Jayapura, Jubi – The Executive Student Council of Cenderawasih University (BEM Uncen) says it has evidence that police fired at protesters during clashes between security personnel and students at a demonstration against the New York Agreement in Perumnas III Waena, Heram district, Jayapura, Papua, on Saturday (15/08/2026).
BEM Uncen Minister for Law and Human Rights Darki Uropmabin said Jayapura City Police had denied that officers fired at protesters during the dispersal of the demonstration the day after the incident.
According to Uropmabin, police said the crowd had been dispersed using only tear gas and water cannons.
BEM Uncen called on Jayapura City Police to take responsibility for the incident and urged that those responsible be held legally accountable under Article 351 of the Indonesian Criminal Code concerning assault, as well as applicable police disciplinary regulations.
BEM Uncen also called on the Papua Police to evaluate the performance of Jayapura City Police and police departments across Papua.
“BEM Uncen will wait for the next few days. If the police do not take responsibility, BEM Uncen will mobilise students and demand answers from the Papua Police and Jayapura City Police,” he said.
Meanwhile, LBH Papua representative Emanuel Gobay questioned who was responsible for triggering the violence.
“The students who held the peaceful demonstration had attempted to negotiate with security personnel four times. One of the student leaders even agreed to serve as a guarantor for the demonstration,” Gobay said.
He referred to the peaceful demonstration held by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) on August 3, 2026, which coincided with a counter-rally organised by the Barisan Merah Putih.
Gobay said that under Indonesian law, police are responsible for managing demonstrations once they have received prior notification.
He questioned whether the Barisan Merah Putih had submitted a notification to police about its planned demonstration at the time.
Gobay said that if police had received such notification, they had the authority to regulate the timing and conduct of the demonstrations. For example, if the KNPB rally began at 8 a.m. Papua Time, it could have been permitted to continue until noon.
The KNPB protesters could then have been instructed to disperse before the Barisan Merah Putih held its demonstration from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
“That would be fair. But both sides were allowed to take to the streets. So who actually caused the unrest? Who had the authority and had submitted the notification? The police, under the law. Let’s just do this professionally. The information and authority are all in the hands of the police,” he said. (*)
Jayapura, Jubi – The Papua Provincial Culture and Tourism Agency will review the performance of custodians responsible for World War II heritage sites across several areas, citing concerns that some have not been adequately carrying out their duties.
Papua Culture and Tourism Agency head Yimin Weya said some historical artefacts were suspected of having been sold, while several World War II heritage sites had also fallen into disrepair.
He said the provincial government had been paying local residents to guard and maintain several of the sites, but some custodians had failed to properly carry out their responsibilities.
“We have provided stipends for people to guard the sites, but they have never submitted monthly accountability reports,” Weya told Jubi in Kotaraja, Abepura district, Jayapura, Papua, on Friday (August 21, 2026).
According to Weya, several sites that had been fenced off by the provincial government have once again become overgrown with grass and vegetation. Some locations, he said, had even begun to resemble forests.
“Without proper maintenance, the sites look as if you are entering a forest. That is the custodians’ responsibility,” he said.
The Culture and Tourism Agency will therefore evaluate the site custodians. Those found not to be fulfilling their duties will be replaced with people who are willing and able to properly maintain the sites.
Weya said some custodians were recruited from communities living near the heritage sites. Involving local residents was also intended to prevent disputes over customary land rights.
He stressed that World War II heritage artefacts must not be sold, including the fuel tanks located in Depapre district, Jayapura regency. They must not be dismantled and sold to scrap metal collectors.
The artefacts are considered cultural heritage that must be protected and cannot be traded. They are also provincial government assets, even when located on customary land.
Weya said the provincial government has the authority to oversee, maintain and protect historical heritage sites located in Jayapura regency.
The government, he said, would take action if it found historical artefacts being sold without its knowledge.
The artefacts would have to be returned, and those responsible for selling them could be held accountable under applicable regulations.
“If something is sold without the province’s knowledge, we can report it to the relevant authorities. Those responsible will have to account for their actions, and the items must be returned,” he said.
Weya said the government had also taken steps to protect and repatriate historical artefacts from Papua that had been taken outside the region or overseas.
The efforts have focused particularly on artefacts associated with World War II and located within historical heritage sites.
He cited historical artefacts from Papua that had previously been taken to museums in Japan and the United States and were subsequently repatriated to Papua.
“World War II heritage items located at these sites must not be [sold],” Weya said.
Previously, Indigenous residents of Depapre village, Depapre district, Jayapura regency, urged the government to protect the remaining World War II-era fuel tanks in the area.
The tanks were part of a fuel infrastructure system built by Allied forces when they operated in the Depapre area during World War II.
Various sources estimate that between 23 and 29 fuel tanks were once built in the area. However, the number remaining has continued to decline.
Lukas Tunggrutouw, a custodian of the fuel tank site in Depapre, said he believed around 24 tanks were still visible in the past. Today, only an estimated 17 or 18 remain.
“There used to be around 24 tanks. Now there may only be about 17 or 18 left. Many have been cut up by residents and sold as scrap metal,” Tunggrutouw told Jubi at the fuel tank site in Depapre district on Friday (July 31, 2026).
According to Tunggrutouw, most of the tanks stand on customary land belonging to the Maribu Indigenous community.
He said the situation should be a concern for the government because the tanks are significant not only in terms of land ownership but also because they preserve an important part of Papua’s World War II history.
Tunggrutouw said Indigenous landowners in the area were no longer adequately involved in discussions about the management of the historical remains.
He urged the government not only to formally protect World War II heritage sites but also to ensure their proper maintenance and involve Indigenous communities as customary landowners in their management.
He said urgent action was needed because the number of remaining tanks continued to decline, with some already dismantled and sold as scrap metal. (*)
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