Papua Conflict
Encyclopedia
The Papua conflict is an ethnic separatist insurgency
in Indonesia
, predominantly in the Papua
and West Papua provinces on the island of New Guinea
. Since the withdrawal of the Dutch colonizers
in 1963, the militant Free Papua Movement
(OPM) organization has conducted a low-level campaign of attacks on government outposts, businesses, and civilians. OPM supporters have conducted various protests and flag-raising ceremonies for independence
or federation with Papua New Guinea
, and accuse the Indonesian government of indiscriminate violence and of suppressing their freedom of expression.
, the Netherlands
agreed to recognize Indonesian sovereignty over the territories of the former Dutch East Indies
, with the exception of Western New Guinea
, which the Dutch continued to hold as Netherlands New Guinea
. The nationalist Indonesian government argued that it was the successor state to the whole of the Dutch East Indies and wanted to end the Dutch colonial presence in the archipelago. The Netherlands argued that the Papuans were ethnically different and that the Netherlands would continue to administer the territory until it was capable of self determination. From 1950 on the Dutch and the Western powers agreed that the Papuans should be given an independent state, but due to global considerations, mainly the Kennedy administration's concern to keep Indonesia on their site of the Cold War
, the United States pressured the Dutch to sacrifice Papua's independence and transfer the country to Indonesia.
In 1962, the Dutch agreed to relinquish the territory to temporary United Nations administration
, signing the so-called New York Agreement
, which included a provision that a plebiscite would be held before 1969. The Indonesian military organised this vote, called the Act of Free Choice
in 1969 to determine the population's views on Papua and West Papua's future; the result was in favor of integration into Indonesia
. In violation of the Agreement between Indonesia and the Netherlands, the vote was a show of hands in the presence of the Indonesian military, and only involved 1025 people, much less than 1% of those who should have been eligible to vote. The legitimacy of the vote is hence disputed by independence activists, who launched a campaign of violent protest against the government on Papua and West Papua.
The principle insurgent organization, the Free Papua Movement
(OPM), has been accused of human rights abuses such as hostage-taking, summary execution
, and sabotage., while the Indonesian government is accused of human rights abuses, such as attacks on OPM-sympathetic civilians and jailing people who raise the OPM's Morning Star flag for treason
. Official estimates are that 150,000 Papuans (more than 1% of the population) were killed by the military between 1963 and 1983 alone.
Through the transmigration program
, which since 1969 includes migration to Papua, about half of the 2.4 million inhabitants of Indonesian Papua are born in Java
. Such communities of migrants are frequent targets of OPM attacks, though intermarriage is increasing and the offspring of transmigrants have come to see themselves as "Papuan" over their parents' ethnic group.
In 2010, 13,500 Papuan refugees lived in exile in the neighboring independent state of Papua New Guinea
(PNG), and occasionally the fighting spills over the border. As a result, the Papua New Guinea Defence Force has set up patrols along PNG's western border to prevent infiltration by the OPM. Additionally, the PNG government has been expelling resident "border crossers" and making a pledge of no anti-Indonesian activity a condition for migrants' stay in PNG. Since the late 1970s, the OPM have made retaliatory threats against PNG business projects and politicians for the PNGDF's operations against the OPM. The PNGDF has performed joint border patrols with Indonesia since the 1980s, although the PNGDF's operations against the OPM are "parallel".
Insurgency
An insurgency is an armed rebellion against a constituted authority when those taking part in the rebellion are not recognized as belligerents...
in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, predominantly in the Papua
Papua (Indonesian province)
Papua comprises most of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands. Its capital is Jayapura. It's the largest and easternmost province of Indonesia. The province originally covered the entire western half of New Guinea...
and West Papua provinces on the island of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. Since the withdrawal of the Dutch colonizers
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
in 1963, the militant Free Papua Movement
Free Papua Movement
The Free Papua Movement is a militant organisation established in 1965 to encourage and effect the violent overthrow of the current governments in the Papua and West Papua provinces of Indonesia, formerly known as Irian Jaya to secede from Indonesia, and to reject economic development and...
