Scoop Media [New Zealand], Monday, 8 January 2007, 10:10 am
Christmas Military Offensive in West Papua
Press Release: West Papua Institute For Human Rights
The Christmas Military Offensive and Humanitarian Crisis in Pucak Jaya, West Papua
Report by Matthew Jamieson, Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights, 7
Janaury 2007
A Humanitarian Crisis is emerging in the Punjak Jaya region of West Papua. Human
rights workers state that the local population has fled the regions of Tingginabbut,
Yamu, Illu and Mulia Ambat in mid December 2006 and have gone into the jungle. At
this stage no figures are avaiable but indications are that thousands of people are
involved.
Since the 24 December 2006 there has been the deployment of large numbers of
Indonesian armed forces, intelligence & police in the mountainous Punjak Jaya
region. The personnel are drawn form TNI Battalion 756 from Wamena, TNI Battalion
753 from Nabire, Kopassus (Indonesian army commando's), Brimob (Police Mobile
Brigade), Polres (Local Police) and Intelligence agencies BIN & BAIS were being
deployed in the days after Christmas 06.
Two Indonesian military personnel were killed near Mulia, on December 9 2006. These
military personnel were apparently undertaking some form of negotiation with the
Goliat Tabuni OPM/TPN (Free Papua Movement) group. Two more Indonesian military
personnel involved in search from Illu to Mulia were killed on 25/26 December near to
the Yami River.
Sources near Mulia report that on 5 Janurary 2007 5 Kopassus (Indonesian Special
Camandos) and one OPM/TPN figher were killed in a military operation at Kimibak
Mountain near Mulia. The Military Commander of Battalion 1705 was said to be
monitoring operations in that same area on that day. Kimibak Mountain is the same
area that OPM/TPN had perviously had a flag raising campaign.
Conflict between Indonesian army & Brimob & the OPM/TPN was also reported in the
Muliabur area on 3 January 2007.
The Indonesian military & police are now occupy and are living in the vacated villages
in the regions of Tingginabbut, Yamu, Illu and Mulia Ambat.
The people displaced by the conflict are said to be traveling across the mountains
east and north to Sinak, Illaga, Kwiwyaga and Bioga Districts. It is currently wet or
rainy season in this area and these very rugged mountain areas are mostly 2000 -
4000 meters.
The people would have left behind their pigs and gardens. There is concern about their
health and welling being as they will have little access to food and no medicine.
The life of traditional rural communities in Punjak Jaya is based on subsistence
farming of sweet potato and pigs in very remote mountain valleys. First contact with
these mountain communities with the western world happened via Christian
Missionaries who bought Christianity and converted these communities from the mid
1950's onwards.
In the recent years similar repeated military operations from 2003 to 2005 in the
Punjak Jaya region have caused major catastrophe in the local community.
During a period of military operations, in 2003, ten local people were killed and sixty
deaths reported from starvation directly due to famine caused by these military
operations. In 2004 and 2005 over 6000 persons were reported displaced by military
operations. Hundreds of homes, churches, clinics and schools burned to the ground.
Traditional warriors, who form the OPM/TPN are armed with bows and arrows and
spears and a few firearms. Any conflict between them and the Indonesian militiary
would appear to be very one sided.
Human rights workers say that the Indonesian military and police justify their
presence and repressive actions by manipulating, promoting and extending conflict
with these warriors from the OPM/TPN.
Rev Socratez Yoman President of the Baptist Church in Papua report released this
week has described the presence of a fake OPM in Punjak Jaya. "Most of the people
trained by the Indonesian military as fake OPM do not have enough education. Thus,
these people were used by the Indonesian military to achieve their political goals in
West Papua.The fake OPM was created, protected and was allowed to do the
Indonesian military and the Indonesian Police projects."
There is a sense amongst the highland people that their communities will be
swamped by Indonesia in the next few years. The culture and population of these
mountain people is being destroyed by direct government action, such as by the
military and the disarray these operations cause and by the lack of Government
action in critical areas, such as control of AIDS/HIV and the provision of basic health
services for other communicable diseases such as Cholera.
The one sided conflict with the highland people has to be stopped and not by
Indonesia annihilating local communities with armed forces and willful neglect. There
is evidence of serious and systemic Human Rights abuse. There is evidence that the
International crime of Genocide has and is occurring in West Papua and there is
reason why the international community has a legal obligation to be involved in West
Papua.
Members of the International community must ask Indonesian what is happening in
the Puncak Jaya region and prepare Parliamentary and diplomatic delegations to
travel to West Papua and specifically to the Punjak Jaya region as soon as possible.
A major humanitarian tragedy is unfolding and the presence of such an overseas
delegation is probably the only way Indonesia will restrain its military forces in Punjak
Jaya.
Matthew Jamieson. Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights.
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