Indonesian security forces killed 15 West Papuans, 12 of them civilians, during a military operation in Soanggama Village in the Intan Jaya Regency in occupied West Papua.
In the aftermath, West Papuans in Intan Jaya took to the streets on October 28 to demand an end to militarisation in their region and to condemn the killings.
The Australian West Papua Association (AWPA) condemned the killings and reported that during the operation, security forces “conducted house to house searches and opened fire in an indiscriminate fashion resulting in 15 deaths.
“According to community sources, soldiers buried most of the bodies with some still to be found.”
AWPA spokesperson Joe Collins said, “As with previous military operations, local people fled in fear of their lives. In this case, up to 145 residents fled from Soanggama, Janamba and Kulapa.”
The Indonesian occupying forces claim that the dead were members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) and were killed in a firefight. However, this was contradicted by TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom, who said that only three of the dead were TPNPB members.
Drawing on reports from Jubi, Human Rights Monitor and civil society groups, AWPA said local church leaders and civil society groups also dispute the official narrative: “The Intan Jaya Conflict Mediation Team [IJCMT] identified at least nine civilians, including a deaf man and a housewife who died while fleeing.”
The head of the IJCMT, Yoakim Mujizau, visited Soanggama Village and identified the victims and gathered information from residents who witnessed the incident. The team also received information from members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces stationed there.
According to AWPA, the victims were buried by the taskforce in different locations. Two were buried in Soanggama Hamlet in front of the Protestant church. Six were buried in Dusandigi Hamlet, Soanggama Village, and one woman was buried in Jembatan Hamlet, on the Wuisiga River. The bodies of the other six victims have not yet been found.
“The security forces are still unwilling to provide information. Where are the shooting victims? And where are they buried? So we are still investigating the whereabouts of the bodies, and we have not yet identified them,” Mujizau said.
Collins said that while the Indonesian military claims it reclaimed/liberated a village from the TPNPB, “the only liberation that needs to be done is the liberation of West Papuans from the oppression of the Indonesian security forces”.
Collins also condemned the Australian government for its silence in response to the killings and its ongoing training and joint military exercises with the Indonesian occupying forces.
“We have a massacre of Papuan civilians on our doorstep and there is no comment from Canberra on the incident. No concern about the ongoing human rights abuses, the military operations or the death of civilians in the territory.”
Collins called on the Australian government to “become involved and put pressure on Jakarta to control its military in West Papua, as a first small step”.
Meanwhile, human rights advocates have growing concerns following the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the European Union and Indonesia on September 23. According to the Diplomat, the “CEPA includes a duty-free quota for crude palm and palm kernel oil” and supplies of gold and copper from West Papua’s Grasberg mine, the largest gold mine and third-largest copper mine in the world.
Indonesia’s military-backed Food Estates Program in occupied West Papua is bulldozing 2 million hectares of rainforest to set up sugarcane, rice and palm oil plantations, resulting in displacement of and violence against West Papuans.
Benny Wenda, a Papuan living in exile in Britain, told the Diplomat that the EU is “authorising ecocide and genocide in West Papua” and “giving Indonesia a mandate to deploy their troops, control our natural resources, and destroy our forests”.
Australian-based Indonesian Human Rights advocate Veronica Koman said that while the West Papuan resistance movement is “getting stronger and larger every day due to its popularity among Papuans, despite Indonesia’s brutal effort to crush them … [t]he difference is now the European public is directly implicated in this bloodshed.”
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https://jubi.id/domberai/2025/anak-muda-papua-harus-jadi-pelindung-alam-bukan-korban-eksploitasi/
A google translate. Original Bahasa link
2) Papuan youth must become protectors of nature, not victims of exploitation
October 28, 2025 in Domberai, Tanah Papua
Author: Gamaliel Kaliele - Editor: Angela Flassy
The future of Papua's forests and indigenous peoples lies in the hands of young people. Through mentoring programs in three key regions: the Arfak Mountains, South Sorong, and Raja Ampat, Bentara Papua is committed to building the capacity of the younger generation to become pioneers in protecting nature, not victims of the current flow of natural resource exploitation. The following is an interview with the Director of the Bentara Papua Foundation, Yunes Magdalena Bonay, in Salawati, Tuesday (October 28, 2025).
What motivated Bentara Papua to focus on mentoring young people in three regions—the Arfak Mountains, South Sorong, and Raja Ampat?
We believe the future of Papua's forests and indigenous communities lies in the hands of the younger generation. Therefore, Bentara Papua is developing a program that encourages young people to become protectors of nature, not victims of promiscuity or the flow of natural resource exploitation. Our hope is simple but profound: they can discover their identity, recognize their potential, and play an active role in protecting their own land and forests.
What were the key findings from Bentara Papua's assessments in these three regions?
We found two large groups of young people. Some are highly educated and high-achieving, but many have dropped out of school and lost their way. Young people who drop out often remain in their villages without activities. Some who go to the city return with bad habits like drinking and causing trouble. We find it a shame to see their potential wasted.
From that concern, the "Learning House" or "Station" program was born.
That's right. We established three "stations" in three assisted locations. These places are not only learning spaces, but also halfway houses. Young people can gather, create, and learn together—some play guitar, carve, or learn new skills. We accommodate them all there. At each station, we assign two to three mentors, both male and female, so that we can provide support according to the social context and gender needs. This approach is important so that they feel comfortable and grow with mentors who understand their experiences.
How do activities like the Youth Forest Camp relate to this mentoring?
The Youth Forest Camp is an important part of the learning process. This activity brings together indigenous youth, environmental organizations, universities, and the government. We want young people to learn directly from various experiences of protecting nature. We collaborate with partners such as Greenpeace Indonesia, Econusa, ISBI Jayapura, Unimuda Sorong, and government representatives. Each partner has a different approach—some through coffee, campaigns, research, or education. We want young Papuans to see all these opportunities and then find their own path.
What local economic potential has been discovered during our mentoring in the three regions?
Many. In the Arfak Mountains, communities have begun growing coffee on idle land to supplement their income without destroying the forest. In South Sorong, the potential for sago is enormous. From there, we reached out through young people and indigenous communities, because for them, protecting the forest is like protecting their own food. Now, locally produced sago flour is sold in shops in Southwest Papua, Sorong, and even Manokwari.
Meanwhile, in Raja Ampat, we focused on areas like Salawati and Batanta that have not yet been touched by tourism. There, communities have begun producing their own coconut oil. They are no longer dependent on buying from the city. This is a form of economic independence born from local potential.
How does Bentara Papua ensure that this program does not encourage the exploitation of nature?
We do not teach exploitation. Our principle is to live prosperously from nature without destroying it. We teach independence and a sustainable economy. People must understand that true prosperity comes from a harmonious relationship with nature, not from deforestation.
In your opinion, what is the most important meaning of this year's Youth Forest Camp?
This isn't just a camping activity or a seminar. It's a meeting place across communities and generations to build shared ecological awareness. Young people are learning that climate change isn't a distant issue—it's right before their eyes.
We're also bringing in forest campaigners from Greenpeace, academics, and indigenous activists. Their message is one: Papuan youth must stand at the forefront of protecting the forest.
What will be the culmination of all these activities?
The culmination won't be a ceremony, but a collective reflection. We'll conclude with a summit night, where all participants will make a united call to action to save Papua's forests and natural resources. This isn't just an event, but a call to action—to empower the younger generation of Papua to say: "If not us, who? If not now, when?"(*)
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