West Papua: Sixty Years of Silence and Suffering

West Papua: Sixty Years of Silence and Suffering

On May 1, 2023, the Papuan people solemnly marked sixty years since the beginning of Indonesia’s rule over West Papua. This anniversary rekindled a profound question that echoes across the mountains, valleys, and coastlines of this Melanesian land: what has truly unfolded over the last six decades under the shadow of the red-and-white flag? Have Papuans lived in peace on their ancestral soil, or has their dignity been eroded by relentless violence?

Today, bloody conflicts persist across regions such as Intan Jaya, Nduga, Puncak Jaya, Puncak Papua, Yahukimo, Kiwirok–Pegunungan Bintang, and Maybrat. Day after day, the Papuan people endure violations of their most basic rights, often at the hands of those sent by Jakarta under the guise of unity and order.

Before addressing the grim record of human rights abuses in West Papua, it is essential to recall what human rights entail.

Human rights are the inalienable liberties inherent to every human being, regardless of origin or creed. First articulated during the French Revolution in 1789, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen proclaims: “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.” This vision later inspired the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948. In 1966, two foundational covenants were added: one on civil and political rights, the other on economic, social, and cultural rights.

Indonesia, which proclaimed its independence in August 1945, enshrined the principle of human rights in its Constitution. The very preamble affirms that independence is the right of all nations. Following the fall of Suharto in 1998, Indonesia reaffirmed this commitment through Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights and ratified numerous international conventions on issues such as discrimination, child protection, civil liberties, and the prohibition of torture and apartheid.

Yet beyond these formal commitments lies a more troubling reality: the record of state violence in Indonesia—and particularly in Papua—has been persistently grim. Since 1963, regardless of the ruling regime, military operations have been deployed that have led to untold suffering and the deaths of thousands of Papuan civilians.

The Four Eras of Indonesian Rule in Papua

The history of human rights abuses in Papua under Indonesian control can be understood through four successive periods:

1. The Sukarno presidency (1963–1967), or the "Old Order"

2. The Suharto regime (1967–1998), known as the "New Order"

3. The Reformasi era (1998–2001), marked by democratic transition

4. The period of Special Autonomy (2001–present), or Otonomi Khusus

1. Papua Under Sukarno

President Sukarno, founder of the Republic of Indonesia, was the chief architect of Papua’s annexation. The Indonesian incursion began in late December 1961 with a major Soviet-backed military operation known as Trikora. In 1962, under pressure from the United States to avoid a Cold War escalation, the Netherlands reluctantly agreed to hand over its former colony to the United Nations.

By May 1, 1963, the UN had transferred administrative control to Indonesia. Officially, Jakarta’s role was to oversee a future referendum where Papuans would determine their political status. In reality, it marked the beginning of an occupation punctuated by atrocities. From the first days, Indonesian forces bombed villages, looted public facilities—including hospitals—and suppressed dissent with violence. A riot in Manokwari led to brutal military reprisals: between 1,000 and 2,000 Papuans were killed.

2. The Suharto Era

In 1967, General Suharto replaced Sukarno, bringing a pro-Western orientation to Jakarta’s policy. Papua, as an old proverb suggests, had merely moved “from the mouth of the crocodile to the jaws of the tiger.” One of Suharto’s first decisions was to grant Freeport-McMoRan exclusive rights to exploit the Grasberg mine—home to some of the world’s richest deposits of gold and copper. The contract was signed on April 7, 1967—two years before any official vote on Papua’s status.

In 1969, the so-called Act of Free Choice—or PEPERA—was carried out, not as a referendum, but as a coercive performance. Only 1,025 Papuans, handpicked and pressured by the Indonesian military, were allowed to “vote” on behalf of 800,000 people. The outcome was predictable. The voices of ordinary Papuans were dismissed as irrelevant, their aspirations silenced.

Former Papuan governor Eliezer Bonay estimated that 30,000 people were killed between 1963 and 1969. Thousands fled to neighboring Papua New Guinea or to countries such as the Netherlands. During Suharto’s 32-year reign, at least ten major military operations were conducted—each leaving behind destruction, trauma, and death. Yale University and the NGO LP3BH Manokwari estimate the death toll at over 100,000. According to Benny Wenda of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), the total may exceed 500,000.

3. The Reformasi Period

In May 1998, Suharto’s resignation ushered in an era of democratic reform. Under President B.J. Habibie, new political space opened for Papuan voices. Demands surged for military withdrawal, an end to the transmigration program, and a recognition of Papuan self-determination.

The state’s response was swift and brutal. Key activists were arrested, tortured, and in some cases, executed. In Biak (1998), Wamena and Abepura (2000), and Nabire, state forces launched repressive operations. Between 1998 and 2003, over 2,500 Papuans were reportedly killed.

4. The Special Autonomy Era

In 2001, in an attempt to pacify growing unrest, Indonesia offered Papua a “Special Autonomy” status. But the offer rang hollow. Later that year, Theys Eluay, Chairman of the Papuan Presidium Council and a prominent advocate for dialogue, was abducted and assassinated by the Indonesian Special Forces (KOPASSUS).

Under OTSUS, violence persisted—Wasior (2001), Wamena (2003), Paniai (2004, 2014), Abepura (2006), Nduga (2018), Intan Jaya (2019–present). Many atrocities go unrecorded, while others are minimized or denied by state authorities. Meanwhile, structural violence continues to plague Papuans: a rise in HIV/AIDS deaths, environmental degradation, a surge in alcohol and drug abuse, and increasing marginalization due to unchecked migration from other parts of Indonesia. Racist anti-Papuan sentiments have intensified, further isolating the indigenous population, who are now at risk of becoming a minority in their own land.

Conclusion

Over the past decade, the tragedy of West Papua has begun to awaken the conscience of the international community. In 2013, Melanesian nations voiced support for Papuan self-determination. In 2018, African, Caribbean, and Pacific nations raised the alarm in Nairobi. In 2019, the President of the UN Human Rights Council listed West Papua as an unresolved global conflict. In 2021, several UN General Assembly delegates condemned ongoing abuses and the persecution of Papuan human rights defenders.

For the Papuans, the last sixty years have been a litany of violence, militarization, and systematic erasure. Jakarta's promises of development, as Markus Haluk of the ULMWP observed, have too often served as a smokescreen for murder, rape, arbitrary detention, and impunity. Those who commit these crimes are rarely punished—many are even promoted.

A petition launched in 2021 by the Petition of the Papuan People gathered over 700,000 signatures—an unmistakable sign of a people who refuse to be silenced.

It is time for Indonesia to allow the United Nations Human Rights Council to visit West Papua. But more than that, it is time to respect the principle that lies at the heart of every democracy: the right of a people to determine their own future.

As it is written in the Gospel of Matthew (7:7–8): “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” The Papuans have knocked, again and again. It is time the world listened—and opened the door.