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By UCA News reporter Published: September 05, 2024 04:07 AM GMT
Indigenous Christians in Papua province took to the streets on Sept. 4 to seek the pope’s attention and intervention against the Indonesian government’s military operations in their troubled province.
Catholic priests and Protestant pastors led the Way of the Cross, a unique protest that had nearly a thousand Christians parading through the streets of the provincial capital Jayapura.
The participants carried crosses and chanted prayers and slogans. They also displayed posters with messages for Pope Francis who was in Jakarta as part of his 12-day apostolic visit that also takes in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Timor Leste, and Singapore.
At each stop of the Way of the Cross, participants reflected on their faith and the dire situation in Papua, said Father John Bunay from the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission of Jayapura diocese.
“At the stop where Veronika wiped Jesus’ face, we reflected on the importance of helping people who are in trouble,” the priest said. Like Veronika, “we hope Pope Francis can care” for the people of Papua, he added.
He said that at the stop where Jesus met his mother, they reflected on the Papuan mothers who were forced to take refuge in the forests because of the conflict.
Given that the pope will be in Vanimo — a remote coastal town in PNG which is just nine kilometers from Papua — on Sept. 8, the priest said, “We hope the pope can greet us.”
Around 200 Catholics in Papua, facilitated by their provincial government, will be traveling to Vanimo to see the pope.
“Hopefully the pope will see our problem. If not, indigenous Papuans will be reduced to a minority and eventually become extinct. This is an emergency," Bunay said.
Ester Haluk said she chose to join the protest because “there was no other way” as all efforts in the past to push for peace in Papua had failed.
“We want to bring our lamentations, our prayers in this Way of the Cross, and bring them to God,” she said.
Fincensius Yogi, a young Papuan, said, “Today, we are suffering just like Jesus, who is expected to one day lead us to resurrection.”
Hendrikus Franky Woro said his tribe used to live peacefully but was now threatened by people who were not known to them.
The member of the Awyu tribe in South Papua was referring to the seizure of their ancestoral land by a palm oil company.
“They came and violated us, and seized our rights,” he said. “We are sad, we are crying. We have hopes from our Holy Father. We respectfully ask that the Church save us.”
The police in Jayapura tried to stop the Christians, saying the Way of the Cross could cause traffic snarls. They were granted permission only after priests negotiated with City Police Chief Victor Makbon.
“We told him we’re praying. So, there is no need to be afraid. This was proved right by our peaceful conduct for four hours,” Bunay said.
Meanwhile in Jakarta, young Catholics from Papua held a peaceful protest at the Apostolic Nunciature as the pope left to attend a ceremony at Merdeka Palace on the morning of Sept. 4.
They wore the traditional Papuan koteka and carried posters requesting Francis care about them.
The Christian-majority Papua region has been a hotbed of conflict and death for more than six decades since it became a part of Indonesia following the end of Dutch colonial rule in the 1960s.
An armed insurgency and responses from the military have left thousands dead, injured, or displaced.
Despite being rich in mineral resources such as gold, natural gas, timber, and palm oil, the restive region is one of the country's poorest and most underdeveloped.
Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia has also urged Pope Francis to highlight conditions in Papua during his visit.
“The escalation of violence, militarization and suppression of dissent in Papua have resulted in many civilian casualties, displacement and a humanitarian crisis that requires urgent attention," he said.
Hamid said that civilians in Papua, including indigenous peoples, have suffered from large-scale military operations.
"These military operations have resulted in extrajudicial killings by state and non-state armed groups, torture, internal displacement and other violations," he said.
2) Police officers beat up teenager in Yahukimo
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A planned five million-acre sugarcane megaproject in Indonesia’s Papua province could threaten its uniquely biodiverse rainforest and the Indigenous Papuans who depend on it.
The Indonesian government plans to plant acres of sugarcane in Merauke, southern Papua, to develop a national sugar-based industry. If successful, the nascent industry would also produce bioethanol fuel and reduce Indonesia’s heavy reliance on sugar importation.
The archipelago nation was the number one importer of raw sugar in both 2022 and 2023, importing five million metric tons in the latter year alone. The government has set a target of sugar self-sufficiency by 2027, which requires rapid, significant expansion of production quotas.
The planned five million acre (two million hectare) industrial estate will include sugarcane plantations, mills, a bioethanol plant, and a biomass power plant, according to Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, who denied plans to clear-cut any “natural” forest.
However, one of the first steps of the project includes the euphemistically described “rezoning” of more than one million acres (419,000 hectares) of forested area. That’s six times the size of Jakarta, Indonesia’s sprawling capital city, and includes around 63,392 acres (25,654 hectares) of legal deforestation in one of Indonesia’s most ecologically important regions.
Papua’s rainforests are among the most biodiverse in the world, and provide a home to as many as 20,000 plant species, 602 birds, 125 mammals, and 223 reptiles. The trees and their accompanying biodiversity support local people who rely on them for traditional foods and livelihoods, and play an additional global role by storing carbon and producing oxygen.
Five consortiums, including both Indonesian and foreign companies, have been confirmed as participants in the planned USD $7.9 billion development, drawing comparisons to the controversial Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) project.
MIFEE ultimately involved the intensive development of a large forested region for the production of palm oil and other exportable commodities, despite being earmarked for much-needed rice and sugarcane. It also led to extensive deforestation of protected conservation areas and “land grabbing,” including the violent displacement and disenfranchisement of Indigenous Papuans.
“The government’s sugarcane policy is very detrimental to the community,” explained Primus Peuki, director of the Papuan chapter of The Indonesian Forum for the Environment, while speaking to the regional news outlet Jubi about the new megaproject.
“Why sugarcane? The Marind, Mandobo, and Awyu tribes do not eat sugarcane. [They eat] sago,” added Peuki. “They still live with nature, hunting, and fishing in the river. The government is creating [long-term] suffering in Marind land and benefiting others without seeing the damage to the environment, culture, and living space of Indigenous Peoples.”
The Author
Liam Pritchett
Liam writes about the environment, sustainability, and animal welfare. They have freelanced for Plant Based News since 2022 and worked in vegan digital media since 2019. Liam has also worked as an assistant editor for a B2B magazine, a staff writer, a researcher, and countless other things. They studied English Literature and Film at the University Of East Anglia, where they were introduced to veganism and anti-bloodsports activism. They currently live in Bristol, UK with a notoriously stubborn rescue dog.
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