2) Rising military operations in West Papua spark concerns about displacement of indigenous Papuans
3) W Papua: 10 dead, 10 missing in flash flood, landslides
4) An Urgent Appeal for UN Interference on Armed Conflict in Papua by TPNPB to the UN Secretary General and All Leaders of UN Member States Throughout the World
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1) Clash in Papua Reportedly Leaves One TPNPB-OPM Militant Dead
Reporter Dani Aswara May 21, 2025 | 10:59 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An armed clash between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organization (TPNPB-OPM) reportedly occurred in the Kurima District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Highlands. A TPNPB-OPM member was reported dead in a shootout around the Yetni River on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
According to Theo Hesegem, the Director of the Papua Justice and Integrity Foundation (YKKMP), the incident was a continuation of tensions that had occurred the day before. On Saturday morning, May 17, 2025, Theo received a report of an armed attack by a group of TPNPB-OPM led by Egianus Kogeya at several points, including the Koramil 1715-03 Kurima Post, Satgas 641/BRU Post, and the Kurima Police Sector.
Theo and his team immediately headed to Kurima to verify the information. There, the TNI personnel stated that there were no fatalities, only damage to a satellite dish. "They attacked from the left side from 05:00 to 07:00. We restrained ourselves and retaliated from inside the post," said a TNI member to Theo, in the YKKMP report on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
From the Kurima Police Sector, the local chief of police also reported no casualties or damage. "We remained inside the headquarters and retaliated after they started shooting," he said.
The next day, on May 18, 2025, around 15:40 WIT, another armed clash occurred around the Yetni River. Based on the information received by Theo from the TNI, Satgas 641/BRU personnel, who were moving from Wamena to Kurima, were intercepted by a TPNPB-OPM group. The exchange of fire lasted until 17:45 WIT.
The TNI reported that one TPNPB-OPM member known as Esa Giban was killed in the incident. The TNI personnel did not suffer any fatalities. "The victim was evacuated to the Wamena General Hospital, and material losses are still being documented," according to the official statement from Satgas.
Spokesperson for the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organization (TPNPB-OPM) Sebby Sambom confirmed that a militia member named Esa Giban was killed in the shootout. He stated that the casualty was the Operations Commander of Company A from Battalion Wesem. Additionally, he claimed that three military soldiers were also victims in the same shooting incident.
However, Lieutenant Colonel Inf Candra Kurniawan, the Head of Information for the XVII Cenderawasih Regional Military Command, denied the OPM's claim of casualties on the TNI side. "There are none," he said.
Novali Pandji Nugroho contributed to the writing of this article.
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2) Rising military operations in West Papua spark concerns about displacement of indigenous Papuans
4:57 pm on 21 May 2025
A West Papua independence leader says
escalating violence is forcing indigenous Papuans to flee their ancestral lands.
It comes as the Indonesian military claims 18 members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) were killed in an hour-long operation in Intan Jaya on 14 May.
In a statement,
reported by Kompas Daily, Indonesia's military said its presence is "not to intimidate the people" but to protect them from violence.
"We will not allow the people of Papua to live in fear in their own land," it said.
Indonesia's military said it seized firearms, ammunition, bows and arrows. They also took morning star flags - used as a symbol for West Papuan independence - and communication equipment.
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) interim president Benny Wenda, who lives in exile in the United Kingdom, told RNZ Pacific that seven villages in Ilaga, Puncak Regency in Central Papua are now being attacked.
"The current military escalation in West Papua has now been building for months. Initially targeting Intan Jaya, the Indonesian military have since broadened their attacks into other highlands Regencies, including Puncak," he said.
Wenda said women and children are being forced to leave their villages because of escalating conflict, often from drone attacks or airstrikes.
Earlier this month, ULMWP claimed one civilian and another was seriously injured after being shot at from a helicopter.
Last week, ULMWP shared a video of a group of indigenous Papuans walking through mountains holding an Indonesian flag, which Wenda said was a symbol of surrender.
"They look at us as primitive and they look at us as subhuman," Wenda said.
He said the increased military presence was driven by resources.
President Prabowo Subianto's administration has a goal to be able to feed Indonesia's population without imports as early as 2028.
A video statement from tribes in Mappi Regency in South Papua from about a month ago, translated to English, said they rejected Indonesia's food project and asked companies to leave.
In the video, about a dozen Papuans stood while one said the clans in the region had existed on customary land for generations and that companies had surveyed land without consent.
"We firmly ask the local government, the regent, Mappi Regency to immediately review the permits and revoke the company's permits," the person speaking said.
Wenda said the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) had also grown.
But he said many of the TPNPB were using bow and arrows against modern weapons.
"I call them home guard because there's nowhere to go."
