2) TNI-Polri vow firm action against armed groups in Papua
3) Indonesian minister pushes export villages to boost West Papua economy
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https://humanrightsmonitor.org/case/series-of-arbitrary-detentions-in-dekai-continues-security-forces-alleged-of-detaining-dozens-of-papuan-youth-without-warrant-including-minors/
1) Series of arbitrary detentions in Dekai continues: Security forces alleged of detaining dozens of Papuan youth without warrant, including minors
Human rights analysis
Security forces search a house in Dekai, February 2026
Some of the Papuan youth arrested in Dekai on 21 and 22 February
Location: Dekai, Yahukimo regency, Highland Papua, Indonesia (-4.8638158, 139.4837298) Various locations in Dekai
Region: Indonesia, Highland Papua, Yahukimo, Dekai
Total number of victims: 26
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Melkim Selak | male | 27 | Indigenous Peoples | torture |
| 2. | 1 | Dartinus Esema | male | 21 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention |
| 3. | 1 | Yoten Giban | male | 15 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention |
| 4. | 1 | Amonto Nato | male | 20 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary arrest |
| 5. | 1 | Sonai Giban | male | 17 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary arrest |
| 6. | 1 | Panus Payage | male | 14 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary arrest |
| 7. | 1 | Meli Heluka | male | 14 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary arrest |
| 8. | 1 | Kris (Kotor) Giban | male | 16 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary arrest |
| 9. | 1 | Mika (Homi) Heluka | male | 17 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary arrest |
| 10. | 1 | Enake (Arnius) Heluka | male | 17 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary arrest |
| 11. | 1 | Feri Alemdam | male | 15 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention |
| 12. | 1 | Olan Alya | male | 17 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention |
| 13. | 1 | Erik Alya | male | 18 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention |
| 14. | 1 | Eli Malyo | male | 17 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention |
| 15. | 1 | Benius Uow | male | 14 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention |
| 16. | 1 | Samuel Mare | male | 15 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention |
| 17. | 1 | Kutrom Suhun | male | 19 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention |
| 18. | 1 | Andi Heluka | male | 17 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention |
| 19. | 1 | Sanpe Nato | male | 15 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention |
| 20. | 1 | Jekson Giban | male | 20 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention |
| 21. | 1 | Pinaus Nato | male | minor | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention |
| 22. | 1 | Ania Nato | male | minor | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention |
| 23. | 1 | Meno Heluka | male | 25 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention |
| 24. | 1 | Menggel Soma | male | 18 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention |
| 25. | 1 | Arun Giban | male | 0 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention |
| 26. | 1 | Hilang Suhun | 0 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention |
Perpetrator: Indonesian Security Forces
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence
Brigadier General Thevi Zebua, chief of staff of the Military Regional Command XVII Cendrawasih, said the measures aim to protect communities and demonstrate state presence in the region.
Speaking during a leadership meeting at Kodam XVII Cendrawasih headquarters in Jayapura, Thevi cited a recent increase in security incidents, prompting joint operations with task forces including Satgas Habema and Satgas Operasi Damai Cartenz.
He confirmed combined TNI-Polri teams are targeting KKB in areas such as Nabire and Timika, with operations already producing results.
“The armed groups have targeted teachers and healthcare workers, accusing them of supporting the military, even though their presence serves local communities,” Thevi said.
He emphasized that terrorist actions by these groups cannot be tolerated, and state forces are acting to protect civilians while affirming government authority.
Thevi warned that unchecked violence would harm local populations by deterring teachers and medical personnel from serving in affected areas.
He urged residents to report any suspicious activity or presence of armed groups so TNI-Polri can take preventive and protective measures.
“This is crucial to safeguard the community and ensure continued access to essential services,” he said, stressing the importance of collaboration between security forces and civilians in maintaining peace.
Papuan separatists have intensified attacks across Indonesia’s easternmost provinces in recent years, targeting civilians, workers, and security forces in a campaign aimed at spreading fear and undermining state authority.
Armed groups linked to the Free Papua Movement (OPM) have frequently used hit-and-run tactics against Indonesian troops and staged assaults on civilians in districts including Intan Jaya, Nduga, Yahukimo, and Puncak.
Targets have included construction workers, motorcycle taxi drivers, teachers, students, food vendors, and civilian aircraft crews.
Notable incidents include December 2, 2018: Rebels killed 31 workers from PT Istaka Karya building the Trans Papua highway in Kali Yigi and Kali Aurak, Yigi Subdistrict, Nduga District.
February 7, 2023: New Zealand pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens was taken hostage by an armed group led by Egianus Kogoya after landing a Susi Air flight in Nduga District. His aircraft was then set on fire.
April 2025: Sixteen illegal gold miners were shot dead by an armed group in Yahukimo District, Highland Papua.
