The evacuation was carried out by the Habema Joint Regional Defense Command after the miners escaped from Kawe village in Awimbon Subdistrict, Pegunungan Bintang District, on May 24.
"This evacuation reflects the state's presence in protecting civilians affected by security disturbances in the Papua Highlands interior," Habema spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel M. Wirya Arthadiguna said in a statement received in Jakarta on Monday.
Wirya did not provide details on the circumstances surrounding the miners' escape or whether any direct confrontation with separatist fighters had occurred before the evacuation.
He said the operation began after the 44 residents arrived at Tanah Merah Port in Boven Digoel District aboard three longboats from Kawe Village.
Upon arriving at the port, the evacuees received security protection and assistance from Habema personnel and other security officers for registration, medical checks, and further safety procedures.
Following the evacuation, military personnel increased security measures in several nearby areas to ensure residents remained safe amid continuing concerns over armed separatist activity.
"Habema and related security agencies continue efforts to maintain a conducive security situation and strengthen preventive measures against further disturbances," Wirya said.
He added that all 44 evacuees were receiving support and assistance from military personnel following their arrival in the safer area.
Authorities said they were strengthening coordination among security agencies to ensure the wider region remained secure from OPM activity and potential future threats.
The Papua Highlands region has experienced sporadic violence involving Indonesian security forces and armed groups linked to OPM.
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.
The armed groups 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: West Papua Police arrest 31 in illegal gold mining crackdown
Related news: New West Papua police chief urged to crack down on illegal miners
Related news: Unidentified group kills five gold miners in Yahukimo
Translator: Walda M, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
'Public order'
Interests disrupted
Relatable
West Papuan separatists in the occupied territory's eastern region allege eight gold miners they shot and killed on Thursday were undercover members of Indonesian security forces.
The eight men were attacked working in the far-flung village of Korowai in the province of Highland Papua that borders Papua New Guinea.
Indonesian military Lieutenant Colonel M Wirya Arthadiguna said the deceased victims were "civilians panning for gold in the area" before gunmen killed the gold traders on the spot.
"Those eight individuals were civilians - not security personnel, as alleged," he said in a media statement on Friday.
The military later claimed it had "taken out" the West Papuan fighters, not clarifying whether that meant the rebels had been captured or killed.
Lt Col Arthadiguna also said the military had deployed teams to track down the shooters amid the process of evacuating the victims' bodies by helicopter.
"We are preparing victim evacuation with combined personnel and helicopter support to reach the remote location," he said.
However, the West Papua National Liberation Army disputed the claim the men were civilians, saying it had in fact carried out a "cleansing operation" against "soldiers (and/or) police officers disguised as illegal gold miners".
West Papua National Liberation Army spokesman Sebby Sambom said the operation was in retaliation for the deaths of two of its members at the hands of the military in the province last week.
"These are agents of TNI-Polri intelligence," he said via a WhatsApp voice message to media.
"We always find evidence of pistols and walkie-talkies in their bags."
Separatists killed 11 gold miners last year in the same province, according to the Indonesian military, in another case in which the targets were accused of being undercover soldiers.
This occurred against a backdrop of Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights investigating the killing of more than a dozen West Papuan civilians, including elderly people, women and children, during an Indonesian military operation last week in another West Papuan village.
The Indonesian military had launched a wide-ranging operation to capture armed rebels from an insurgency group accused of shooting the gold miners.
Mr Sambom maintained that the West Papuan rebels had strong reasons to be suspicious around gold panning.
They deemed that the miners were - at the very least - collaborators of Indonesian forces in power, who have been damaging the Papuan natural ecosystem for years.
"They are stealing our natural resources," Mr Sambom added.
The West Papua National Liberation Army has repeatedly called on the Indonesian government to stop sending military personnel to the territory in disguise, alleging they have been disguised as taxi drivers as well as miners.
Over the past five previous recorded years, 34 panners have reportedly been killed by the rebels.
Papuan human-rights activist Yoseph Tomarubun said the victims on Thursday were not Indigenous Papuan civilians.
Gold mining at Korowai and the nearby Fis River are both arduous and dangerous, accessible only by helicopter and often financed by external backers, Mr Tomarubun added, which appears to partly substantiate the claims of the West Papuan National Liberation Army.
