Papua recently saw a resurgence of bloody incidents, part of a series of small-scale but continuing conflicts between rebels and the Indonesian military.
In an attack that occurred in Bilogai, Intan Jaya district, on Feb. 8, a soldier and a man accused of being a military spy were shot dead. In response, three Papuans were killed on Feb. 16 at a clinic in Bilogai. The army claims they were rebels, but the West Papua National Liberation Army and local authorities have said the three men were civilians and not linked to the rebel group.
As usual, civilians bear the brunt of such recurring conflicts. Thousands are reported to have fled the latest clashes, some seeking refuge at St. Michael’s Church in Bilogai.
This latest incident adds to other mass displacements of civilians as a result of conflicts in this easternmost region.
Thousands of other people are still to return to their homes due to violence in Nduga district in 2018, triggered by the killing of several bridge project workers by rebels who accused them of being military spies. This led to the military launching a massive operation.
According to human rights organizations, 182 civilians died during the exodus, many from starvation while seeking shelter in forests.
How long this situation remains unresolved is not easy to answer. It is certain that this litany of humanitarian issues makes efforts to achieve peace even more difficult, while distrust widens between Papua and Jakarta.
Repeated calls by the Papuan people for troops to be withdrawn or scaled back have never been heeded. Instead, more troops were deployed. For Papuans, more troops mean more oppression. Meanwhile, for Jakarta, it is essential to boost troop numbers because the government must be seen to be trying to deal with rebel groups.
Efforts that Jakarta claims will bring prosperity to Papua, including massive infrastructure developments initiated by President Joko Widodo's administration and the enactment of a special autonomy law, are seen as ploys to further control Papua.
Moreover, infrastructure development in recent years has been carried out in areas predominantly occupied by migrants, according to locals. Meanwhile, Papuans in remote areas are seeing their forests being exploited and cleared by big businesses.
Time for Church to take action
The Catholic Church in Papua has long been a respected institution that has provided much-needed services in various fields such as education and health. However, now it is being criticized because the bishops in the region and the Indonesian Bishops' Conference are accused of closing their eyes and hearts to the humanitarian problems going on there.
Criticism is even coming from priests. Recently, even the laity has been critical and said that the Vatican should be careful when choosing bishops for their territory, going so far as to say that bishops should be indigenous Papuans or those who know their situation.
It is important to see such criticism as a call for the Church to wake up so that it really becomes the voice of the voiceless.
Hopefully, this can start with the bishops' conference being more courageous and openly demanding that the government take serious steps to end the violence and listen to the aspirations of the Papuan people.
Bishops in Papua must also be encouraged to take a pastoral approach that touches various elements, including pro-independence groups, so that they can prioritize peaceful means of achieving their aspirations.
Why should it start from Jakarta? Because if this is only voiced in Papua, it will still be seen by authorities as part of moves for self-determination — such is the deepening of distrust.
The Church needs to put aside anxieties that when it talks about the conflict in Papua, there is a certain political agenda that is being fought for.
If that is done, Catholics in Papua will likely feel the Church is embracing them again, feeling that they really are part of one church.
More than that, the Church can live out what is outlined in the Second Vatican Council’s Gaudium et Spes that "the joys and the hopes, the grief and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the grief and anxieties of the followers of Christ.”
This is the time to dare to take steps with sincere intentions, for humanity's sake, for a better future for Papuans.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.
Ryan DagurRyan Dagur, Jakarta Updated: February 23, 2021 08:59 AM GMT
Head of Catholic rights group claims such arms sales are rife in police and military circles
The head of a prominent Catholic rights advocacy group in Papua has told police and the military to put their own houses in order after the arrest of two policemen accused of selling arms to separatist rebels.
The two officers from Maluku province were arrested on Feb. 20 after being accused of selling weapons and ammunition to the West Papua National Liberation Army, an armed group responsible for numerous attacks against the Indonesian police and military.
Ferdy Sambo, head of the national police's professional and security division, said on Feb. 22 that the officers were in custody and he had assigned a special team to investigate the case.
