Sun, 07/01/2007 - 1. During the implementation of the Special Autonomy law no 21, 2001 in West Papua, the Indonesian government, military, and the state police reported to the international community that the security situation in West Papua was safe, conducive, and under control. And during that time the international community has been fed with false information and unjustified reports. The information was not based on the reality in West Papua.
2. The truth was that during the implementation of the Special Autonomy law in West Papua, the [apparently stable] security situation was enforced. It did not happen naturally. Indonesian military, police and courts created the security condition through force, oppression, terror and intimidation. Thus, the security that was created by the Indonesian military, the Indonesian police and the Indonesian courts was a fake security. It was not a natural security condition and it was only for a temporary time.
3. Indonesian soldiers who have previously served in East Timor and Aceh are now stationed in West Papua. This is proven by the fact that military bases are now being built everywhere in all parts of West Papua. The heavy military presence is out of all proportion when compared with the local native populations. Faces of soldiers in uniform and in disguise are verywhere. The military operation in West Papua is still continuing in order to maintain the integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. Indonesia doesn¡|t care if it has to sacrifice human rights, human dignity, justice, democracy and peace in order to achieve it.
4. The Military operation in West Papua during the Special Autonomy era has been the most frightening one up till now. Military faces are everywhere in many forms of disguises. There is no freedom for the native West Papuans. The military has built its bases along the land border and sea border and also in the transmigration areas. They have also built up a military presence such as battalions in almost all parts of West Papua. Everyday we can see military trucks full of soldiers. The soldiers are walking around the towns of West Papua and they usually stand in front of shopping centers. The native West Papuans are facing faces intended to terrorize them. Open and hidden intimidation happens everywhere.
5. It is very clear that the military operations in Pucak Jaya regency were paid for out of Special Autonomy fund. This fund has been used to kill he native West Papuans through military operations. As the President of the Fellowship of West Papuan Baptist Churches, I found the evidence that an amount of Rp. 2,500,000,000,00 (two billion, five hundred million rupiahs) has been used to support military operations. The Papuan Provincial House of Parliament found the evidence that Rp. 3,000,000,000,00 (three billion rupiahs) were used for the military operation. The regional government of Puncak Jaya allocated Rp. 19,000,000,000,00 (nineteen billion rupiahs) for food and medicines for refugees. There is no evidence that the money was given to the refugees and the money was simply lost.
6. The establishment of the West Irian Jaya province which was based on President Megawati Sukarno Putri¡|s decree No. 21 year 2003 was part of the military operations to secure Indonesia¡|s political and economic interests. The establishment of the West Irian Jaya province was designed and fully supported by the State Intelligence Agency (BIN). 7. Racial discrimination on the 16th March 2006 Abepura incident. On that day the Indonesian military, mobile brigade, intelligence agents and the Indonesian state police shot and tortured any black skinned and curly haired Papuans. The native West Papuans experienced extreme anxiety and fear and escaped to their hiding places. However, in extreme contrast, the straight haired Indonesians were walking freely, opening their shops and restaurants or doing any activities without any fear or anxiety.
8. At the time the Indonesian intelligence agents killed Denny Hisage, a 22-year old man. They cut his ribs and threw him into a vegetable pond. I was told by a health officer at 10.00pm in the evening that a native West Papuan had been killed and his body was at the mortuary in the Abepura hospital. Having heard the news, I immediately went to the hospital with one of my staff to see the dead man¡|s body. The next day I contacted the family and relatives of Denny Hisage. However, all his family, his parents and his wife were very frightened to come and take his body to be buried. Because they were so frightened, I therefore asked for their permission to bury him. The family agreed and allowed me to bury him. I gave instructions to my staff; one member of staff guarded the dead body, one went out to find the money to buy a coffin, and two other staff went to dig a grave for the burial. I then called Mr Agus Alua (Chairman of the Papuan People¡|s Assembly [MRP]) to help me buy the coffin. Mr Alua. through his treasurer, gave me Rp. 3,000,000 (three million) to buy a coffin from PT Thomas Entrop Jayapura. Seven of us took the coffin to Abepura General Cemetery and buried Denny Hisage in the Abepura General Cemetery. These facts gave us a strong conclusion that the Indonesian military and police are stationed in West Papua only to protect and guard the Indonesian people (the straight haired people) who live in West Papua. The Indonesian military and police chased, arrested, tortured, kidnapped, killed, raped and destroyed the native West Papuans. This situation occurred because the Indonesian interests in West Papua are only concerned about the economy, politics, security, land and natural resources.