Korowai residents still live traditionally and rely on the forest predominantly for food, Mr Tomarubun underlining that the locals rarely engage in commercial mining.
Environmental and rights groups say the broader Korowai area spans multiple regencies of the Highland Papua province, creating a large, sparsely populated swath that is difficult for security forces to patrol.
The area has seen an upsurge in illegal gold-mining activities since 2017, attracting migrant miners and organised operators, who defy security risks, lured by the rich alluvial deposits.
After the attacks, the Yahukimo regency in which Korowai is located was under control through increased security patrols, but still remained dangerous in the following days.
Resource-rich West Papua, who is home to the world's second-largest gold and copper mine, has been home to an armed separatist movement since it was brought under Indonesian control following a 1969 vote overseen by the United Nations.
Jayapura, Jubi – One of the directors of the documentary film Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time, Cypri Paju Dale, said the film is not merely a work of art or an ordinary social critique, but a testimony to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Land of Papua.
He said the film also serves as a space to document the experiences of Indigenous Papuans living amid violence, oppression, and prolonged conflict.
According to Cypri, he and fellow director Dandhy Laksono were only a small part of the overall filmmaking process.
Cypri made the statement online during a discussion session following the public screening and online release of Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time, held at the hall of Kristus Terang Dunia Catholic Church in Heram District, Jayapura City, Papua, on Friday (22/5/2026).
“This is a collaborative work, where Dandhy and I are only part of that collaboration,” Cypri Paju Dale said.
He also expressed gratitude to communities in South Papua who welcomed him during the research and production process.
According to him, spending months living alongside Indigenous Papuan communities gave him a deeper understanding of their lives, struggles, and the conditions they face daily.
Cypri emphasized the importance of collaboration in addressing humanitarian issues. He said struggles cannot be carried out individually, but must be built through collective solidarity.
“We know that the strength that comes from the people is a great force. But if it is done separately, it is not resistance,” he said.
According to him, the film was created not only to deliver social and political criticism, but also to reveal the humanitarian realities experienced by Indigenous Papuans.
He compared the situation to major tragedies in world history, including colonialism and systematic oppression.
“The situation happening today is a humanitarian tragedy that deserves broad attention. This film is not merely social criticism or political criticism. This film is a testimony about a humanitarian tragedy,” he said.
Cypri explained that the film portrays how communities struggle not only politically, but also through cultural and spiritual approaches.
Communities seek strength from their ancestors and from God while facing difficult circumstances.
Therefore, he said, the struggle against colonialism and oppression cannot rely on a single approach. Social, cultural, political, and religious elements must unite in confronting humanitarian issues.
He hopes the film can become a space for reflection while also building broader solidarity around the humanitarian issues taking place in Papua.
One of the film’s speakers, Vincent Kwipalo of the Yei Tribe, voiced concerns over the impact of corporate presence in his customary territory.
He said the arrival of companies has affected the daily lives of Indigenous communities in South Papua.
According to the Kwipalo clan leader from Blandin Kakayo Village, Jagebob District, Merauke Regency, South Papua, the film raises many issues so that the wider public can better understand the realities currently faced by Indigenous communities in South Papua.
“If things like this are not written down, filmed, and shared, then people will never know the reality being experienced by Indigenous communities,” Vincent Kwipalo said.
He said many of the problems in his customary territory involve large corporations, security forces, and certain political interests, while Indigenous communities become the most affected parties.
“The community is often the victims. Some are arrested, some are pressured, while the companies continue operating according to their own interests,” he said.
According to him, companies enter Indigenous territories by approaching influential figures with vested interests, a tactic that ultimately triggers division and conflict within communities.
“I witnessed myself how companies enter and exploit communities. They approach certain figures, divide communities, and create tensions,” he said.
Kwipalo stressed that Indigenous communities should not be divided by outside interests, because conflicts among communities only benefit corporations.
He hopes the issues faced by the Yei Indigenous people will be understood not merely as investment issues, but as part of the struggle of indigenous people to defend their livelihoods, living spaces, and rights.
“We are family and we live side by side. If communities continue to be pitted against one another, then the companies are the ones who benefit,” Vincent Kwipalo said. (*)
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