesian government.
Spokesperson for West Papua Action Aotearoa Catherine Delahunty told 95bFM’s The Wire that this is a long-established issue brought to light after the kidnapping of a New Zealand citizen.
According to Delahunty, Mehrtens, who is being held hostage in a remote area in West Papua, has not been physically harmed.
“They are looking for leverage, looking for the world to notice their struggle, which their neighbours like Australia and New Zealand have done very little about and now will actually take note that a citizen of this country has been kidnapped.”
She explained that although diplomatic work is being done to bring Mehrtens back home, the Indonesian Army is taking a more violent approach by sending in combat-ready troops and bombing villages.
“He has been taken hostage in a country that has also been taken hostage. That is what people need to understand.”
Delahunty emphasised that this kidnapping shows how horrific and pressing the situation is in West Papua.
The conflict has resulted in the displacement of villagers and a growing refugee crisis, with many people facing health issues.
“What we need is for Indonesia to take a look at themselves and realise that you cannot colonise in the 21st century. People have never accepted being colonised.”
Delahunty said the Indonesian government has long exploited West Papua's rich resources, including palm oil, fertile soil, and several minerals.
An open letter from West Papua Action Aotearoa is calling on Prime Minister Hipkins and Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta to urge for a withdrawal of Indonesian military forces and independent mediation to find a more peaceful solution.
Delahunty commended the government’s response so far as they have not escalated or encouraged the violence but argued the aggressive approach of the Indonesian government requires more urgent intervention.
Jayapura, Jubi – In a public lecture organized by the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) and the Amnesty International Chapter of Cenderawasih University on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, KontraS coordinator Fatia Maulidiyanti said civil liberties in Papua had worsened due to the deployment of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Police. She emphasized that the Indonesian government should cease using a militaristic approach in Papua.
Maulidiyanti highlighted that, based on KontraS’ analysis, approximately 15,000 TNI and Police officers have been sent to Papua by the end of 2022. These officers were deployed for various purposes, including security operations, suppressing the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), and safeguarding national vital objects.
“In our records, we have observed a significant decline in civil liberties in Papua due to the presence of multiple military operations and policies that have affected the security of the Papuan people,” Maulidiyanti told Jubi after the public lecture.
The presence of the military in Papua has been accompanied by incidents of arbitrary arrests, torture, and the prohibition of demonstrations. According to data compiled by KontraS from October 2019 to December 2022, there were 34 cases of arbitrary arrests, 31 cases of forced dispersal, ten cases of persecution, eight instances of citizen shootings, seven prohibitions of protests, four cases of terror, two cases of intimidation, and one case of criminalization.
Maulidiyanti further argued that the underlying problems in Papua must be addressed through a humane, just, and representative approach. She emphasized that the government should consider the fate and circumstances of the Papuan people, and involve them in decision-making processes.
“The formulation of policies should include the active participation of indigenous Papuan civilians in formal forums to provide recommendations and express the situation and needs of the Papuan people. The ones who can provide answers are the Papuans who have not been consulted by the State,” she said.
Lastly, Maulidiyanti emphasized the need for the government to evaluate the deployment of forces in Papua. Such an evaluation is crucial to determine whether their presence is effective and truly contributes to the well-being of the Papuan people.
“It is essential to examine how military operations, including the deployment of 15,000 personnel, are directly related to the underlying issues faced in Papua and whether they truly have a positive impact on the welfare of Papuans,” she said.
Meanwhile, Yuliana Langowuyo, the Director of the Secretariat of Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation (SKPKC) Franciscan Papua, highlighted the widespread repression of various actions in Papua by security forces. Langowuyo argued that such repression indicated a discriminatory treatment towards Papuans who wish to express their opinions.
“Freedom of expression in Papua is in a very dire state. Discussions in dormitories, open discussions, peaceful demonstrations, and even academic discussion are consistently disrupted and disbanded,” he said.
Langowuyo emphasized that Indonesia, as a democratic nation, should provide a platform for Papuans to freely express their opinions on state policies. The constitution of Indonesia guarantees freedom, including the freedom of expression. However, in practice, Papuans’ freedom to express themselves is consistently met with opposition from security forces
“When we try to speak up about our rights, we are dispersed, we are subjected to violence, and unfortunately, we have come to consider such incidents as normal. This is not normal for a democratic country,” Langowuyo lamented.
Additionally, according to Professor Melkias Hetharia, a lecturer at the Faculty of Law of Cenderawasih University, the situation in Papua can be attributed to a conflict of interests. Hetharia argued that the repressive actions of the TNI and Police indicated a lack of understanding of the essence of a functioning state. He highlighted an incident involving high school students in Sentani as an example.
