Demonstrations marked the 62nd anniversary of the U.N. agreement enabling Jakarta’s annexation of Papua.

Victor Mambor  2024.08.16

Jayapura, Indonesia

Indonesian security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets in clashes with protestors marking the 62nd anniversary of a U.N. agreement that paved the way for Jakarta’s annexation of the Papua region. 

At least one protester was wounded by a rubber bullet and 95 people were arrested during the unrest in Nabire, the capital of Central Papua province, said Kimot Mote, one of the protest organizers.  

The demonstrations on Thursday were led by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), a pro-independence group that opposes Indonesian rule in Papua. Similar protests were reported across several other cities, including Manokwari, Sorong Raya, Wamena, and Yahukimo, activists said.

Protesters are urging international bodies, including the United Nations, the Melanesian Spearhead Group, and the Pacific Islands Forum, to intervene and pressure Indonesia to halt military operations in Papua. 

KNPB chairman Warpo Wetipo issued a direct plea to Pope Francis, asking him to raise awareness about the violence and human rights violations in Papua. 

The head of the Catholic Church is due to visit Indonesia next month, followed by Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Singapore.

“We ask the Pope to advocate for an end to the oppression of the Papuan people,” Wetipo said.

While the protest in Nabire started peacefully, tensions escalated when police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds, Mote said.

“There was a heavy police presence, with around 100 officers using trucks and crowd-control vehicles to quell the demonstrators,” he told BenarNews. 

Local police chief Wahyudi Satrio Bintoro said security personnel took action after the protestors threw rocks at officers and engaged in vandalism, including setting fire to motorcycles. 

“The Nabire police carried out measured and decisive action,” he said. 

The New York Agreement is a treaty between the Netherlands and Indonesia regarding the administration of Papua, then called Western New Guinea. It stipulates that the United Nations would initially assume control, but if the U.N. permits, Indonesia could take over administration under certain conditions. 

The agreement, negotiated in U.S.-hosted meetings, was signed on August 15, 1962, at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

However, many Papuans believe the deal was made without their consent, and it paved the way for what they see as Indonesia’s illegitimate annexation of their homeland.

West Papua was formally integrated into Indonesia in 1969 following a controversial referendum, known as the “Act of Free Choice.” Under heavy military presence, a small group of just over 1,000 selected Papuans voted unanimously for integration, a result that many have since disputed.

Since then, the region has been the site of long-running conflict between Indonesian security forces and separatist rebels, with frequent reports of human rights abuses.

Despite efforts to address the economic development of the region, many Papuans continue to push for self-determination, citing decades of discrimination, military violence, and exploitation of their land and resources.

In Jayapura, protesters were denied access to the planned protest site in Abepura. 

“We had secured permission for the protest, but the police still obstructed us,” said KNPB’s Wetipo. 

In Abepura, a group of students gathered under the banner “Students Concerned About Papua,” delivering speeches and calling for attention to Papua’s ongoing struggles.

Jayapura police confirmed the intervention, arguing that the protests were highly disruptive. 

In Nabire, the situation became tense on Thursday when non-Papuan residents, identifying as “Warga Nusantara” (Archipelago Citizens), clashed with protesters, said Taksen Giyai, a local resident. 

“They were armed with iron bars, wood, and machetes, blocking the demonstrators’ path,” he said. No clashes were reported.

Central Papua’s acting governor, Ribka Haluk, called for calm. 

“I urge all parties to ensure safety and security,” she said, adding that grievances should be addressed through appropriate channels rather than violence. 

In other cities, the protests were similarly contained by police. 

In Manokwari, officers set up roadblocks to prevent demonstrators from reaching key areas. Protester Erick Aleknoe said that negotiators attempted to cooperate with police.

“Our negotiators offered to have the police escort the crowd to the location, but it was rejected,” he said.

The 15 August   marks  62 years since The New York Agreement and West Papuans  are still suffering  under Indonesian colonial rule. Yes, most of the world recognises Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua at this stage but most also would recognise that the so called act of free choice in 1969 was a sham.

The New York Agreement

In August 1962, an agreement was concluded in New York between the Netherlands and Indonesia. Under this agreement, the Dutch were to leave West New Guinea and transfer sovereignty to UNTEA (the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority). After 7 months the UN transferred power to Indonesia with the provision that a referendum be held to determine Papuan preference for independence, or integration with Indonesia. 

