2) One Person Shot and Several Kiosks Burned Down in Gunfight in Paniai
3) KNPB Paniai donates food supplies to Bibida refugees
------------------------
1) Four killed, hundreds flee as Indonesian military battles Papuan fighters
Hundreds of residents in Indonesia's restive Papua region have sought shelter in a church after clashes between security forces and West Papua independence fighters left two insurgents, a soldier and a civilian dead.
Fighting flared in Paniai regency in Central Papua province after the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), part of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), burned a public minivan and killed its driver last week, the military said in a statement.
Two-hundred-and-fifty civilians fled the latest clash, the military said, but a local human rights activist told BenarNews at least twice the number have sought refuge.
As at last October, 76,228 refugees from the ongoing conflict were displaced in the Papuan provinces, the Papua Legal Aid Institute has reported, from a total population of 5.6 million people.
The violent conflict in the western half of New Guinea island is estimated to have cost hundreds-of-thousand of mainly Papuan lives since the 1960s, with the Indonesian government and independence groups accusing each other of serious human rights abuses.
Military forces pursued the TPNPB into the Bibida district of Paniai on Friday, resulting in a deadly firefight on Monday that killed two combatants, according to military spokesperson Lt. Col. Yogi Nugroho.
Residents of Bibida district requested assistance from security forces to temporarily relocate to Madi Church in the neighboring East Paniai district, he said.
"The people of Bibida have never accepted the presence of the OPM in their area due to their arbitrary actions and cruel acts, such as forcibly taking crops, livestock, and even some young girls," Yogi told BenarNews.
TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom has denied the group committed any criminal acts in Bibida that led to the displacement of residents.
"That's not true. That's the Indonesian military and police propaganda," he told BenarNews.
A human rights and church activist in Papua, Yones Douw, accused the presence of government troops in Bibida of fueling fear among Papuans and causing them to flee.
Douw also said the number of displaced residents was 574, not 250 as stated by the military.
"I asked the people of Bibida directly, and they said that it was not true. They [TPNPB] have never stolen crops, and they have never killed livestock," Douw told BenarNews, adding they usually bought local produce from residents.
"The TPNPB-OPM allowed them to evacuate because Bibida would be used as a battleground," he added.
Yogi said according to security forces’ observations, insurgents seeking to destabilize Bibida had taken positions in the forest and nearby regions.
"Therefore, if there are people moving into the Bibida forest, they can be confirmed as sympathizers or members of the OPM," he said.
Security forces on Friday retook Bibida, which had been under TPNPB-OPM control, Yogi said.
One of the slain Liberation Army members was identified as Danis Murib, a deserter from the Indonesian military who had abandoned his post in April.
"Yes, he was a former active member of the Indonesian military who joined the TPNPB four months ago," Sambom told BenarNews.
On Saturday, the TPNPB shot dead a government soldier, identified as Hendrik Fonataba, in the neighboring Puncak regency, Yogi said.
In 1963, Indonesian forces invaded Papua – like Indonesia, a former Dutch colony – and annexed the region.
Papua was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a United Nations-sponsored referendum, which locals and activists have decried as a sham because it involved only about 1,000 people. However, the U.N. accepted the result endorsing Jakarta’s rule.
The Indonesian Defense Ministry said last month it had requested a bigger budget to buy high-tech weapons that can “detect or retaliate” against Papuan groups who know the region’s terrain better.
Human rights activists criticized the ministry proposal, arguing it would escalate violence and lead to more civilians being caught in the crossfire in the mineral-rich but underdeveloped region.
————————————————————
A gogle translate
Original Bahasa link
2) One Person Shot and Several Kiosks Burned Down in Gunfight in Paniai
Author Stevanus Yogi - May 22, 2024, 10:43 WP
The YPPGI Kepas Kopo Elementary School building is seen on fire. (Stevanus Yogi - Suara Papua)
PANIAI,
SUARAPAPUA.com— A gunfight occurred between joint TNI-Polri officers and suspected members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) in Madi, Paniai Regency on Tuesday (5/21/2024) night.
The gunfight occurred at around 23.00 Papua time at night – 03.30 Papua time in the morning. The gunfight occurred in the city of Madi, precisely at the intersection of the border between Kopo village and Madi Paniai village.
During the gunfight, several kiosks and part of the YPPGI Kepas Kopo Elementary School building were burned down, and a man suspected of being a TPNPB member was killed.
The man's body was found around the burned kiosks and his body has been evacuated to the Paniai hospital.
