Stop Papuaphobia!

Theys Eluay, a well-known Papuan freedom fighter, once declared that if Nazi Germany ruled West Papua, it would treat Papuans more humanely than the Indonesian regime.

Theys also explained that during the one century the Dutch colonized West Papua, there had never been a Papuan who was arbitrarily killed by the security forces in public and in broad daylight. Likewise, the Japanese army who occupied Papua during the World War II never carried out massacres like the Indonesian army had done since 1963. 

More than twenty years after the death of Theys, the situation of the Papuans under Indonesian rule has not improved. Arbitrary arrests, mutilations and killings continue to occur with impunity. The few perpetrators who were tried were low-ranking soldiers and the sentences were relatively light. 

On the other hand, Papuans who dare to sue are criminalized: Victor Yeimo, spokesperson for the KNPB, who accused Indonesia of systemic racism towards Papuans, was convicted of treason. "We are the ones who are insulted, but we are also the ones who are imprisoned", he said.  Last May, Victor was sentenced to 8 months in prison after previously being detained for 2 years. 

Fed up with the never ending racism and injustice, today, three youth associations: the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua (FRI-WP), the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP), and the Indonesian Papuan Central Highlands Student Alliance (AMPTPI) simultaneously made statements denouncing Papuaphobia: 

Racism against Papuans has been going on for 61 years, since August 15, 1962. On that day, the Netherlands, West Papua's colonizers who on December 1, 1961 recognized West Papua's independence, handed it over to Indonesian hands, under pressure from the United States. This is a heinous political conspiracy!

It is time for the dark history of West Papua to be exposed. Quoting the words of Professor Frans Magnis Suseno, Papua has become "a rotting wound in the body of the Indonesian nation". Tomorrow, August 17, Indonesia will celebrate its 78th anniversary of independence. The question is, is Indonesia truly independent, according to the ideals of its founding fathers? 

Pancasila, the five basic principles of the Indonesian state: Belief in God, Humanity, Unity, Democracy, Social Justice, is just useless rhetoric if the Indonesian government is only able to respond to Papuan aspirations with terror, intimidation and criminalization.