AWPA -West Papua Update No 1. 2025
27 February 2025
There was no improvement in the human rights situation in West Papua with clashes continuing between the TPNPB and the Indonesian security forces. Below are a number of new reports and updates , in particular from Human Rights Monitor which is a valuable source for information on the human rights situation in West Papua .
The Latest military operation occurred in the Nduga Regency. Local media Jubi, reported that the TNI deployed military troops using helicopters on Mount Nalkuru in Yuguru Village, Mebarok District, Nduga Regency, Papua Mountains Province.
Screenshot of a helicopter about to take off in an amateur video sent to the Jubi editorial team. Ist
The large-scale troop deployment was recorded to have occurred since January 18, 2025. Residents were afraid and fled.................... A Google translate of Jubi article (including original Bahasa link) at. https://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2025/02/tni-deploys-troops-using-helicopters-in.html
Human Rights Monitor
Annual Report 2024: Human Rights and Conflict in West Papua
Reports / Indonesia, West Papua / 20 February 2025
Executive Summary
The armed conflict in West Papua throughout 2024 remained a driving force behind human rights violations in the Papuan provinces, characterised by reports of extrajudicial killings, disappearances and torture by security forces, particularly in the highlands. Authorities continued to restrict freedom of expression by dispersing peaceful protests. Under Indonesia’s new government, led by former military general Prabowo Subianto, pressure on West Papua’s indigenous peoples’ land and cultural heritage has intensified. Military forces secure the exploitation of West Papua’s natural resources through national strategic projects and private investment, heightening the risk of violence in these regions.
Infrastructure projects and resource extraction remained the government’s priority, yet offered minimal advantages to indigenous Papuans. Despite special autonomy funding, healthcare and education saw little improvement, particularly in conflict zones where military personnel replaced professional teachers and health workers who fled due to violence.
According to local media and human rights defenders, by December 2024, over 85,000 Papuans remained internally displaced following armed clashes and security force raids that destroyed their homes and livestock. The heavy military presence deterred many from returning home, leaving displaced persons with limited options. Most survive in makeshift camps or with relatives, lacking access to basic services.
The structure of this report consists of two primary sections. The first one, ‘Civil and Political Rights’, is subdivided into six subsections that include: impunity, killings and torture, freedom of expression, and additional key topics, thoroughly presenting documented cases and relevant statistical evidence. The second section, ‘Conflict and Displacement’, explores the armed conflict’s effects on indigenous populations and the challenges faced by internally displaced persons, underscoring the complexities of the human rights situation in West Papua.
Full report
https://humanrightsmonitor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/HRM_Annual_Report_2024.pdf
There has been a crackdown on student demonstrations protesting against the Free meals (MBG) program. The students are saying Free Education would be a better option.
Students in Indonesia’s Papua region protest free-meal program, demand free education instead
Victor Mambor 2025.02.24 Jayapura, Indonesia
More than 1,000 students in Indonesia’s restive Papua region took to the streets to protest a government-sponsored free-meal program, demanding that the government instead prioritize free education. The demonstration on Monday in Enarotali, the capital of Paniai regency in Central Papua province, was the latest in a series of student-led protests across the region. The students marched through the streets of Enarotali, carrying banners that read “We need free education, not free lunches” and “President Prabowo thinks more about filling stomachs than filling minds.” The program is a flagship initiative of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who took office in October. Known in Indonesian as Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG), the Free Nutritious Meals program aims to address malnutrition and food insecurity, but critics argue it fails to address the root causes of poverty and inequality in Papua, where access to quality education remains a major challenge.
“Our parents already provide us with three meals a day,” said Alpius Tebai, coordinator of the Paniai Regency Student Alliance, which organized the protest. “Nature also provides for us. What we lack is access to education. We want the government to make education free.”
The demonstration in Enarotali was notably peaceful, with police providing security as students marched and delivered their demands. During similar protests last week in other Papuan cities, authorities responded with force, including the use of tear gas and warning shots. In one incident in Nabire, a video circulated showing a local official kicking and verbally abusing a student.
Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost region that makes up the western half of New Guinea island, has been a flashpoint of tension since its controversial incorporation into the archipelago nation in 1969. Papua, home to a distinct Melanesian culture and vast natural resources, has seen a low-level separatist insurgency in the years since.
The Indonesian government has consistently rejected calls for Papua’s independence.
Experts said the student protests reflect dissatisfaction with Jakarta’s policies, which many Papuans view as paternalistic and disconnected from local needs.
Critics argue it overlooks the region’s deeper structural issues, including underfunded schools, a lack of qualified teachers, and high dropout rates.
Fabianus John Berek, a governance expert in Papua, criticized the free-meal program as a “centralized, top-down policy” that fails to consider the unique challenges faced by Papuan communities.
“The government’s approach reflects the centralized, authoritarian style of the New Order regime,” Berek wrote in an op-ed on Jubi, Papua’s main news website, referring to the 32-year rule of the late dictator Suharto.
“Such policies need to incorporate the diverse aspirations of Papuan communities, including students who are the primary beneficiaries,” he said. “An inclusive space for discussion and participation should have been established during the policy formulation stage of the MBGprogram.” Berek called for greater involvement of local governments, educators, and community leaders in policymaking, particularly in a region with a history of marginalization and conflict like Papua.
Dadan Hindayana, head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), said the government respected those who chose not to participate in the program. “This program is meant for school children, pregnant women and nursing mothers. If those eligible do not wish to receive it, we respect that,” Dadan told reporters on Monday.
Indonesian authorities have accused the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), a pro-independence group, of orchestrating the protests. Police in Jayapura claimed to have evidence that the KNPB provided materials and guidance to students, a charge the group denies. “It’s not new for the police to blame us for protests in Papua,” said Warpo Wetipo, the KNPB’s deputy chairman. ”These students are intelligent and capable of organizing themselves. They don’t need us to tell them what to do.”
Human rights organizations have condemned the heavy-handed response to earlier protests. Amnesty International Indonesia called the use of tear gas and warning shots against students “excessive” and a violation of human rights.
The Legal Aid Institute of Papua (LBH Papua) has called for an investigation into the alleged abuses by security forces during the protests.
The organization urged Prabowo to reallocate funds from the lunch program to education and demanded accountability for officials involved in the violent crackdowns. “Regarding free education, it is the obligation of the central government according to the constitution, [which states] every citizen has the right to education,” Emanuel Gobay, director of the Papua Legal Aid Institute, said in a statement. “It is only right that all members of the security forces who tarnish the democratic space of Papuan students...are held legally accountable and arrested,” he said.
An extract from an opinion piece by Duncan Graham on the issue.
Free meals threatened – and threatening
“The people of Papua are complaining and rejecting the free nutritious food for school children because the food is provided by the TNI (Army) and Polri (police),” local religious leader Wenior Pakage told the media.
“They’re afraid for their children that they’ll be murdered with poison, resulting in an extermination. The community wants the program scrapped and the funds transferred to pay school fees so students can obtain knowledge for free.”
https://johnmenadue.com/free-meals-threatened-and-threatening/
The Indonesian Educational Monitoring Network (JPPI) also condemned the repressive actions by the police against students demonstrating ragainst the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG). https://en.tempo.co/read/1976670/jppi-condemns-police-repressive-actions-towards-papua-mountain-students-rejecting-free-nutritious-meals
As did Amnesty International Indonesian in a statement
Stop intimidation of Papuan students protesting free school meal program
Amnesty International – February 18, 2025
Responding to the excessive actions by the police and the state civil servants (ASN) against protests by high school students rejecting the government's free nutritious meals (MBG) program in a number of cities in Papua, Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid, said:
"Stopping let alone arresting students who want to carry out peaceful actions rejecting the MBG program without justifiable legal grounds is a very real form of human rights violation which has been shown by the police in the land of Papua. The use of warning shots and tear gas in responding to actions by students who are demonstrating is clearly excessive.