Information from the community
A resident in Paniai who did not give his name said that the incident began with several people suspected of being TPNPB members who wanted to buy something at a kiosk located at the intersection of the Kopo and Madi villages.
Not long after, the sound of gunfire was heard.
"Because it was night, we all don't know the cause. We were just shocked when there was the sound of gunfire," said a resident who heard the sound of gunfire to
suarapapua.com in Madi, on Wednesday (22/5/2024) morning.
He admitted that the gunfire was heard from around the burned kiosks.
"This is where they had a gunfight last night. Basically along this road," he said explaining the situation of the gunfire that occurred at night.
He also said that the kiosks were burned when the gunfire was taking place.
"We were seriously hearing gunshots because it was so smooth, like this we were shocked to see a lump of fire and smoke burning these kiosks," he said.
Also Read: Thousands of Job Seeker Data Submitted, PBD Provincial Government Ensures OAP Quota of 80 Percent
A few minutes from the light of the fire that continued to grow, officers were seen evacuating residents who were victims of the kiosk fire to a safe place. After that the sound of gunfire decreased.
"Before it caught fire because it was dark we couldn't see the security forces with the TPN. We just knew they were exchanging gunfire," he said.
Not long after, he said there was a fire at the YPPGI Kepas Kopo Elementary School building which is the only superior school managed directly by the Paniai Regency government.
"We only saw a lump of smoke rising from the burning elementary school because it was far away," he said.
In the gunfight between the joint TNI-Polri officers and those suspected of being TPNPB members in Madi, Paniai, one person was found shot and died.
Also Read: Supporting Kanaky's Freedom from France, KNPB Holds Action in Jayapura
So far, it is not known what caused the fires in a number of kiosks and school buildings.
The West Papua National Liberation Army of the Free Papua Movement (TPNPB-OPM) has also not yet conveyed their statement regarding their involvement in the gunfight.
Meanwhile,
suarapapua.com has sent a message via the WhatsApp application to the Paniai Police Chief, AKBP Abdus Syukur to confirm the gunfight incident.
However, until this news was published, there has been no response.
So far, based on
suarapapua.com's monitoring, the situation in Paniai is relatively conducive. All residents in Madi and Enarotali are still carrying out their activities as usual. Meanwhile, the authorities continue to monitor via drones and land vehicles.
Suara Papua is still confirming with the relevant parties to obtain accurate information regarding the gunfight incident.
—————————————
A gogle translate
Original Bahasa link
3) KNPB Paniai donates food supplies to Bibida refugees
KNPB also urged a ceasefire in Bibida. They also asked Komnas HAM to form an independent team.
June 19, 2024 in Meepago
Author: Larius Kogoya - Editor: Aries Munandar
The KNPB Paniai team delivers food aid to Bibida residents who have taken refuge at the Holy Cross Church, Madi, Paniai, Tuesday (6/18/2024). - doc. KNPB
Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Committee or KNPB Paniai distributed 120 kilograms of rice along with 10 boxes of instant noodles to refugees at the Holy Cross Church, Madi, Paniai. They also supplied vitamins for residents from the Bibida District.
KNPB Paniai Chairman Musa Tebay said the armed conflict between Indonesian security forces and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) had been going on for about a month in Bibida. Many civilians were displaced by the conflict.
"We ask [the Indonesian Government] to immediately withdraw the military [Indonesian National Army/TNI and Polri] from the Bibida District. If not, they and the TPNPB must fight far from civilian areas so as not to sacrifice the people," said Tebay, when contacted on Wednesday (6/19/2024).
The distribution of aid to the victims of the armed conflict took place on Tuesday. The aid is a form of solidarity, as well as the KNPB's concern for the fate of the victims of the conflict.
"As [a manifestation of] love for the people and the homeland [West Papua], the KNPB is obliged to show concern [for the suffering of the people]. We uphold the values of truth, justice, and humanity," said KNPB Chairman I Warius Sampari Wetipo
Wetipo said that the KNPB does not only mediate the political aspirations of the people for the right to self-determination or a referendum for West Papua. They are also committed to saving the Papuan people from the threat of genocide, ethnocide, and ecocide.
"The people must truly feel safe, comfortable, peaceful, and prosperous in their own ancestral land. Therefore, we are obliged to fight the system that oppresses the people. We fight peacefully, without violence," said Wetipo.
Wetipo urged the TNI/Polri and TPNPB to carry out a ceasefire and hold negotiations facilitated by independent international parties. He also asked the National Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International to form an independent team to investigate violence against civilians in Bibida District. "The government must also guarantee the needs of food, medicine and clothing for refugees," he said. (*)
------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.