(OPM) organization has conducted a low-level campaign of attacks on government outposts, businesses, and civilians. OPM supporters have conducted various protests and flag-raising ceremonies for independence
Republic of West Papua
The Republic of West Papua is a proposed but unrecognised separatist state in the Western New Guinea region that was unilaterally declared during the temporary United Nations administration of the region in 1963. There are few organizations that fight for West Papuan independence. One of them is...
or federation with Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, and accuse the Indonesian government of indiscriminate violence and of suppressing their freedom of expression.
Overview
In December 1949, at the end of the Indonesian National RevolutionIndonesian National Revolution
The Indonesian National Revolution or Indonesian War of Independence was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between Indonesia and the Dutch Empire, and an internal social revolution...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
agreed to recognize Indonesian sovereignty over the territories of the former Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
, with the exception of Western New Guinea
Western New Guinea
West Papua informally refers to the Indonesian western half of the island of New Guinea and other smaller islands to its west. The region is officially administered as two provinces: Papua and West Papua. The eastern half of New Guinea is Papua New Guinea.The population of approximately 3 million...
, which the Dutch continued to hold as Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea refers to the West Papua region while it was an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. Until 1949 it was a part of the Netherlands Indies. It was commonly known as Dutch New Guinea...
. The nationalist Indonesian government argued that it was the successor state to the whole of the Dutch East Indies and wanted to end the Dutch colonial presence in the archipelago. The Netherlands argued that the Papuans were ethnically different and that the Netherlands would continue to administer the territory until it was capable of self determination. From 1950 on the Dutch and the Western powers agreed that the Papuans should be given an independent state, but due to global considerations, mainly the Kennedy administration's concern to keep Indonesia on their site of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the United States pressured the Dutch to sacrifice Papua's independence and transfer the country to Indonesia.
In 1962, the Dutch agreed to relinquish the territory to temporary United Nations administration
United Nations Temporary Executive Authority
The United Nations Temporary Executive Authority / United Nations Security Force in West New Guinea was established during October 1962 in accord with Article two of the New York Agreement to administer the colony of West New Guinea until the 1st May 1963.-History:Western New Guinea became the...
, signing the so-called New York Agreement
New York Agreement
The Agreement between the Republic of Indonesia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands Concerning West New Guinea , also known as the New York Agreement, was a treaty signed between Indonesia and the Netherlands on the political status of West New Guinea...
, which included a provision that a plebiscite would be held before 1969. The Indonesian military organised this vote, called the Act of Free Choice
Act of Free Choice
Act of Free Choice was an event in July to August 1969 by which Indonesia asserts that the Western New Guinea population decided to relinquish their sovereignty in favor of Indonesian citizenship...
in 1969 to determine the population's views on Papua and West Papua's future; the result was in favor of integration into Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. In violation of the Agreement between Indonesia and the Netherlands, the vote was a show of hands in the presence of the Indonesian military, and only involved 1025 people, much less than 1% of those who should have been eligible to vote. The legitimacy of the vote is hence disputed by independence activists, who launched a campaign of violent protest against the government on Papua and West Papua.
The principle insurgent organization, the Free Papua Movement
Free Papua Movement
The Free Papua Movement is a militant organisation established in 1965 to encourage and effect the violent overthrow of the current governments in the Papua and West Papua provinces of Indonesia, formerly known as Irian Jaya to secede from Indonesia, and to reject economic development and...
(OPM), has been accused of human rights abuses such as hostage-taking, summary execution
Summary execution
A summary execution is a variety of execution in which a person is killed on the spot without trial or after a show trial. Summary executions have been practiced by the police, military, and paramilitary organizations and are associated with guerrilla warfare, counter-insurgency, terrorism, and...
, and sabotage., while the Indonesian government is accused of human rights abuses, such as attacks on OPM-sympathetic civilians and jailing people who raise the OPM's Morning Star flag for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
. Official estimates are that 150,000 Papuans (more than 1% of the population) were killed by the military between 1963 and 1983 alone.
Through the transmigration program
Transmigration program
The transmigration program was an initiative of the Dutch colonial government, and later continued by Indonesian government to move landless people from densely populated areas of Indonesia to less populous areas of the country...