9. Indonesian intelligence agents are in disguise everywhere in almost all corners of towns in West Papua. They dress and act as motor cycle riders, shop assistants, street traders, voucher salesmen, hotel and restaurant waiters, hotel and airport drivers, public transport drivers, students, civil servants and collectors of scrap metal. Their task is to watch Papuans in places such as supermarkets and any roads used by the native West Papuans.
10. At Sentani Airport in Jayapura, in Timika, Biak, Nabire, Serui, Sorong, Merauke, Manokwari, the ticketing officers, the security guards, the airport staff, airport workers, airport taxi drivers and the people walking around as motor cycle riders are Indonesian soldiers and police in disguise.
11. The Indonesian intelligence agents monitor and even terrorize any native West Papuan. The future of the native West Papuans under the Special Autonomy law is even more dangerous because of terror, intimidation and violence. This has directly and indirectly become a serious threat.
12. The expansion of Indonesian military units and their establishment in various places in West Papua such as the battalions in Wamena, Timika and Merauke in 2004, and in 2006 the establishment of Navy headquarters in Sorong and Manokwari and the establishment of Air Force headquarter in Biak. Beside the Air Force headquarters in Biak, military posts had been installed in remote areas of Biak such as Mapia Island, Barari Gulf, and Korem beach. The Indonesian Air Force also has cooperated with Russia to use Biak as a place to test their ballistic weapons. The installment of military posts and headquarters has not only created fear among the native West Papuans, but they have also created an injustice for the people because most of the land taken for building military posts was not fairly compensated for. In other words, the people did not have a fair payment for their traditional right to the land that has been taken away.
13. Terror and open intimidation from the air: On 1st May 2007, four Indonesian Air Force planes were flown over the West Papuan land. This was part of the terror operations and open intimidation towards native West Papuans.
14. On 17th April 2007 in the village of Kwel, Eligobel district, near the border of Merauke regency, the regional military XVII/TRIKORA bought 2 hectares of traditional customary lands from Okto Kwamaljai for Rp. 10,000,000 (ten million rupiahs). The land will be used for a new military base. Along the border region between Papua New Guinea and southern part of Papua province, the Indonesian military has posts which are guarded by soldiers from Siliwangi Kala Hitam, West Java. In every post, there are 25 personnel. The distance between the military post and the village of the native West Papuan is 5 km.
15. On Friday, May 4th 2007 at 08.00am in the KUWERA office and in the evening at 20.00pm in front of Papua Post office, two Indonesian intelligence officers named Charles Telabanua and Frans Sembiring visited two Papuan men, Musa Tipogauw and Napan Yoman. They questioned Musa and Napan on their involvement in a struggle to defend traditional rights of the UGIMBA tribe over the areas where PT Freeport Indonesia is doing its mining explorations in Tembagapura. The officers asked to see the letters of recommendation from government, customary and religious leaders that support the struggle of the native UGIMBA tribe. They said that the purpose of their request was that they had an intention to help the UGIMBA tribe in their struggle. One of their questions was whether the UGIMBA¡|s struggle to defend their traditional land rights related to West Papuan independence. The two West Papuans replied ¡§NO¡¨ ¡§Our struggle for our traditional land rights does not relate to West Papuan independence¡¨.
16. Terror and open intimidation: On Friday, 11th May 2007 at 10.30am, a man named Brigadier-General Albert who introduced himself as the co-ordinator of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) for Papua region came to my house. Two days earlier he phoned me and invited me to go out and have a meeting and lunch. I refused his invitation and said that I had already had other appointments. The purpose of his visit was to invite me to speak to the Strategic Research Board of the State Intelligence Agency in Jakarta in the middle of June 2007. I questioned Albert¡|s full name and requested his name card but he said his name was Albert only and he did not have a name card. I asked Albert what issues need to be addressed in Jakarta and what Papua problems need to be presented. Albert asked me to mention names of important people in Jakarta whom he could also invite to speak to the Strategic Research Board. I got an SMS (Short Message Service) from Brigadier Albert that said ¡§Shalom Mr Socrates, I am Brigadier General Albert. Based on our conversation about the Strategic Research Board of the State Intelligence Agency¡|s panel discussion on the solutions to Papuan problems, you are scheduled for 11th June 2007 at 09.00am. We hope that you could come. An invitation will be sent to you later. Thank you. God bless you¡¨. I replied ¡§Good afternoon Brigadier General Albert. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to give a talk about the situation in West Papua to our friends at the Strategic Research Board of the State Intelligence Agency. I appreciate the invitation, but I will be very busy from June to December 2007 preparing a special convention and the 16th Conference of the Fellowship of West Papuan Baptist churches. As the church leader I am responsible to all church events. I am willing to send my presentation in writing. Thank you and may the Lord Jesus Christ bless you Mr Albert. (from: Rev Socrates Sofyan Yoman, President of the Fellowship of West Papuan Baptist Churches).
