Pity the indigenous Papuans who are persecuted in their homeland decade after decade at the hands of Indonesia. This colonialism is rubber-stamped by all nations who continue to sell military arms to Indonesia – and equal shame on regional nations who stand by and tolerate the diktats of Indonesia.
President Benny Wenda of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) pointedly said, We are murdered, tortured, and raped, and then our land is stolen for resource extraction and corporate profit when we flee.”
Earlier this year, a rare graphic footage of Indonesian soldiers persecuting a Papuan was caught on camera. This footage – since Indonesia invaded this nation many decades ago – is a microcosm of how Indonesia crushes the indigenous Papuans decade after decade.
The Guardian reports, “Graphic footage of a West Papuan man bound in a water-filled barrel and being beaten and cut with knives by Indonesian soldiers has drawn a rare apology from the commander of Indonesia’s military in the province.”
Wenda said, “I ask everyone who watches the video to remember that West Papua is a closed society, cut off from the world by a sixty-year media ban imposed by Indonesia’s military occupation. How many victims go unnoticed by the world? How many incidents are not captured on film? Every week we hear word of another murder, massacre, or tortured civilian. Over 500,000 West Papuans have been killed under Indonesian colonial rule.”
Peter Prove (Director of the World Council of Churches Commission – International Affairs) said, “Our event is focusing on the human rights situation in West Papua, which I think probably qualifies as the worst and longest standing human rights and humanitarian crisis that most people have never heard of—and we haven’t heard of it for a very
Prove continued, “It’s not an accident; it’s a deliberate consequence of the lack of access that Indonesia allows for representatives of the international community to the territory.”
Leonardo Ijie (Human Rights Lawyer – West Papua) said, “Civil society is criminalized, arrested, jailed, and hit with treason charges from the security apparatus.”
Ijie also said, “Land grabbing by the Indonesian government is pervasive.”
Papuans are overwhelmingly Christian and ethnically different from the Javanese – who dominate mainly Muslim Indonesia. However, for decades, the world continues to stand by and tolerate the massacres of Papuans, Javanese colonialism, the exploitation of Papuan resources, and other brutal facts on the ground to take place in West Papua.
UN News reports (2021), “Between April and November 2021, we have received allegations indicating several instances of extrajudicial killings, including of young children, enforced disappearance, torture and inhuman treatment and the forced displacement of at least 5,000 indigenous Papuans by security forces.”
The major trading partners of Indonesia include America, China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines. However, none of these nations care about the human rights crisis in West Papua. Also, Australia focuses on the military and geopolitical angle to the detriment of the Papuans – while caring about distant Ukraine.
Papuan civilization, culture, ethnicity, history, and religion have nothing in common with the colonial occupiers of Indonesia. Accordingly, the human rights of Papuans in their homeland need to be addressed regionally and internationally – if not, another indigenous community will be crushed and marginalized to the point of no return.
Benda said, “Indonesia doesn’t want the West Papuan people — they only want our resources.”
West Papua needs to break free.
Paradise Bombed – Video documenting the hidden West Papua (Important video to watch about West Papua)
https://www.ipwp.org The International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP)
The Vanuatu Daily Post’s (VDP) Question and Answer (Q&A) exchange with Dr Siswo Pramono (SP), the Indonesian Ambassador to Australia and Vanuatu, discusses the recent release of New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens, the tragic death of another New Zealand pilot, Glen Conning, and Indonesia’s view of Vanuatu’s public support for West Papua’s independence movement.
VDP:Do you foresee any changes in how the West Papuan forces will handle future interactions with foreigners working in the region, particularly in light of this incident?
Dr SP:I’m afraid this has long been the practice of armed criminal groups. First, they kidnapped the New Zealand pilot, Mr. Mehrtens. Then, they killed another New Zealand pilot, Mr. Conning. In the past, armed criminal groups kidnapped dozens of foreign scientists conducting expeditions in Papua.
A 2022 study by the University of Gadjah Mada revealed that the majority of violence in Papua was carried out by criminal armed groups. All of this violence has created an atmosphere of insecurity that disrupts the government’s plan to boost economic development in Papua.
VDP:Can you explain Indonesia’s position on the prolonged captivity of New Zealand pilot Mehrtens and the efforts made by the Indonesian government to secure his release?