Yuliana Langowuyo, executive director of the Franciscan Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) group in Papua, said the revelation that it was police selling arms was not an isolated case and that it was, in fact, an “old practice.”
She said a bizarre situation exists where the government is trying to eliminate pro-independence groups, while those tasked with doing so are providing them with the means to carry out their insurgency.
Such elements need to be rooted out as it is civilians who ultimately suffer the most, she said.
“Indonesia is not a country where you are free to buy and sell weapons. Weapons can only be owned by the military. If lots of weapons can be owned by non-military people, then this needs to be examined closely," she told UCA News.
She pointed to a similar case in October 2020 involving a policeman and several former soldiers in the town of in Nabire in Papua.
In February last year, three soldiers were jailed for supplying rebels with weapons.
Langowuyo said these cases were likely the tip of the iceberg and probably only made it to trial after the incidents became public, suggesting that such practices were covered up.
"The spirit of upholding justice must be greater than the spirit of protecting institutions,” she said.
Theo Hesegem, chairman of the Central Mountains Law Enforcement and Human Rights Advocacy Network based in Wamena, Jayawijaya district, said the frequency of such incidents makes it look as though members of the security forces are using the conflict in Papua to line their own pockets.
"There is the impression that the conflict in Papua is deliberately being prolonged so that the arms business can continue," he told UCA News.
Meanwhile, Papua police chief Paulus Waterpaw denied such practices were endemic in the police and the military, telling reporters in Jayapura on Feb. 22 that it was likely down to a few individuals.
He said his force was determined to identify those involved and promised to take firm action against them. "Sooner or later, we will unmask them all," he said.
The government plans to launch emergency response measures to address the impact of the most recent armed conflict, which has forced around 600 locals to flee their homes, Papua Deputy Governor Klemen Tinal said in Jayapura on Tuesday.
"The official report on Intan Jaya's current situation the district's deputy head has submitted to us is a legitimacy for us to take necessary measures to restore the district's condition," Tinal remarked.
The handling of locals taking refuge for safety reasons would be the government's priority, he said.
Meanwhile, deputy head of Intan Jaya district, Yan Kobogoyau, said conditions in the district have been improving and many refugees have gradually returned home.
The Papua provincial government is expected to take strategic measures to restore normalcy in Intan Jaya, he added.
As part of the provincial government's mitigation efforts, the Papua Social Affairs Office has prepared 120 tons of rice which will be distributed to the refugees staying in temporary shelters in Sugapa, Nabire, and Timika.
The Papua administration in Jayapura had earlier asked the Intan Jaya government to submit an official report on conditions in the district amid continued acts of terror by armed Papuan groups.
Papua provincial government's secretary, Doren Wakerkwa, had on February 16, 2021 highlighted the need for a report on the general condition of public services, communities, and the security and stability situation in Intan Jaya.
The district's residents are in need of assistance and the Papua provincial government is willing to help if assistance is sought, he remarked.
The Indonesian province of Papua has been witness to a spate of violence, with armed Papuan groups in the districts of Intan Jaya, Nduga, and Puncak targeting civilians and security personnel over the past two years.
Intan Jaya recorded its bloodiest month in September, 2020, with notorious armed groups launching a series of attacks in the area that claimed the lives of two soldiers and two civilians and left two others injured.
On February 15, 2021, several armed Papuan rebels engaged in a gunfight with Indonesian army personnel in Mamba village, Sugapa sub-district, Intan Jaya district, which resulted in the death of one soldier.
The same day, a joint team of military and police personnel shot dead three armed Papuan rebels who tried to take the rifles of several security personnel securing the Sugapa public health center.
Terrorized by the shooting of a villager, identified by his initials as RNR, by an armed criminal on February 8, 2021, about 359 residents of Intan Jaya took refuge in a church over safety concerns.
Most of those who decided to leave their homes and move to the church over fears of being targeted by members of the notorious armed group were residents of Bilogai village of Sugapa sub-district. (INE)
Related news: Jayapura awaits Intan Jaya government's report on district's condition
Related news: 359 terrorized Papuans in Intan Jaya take refuge in church
EDITED BY INE