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3) W Papua: 10 dead, 10 missing in flash flood, landslides
May 21, 2025 22:35 GMT+700
Manokwari (ANTARA) - At least 10 residents have been confirmed dead following the recent flash flood and landslides in the Catubouw, Arfak Mountains district, West Papua province, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas)."We discovered one victim on the fifth day of our SAR operation, adding to the nine victims that have been evacuated earlier," head of the Basarnas Office of Manokwari, Yefri Sabaruddin, said in Manokwari district, West Papua, on Wednesday.He highlighted that six of the victims have been identified, adding, "(The identification of) Four other victims is pending the results of the examination by a disaster victim identification team from the West Papua Regional Police."Due to heavy rain, the SAR operation on the fifth day was paused around 2 p.m. local time, but will be resumed the next day to locate 10 more residents reported missing since the hydrometeorological disasters struck Jim village on the night of May 16, 2025."In total, the disasters affected 24 people, with 4 survivors, 10 found dead, and 10 others still missing," Sabaruddin informed.He further said that the SAR operation involved 127 personnel from multiple institutions, including the Basarnas, local military units, the West Papua Police, the Arfak Mountains Resort Police, the West Papua Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), and the Arfak Mountains BPBD."Local residents and families of victims have also contributed to the SAR operation," he added.He informed that on Wednesday, the fifth day of the operation, the joint team deployed one excavator and supporting tools and equipment, including communication devices and drones, to map the scene.Related news: 4.8-magnitude earthquake hits West Papua's Pegunungan ArfakRelated news: 5.1-magnitude quake hits West Papua's Pegunungan ArfakTranslator: Fransiskus S, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Arie Novarina
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From a posting on AWPA FB page
4) An Urgent Appeal for UN Interference on Armed Conflict in Papua by TPNPB to the UN Secretary General and All Leaders of UN Member States Throughout the World
A. Background of the Armed Conflict Between the TPNPB Troops and the Illegal Occupation Forces of the Indonesian Military Has Reached 64th Years, and this armed conflict is the result of the mistakes of the UN, the United States of America Government, the Royal Dutch Government and the Indonesian Government which have carried out the forced annexation of the Political Rights of the Papuan Nation into Indonesian territory since May 1, 1963. And as a result of this mistake, the Papuan Indigenous People have long suffered for 64th years, and this suffering has become increasingly critical due to the massive and very brutal Indonesian Military operations in the last 5 years. The most recent and real example is that the Indonesian Military has carried out a Morning attack on the Papuan Indigenous Residential Settlement and has killed more than 14 civilians who are Papuan Indigenous residents and the Indonesian Military has illegally occupied Papuan Indigenous Villages in Intan Jaya Regency, Papua. Seeing this situation, the TPNPB Central Command Headquarters today, on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, issued an appeal to call for UN intervention for urgent humanitarian action or humanitarian emergency action in Papua.
B. The West Papua National Liberation Army highly respects of International Humanitarian Law in War and is practicing as well on movement. This is evident from the TPNPB's call through the 2017 on West Papua National Liberation War Declaration in Yambi, Papua, where the TPNPB has announced that civilians who are Indonesian immigrants must leave the war zone. And we issued this open call because the humanitarian emergency situation in Papua where indigenous Papuan civilians are no longer safe because pastors, priests, and indigenous Papuan medical personnel are no longer safe and many have been killed by the Indonesian military on May 14, 2025. And also Church buildings, school buildings, and government buildings that should be safe places for civilians are no longer safe because the civilian buildings have been occupied by the Indonesian military and the indigenous Papuan population is afraid and has fled to the forests. And also access to humanitarian aid is closed by the government, because the airport and transportation and economy have been controlled by the Indonesian military.
The Liberation War carried out by TPNPB has been categorized as non-international, because Indonesia has been supported by other countries to hid, while the TPNPB still uses ordinary weapons. Actually, it is an international conflict. However, TPNPB remains an opponent to defend itself and the Papuan nation, even though the war equipment is not balanced.
C. Urgent Appeal and Emergency Humanitarian Action in Papua 2025
1. On behalf of the Papuan people, we urge the UN Secretary General and the Leaders of UN Member States around the world to immediately carry out Humanitarian intervention in Papua to save the indigenous Papuans from the crimes of the Indonesian Military;
2. We also urge the International Committee of the Red Cross to enter Papua to carry out a Humanitarian mission, because almost 100 thousand indigenous Papuan civilians have fled to the forests and live without health insurance and foods supplies. In this case, we need to convey that this crisis is the same as in Gaza, but there is no international attention;
3. We also urge the UN Human Rights Commission and all human rights working group around the world to urge the Indonesian Government to intervene in humanity and conduct a transparent or open investigation into the crimes of the Indonesian Military who were killed indigenous Papuan civilians in Intan Jaya, Puncak Jaya, Ndugama, Puncak Papua, Sorong Mybrat, Yahukimo, Pegunungan Bintang and other Papua;
4. We ask all Papuan Indigenous People and Indonesians who are concerned about the suffering of Papuan Indigenous People to immediately urge the Indonesian Government to open Humanitarian Access and independent investigations into the armed conflict areas in Papua.
This is an urgent appeal from the Management of the TPNPB Headquarters, and thank you for your attention.
Issued from the Management of the TPNPB Headquarters, on May 21, 2025.
On behalf of High Commander Gen Goliath Naman Tabuni
By Chief of General Staff Major General Terryanus Satto
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