2) Merauke Forum: Indigenous communities meet Komnas HAM and Government Officials over land disputes
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1) Police Uncover Weapons Supplier Network, TPNPB-OPM: 'We Have Other Networks’
Reporter Vedro Imanuel Girsang
March 18, 2025 | 06:10 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Spokesperson of the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organization (TPNPB-OPM), Sebby Sambom, admits not to worry even though the Indonesian police have uncovered the weapons supplier network to their organization. He claims to still have other networks that can fulfill the need for weapons for their guerrilla warfare.
"True (there are still many other weapons supplier networks)," said Sebby when contacted by Tempo through a messaging application on Monday, March 17, 2025.
However, Sebby did not mention where the network comes from. He also did not answer whether the other network comes from within or outside the country.
"It is the TPNPB's business according to work connections," said Sebby. "Certainly (there are other networks), but that's confidential," he added.
Although the weapon supplier network was uncovered by the police, Sebby ensures that the resistance carried out by the TPNPB will not weaken. He mentioned that TPNPB-OPM's struggle will not change.
"Because TPNPB has experience in guerrilla warfare, survival, and continuous struggle for more than 60 years. So TPNPB is still capable," said Sebby. Previously, Sebby apologized to those who supported the smuggling of weapons to the OPM after their network was uncovered. "We apologize to everyone involved in supporting us, supplying weapons to TPNPB-OPM," said Sebby Sambom to Tempo on Saturday, March 15, 2025.
According to Sebby, the exposure of weapon smuggling occurred due to the mistake by TPNPB-OPM members. He suspected that Yuni Enumbi was not careful and divulged information to the Indonesian police and military, resulting in the exposure of the smuggling network.
"This is Yuni Enumbi's mistake for not being mentally prepared, so he 'sang.' It is because of his 'singing' that our network became a victim," said Sebby.
The Joint Task Force for Peace Operation Cartenz 2025 along with the Papua Regional Police uncovered the firearms supplier network for TPNPB-OPM. It was revealed that two former TNI soldiers were involved in selling firearms to OPM. The two former soldiers are former members of the XVIII/Kasuari Military Regional Command, namely Yuni Enumbi and Eko Sugiyono. They were discharged from the TNI for allegedly being involved in smuggling weapons to TPNPB-OPM in 2022.
The Papua Regional Police and East Java Regional Police also unveiled a firearms manufacturing network in Bojonegoro, East Java. The network consists of Teguh Priyono, M. Kamaluddin, Pujiono, M. Herianto, and Adi Pamungkas. Except for Herianto, these names, along with Yuni and Eko, were designated as suspects for selling firearms to TPNPB-OPM.
"These new suspects were revealed based on the results of the development of the arrest of Yuni Enumbi," said Papua Regional Police Chief Inspector General Patrige Rudolf Renwarin in a written statement on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
Eka Yudha Saputra and Hammam Izzuddin contributed to the writing of this article.
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The indigenous Marind Anim people of South Papua, alongside hundreds of indigenous activists from across Indonesia, have issued a powerful rejection of
the National Strategic Projects (PSN) that threaten their land, culture, and livelihoods. From 11 to 14 March 2025, more than 250 participants gathered in Merauke for the ‘Merauke Solidarity’ forum, where they condemned the PSN programme as a corporate-driven initiative that disregards indigenous rights and devastates the environment.
Their declaration called for the immediate cessation of PSN projects, which they argue have led to land grabbing, ecological destruction, and systematic human rights violations.
The forum culminated in a tense meeting with representatives of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), the South Papua Provincial Government, and the Ministry of Human Rights. Indigenous leaders and activists openly confronted officials, demanding the revocation of PSN, which has fuelled violence and conflicts among indigenous communities. A striking moment came when
an indigenous woman, addressing government representatives, exclaimed, ‘Enough! Enough is enough! We have suffered too much!‘ This sentiment reflected the deep frustration of indigenous Marind Anim communities who have seen their lands taken for projects that primarily benefit large corporations.
The impact of PSN on indigenous communities in Merauke has been particularly severe. Mr Vincen Kwipalo, a leader of the Yei tribe in Jagebob District, recounted his harrowing experience of intimidation and violence after refusing to surrender his customary forest to a sugar cane plantation company. He described threats from machete-wielding men, believed to be from clans that had accepted compensation to hand over their land. Like many others, his family has resisted the disproportionally low compensation offered—IDR 300,000 per hectare—insisting that their forests cannot be sold, as they are essential for their livelihoods and cultural identity. Similar testimonies emerged from other affected regions. Mr Yakobus Mahuze from Senayu Village, Tanah Miring District, shared how his community was pressured into releasing 5,000 hectares of customary forest. The promised economic benefits never materialized, and the loss of forest cover led to water contamination, forcing families to buy drinking water. Meanwhile, large-scale land clearings have driven away wildlife, disrupted local agriculture, and undermined traditional ways of life in the Merauke Regency.
Mr Agustinus Guritno, representing the Papua Selatan Provincial Government, made controversial statements, saying that the government also has human rights, emphasizing the universal nature and the equality of rights for all, including state actors. In response, Mr Emanuel Gobay, Director of LBH Papua, strongly rejected this claim, asserting that the government does not possess human rights but must protect them. Gobay warned that a lack of understanding of human rights among state officials could lead to systematic human rights violations in West Papua.
The scale of internal displacement caused by PSN is alarming. Data from the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA) indicates that between 2020 and 2024, Indonesia-wide PSN projects sparked 154 land conflicts, affecting one million hectares and displacing over 103,000 families. Komnas HAM, represented by chairperson Mrs Atnike Sigiro, received at least 114 formal complaints of human rights abuses linked to these projects, ranging from forced evictions to violent crackdowns on protests. Despite these concerns, the Prabowo administration has expanded PSN initiatives, targeting three million hectares for new rice fields and sugar cane plantations in the Papua Selatan Province alone (see photo below, source:
Jubi).
The ‘Merauke Solidarity’ declaration marks a crucial moment in the resistance against PSN. Indigenous representatives pledged to strengthen their collective struggle, stating that the fight for land is a fight for survival. The solidarity stressed it will continue pressuring the government to recognize indigenous land rights, restore damaged ecosystems, and halt further expansion of exploitative projects. As tensions rise, the resilience of the Marind Anim and other affected indigenous groups in Indonesia underscores a broader struggle for justice, environmental protection, and preserving indigenous cultures.
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