Therefore the police must investigate whether the actions by its members were carried out according to regulations. Issuing warning shots and firing tear gas haphazardly represents a form of human rights violation by the authorities.
o commit acts of physical violence against a Papuan student must stop immediately……………....
Bravery in Journalism: Langker and Felice Win Award for Reporting from West Papua
03/02/2025 Oleh : Uki Ruknuddin
The two journalists navigating the rugged terrain of the Bintang Mountains in Papua to document the conflict firsthand. Kuat, berdaya tahan dan berani. Banyak jurnalis tapi tidak banyak yang begini. Apa kabar pak Danramil ? How are you pak Kapolda ? (Photo: Kirsten Felice)
INDONESIA, RAKYAT NEWS – Two Australian journalists, Kristo “Berani” Langker and Kirsten “Tangguh” Felice, have been recognized for their courageous reporting after walking through West Papua to cover the use of rockets and mortars by Indonesian security forces against the indigenous Papuans in the Highlands of Papua.
Their work, which involved crossing jungles and rivers on foot and entering Indonesia without a visa, earned them the Oktovianus Pogau Journalism Award from the Pantau Foundation for their bravery in journalism.
Langker and Felice, who work for Paradise Broadcasting, a new media outlet based in Sydney, ventured into the conflict zone to report on the asymmetrical battles between the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) and Indonesian forces. They sought to explain the ongoing conflict by interviewing several members of the TPNPB, who had crossed from Papua New Guinea (PNG) into Indonesia’s de facto Papua region. Their investigative work highlighted the significant risks they faced, traveling through an area with a history of restricted foreign media access.
Yuliana Lantipo from the Pantau Foundation commended the journalists. “It’s impressive how brave these two young journalists are. Entering conflict zones in Papua is not easy, especially for foreign nationals, and the risks they faced were substantial,” she said Lantipo emphasized the courage required to report from such a challenging and dangerous environment.
The journalists’ work began with the establishment of Paradise Broadcasting by Langker in 2023. The media outlet focuses on in-depth reporting, such as Langker’s earlier coverage of the kidnapping of New Zealand pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens by the Papuan guerrillas in the Central Highlands.
Video. Frontier War | Inside The West Papua Liberation Army
Paradise Broadcasting.
Video https://youtu.be/65_DgLwjePA
Upcoming events
Koteka Wenda, UK Spokesperson for the Free West Papua Campaign and daughter of West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda will be embarking on her first official Australia speaking tour over the next few weeks. Confirmed cities include: Bunbury, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Hobart.
Almost a decade ago, Benny Wenda visited cities around Australia for the Breaking the silence tour back in 2015 and now Koteka will be following in her father footsteps.
Her main message is this: ‘If You Save West Papua ,You Save the Lungs of the World’. A message embedded within the Green State vision.
Sydney event. Saturday 8 March
from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30.
Morning tea provided.
Address: the church building next door to 5 Alexandra Avenue, Croydon NSW.
RSVP: bunyip@bigpond.net.au
Koteka will give an update on the situation in West Papua and on the movements campaigning in the UK and Europe. A short video will be shown and time for a Q & A session.
https://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2025/02/koteka-wenda-uk-spokesperson-for-free.html
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Human Rights Monitor
Papua Quarterly Report Q4 2024: Contradictions and Crackdowns: Navigating Post-Inauguration Politics
Human Rights News, Reports / Indonesia, West Papua / 30 January 2025
This 6-page document lists cases and developments, including human rights violations and their patterns; escalation of armed conflict and its impact on civilians; significant political shifts in Indonesia affecting West Papua; and international responses and initiatives. It covers the period from 1 October to 31 December 2024...........
https://humanrightsmonitor.org/reports/papua-quarterly-report-q4-2024-contradictions-and-crackdowns-navigating-post-inauguration-politics/
HRM Report “Scorched Earth: Security Force Raids and Forced Displacement in Intan Jaya, West Papua” documents alleged crimes against humanity
Reports / Indonesia, West Papua / 9 January 2025
This comprehensive research report, compiled in 2024 and published in early 2025, reveals evidence of widespread, systematic attacks against indigenous civilians during security force operations in Indonesia’s Papua Tengah Province in April 2023. The investigation documents extensive destruction of civilian infrastructure, killings, and mass displacement that may constitute crimes against humanity.