, which since 1969 includes migration to Papua, about half of the 2.4 million inhabitants of Indonesian Papua are born in Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
. Such communities of migrants are frequent targets of OPM attacks, though intermarriage is increasing and the offspring of transmigrants have come to see themselves as "Papuan" over their parents' ethnic group.
In 2010, 13,500 Papuan refugees lived in exile in the neighboring independent state of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
(PNG), and occasionally the fighting spills over the border. As a result, the Papua New Guinea Defence Force has set up patrols along PNG's western border to prevent infiltration by the OPM. Additionally, the PNG government has been expelling resident "border crossers" and making a pledge of no anti-Indonesian activity a condition for migrants' stay in PNG. Since the late 1970s, the OPM have made retaliatory threats against PNG business projects and politicians for the PNGDF's operations against the OPM. The PNGDF has performed joint border patrols with Indonesia since the 1980s, although the PNGDF's operations against the OPM are "parallel".
Timeline
- 1966-67: Aerial bombing of Arfak Mountains
- Jan-Mar 1967: Aerial bombing of Ayamaru and Teminabuan areas
- 1967: Operasi Tumpas (operation obliteration). 1,500 alleged dead in Ayamaru, Teminabuan and Inanuatan.
- Apr 1969: Aerial bombing of Wissel Lake District (PaniaiPaniai LakesThe Paniai Lakes, originally known as the Wissel lakes, consist of the three large, freshwater lakes Paniai, Tigi, and Tage. They are located in the central highlands of West Papua province, Indonesia...
and Enarotali area); 14,000 survivors escape into the jungle.
1970s
- Jun 1971: Mr Henk de Mari reported that 55 men from two villages in North Biak were forced to dig their own graves before being shot. Published in Dutch daily De Telegraaf Oct 1974.
- Unknown: 500 Papuan corpses found in jungle Lereh District, south west of Sentani Airport, Jayapura region.
- 1974: In North Biak, 45 Papuans killed, names and ages known.
- 1975: In Biak, at least 41 people from Arwam and Rumbin villages were killed.
- 1977: Aerial bombing of Akimuga (Freeport McMoRan Inc. mine area).
- 1977-78: Aerial bombing of Baliem ValleyBaliem ValleyThe Baliem Valley, also spelled Balim Valley and sometimes known as the Grand Valley, of the highlands of Western New Guinea, is occupied by the Dani people. The main town in the valley is Wamena...
. - Apr 1978: Six unidentifiable bodies were discovered in the Dosai district of Jayapura.
- May 1978: Five OPM (Organisasi Papua Merdeka) leaders surrender to save the village they were caught in. They are beaten to death with red hot iron bars and their bodies thrown into a pit latrine. The 125 villagers were then machine gunned as suspected OPM sympathizers.
- Jun 1978: 14 corpses found shot, West of Sentani Airport, Jayapura region.
- Unknown: North Biak, 12 people shot after receiving permission to leave camp to collect sago for a village feast.
1980 - 2000
- 1981: 10 killed, 58 disappear without trace. Paniai Region.
- Jun-Aug 1981: Operasi Sapuh berish (Operation Clean Sweep), populations of Ampas-Waris and Batte-Arso villages bayoneted and left.
- Sep-Dec 1981: estimated 13,000 killed in the central highlands.
- Jul 1984: Naval, air, and ground troop assault of Nagasawa/Ormo Kecil village, 200 dead.
- Unknown: Naval shelling of Taronta, Takar, and Masi-Masi coastal villages; survivors fled towards Jayapura; under Dutch in 1950 each village had 1500 to 2000 population.
- mid 1985: 2,500 killed in Paniai area of Wissel Lake district, including 115 from Iwandoga and Kugapa villages massacred by troops 24/6/1985; 10 people, the village, food gardens, and livestock of Epomani village, Obano Sub-district; 15 people, village, and livestock of Ikopo village Monemane district; and 517 people, 12 villages, food gardens, and live-stock of Monemane.
