Dozens of large demonstrations by West Papuans to mark a key anniversary of their homeland’s incorporation into Indonesia have been met with mixed and sometimes violent responses by police.
Saturday was the anniversary of the infamous 1962 US-brokered New York Agreement under which Papua’s former colonial power, the Netherlands, agreed to transfer power over the territory to Indonesia.
The agreement lacked any genuine consultation with West Papuans.
- READ MORE: West Papua protesters face Indonesian police crackdown over independence calls
- Indonesia at 81 – who owns the Land of Papua’s future?
- Other West Papua reports
Peaceful demonstrations on Saturday in Sentani and Jayapura in particular were met with forced dispersal by police as well as alleged beatings, the use of rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons, leaving a number of demonstrators injured.
The demonstrations were organised by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) and took place in several cities across Indonesian-ruled Papua region as well as other parts of the republic, including Jakarta and Makassar.
Human rights defenders report that while all of the demonstrations were closely monitored by police forces, in most cases they went without incident.
But they say forced dispersal and violence reported in several locations were a serious concern because they involved violation of the participants’ rights to express their opinions peacefully.
Sustained injuries
Seven members of the KNPB were reported to have sustained injuries as a result of police actions to disrupt the demonstration in Sentani.
In Jayapura, several students from Cenderawasih University were injured as police forcibly dispersed their demonstration.
In Makassar, a KNPB member was reportedly struck by a wire arrow fired by a member of an alleged community-based militia group.
In several areas, demonstrations were reported to have proceeded well, with no initial reports of forced dispersal, including in main centres of Merauke, Yahukimo, Wamena, Nabire, Sorong, Manokwari and Timika.
This story was first published on
Al Jazeera’s report on the police crackdown.
Plea for Pacific Islands Forum to act
In a statement in Sydney, Joe Collins of the Australia West Papua Association (AWPA) said: “We are told by governments that the human rights situation in West Papua is improving.
“However, the crackdown on peaceful demonstrators on the 15 August proves otherwise.”
Collins said Indonesia claimed to be a democracy yet it continued to intimidate peaceful West Papuan activists ignoring a number of articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
“Article 19
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
“Article 20
“1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.”
“It appears that under President Prabowo Subianto, democracy in Indonesian is sliding backwards,” said Collins.
“Hopefully the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders at their upcoming meeting in Palau will raise the human rights situation in West Papua with Jakarta. After all, West Papuans are a Melanesian people — a Pacific people.”
