Understanding 61 years of conflict in West Papua

 

West Papua stands as a symbol of stolen sovereignty and relentless oppression. 

It is the western half of New Guinea, consisting of six provinces—Papua, Papua Barat, Papua Tengah, Papua Pegunungan, Papua Selatan, and Papua Barat Daya—each bearing the scars of Indonesian colonization since May 1, 1963. 

Under Indonesia's brutal occupation, the indigenous population has been subjected to heinous human rights violations, driven by a political and economic agenda that sees Papuans as expendable.

A Dire Human Tragedy

The situation in West Papua is nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe, and it is no longer an exaggeration to call it a genocide and ecocide. Behind the smokescreen of so-called "development," Indonesia has waged a dark campaign of destruction—of both people and land. Papuans are being systematically deprived of their land, their resources, and their very identity. Military repression has already led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands, while the land itself is being rendered uninhabitable by toxic mining and deforestation. Indonesia has turned a rich, vibrant land into a graveyard for the Papuan people.

Key Historical Dates: A Tale of Betrayal

To understand the gravity of the situation, we must look at the blood-soaked history of West Papua’s annexation:

• December 1, 1961: After enduring over a century of Dutch colonial rule, West Papua declared its independence.
• December 19, 1961: Indonesia, under President Soekarno, declared war on the newly-formed Papuan state, invoking a false anti-colonial narrative to justify aggression.
• August 15, 1962: The United States, led by President John F. Kennedy, brokered a deal that handed West Papua over to Indonesia, bypassing the Papuan people entirely.
• May 1, 1963: The United Nations transferred control of West Papua to Indonesia under the pretense of a future referendum. But instead of allowing the Papuans to decide, Indonesia launched brutal operations to silence any voice of dissent.
• April 7, 1967: Indonesia signed a deal with Freeport McMoRan, beginning the exploitation of Papua’s rich mineral resources for foreign corporations.
• August 2, 1969: A sham "referendum" under military supervision, known as the Act of Free Choice, saw just 1,025 of 800,000 Papuans "vote" for annexation, an outcome that is universally recognized as fraudulent.

A Bleak Future: The Regime's True Intentions

From the start, Indonesia’s intentions for West Papua were never benign. Sukarno, Indonesia's first president, dismissed Papuans as "primitive." General Ali Moertopo, in 1963, openly declared that Indonesia's interest in West Papua was solely for its resources, not its people. Today, that message has become a policy of systematic eradication. Indonesian military leaders, including General Hendropriyono, have openly discussed plans to relocate millions of Papuans to other parts of Indonesia, replacing them with settlers from overpopulated islands like Java and Sulawesi.

Indonesia’s rhetoric of peace is a lie. Since 1963, Jakarta has conducted over a dozen military operations, resulting in widespread destruction and human suffering. Most recently, in 2024, a military operation named HABEMA escalated the violence, displacing more than 75,000 civilians, while human rights abuses—torture, rape, extrajudicial executions—continue unabated.

The Looming Genocide

The election of Prabowo Subianto as Indonesia's president has sealed the fate of the Papuans. Prabowo, a notorious war criminal from the East Timor occupation, continues to push policies of military repression and environmental destruction. His approach is not development; it is devastation. Papuans are now a minority in their own land, and their survival is at risk. The native population is dwindling, with indigenous Papuans now comprising less than 40% of the population.

Who Profits from This Devastation?

The tragedy of West Papua is not just a moral outrage—it is a profitable enterprise for multinational corporations. Mining, logging, and palm oil companies are extracting vast resources from the land, while the Papuans are left with nothing but the wreckage. Over 85 palm oil companies control over 2 million hectares of land. Logging companies dominate over 13 million hectares. The Indonesian government, which claims to uphold a "special autonomy" program, has in reality created a free-for-all for environmental and humanitarian crimes.

Ecocide at Its Worst

Papua's forests, which once stood as a global treasure, are now being razed at an alarming rate. Between 2000 and 2017, deforestation tripled. Entire ecosystems are being wiped out, and species teeter on the brink of extinction. The construction of the Trans Papua Highway, for example, has further endangered delicate species like the purple slipper orchid and the Mbaiso tree kangaroo, all in the name of corporate greed.

The Path to Liberation

It is clear that the Papuans have no future under Indonesian rule. Their rights have been trampled, their land ravaged, and their people decimated. This tragedy is not just a regional issue; it is a global one. The survival of the Papuan people is at stake, and the time for intervention is now.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), formed in 2014, continues to fight for self-determination. They have gained international recognition from organizations such as the Melanesian Spearhead Group and the Pacific Conference of Churches. But Jakarta continues to silence them, labeling their struggle as treason. The ULMWP, however, remains committed to non-violent resistance, pushing for the West Papua issue to be brought before the United Nations.

The people of West Papua have the right to self-determination. It is time to honor that right and end Indonesia's colonial occupation. The international community must recognize that West Papua is not Indonesia’s property—it is a nation in its own right, and the Papuans' fight for freedom is the fight for justice, survival, and human dignity. The time for action is now. 

End the occupation. 

Let West Papua rise!