Hetharia emphasized that freedom was a fundamental human right. He stated that it was the responsibility of the state to protect its citizens. “The presence of the state is meant to ensure the welfare and safety of society. The state should never resort to violence against its own people. When the police or the army fail to fulfill their duties professionally, they are in violation of the law,” Hetharia asserted.
“The presence of the state is meant to ensure the safety of society. The state should not resort to violence against its own people. When the police or army fail to fulfill their professional duties, they are in violation of the law,” Hetharia stated.
The provincial government's Assistant for Papua People's Economy and Welfare Suzanna Wanggai stated in Jayapura on Friday that the MPP is an innovation in the city government's efforts to provide more transparent, accessible, certain, faster, easier, and cheaper public services at a single integrated place.
"This is a milestone in the Land of Bird of Paradise. The inauguration of the MPP marks an unprecedented event in the history of Papua," she remarked.
According to Wanggai, the MPP had proven that Papua had made significant progress toward more advanced public services.
"This is a remarkable step forward in the efforts to advance our public services," she noted.
As the pioneer of bureaucratic improvements, she remarked that Jayapura City should be able to provide accessible public services, and the MPP emerged to serve as a hub to integrate various agencies in hopes of providing easier public services to the public.
"With MPP, we hope that the public will be able to benefit from the services that the mall has to offer, especially in the context of administrative needs," she affirmed.
Wanggai also expressed hope that Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (PAN-RB) Minister Abdullah Azwar Anas would continue to provide assistance to all bureaucrats at the provincial, district, and municipal levels to enable other regions to make significant progress in bureaucracy, akin to the MPP.
Earlier, PAN-RB Minister Abdullah Azwar Anas had inaugurated the MPP of the Jayapura City Government that is situated at the Entrop Type A Terminal, Jayapura City, Papua, on Friday.
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"Papuan athletes have made an extraordinary contribution to make Indonesia proud in the international arena and this is the prayer and hope of the Papuan people," Chair of the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) of Papua Province Kenius Kogoya said here on Thursday.
Sports achievements at the international level, at the SEA Games, for instance, are a matter of pride for Papua, he added.
The Papuan athletes who won gold medals included Priska Madelyn Nugroho in women's individual and team tennis, Maria Corazon Konjep Wombaki and Sang Ayu Nyoman in women's cricket, and Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo in men's team badminton.
"Then Papuan athlete Jeam Kelly Sroyer from football bagged gold for Indonesia," he informed.
Meanwhile, Ester Wardoyo won silver for the Red and White squad in women's team badminton, Maylen Christy Aupe in kun bokator martial arts, and Farel Armindo Tangkas in the men's 100-meter backstroke in swimming.
Furthermore, Maria Corazon Konjep Wombaki and Sang Ayu Nyoman also won silver, in addition to gold, in women's cricket in the 50 overs and twenty-20 (T20) formats, and Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo in the men's individual badminton.
Meanwhile, Agustinus Abadi Ndiken won bronze in javelin throw, Samuel Frekson Wouw in the 70-kilogram kun bokator, and Julius Rizhad Rumaropen in men's outdoor hockey.
Paulina Ronsumbre and Ruth Bransik also won bronze medals in women's outdoor hockey and Ester Wardoyo in women's individual badminton, he said.
Indonesia placed third in the final medal standings at the 32nd SEA Games, after Vietnam and Thailand, with 87 gold medals, 80 silver medals, and 109 bronze medals.
The Indonesian contingent comprised 599 athletes, 379 men and 220 women. They competed in 31 of the 36 sports contested at the games.
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Head of Papua DKP Iman Djuniawal stated in Jayapura City, Tuesday, that the office had held a forum of regional apparatuses that convened strategic plans for the marine and fishery sector for the 2024-2026 period.
"On Monday (May 15), we held a meeting to arrange strategic plans in hopes of finding a way to maximize resource utilization in the marine sector," he remarked.
According to Djuniawal, the marine and fishery sector currently constitutes one of the main sources of income in the province. Bearing that in mind, efforts to improve inter-regional government coordination are deemed necessary to optimize the potential of the sector, he remarked.
"The establishment of New Autonomous Regions (DOBs) will surely have an impact on regional financing, which urges us to make innovation in order to better utilize available resources, such as in the marine, agriculture, plantation, and forestry sectors," he pointed out.
To support the idea, Djuniawal called on the province's regional governments to team up in arranging strategic plans while paying attention to respective conditions in each region as well as to existing dynamics.
"The arrangement of strategic plans will encourage all parties to ramp up every effort, so that it can be a reference in making improvements. Therefore, the efforts to combine every potential in every region will in turn help us achieve the targets that have been set by the central government," he noted.
He stated that during the meeting, the office and regional governments had discussed strategic issues in the fishery sector, with the objective of identifying problems and finding applicable solutions with regard to the current condition in the regions following the establishment of DOBs.
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