LAKSAMANA.Net, November 29, 2003 09:21 PM
Fears of Militia Aggression in Papua
Laksamana.Net - Ahead of West Papua's 'independence day' commemorations on 1
December, the ranks of pro-Indonesia militias are swelling and members of the
notorious 'Merah Putih' militia led by Eurico Guterres are allegedly among them.
Aloysius Renwarin, head of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsham)
in West Papua, told detikcom that tensions were growing ahead of the 1 December
anniversary and militia activity was on the rise in the province.
"The most worrying thing is the presence of Eurico Guterres' group, the 'Red-White'
(Merah-Putih), which has already established itself in Timika. There are now many
former East Timorese (militia members) in Papua and this is giving rise to uncertainty
and conflict," he said on Friday (28/11/03).
Former militia leader Eurico Guterres was sentenced to 10 years in jail on November
27, 2002, after being found guilty of crimes against humanity following the
UN-sponsored referendum that lead to East Timor's independence from Indonesia. He
remains free pending appeal.
It is common knowledge that the East Timor militias were backed by the Indonesian
Armed Forces (TNI) – a fact acknowledged even by the toothless and incompetent
Indonesian ad hoc court established to try human rights violators.
In 2002, Elsham raised the alarm over an influx of so-called 'jihad' or holy war warriors
of the Laskar Jihad force, which had participated in the inter-religious violence that
swept across the Maluku islands claiming over 7,000 lives since 1999.
Elsham identified 12 training camps guarded by the TNI around the Laskar Jihad's first
base in Papua near the western town of Sorong, which is only nine hours by boat from
Ambon, the capital of Maluku province.
The number of bases has since increased, particularly around the border with Papua
New Guinea, and Elsham claimed as far back as January 2002 that Laskar members
and military personnel were training the East Merah Putih militia.
In addition to fears over militia activity, Elsham's Aloysius Renwarin said the potential
for conflict in West Papua is extremely distressing at present because the
government's policies regarding the 1 December anniversary are unclear.
On 1 December, Papuans mark the 1961 induction of indigenous Papuans into the
Dutch colonial legislature and the unveiling of the 'Morning Star' flag of West Papua,
which remains a symbol of the territory's aspiration for liberation and independence.
"The provincial-level civilian/military leadership council (Muspida) has banned all
commemorations. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has issued an order
allowing people to commemorate within their own homes. This has given rise to
heated pro and contra arguments," he added.
Renwarin said Elsham has issued a statement calling for peace and has advised
Papuans to refrain from commemorating the event in public and raising the Morning
Star flag.
Elsham has also called on the public to ignore any and all provocative acts that may
be launched to trigger unrest in the province.
'Old Hands' Stoke the Fire
The national police claim that at least four of the seven persons arrested for raising
independence flags last Thursday are 'old hands' at pushing their pro-independence
agenda.
Police detained a total of 42 persons over the flag-raising incidents, which took place
at the Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) station in Reremi and at an elementary school
in Amban in Manokwari.
Only seven of the 42 have been named suspects, said national police deputy chief
spokesman Brig.Gen Soenarko on Friday.
He added that the remaining 35 persons detained have since been handed over to
traditional Manokwari leaders to be returned to their respective homes.
The suspects had raised the "Star-14" version of the separatist flag to commemorate
the declaration of the West Melanesian state in 1988, reported state news agency
Antara.
Soenarko said four of the suspects, identified as only YN (45), CY (40), Lim (21), and
IT (40), had been taken in on similar cases in the past, reported detikcom.
Meanwhile, former president Abdurrahman Wahid has lamented the arrests, saying
flag raising activities were cultural rather than political.
Wahid allowed Morning Star flags to be flown in Papua alongside the Indonesian
national red-white flag during his presidency winning applause from Papuans and
human rights groups.
He said the government risked "losing out" to the separatist Free Papua Movement
(OPM) if it persisted in its crackdown on such harmless expressions of cultural
identity.
"Just consider it a part of their culture," he advised the President and national leaders.
"The government should not be trapped by those raising the flags because it's their
culture. It's like a person raising a flag for their soccer team. They (the suspects)
should not have been detained," he said on Saturday.
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