17. On the same day, 11th May 2007, two intelligence agents went to Cahaya Papua, a small bookshop in Jayapura. The two intelligence agents questioned the shop assistant on many things about West Papua and about myself. Feeling a bit suspicious, the shop assistant told them not to ask questions about West Papua but if they wanted to know about West Papua and about Mr Socratez Sofyan Yoman, they could buy the books about West Papua. The two officers apologized and left the shop.
18. Terror and open intimidation: On the 12th May 2007, the regional military commander of 172/PWY Colonel Kav Burhanuddin Siagian made a statement that traitors of the nation must be destroyed. The commander said ¡§if I meet any individual who has enjoyed the sate facilities but who still betrays the nation, honestly, I will destroy him. Do not do any demonstrations or actions which are not useful. Do not try to dig up past history.¡¨ His comments were published in Cenderawasih Post newspaper in Jayapura in response to demands of the native West Papuans for a review of the 1969 Act of Free Choice and the human rights abuses during the past 44 years in West Papua and for a national and an international dialogue.
19. The implementation of the Special Autonomy law no 21 2001 did not protect any native West Papuans from terror, intimidation, and human rights abuses in West Papua. What seems to be the most prominent thing under Special Autonomy has been the addition of more Indonesian military troops, police personnel, intelligence officers in their many different forms of disguises, and the increase of migrants (new comers). The native West Papuans are living under fear and are not enjoying freedom in their own native land. The native West Papuans are oppressed and are marginalized in all aspects of life. The Special Autonomy law no 21 2001 has brought disasters which are destroying the life and the future of the native West Papuans.
20. Open and secret military operations have indicated strongly that a genocide process has systematically been executed in West Papua since 1st May 1963 until this year 2007 when the Special Autonomy law no 21 is being implemented.
21. Our deepest concern is supported by Mr Juan Mendez, a special adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the Commission for the prevention of mass killing of native people, who made statement on 26th January 2006 that West Papua is a region in great danger because its native people are becoming extinct because of the genocide; Indonesia prohibits experts or human rights observers and researchers from monitoring the human rights situation which has been very worrying in West Papua. There is evidence that human rights violence has been committed in West Papua since 1963.
22. The deepest concern about the genocide threat in West Papua has been raised in the research of Yale University, USA released on 10th December, 2003 and the research report released by the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Sydney University, Australia on 18thAugust 2005 which indicated very strongly that a systematic ethnic genocide of the native West Papuans is taking place.
Recommendations and Solutions:
1. An honest and peaceful dialogue, the same as in Aceh¡|s case, with a neutral third party, requested and agreed by both the native West Papuans and the government of Indonesia to mediate the dialogue.
2. All aid and funding from donor countries such as the USA, European Union, Australia, New Zealand and other countries for the implementation of Special Autonomy needs to be frozen until the government of Indonesia opens itself for a dialogue with the native West Papuans.
3. The international community must put pressure on the government of Indonesia to open access for human right workers from the United Nations (a UN Special Rapporteur [on the killings and torture]), foreign journalists, researchers from abroad, and human rights and peace NGOs to visit West Papua. If the government of Indonesia does not allow the international community to visit West Papua, then, we have to question it. What are the Indonesians trying to hide in West Papua? What are they doing to the native West Papuans?
4. The governments of USA, European Union, Australia, and other independent states in the international world must NOT to use the slogan supporting and maintaining the integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia¡¨. Such statements have justified and supported the impunity of the government of Indonesia toward the native West Papuans.
5. The churches in West Papua must push the government of Indonesia to recognize West Papua as a LAND OF PEACE. That recognition must be followed by real actions such as the withdrawal of non-organic military forces, stopping all installations of military posts, stopping the addition of members of battalions, stopping the militia groups and stopping business carried out by the Indonesian military (legal and illegal) in West Papua.
Blessed are those who bring peace, for they will be called children of God¡ (Matthew 5:9).
Reverend Socrates Sofyan Yoman President of the Fellowships of West Papuan Baptist Churches E-mail: socratezyoman_90 (at) hotmail.com This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Mobile: 08124888458 Office: 62-967-583462
Reported by Reverend Socratez Sofyan Yoman President of the Fellowship of West Papuan Baptist Churches West Papua, 28th May 2007