- 1986-87: 34 known persons shot, Paniai/Wissel Lake District.
- On 1996: OPM hostage a group of foreigners in Irian Jaya. See 1996 shooting incident
- On January 1997: 26 people were taken hostage in the village of Mapunduma, two Indonesian hostages were killed during the release operation.
2000s
- On October 6, 2000: As police raid a flag-raising ceremony in WamenaWamenaWamena is the capital town of the Jayawijaya Regency of Indonesia. It is the largest town in Indonesian Papua's highlands, in the Baliem Valley and has a population of around 10,000 . Wamena is the urban centre of a rural area housing West Papua's highest concentration of population, with over 300...
, a mob forms and two non-Papuans are killed in unclear circumstances. The mob starts to riot and to move to a neighborhood of migrants from elsewhere in Indonesia, burning and looting shops with security forces in pursuit. Seven Papuans are shot and twenty-four non-Papuans are killed. - On November 11, 2001: Two weeks after rejecting the autonomy law as soon as it had passed, the chairman of the Papua Presidium CouncilPapua Presidium CouncilThe Papua Presidium Council is 31 member umbrella group that was established to represent West Papua. It is commonly referred to as PDP among the Papuans....
, Theys EluayTheys EluayTheys Eluay was born in Sere Village in Sentani, in what was then Dutch New Guinea. He went to the “Jongensvervolgschool” in Yoka, a boarding school, led by the Dutch missionary Izaak Samuel Kijne. After the JVS he followed a course in meteorology and worked then as a meteorological assistant...
, was found murdered in his car outside Jayapura after he had been kidnapped by KopassusKopassusKopassus is an Indonesian Army special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering.Kopassus was founded on April 16, 1952...
soldiers. - On August 31, 2002: rebels attack on a group of American professors. 3 are killed and 12 others were wounded. The police accused the OPM to be responsible.
- On December 1, 2003: A group of 500 people hoisted the separatist flag, several other actions have taken place. 42 people were arrested.
- On October 15, 2004: Papuan rebels killed six civilians in an attack in Puncak JayaPuncak JayaPuncak Jaya or Carstensz Pyramid is the highest summit of Mount Carstensz in the Sudirman Range of the western central highlands of Papua province, Indonesia . Other summits are East Carstensz Peak and Ngga Pulu...
. - On March 16, 2006: Three policemen and an airman were killed and 24 other people injured during a clash with papuanPapuan peoplesPapuan is a cover term for the various indigenous peoples of New Guinea and neighboring islands, speakers of so-called Papuan languages. They are often distinguished linguistically from Austronesians, speakers of a language family introduced into New Guinea about three thousand years ago, but this...
and students who have been demanding closure of Freeport's Grasberg mine in Papua. - On August 9, 2008: In Wamena, one man, Opinus Tabuni (a distant relative of Buchtar TabuniBuchtar TabuniBuchtar Tabuni is a Papuan independence activist, leader of the National Committee for West Papua . Amnesty International considered him to be a prisoner of conscience....
), was killed when Indonesian security forces opened fire in response to the raising of the banned Morning Star flag by activists at a large rally organized by DAP (Dewan Adat Papua – Papuan Customary Council) marking the UN-declared International Day of the World's Indigenous People. - On December 4, 2008: 4 Papuans were wounded by gunfire from the police court of a demonstration for the independence of West Papua.
- On January 29, 2009: At least 5 Papuans were wounded by shots fired by police during a demonstration.
- On March 14, 2009: One Indonesian Army soldier was killed during an attack against a security posts in Tingginambut. The OPM was blamed.
- On April 8, 2009: Several bombs exploded against a bridge and a refinery on the island of BiakBiakBiak features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is 27 degrees celsius, which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak...
. One person is killed. - On April 9, 2009: A bomb attack in JayapuraJayapuraJayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
killed 5 men and injured severely several others. Meanwhile, about 500 militants attacked a police post with bows and arrows and petrol bombs. The police reacted and killed someone. - On April 11–12, 2009: Fighting between the army and the Papuan resistance did 11 dead including 6 members of law enforcement. At the same time, a bomb was defused against a police station in Biak.