The New York Agreement was a betrayal of the West Papuan people. 

President Thomas Wilson said  “ …that no right anywhere exists to hand peoples about from sovereignty to sovereignty as if they were property”

Joe Collins of AWPA said, “and this is exactly what happened to the West Papuan people. Handed over by one colonial power, The Netherlands to another, Indonesia with a short administration period by the UN as a face-saving compromise for the Dutch and the international community”.

The West Papuan National Committee  ( KNPB) has called for West Papuans to come out and peacefully protest this betrayal and have been handing out flyers (on the 13 August) to inform about the upcoming rallies on the 15 August. 

In an act of  intimidation up to 60 activists were taken by the police to the Doyo police Station in Sentani. 

Joe Collins said ,” this is to intimate civil society groups into not taking part in the proposed rallies on the 15 August.  Hopefully, there will not be a repeat of previous years where  the security forces have cracked down in their usual heavy-handed approach on  peaceful demonstrators”.

Photos posted on AWPA FB Page. (KNPB informing public about upcoming rallies).

 “ West Papuan civil society groups regularly hold events and rallies on days of significance in their history,  to try and bring attention to the world, of the injustices they suffer under Indonesian rule. And this is what Jakarta fears most , international scrutiny  on the ongoing human rights abuses in the territory”.

Also of concern is that the 17 August is Indonesian Independence Day.

The Indonesian Security  forces can use the day to take propaganda  photos of Papuans supporting their Independence day. It is now 5 years since the West Papua uprising when thousands of West Papuans took to the streets in all the major cities and towns across West Papua.  The demonstrators were  protesting against the arrest and racial abuse against West Papuan students in Surabaya, Indonesia.

The arrest of 43 students in Surabaya occurred because it had been reported that an Indonesian flag had been vandalised near the students dormitory.

At the time, The Jakarta Post (19 August) reported that security personnel and members of Indonesian organisations launched physical and verbal attacks on the Papuan students accusing them of refusing to celebrate Indonesia’s 74th Independence Day, and that an “angry mob arrived at the dormitory after they found a discarded Indonesian flag near the building. During the incident, they reportedly threw stones at the dormitory while shouting racial abuse and chanting “Kick out the Papuans!” and “Slaughter the Papuans!” 

The mob also called the students monkeys, pigs and dogs, shouting “don’t you come out. We are waiting for you here”.  As they stormed the building the Police fired tear gas into the building and arrested 43 students. The students were later released after questioning. They had denied any knowledge of the damaged flag. However, this incident triggered rallies across West Papua in a show of support for the students and in protest against the discrimination and injustices that West Papuans suffer daily under Indonesia rule.

It is estimated that up to 60 people died , including 35 indigenous West Papuans  and  hundreds injured with  over 20,00 civilians displaced during the Uprising period. 

Joe Collins said, “hopefully this year the Indonesian security forces  will allow the West Papuan people  to hold their peaceful rallies without interference . 

“Canberra,  along with the two regional organisations , the  Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)  should be strongly  urging Jakarta to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua to investigate the human rights situation in the territory. Jakarta should also be urged to allow  a joint PIF- MSG fact finding mission to the territory”.

Ends

Human Rights News / Indonesia, West Papua / 22 August 2024 

Recent findings highlight the ongoing use of treason charges to suppress peaceful activism in Papua, raising significant concerns over the infringement of fundamental human rights. A report by the Alliance for Democracy for Papua (AlDP) and Tapol, launched in Jayapura in July 2024, reveals that treason laws are frequently employed to criminalise activists advocating for Papuan rights, including those involved in anti-racism protests and commemorations of political leaders.

The research documents 52 cases where activists were charged with treason, noting that these charges are often applied broadly, disregarding the peaceful nature of the protests. Legal experts and human rights advocates argue that the treason laws, rooted in colonial-era legislation, are misapplied to suppress freedom of expression rather than addressing genuine threats to national security.

Professor Melkias Hetharia of Cenderawasih University argues that the expression of support for Papuan independence, when conducted peacefully, does not constitute treason. He emphasizes that such expressions should be protected under international human rights standards, to which Indonesia is a signatory.

The report calls for a revision of treason laws and urges the Indonesian government to respect political expression and engage in dialogue to address the underlying issues in Papua, rather than resorting to repressive legal measures that only fuel further resistance.