-------------------------------------------------------
https://en.tempo.co/read/2005935/indonesian-militarys-raid-in-papua-leaves-one-opm-member-dead
1) Indonesian Military's Raid in Papua Leaves One OPM Member Dead
Reporter Novali Panji Nugroho
May 11, 2025 | 09:18 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian military (TNI) conducted a raid on the Free Papua Movement (OPM) group, who were fugitives in Kampung Kalome, Ilamobrawi, Puncak Jaya Regency, Papua, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. During the raid, one OPM member, Nekison aka Bumi Walo Enumbi, was declared dead.
Colonel Inf Candra Kurniawan, the spokesman of the XVII Cenderawasih Regional Military Command, stated that Bumi Walo tried to escape. "As a result, he was shot, incapacitated, and subsequently died," Candra said when contacted on Sunday, May 11, 2025.
He mentioned that Bumi Walo Enumbi's body has been handed over to the authorities and his family. During the raid, the military also secured several pieces of evidence, including a pistol, three mobile phones, 100 arrows, machetes, axes, the Morning Star flag, and OPM documents.
Candra stated that Bumi Walo Enumbi was one of the OPM groups listed as wanted individuals. According to him, the long-time fugitive OPM member was involved in shooting incidents that resulted in the deaths of civilians and TNI-Polri personnel from 2024 to 2025. "He has been involved in numerous attacks against civilians and security forces," he said.
Nekison aka Bumi Walo Enumbi was included in the wanted list of the Puncak Jaya Police Resort on April 25, 2024. He was known to be involved in several shooting incidents that killed members of the Puncak Jaya Police Station and retired police officers on April 7, 2025. The leader of the Yambi region of OPM was also involved in shooting attacks on motorcycle taxi drivers in 2024.
In a separate statement, Lieutenant Colonel Inf Iwan Dwi Prihartono, the commander of the TNI Habema Media Task Force, stated that the crackdown on the OPM group was carried out in a measured and accurate manner. He said, "This operation signifies the TNI's commitment to maintaining security stability and protecting the people of Papua from armed terrorist threats."
According to Iwan, the actions of the OPM not only targeted security forces but also civilians. He mentioned that one of their tactics was to spread propaganda on social media to undermine democratic integrity and worsen the situation in Papua.
"This disrupts stability and hinders development in Central Papua," he added. He urged the public to remain calm and not easily influenced by the information spread by the OPM.
Spokesperson for the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Movement or TPNPB-OPM, Sebby Sambom, could not be reached for confirmation regarding the crackdown that resulted in the death of its member. Messages directed to his WhatsApp number only show a single tick.
Editor's Choice: TPNPB-OPM Declares War on Indonesian Military in Papua
ANALYSIS: By Ali Mirin
On April 24, 2025, Indonesia made a masterful geopolitical move. Jakarta granted Fiji US$6 million in financial aid and offered to cooperate with them on military training — a seemingly benign act of diplomacy that conceals a darker purpose.
This strategic manoeuvre is the latest in Indonesia’s efforts to neutralise Pacific support for the independence movement in West Papua.
“There’s no need to be burdened by debt,” declared Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka during the bilateral meeting at Jakarta’s Merdeka Palace.
- READ MORE: Indonesia gifts $12 million grant to Fiji
- Indonesia: Racism, discrimination against indigenous Papuans
- Russia-Indonesia: 75 years of cooperation in international affairs
- Other West Papua reports
More significantly, he pledged Fiji’s respect for Indonesian sovereignty — diplomatic code for abandoning West Papua’s struggle for self-determination.
This aligns perfectly with Indonesia’s Law No. 2 of 2023, which established frameworks for defence cooperation, including joint research, technology transfer, and military education, between the two nations.
This is not merely a partnership — it is ideological assimilation.
Indonesia’s financial generosity comes with unwritten expectations. By integrating Fijian forces into Indonesian military training programmes, Jakarta aims to export its “anti-separatist” doctrine, which frames Papuan resistance as a “criminal insurgency” rather than legitimate political expression.
The US $6 million is not aid — it’s a strategic investment in regional complicity.