The 39-page report, “Scorched Earth: Security Force Raids and Forced Displacement in Intan Jaya, West Papua,” details how Indonesian security forces conducted raids across four villages in the Intan Jaya Regency, Papua Tengah Province, between 9-11 April 2023. Through comprehensive investigation including satellite imagery analysis, witness testimonies, and on-the-ground research, the report documents the destruction of 28 houses, the extrajudicial killing of four civilians, and injuries to three others, including two minors.
House burning in the Munumai village on 10 April 2023.
https://humanrightsmonitor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/HRM_Scorched_Earth_Special_Report_2024.pdf
Editorial. Jakarta Post
The return of militarism
We have reasons to worry about expanding the roles of the military beyond its domain as defender of the nation against external threats. Editorial board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, February 13, 2025
President Prabowo Subianto has once again displayed his penchant for military figures filling strategic posts within his government with the recent appointment of Maj. Gen. Novi Helmy Prasetya as the new president director of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog). State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir gave no compelling reasons for the choice of an active military officer for the civilian post other than a vague reference to the “revitalization of Bulog management” and the “changing perspectives” of the agency. But further stoking confusion, the Indonesian Military (TNI) announced on Monday that Novi had been promoted on Jan. 31 to the three-star job of commanding general of the TNI Academy, in a decree that was signed over a week before he was named the new Bulog chief.
TNI spokesperson Maj. Gen. Hariyanto said on Tuesday that Novi’s appointment as Bulog chief was part of a “deal for a strategic partnership in food security between the agency and the military” and because “the SOEs Ministry sees Novi as having a chain of command that can support the delivery of food security programs”. Whatever the reasons behind Novi’s assignment to Bulog, the appointment is legally flawed and sends yet another message of the return of the TNI’s dual function, just like during the New Order, at the expense of civilian supremacy. The New Order regime was marked by significant economic growth, but also widespread human rights abuses and suppression of political freedoms.
The prevailing 2004 TNI Law says that military officers may only occupy civilian positions after they have been discharged from duty. Under this law, those who remain in active service can be seconded to certain positions in seven state institutions overseeing defense, security or intelligence and to the Search and Rescue Agency, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) or the Supreme Court, which manages military courts.
We recall during the COVID-19 pandemic the government resorted to military deployment to assist with contact tracing efforts and health protocol enforcement or to run emergency hospitals for treating COVID patients. But that was in line with the law, which outlines 14 types of operations other than war that justify TNI participation, such as disasters and humanitarian missions. Prabowo, a former Army general himself, might want Bulog to adopt military-like discipline and focus and a clear chain of command while playing a leading role in food security. Novi is not the first man in uniform to lead Bulog, anyway, as police general Budi Waseso once led the agency in 2018-2023. Indeed, Prabowo’s presidency has seen a growing presence of the military in the government. Many of his picks for ministerial, deputy ministerial and state agency head posts are people with a military background.
He even brought members of his bloated cabinet to a military-like bootcamp at the beginning of his presidency as his way of instilling discipline. Later this month the same military-style retreat will be organized for new governors, mayors, regents and their deputies. Ironically, the public has faith in the TNI, as seen in various opinion polls that consistently rank the military as the most trusted national institution. From having the military running much of his flagship free meals program for schoolchildren to ordering the TNI to form 100 special battalions that will be assigned to farming, fisheries and animal husbandry, Prabowo’s government personifies the return of the military to civilian affairs. He might see the military style of government as more helpful to cut through the sclerotic bureaucracy in order to get things done, but we have reasons to worry about expanding the roles of the military beyond its domain as defender of the nation against external threats. It is hard to hold the military accountable given its lack of transparency and its culture of impunity, particularly when it comes to violence committed by soldiers against civilians.