Dr SP:The Indonesian government, the government of New Zealand, Mr. Mehrtens’ family, Amnesty International Indonesia, the Indonesian Human Rights Commission, the Papua Church Council, community leaders, and traditional leaders have all called for the immediate release of the pilot since the first day of the kidnapping on 7 February 2023. The family was particularly worried after the armed group released a video in May 2023 threatening to murder Mr. Mehrtens.
In securing the hostage’s release, the Indonesian government, with the support of the majority of communities in Papua, is committed to implementing peaceful means and ensuring the safety and health of Mr. Mehrtens. Therefore, Mehrtens’ release involved a lengthy negotiation process, prioritising a soft and humanitarian approach.
VDP:How do you believe the delay by the Indonesian government and military in releasing the pilot impacted the situation on the ground?
Dr SP:I wish to clarify, first of all, that a “delay” implies that a deadline was passed. In fact, for us, there was no deadline. Yes, we wanted to speed up the process of freeing Mr. Mehrtens, but the armed group did everything possible to delay and disrupt the process.
Mehrtens was in their hands. If they had had enough goodwill, they should have released him sooner.
Despite that unfortunate incident and the prolonged negotiation process to release Mr. Mehrtens, the situation on the ground is largely under control. In June 2024, the Director General (MSG) of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) visited Papua. His visit was successful, and he witnessed first-hand the normal daily life in Papua.
VDP:How does Indonesia view Vanuatu’s public support for West Papua’s independence movement and its diplomatic relations with the West Papua Mission in Port Vila?
Dr SP:I have met with many ni-Vanuatu who have the willingness and desire to work more closely with Indonesia. Allow me to briefly outline the development of our cooperation over the last two years:
1. In response to Vanuatu’s request, Indonesia delivered humanitarian aid of more than USD 500,000 in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclones (TCs) Judy and Kevin.
2. We spent USD 2 million to renovate the VIP Lounge at Bauerfield Airport, Port Vila.
3. Indonesia has continued to provide training for Vanuatu government officials, diplomats, and police officers, and offers various scholarships to young people in Vanuatu.
4. Last year, we trained 10 police officers from Vanuatu, and now six of the ten trained officers have been selected to join a UN Peacekeeping Mission. This is a prestigious role that Vanuatu can assume.
5. Our bilateral trade is developing very rapidly to the benefit of both peoples. In 2023, the trade value between Indonesia and Vanuatu amounted to USD 8.7 million and will continue to increase.
6. Our programme with the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) is developing very well. Recently, five strong delegations from the VCCI visited Indonesia and successfully organised the first-ever Indonesia-Vanuatu Business Forum in Jakarta.
7. Indonesia participated in the 7th Melanesian Arts and Cultural Festival (MACFEST) in Port Vila. In return, Vanuatu artist Yoshua Singh participated in the cultural event “Harmony for the Pacific” organised in Indonesia and Fiji in September 2024.
8. At the request of the Prime Minister, we are going to organise nurses training at Vanuatu Central Hospital this year.
9. Indonesia also provided a grant of more than USD 500,000 for a disaster waste management programme for Vanuatu, which we hope can be implemented by the end of this year.
10. Last year, Indonesia fully supported and co-sponsored Vanuatu’s initiative to request an Advisory Opinion (AO) on climate change in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). We will continue to work with Vanuatu to promote better preparation and mitigation for climate change.
My point is that it is timely for Vanuatu and Indonesia to proceed with more concrete bilateral cooperation.
The geopolitics is worsening, and the global economy is deteriorating. Global trade has contracted by 7%. Indonesia’s economy, however, has been growing by 5% or more over the last five years, offering Vanuatu an opportunity to work with Indonesia as the largest economy in Southeast Asia.
After all, concerning foreign policy, both Indonesia and Vanuatu are Non-Aligned Countries. Vanuatu and Indonesia should go hand-in-hand in navigating the more challenging global politics.
VDP:What is Indonesia’s response to Vanuatu’s ongoing advocacy in international forums, including the United Nations (UN), for West Papuan self-determination?