Geopolitical chess in a fractured world
Indonesia’s manoeuvres must be understood in the context of escalating global tensions.
The rivalry between the US and China has transformed the Indo-Pacific into a strategic battleground, leaving Pacific Island nations caught between competing spheres of influence.
Although Jakarta is officially “non-aligned,” it is playing both sides to secure its territorial ambitions.
Its aid to Fiji is one move in a comprehensive regional strategy to diplomatically isolate West Papua.
While the world focuses on superpower competition, Indonesia is quietly strengthening its position on what it considers an internal matter — effectively removing West Papua from international discourse.
The Russian connection: Shadow alliances
Another significant yet less examined relationship is Indonesia’s growing partnership with Russia, particularly in defence technology, intelligence sharing, and energy cooperation
This relationship provides Jakarta with advanced military capabilities and reduces its dependence on Western powers and China.
Russia’s unwavering support for territorial integrity, as evidenced by its position on Crimea and Ukraine, makes it an ideal partner for Indonesia’s West Papua policy.
Moscow’s diplomatic support strengthens Jakarta’s argument that “separatist” movements are internal security issues rather than legitimate independence struggles.
This strategic triangulation — balancing relations with Washington, Beijing, and Moscow– allows Indonesia to pursue regional dominance with minimal international backlash. Each superpower, focused on countering the others’ influence, overlooks Indonesia’s systematic suppression of Papuan self-determination.
Institutionalising silence: Beyond diplomacy
The practical consequence of Indonesia’s multidimensional strategy is the diplomatic isolation of West Papua. Historically positioned to advocate for Melanesian solidarity, Fiji now faces economic incentives to remain silent on Indonesian human rights abuses.
A similar pattern emerges across the Pacific as Jakarta extends these types of arrangements to other regional players.
It is not just about temporary diplomatic alignment; it is about the structural transformation of regional politics.
When Pacific nations integrate their security apparatuses with Indonesia’s, they inevitably adopt Jakarta’s security narratives. Resistance movements are labelled “terrorist threats,” independence advocates are branded “destabilising elements,” and human rights concerns are dismissed as “foreign interference”.
Most alarmingly, military cooperation provides Indonesia with channels to export its counterinsurgency techniques, which are frequently criticised by human rights organisations for their brutality.
Security forces in the Pacific trained in these approaches may eventually use them against their own Papuan advocacy groups.
The price of strategic loyalty
For just US$6 million — a fraction of Indonesia’s defence budget — Jakarta purchases Fiji’s diplomatic loyalty, military alignment, and ideological compliance. This transaction exemplifies how economic incentives increasingly override moral considerations such as human rights, indigenous sovereignty, and decolonisation principles that once defined Pacific regionalism.
Indonesia’s approach represents a sophisticated evolution in its foreign policy. No longer defensive about West Papua, Jakarta is now aggressively consolidating regional support, methodically closing avenues for international intervention, and systematically delegitimising Papuan voices on the global stage.
Will the Pacific remember its soul?
The path ahead for West Papua is becoming increasingly treacherous. Beyond domestic repression, the movement now faces waning international support as economic pragmatism supplants moral principle throughout the Pacific region.
Unless Pacific nations reconnect with their anti-colonial heritage and the values that secured their independence, West Papua’s struggle risks fading into obscurity, overwhelmed by geopolitical calculations and economic incentives.
The question facing the Pacific region is not simply about West Papua, but about regional identity itself. Will Pacific nations remain true to their foundational values of indigenous solidarity and decolonisation? Or will they sacrifice these principles on the altar of transactional diplomacy?
The date April 24, 2025, may one day be remembered not only as the day Indonesia gave Fiji US$6 million but also as the day the Pacific began trading its moral authority for economic expediency, abandoning West Papua to perpetual colonisation in exchange for short-term gains.
The Pacific is at a crossroads — it can either reclaim its voice or resign itself to becoming a theatre where greater powers dictate the fate of indigenous peoples. For West Papua, everything depends on which path is chosen.
Ali Mirin is a West Papuan from the Kimyal tribe of the highlands that share a border with the Star Mountain region of Papua New Guinea. He graduated with a Master of Arts in international relations from Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.