We cannot dismiss concerns that the TNI's increasing involvement in civilian affairs may pave the way for a potential return to authoritarian rule.
From Jim
Brothers & Sisters! Australia is going to have a federal election soon. No matter how big their smiles and promises, there are 500,000+ West Papuan victims of the same smiles and promises … a foreign policy of culpability as accessory and accomplice in aiding and abetting the fate of West Papua since 1969. A fate of dispossession and genocide. Unforgiveable! Unconscionable! Unacceptable! A destiny conceived through Manifest Deceit and cowardice. Yes, it will be a very difficult task to wrestle away their control of the narrative, but the harder the task looks never stopped us before. Share and forward this message through emails and links and lobby every community. Outreach is of the essence! It’s time to rain on their reign!
Jim Aubrey, Genocide Rebellion-Free West Papua Chapter!
A google translate. Original Bahasa link
Of the 18,892 HIV/AIDS patients in Papua Province, only 4,192 are undergoing ARV treatment
Arga Reysamputra Last updated: February 15 Author: Theo Kelen Editor: Zely Ariane
Jayapura, Jubi – The Papua Provincial Health Office stated that up to now there are 18,892 active HIV/AIDS patients, and those undergoing Antiretroviral or ARV treatment are 4,192 patients.
This was conveyed by the Head of the HIV/AIDS Section of the Papua Provincial Health Office, dr. Rindang Pribadi Marahaba in Jayapura City, Papua, on Friday (2/14/2025). "Those who routinely take ARV drugs are 4,192 patients," he said.
Rindang said patients undergoing ARV treatment were spread across Jayapura City (1,741 people), Jayapura Regency (1,189 people), Biak Numfor Regency (470 people), Yapen Islands Regency (462 people). Patients undergoing ARV treatment were also in Keerom Regency (97 people), Waropen Regency (71 people), Supiori Regency (71 people), Sarmi Regency (63 people), and Mamberamo Raya Regency (28 people).
Rindang said that there are at least 144 ARV services spread across nine districts/cities in Papua Province. In addition, there are 59 HIV testing services. "Treatment services have reached the Health Centers," he said.
However, according to him, few PLWHA are willing to undergo ARV treatment because of the stigma that PLWHA receive. In addition, many PLWHA cannot undergo ARV treatment because they are constrained by access and transportation costs to ARV treatment facilities. "ARV [treatment] must be lifelong. If for example treatment is stopped, continue taking the same medicine but it is still reviewed. Usually it is reviewed for six months. If after six months the number of viruses is not detected, the drug is continued. But [if] the virus is high, it means one of the drugs is replaced. ARV has three types of drugs in one tablet. Take one tablet but inside there are three types of drugs," he said.
Jayapura City is the highest
Acting Head of the Papua Provincial Health Office, dr. Arry Potingku MHM said that the highest number of HIV/AIDS sufferers in Papua is in Jayapura City. According to Potingku, the high number of HIV/AIDS cases is caused by several factors, including free sex. "Free sex plays a major role in the spread of HIV/AIDS. [And] Jayapura City has the highest number of HIV/AIDS sufferers in Papua," Potingku said last week. Based on data from the Papua Provincial Health Office from 1993 to the end of 2024, there were 18,892 patients in Papua Province who were actively suffering from HIV/AIDS. The highest number of HIV/AIDS cases was in Jayapura City (8,487 people), followed by Jayapura Regency (4,746 people), Biak Numfor Regency (2,957 people), Yapen Islands Regency (1,599 people).
HIV/AIDS cases were also found in Keerom Regency (434 people), Supiori Regency (247 people), Waropen Regency (194 people), Sarmi Regency (166 people), and the fewest HIV/AIDS cases were in Mamberamo Raya Regency (62 people).