Dr SP:Prime Minister Charlot Salwai did not touch on the issue of self-determination when he recently spoke before the UN General Assembly. Instead, he suggested that Papua should work mutually with the Government of Indonesia to address their issues, such as those concerning customary land.
We believe that Vanuatu and other Pacific countries are no longer advocating for West Papuan self-determination, as they pursue more constructive dialogue with Indonesia:
1. The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), of which Vanuatu is a member, issued a communiqué clearly stating: “Leaders reaffirmed recognition of Indonesia’s sovereignty over West Papua (Papua).”
2. MSG leaders issued a communiqué that “reaffirmed the sovereignty of Indonesia over West Papua.”
3. The recently published Vanuatu Foreign Policy Paper did not mention the issue of self-determination for West Papua, but rather emphasised constructive dialogue with Indonesia.
4. In this regard, we appreciate the reaffirmation of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Indonesia. This is the right spirit to uphold to foster friendly and constructive relations in line with the core principles of the UN Charter, PIF, and MSG.
VDP:Does the Indonesian Government view Vanuatu’s support for West Papua as interference in its internal affairs? If so, how is Indonesia addressing this diplomatically?
Dr SP:Indonesia remains steadfast in adhering to the “MSG Agreed Principles of Cooperation among Independent States in Melanesia,” namely the respect for and promotion of national independence, sovereign equality, territorial integrity, and the right to non-interference in the internal affairs of independent states. Indonesia and Vanuatu, as members of the MSG, should implement these principles.
Aida Ulim, Jayapura – The South Papua Student Concern Front held a free speech forum on Monday October 7 in Jayapura city, Papua, rejecting investment and the deforestation of customary forests the Animha region of South Papua that the government want to transform into sugar cane and rice plantations.
During the action, which was held at the Jayapura University of Science and Technology (USTJ) campus, the protesters who attended brought banners and pamphlets reading "Climate justice without oligarchy", "Immediately ratify the Draft Law on Indigenous Peoples", "The land of Papua is not for sale" and "Save indigenous Papuan's Forests".
Field coordinator (Korlap) Stenly Jambojay said the free speech forum was aimed at rejecting investment by sugarcane plantation companies in Merauke regency. Jambojay said that the presence of the 2 million hectare sugarcane plantation, which will develop sugarcane plantations as raw materials for the sugar industry, will threaten forest areas in Merauke regency.
"Therefore, as students and representing indigenous communities, there is only one word, resist", he said in a speech at the USTJ campus square in Jayapura city on Monday.
Jambojay also said that with regard to the sugarcane plantation, the government did not involve local communities and that it will harm these communities as many will their source of livelihood.
"Stop stealing customary land, the land of Papua is not empty, our free speech forum rejects the 2 million hectare sugarcane project in Merauke regency. To the government, immediately implement the rights of indigenous peoples so that they are recognised by the state", he said.
Enis Dapla, a Cenderawasih University (Uncen) student who also joined the free speech forum, said that they firmly reject the sugar cane companies that will destroy customary forest in Merauke regency. He also urged the central and regional governments to immediately implement the law on the protection of indigenous peoples' rights to their land.
"Because local people have difficulty finding sources of livelihood and also palm oil companies have inflicted huge financial losses on communities, not just in Merauke but in most parts of Papua", he said.
During the action, the South Papua Student Concern Front read out a statement.
We fully support Bapak (Mr) Vincent Kwipalo and the indigenous people of the Yeinan tribe, the Marind Maklew tribe, the Kima tribe and the tribes from Kondo to Digoel in rejecting the National Strategic Program (PSN) in their customary lands.
We, the South Papua Student Concern Front, firmly reject the PSN that will take over 2 million hectares of land for sugar cane plantations and rice fields in Merauke regency.
We, the South Papua Student Concern Front, strongly condemn and reject all foreign companies or investors operating on the customary land of indigenous Papuans from Sorong to Merauke.
We, the South Papua Student Concern Front, ask the state, in this case the Indonesian Council of Bishops (KWI) and the Vatican Ambassador to Indonesia, to replace the archbishop of Merauke, Bishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi, M.S.G., with a native Papuan bishop in the Merauke archdiocese.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Front Mahasiswa Peduli Papua Selatan Gelar Aksi Tolak Perusahaan Tebu Di Merauke".]
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