Related news: Smart Air pilots killed in South Papua airfield, armed group suspected
Related news: RI Govt urged to halt arms, ammo sales in Papua
Related news: More personnel of Cartenz Task Force, Brimob deployed to Sugapa
Translator: Evarukdijati, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
“Villages can now directly conduct export through village-owned enterprises (BUMDes),” Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Minister Yandri Susanto said while receiving West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan at the ministry’s office here on Wednesday.
In line with that, Susanto urged the West Papua provincial government to thoroughly map out the potential of villages that could be developed for export activities.
In addition to export villages, the minister noted that the tourism village program could also accelerate rural development. He asked the governor to designate one village as a pilot project for tourism village development.
He also encouraged the provincial government to participate in developing thematic villages tailored to each village’s unique potential.
“West Papua has also become a locus of the Integrated Village Economic Transformation (TEKAD) program in Manokwari, South Manokwari, Pegunungan Arfak, Fakfak, and Kaimana, covering 185 villages,” he stated.
Earlier during the meeting, Governor Mandacan outlined several priority programs requiring intervention from the ministry across seven regencies, 91 sub-districts, 57 urban villages, and 817 villages.
“We are prioritizing strengthening the rural economy based on local potential. In addition, there are programs in the education and health sectors,” he remarked.
Mandacan also conveyed that the province has been preparing programs to enhance the capacity of village officials and residents, along with rural infrastructure development and initiatives targeting disadvantaged areas.
Meanwhile, Minister Susanto responded positively to the proposals, noting that they align with the "12 Priority Actions in Building Villages, Building Indonesia" agenda.
Related news: Indonesian minister urges priority Infrastructure push in Papua
Related news: Indonesia seeks synchronized efforts for development in Papua
Related news: Papua regions receive first-quarter 2026 special autonomy funds
Translator: Tri, Kenzu
Editor: M Razi Rahman
Reiner Brabar, Jayapura – The Papua Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has issued a strong critique stating that Papua is being pushed to the brink of ecological destruction by a coalition of oligarchs, capitalism and the state, hiding behind the narrative of investment and green development.
Walhi Papua Executive Director Maikel Primus Peuki referred to the relationship between the oligarchy and capitalism as an "illicit love affair between power and capital", which is systematically sacrificing the forests and indigenous communities for the sake of accumulating profits.
He made this statement during a public discussion held at a hotel in Jayapura city, Papua, on Thursday February 26.
The discussion, titled "Fighting the Oligarchy in the Land of Papua", featured four keynote speakers: Peuki, Umbu Wulang, Walhi Institutional Division head, Ester Haluk, a social activist and academic at the Walter Post Theological College (STT), and Naomi Marasian, director of the Limited Association for the Study and Empowerment of Indigenous Communities (Pt PPMA) Papua.
Peuki believes the state is not neutral, but rather an instrument of the oligarchy that acts through mining permits, palm oil plantations and large-scale investment projects.
"Papua's natural environment is being reduced to a commodity. Indigenous communities are marginalised on their own land, while profits flow to the owners of capital", Peuki asserted.
According to Peuki, the narrative of increasing regional revenues and clean energy is merely a cover for massive concessions on customary forests. On the ground, village communities often encounter heavy equipment entering without their free, prior or informed consent (FPIC).
Thousands of hectares of forest are being cleared, spiritual ties with the land are being severed and local economies are being destroyed.
"This is a green illusion. The state talks about energy transition and prosperity, yet extractive permits continue to be issued. There's an addiction to permits to cover the budget [shortfall]", Peuki said.
Peuki emphasised that the impact is real, indigenous communities who subsist on sago, fish and gardens are being forced into a fragile money economy and the global market. Structural poverty exists in regions rich in resources. "Trees don't need people; people need trees", said Peuki.
Umbu Wulang added that the Papuan issue must be interpreted as internal colonialism, a process of control of living space by the state and corporations in the name of development. He highlighted the practice of "statistical poverty": rich regions are labelled poor so that large-scale mining and plantations are legitimised.
"The root of the problem is the power structure. In an oligarchic system, capital is sovereign. In indigenous communities, the people are sovereign over their land", said Wulang.
Wulang called for a reversal stating that every investment must comply with the ecological, customary, theological and economic safety requirements set by the communities themselves.
He also called for the restoration of culture and mother tongue as the foundation of human relationships, a land now being eroded by industrial expansion.
Walhi Papua emphasised that the current juncture is clear: continuing a development model based on extraction and accumulation of capital, or shifting to ecological justice that recognises the unity of humans and nature.
"Without changing the power structure, they warn, the ecological destruction and impoverishment of indigenous communities in Papua will continue to be repeated", he concluded.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "WALHI Papua: Oligarki dan Ilusi Hijau Hancurkan Tanah Papua".]
Source: https://suarapapua.com/2026/02/28/walhi-papua-oligarki-dan-ilusi-hijau-hancurkan-tanah-papua/
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