Arry Potingku asked the district/city health office to conduct HIV/AIDS screening. He said that during the free health check-up, HIV testing was also offered.
"Many have not been detected," he said.
Dominated by OAP
The Person in Charge of HIV/AIDS at the Abepantai Health Center, Ruth Kristina Wabiser Amd Kep said that there were 75 HIV/AIDS patients undergoing Antiretroviral or ARV treatment at the Abepantai Health Center. According to him, the HIV/AIDS patients undergoing treatment were spread across Enggros Village, Nafri Village, Koya Koso Village and Abepantai Sub-district. "There are 75 PLWHA patients served. Those who are patients undergoing ARV treatment. They are actively undergoing ARV treatment. This is a case from 2011 to the present," Wabiser told Jubi, on Thursday (2/13/2025).
Wabiser said that HIV/AIDS patients were dominated by indigenous Papuans, namely 54 patients. Meanwhile, there are 21 non-native Papuans with HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS patients range from toddlers aged 2 years to 57 years.
“From 2 years old to 57 years old. The most OAP patients,” he said.
Wabiser also said that there were HIV/AIDS patients who were rejected by their families. He said that patients who were rejected by their families would stay at the Surya Kasih Hospice. “There is still stigma and rejection from the family. If they experience rejection, we usually put them in the Surya Kasih Hospice, until their condition recovers well, then the family can accept them. That's what we've found so far. In the hospice there is one patient [from the Abepantai Health Center] who has been there for almost three months,” he said.
The Person in Charge of HIV/AIDS at the Abepura Health Center, Iin Siti Rubiah SKep Ners said that as of January 2025, her party had served ARV treatment for 108 patients. Patients who received treatment were aged 20 to 62 years.
Siti said that HIV/AIDS patients were also dominated by indigenous Papuans. According to her, PLHIV patients were spread across Kota Baru Village, Awiyo Village, Yobe Village, and Asano Village. “Mostly OAP. Some are routine, some are not. [But] we always provide [stock] of extra medicine for patients who leave the area [for] work, some work as far as Sarmi,” said Siti, on Thursday (2/13/2025).
Head of the HIV/AIDS Section of the Papua Provincial Health Office, dr. Rindang Pribadi Marahaba asked HIV/AIDS sufferers to routinely undergo Antiretroviral or ARV treatment. ARV treatment is important to reduce the risk of HIV transmission and prevent the worsening of opportunistic infections. Rindang also asked families to provide support for their families who are undergoing ARV treatment. According to Rindang, support from the community is needed and especially for PLWHA patients.
“It is hoped that those who already know their HIV/AIDS status will immediately return to services to get ARV. Those who take ARV must do so routinely every day. For families, the community continues to support families infected with HIV/AIDS. So that they take their medication regularly,” he said. (*)
Comments/media releases/reports/etc.
Indonesia risks carbon ‘backfire’ with massive deforestation for sugarcane
What is really happening in West Papua? Documentary (English version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OntaTBg7I5A&t=0s
Indonesian version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktLxTW5nQLo
Five Pacific region geopolitical ‘betrayals’ in 2024
https://davidrobie.nz/2025/01/five-pacific-region-geopolitical-betrayals-in-2024/
Press Release: ‘Dirty copper’: Financial Conduct Authority alerted that ‘London Metal Exchange has knowledge of potential money laundering’
Indonesian Government Enters a New Phase in the Occupation of West Papua https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/indonesian-governmententers-a-new-phase-in-the-occupation-of-west-papua/
A short 9 min video in Bahasa but shows some of the flag raising/demos over the last few years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9wmSx_O0dU
Community/civil society groups/unions rally at Sydney Town Hall protesting the proposed law restricting right to protest
https://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2025/02/photos-communitycivil-society.html
A list of sources of information/links in Bahasa and English for December 2024
https://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2025/01/a-list-of-sources-of-informationlinks.html
Last update
https://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2024/12/awpa-west-papua-update-no-7_15.html
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