- On April 15, 2009: An attack against a convoy of police in Tingginambut killed one and wounding six. The OPM is blamed.
- On July 11, 2009: An employee of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.’s Indonesian unit was shot dead in an attack outside the company’s mine in Papua.
- On July 2009: OPM members hoisted the flag of West Papua in the village of Jugum. Afterwards more than 30 houses were burned by the Indonesian army.
- On August 12, 2009: A convoy of 16 buses for employees of Freeport-McMoRan Copper's is ambushed. Two people were killed and 5 wounded.
- On December 16, 2009: Free Papua Movement (OPM) leader Kelly KwalikKelly KwalikKelly Kwalik was a senior separatist leader and military commander with the Free Papua Movement , a separatist organization based in Indonesia's West Papua region....
was shot and killed by Indonesian police during a raid in Timika.
2010s
- On January 24, 2010: Rebels ambushed a convoy of miner PT Freeport McMoran. Nine people were injured, OPM denied responsibility.
- On March 1, 2010: Australia West Papua Association in Sydney said that the situation in West Papua is deteriorating. Since last July there have been 14 incidents of shootings around the Grasberg mineGrasberg mineThe Grasberg Mine is the largest gold mine and the third largest copper mine in the world. It is located in the province of Papua in Indonesia near Puncak Jaya, the highest mountain in Papua, and it has 19,500 employees...
, FreeportFreeport-McMoRanFreeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., often called simply Freeport, is the world's lowest-cost copper producer and one of the world's largest producers of gold...
's copper and gold mine, these attacks had killed at least 3 and 13 injured. - On March 23, 2010: Rebels attacked an Indonesian troops convoy. It seems that some soldiers are injured.
- On May, 2010 : A military operation following the assassination by suspected members of the OPM of 3 workers in construction did at least 2 dead and a woman raped while houses in 3 villages were burned by the military.
- On May 17, 2010: The army attacked a base of OPM killing one suspected militant.
- On May 21, 2010: Militants have attacked members of the Indonesian army near Yambi, 75 km from Mulia. No casualties were reported.
- On June 15, 2010: An officer of the Indonesian elite police was shot dead during a patrol. Since the beginning of the year is the third police officer killed. Eight firearms were also stolen by the rebels.
- On July, 2010: 12 houses and two churches were destroyed and a woman was raped during an operation of the Indonesian army to capture Goliath Tabuni.
- On June 23, 2011: A police officer from Jayapura, was shot by alleged members of the Free Papua Movement.
- On July 6, 2011: Three soldiers were shot during a clash with unknown attackers in Kalome village, Tingginambut district.
- On July 20, 2011: An Indonesian soldier was killed in an ambush against a military security squad at Puncak Jaya district in Papua.
- On July 31, 2011: Rebels attacked a car in Papua with guns, axes and knives killing one soldier and three civilians and wounding seven, OPM denied responsibility.
- On August 1, 2011: The National Police said that members of the Free Papua Movement killed four citizens near Tanjakan Gunung Merah, Paniai.
- On August 2, 2011: A soldier guarding a military post in Tingginambut was killed by a bullet to the chest and in the town of Mulia two shootings targeting police and military offices have injured one soldier.
- On August 3, 2011: Separatists shot an army helicopter as it evacuated the body of a soldier they had allegedly killed.
- On October 22, 2011: Al JazeeraAl JazeeraAl Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
published footage of an independence gathering that was attacked by Indonesian security forces. At least five people were killed.
Further reading
- Richard Chauvel, Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, The Papua conflict: Jakarta's perceptions and policies, 2004, ISBN 1932728082, 9781932728088
- Esther Heidbüchel, The West Papua conflict in Indonesia: actors, issues and approaches, 2007, ISBN 3937983104, 9783937983103
- J. Budi Hernawan, Papua land of peace: addressing conflict building peace in West Papua, 2005
- Blair A. King, Peace in Papua: widening a window of opportunity, 2006, ISBN 0876093578, 9780876093573
External links
- Free West Papua Campaign - Organization based in Australia supports secession
- Papua Conflict Videos