Violence in Papua - June 23
Quick update on recent developments
Megawati Sukarnoputri, one of the most influential political figures in Indonesia, just yesterday said:
"Indonesians - Unity in Diversity - we have to combine. Physically and emotionally, also via genetic engineering. Papuans are Black. Many are ‘milk coffee’ now, blended, becoming very Indonesian. Many migrants in coastal Papua. They’ve mixed. That's what I want.”
For context, Megawati is the daughter of Indonesia’s founding father, Sukarno. She was the symbol of resistance during the later years of Suharto’s dictatorship, or New Order. She is corrupt, power-hungry, and nepotistic. Her statement reflects how racism against Papuans is so entrenched in Indonesia. A ‘joke’ like that gets head nods and laughs and is made by one of the most powerful people in the country. You can live your whole life in Indonesia and not know that there is a war going on in Papua.
So, let’s get down to what’s been happening over the last few days, following the last few months. Jakarta’s plan to divide the Papuan provinces (DOB) further is progressing, raising the risk of more violence. The discussions in a House of Representatives commission started on June 21. This has long been Jakarta’s plan. Aprila Wayar and Johnny Blades give some good context on these issues.
There are some Papuan politicians who support the DOB plan. The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has threatened them. There is a disconnect between the Papuan political elites, and many Papuans (just as there are tensions between people of working classes and any political elites). Meanwhile, Indonesian buzzers circulated a fake letter which said that the Papua Governor Lukas Enembe called on the TPNPB to surrender.
The TPNPB sent a message to Indonesian President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi. They declared war against him. The TPNPB has in the past declared ‘war’ against Indonesian forces (in Intan Jaya for instance), or against PT Freeport Indonesia. The TPNPB warned Jakarta to stop sending health and education workers to the Papuan provinces, threatening to attack them. They have conducted attacks, targeting non-Papuans working in different fields in Papua. The TPNPB reiterated to President Jokowi, that they want independence. The DOB plan is just raising tensions.
There was some controversy recently. TPNPB members recently killed a member of the Mobile Brigade Corps (BRIMOB) in Wamena, Jayawijaya Regency, Papua. They seized two weapons, allegedly an AK 101 and a Steyr sniper rifle. The weapons are apparently on the way to Nduga, where Egianus Kogoya and his TPNPB subgroup will use them. Egianus apparently ordered the attack. Indonesia deployed 350 BRIMOB personnel to Jayawijaya Regency yesterday, to prevent similar attacks.
Egianus (center, with the camo jacket)
Diego
Brigadier Diego Rumwaropen was killed with machetes, with a big cut to his head and torso (on the left side). He is Papuan. The TPNPB, in a statement, expressed regret at the fact that an indigenous Papuan was killed. The justification was that the TPNPB needs weapons. And that the lives of three million Papuans take priority over one (a survey is needed to correctly gauge the actual number of Papuans in Indonesia). The TPNPB said that it is sad that it has to sacrifice “its own people”, essentially for the sake of the greater good. The TPNPB even said that it pays its respects to Diego,
(in their words): “a hero, who handed over weapons to the TPNPB.”
Egianus Kogoya also said that the Indonesian government needs to stop forcing the division of the Papuan regions. Or else, there will be more violence. This threat cannot be taken lightly.
A quick segue into snipers in Papua before we go back to the point. The TPNPB has not had sniper rifles, or sniper kills, in the recent past (if ever). In 2009, an Australian citizen, Drew Grant, was killed in Papua, in the Freeport mining area around Grasberg. He was working at the mine. He was going to a golf game. It’s funny, how an area with wracked with conflict has a golf course and Western amenities (Kuala Kencana, where a New Zealander Freeport contractor was killed in 2020, is a town made for Western Freeport executives; it is described as something you would see in the US). Initially, reports said that Drew (who was traveling in a vehicle with four other people) was shot dead by a single bullet from a sniper. Investigators later said that he was hit by at five bullets, with shrapnel to his neck, chest, and shoulder. The details are still murky, as is all information that comes out of Papua.
According to some reports, Drew’s autopsy indicated that at least two gunmen shot at him, using military rifles, from over 20 meters away (which is a lot in Papua; due to the vegetation and topography, you can be within a few meters of someone and they would not know you are there). There are many questions over this incident. Some investigators said that this could not have been conducted by Papuan separatists, saying they did not have the skills to hit just one person in a moving vehicle in a high altitude jungled and mountainous area. Remember, four other passengers were in that vehicle, none of them were injured. There are suspicions that Indonesian security forces themselves conducted the attack (kind of a military-industrial complex; if there’s no conflict, then how does the apparatus justify receiving funds). Not being conspiracy theorist here, but there are questions that need to be asked.
The conflict in Papua is incredibly complex. And the fact is that the conflict is going to worsen, and there will be more people killed, especially with the DOB plan. The Indonesian political elite and even most of society do not view Papuans as equals. The TPNPB’s capabilities are increasing, as are tensions between Jakarta and Papua. West Papua is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but the bloodstains are getting more and more pronounced.