The forgotten refugees of West Papua

The refugee crisis in Indonesian-occupied West Papua remains unresolved.

According to Human Rights Monitor, an estimated 70000 civilians have been displaced due to the armed conflict between the Indonesian army and the West Papuan liberation army in several mountainous areas such as Nduga, Puncak Jaya, Intan Jaya, Maybrat, and Yahukimo since 2018.

Limited solidarity 

In response to this grievous human tragedy, solidarity with West Papua is arguably limited to certain circles. Although the majority of indigenous West Papuans are Christian, the attitude of the Church hierarchy, especially in Indonesia, is highly questionable.

"Catholic church leaders like to pick and choose the victims they want to help. When it comes to West Papua issue, Indonesian bishops are silent for fear of angering the government. Worse still, these bishops do not hesitate to show their support for the Indonesian state's crimes against West Papuans.", said Ambrosius Mulait, a West Papuan Catholic activist living in Jakarta.

Deliberate neglect 

Last year, the Indonesian Bishops' Conference held a national mobilization to help thousands of migrants from various Asian and African countries: In the archdiocese of Jakarta alone there are around 6000 migrants accommodated. 

However, it is unfortunate that there are no initiatives to help the victims of the war in West Papua, even though they are direct victims of the Indonesian government's brutal policies. The apathy of Indonesian Christians towards the suffering of West Papuans is indeed astounding.

Great hypocrisy

For Markus Haluk, secretary of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua - ULMWP, the double-standard shown by the Indonesian Bishops' Conference is sickening hypocrisy.

Such an attitude is essentially not much different from the Indonesian government itself, which vocally defends the Palestinian cause, while covering up its own crimes against West Papuans. On the grounds that the 60-year conflict in West Papua is an internal Indonesian issue, these war refugees cannot receive assistance from UNHCR.