Understanding 61 years of conflict in West Papua

 

West Papua refers to the western half of the island of New Guinea. It includes the six Indonesian provinces of Papua, Papua Barat, Papua Tengah, Papua Pegunungan, Papua Selatan and Papua Barat Daya.

Since its annexation by Indonesia on May 1, 1963, West Papua's indigenous population has been suffering human rights violations due to political and economic conflicts with the Indonesian government.

Human tragedy

Some humanitarian and environmental NGOs do not hesitate to use the terms “genocide” and “ecocide” to denounce the behavior of the Indonesian government in its Papuan provinces. Behind the development projects orchestrated by Jakarta, lies a dark enterprise of depredation.

West Papuans, victims of the deprivation of their resources and their identity, are increasingly marginalized. Indonesian military repression led to the deaths of several hundred thousand Papuans. 6% of Papua's land is now uninhabitable due to mining pollution. Not to mention massive deforestation for the benefit of agricultural industries and palm oil plantations.

Key dates

To understand the root causes of the West Papuan tragedy, let's look back at the history of the annexation of West Papua to Indonesia:

• December 1, 1961:

After more than a century of Dutch colonization, West Papua proclaimed its independence. The transfer of sovereignty planned ten years later.

• December 19, 1961:

Indonesia, which had become independent from the Netherlands fifteen years earlier, declared war on the nascent Papuan state. In an anti-colonialist spirit, President Soekarno called for general mobilization to destroy “the Dutch puppet state in Papua". 

• August 15, 1962:

To avoid an escalation of the conflict, the United States, under the administration of John F. Kennedy, persuaded the Netherlands to cede West Papua to the United Nations. An agreement was signed in New York between Indonesia, the Netherlands and the United States, without the participation of the Papuans.

• May 1, 1963:

The United Nations has handed over the administration of West Papua to Indonesia, ahead of a referendum that will determine the choice of the Papuan people. But in reality, Indonesia carried out operations aimed at eliminating pro-independence Papuans.

• April 7, 1967:

The Indonesian government signed an operating contract with American mining giant Freeport McMoRan. Indeed, West Papua is rich in natural resources. Its copper and gold deposits at Grasberg are among the largest in the world.

• August 2, 1969:

A "referendum" called the Act of Free Choice organized by the Indonesian military to legitimize the annexation of West Papua: this was approved by only 1,025 of the 800,000 Papuans at the time.

Getting worse by the day

Given Indonesia's brutal annexation of West Papua, the situation is not expected to improve over time. Indeed, from the start, the Indonesian government has never shown good faith towards the Papuans. Sukarno, Indonesia's first president, considered Papuans primitive. In 1963, General Ali Moertopo emphasized that Indonesia only needed natural resources from Papua and not Papuans.

Indonesia appears to want to systematically exterminate the black Melanesian population of West Papua and replace it with Indonesian settlers from the overpopulated islands of Java and Sulawesi. This is exactly what General Hendro Priyono confirmed in a television interview in 2021. This former head of Indonesian intelligence services proposed moving the 2 million Papuans to Manado, on the island of Sulawesi.

In its propaganda, the Indonesian government claims that Papua is a land of peace. But in reality, it is a land of war: since 1963, Jakarta has carried out around fifteen military operations there. In 2022, a state of combat alert was declared. At the end of February 2024, a joint army and police operation called HABEMA was set up. Four new regional military commands will be created, in addition to the two existing commands.

Today, armed conflict is raging in many districts such as Intan Jaya, Nduga, Puncak Jaya, Puncak Papua, Yahukimo, Kiwirok, Bintang Mountains and Maybrat. The consequences are disastrous. The NGO Human Rights Monitor, based in Germany, denounces a humanitarian crisis which has led to the displacement of more than 75,000 civilians.

Cases of torture, rape and extrajudicial executions continue to occur with impunity. Meanwhile, activists who defend Papuans are systematically stigmatized, intimidated and criminalized. The Indonesian regime considers activities aimed at protecting the human rights of Papuans as an act of treason and separatism. Access for independent journalists is severely limited in the region.

Genocide alert 

The election of Prabowo Subianto as president of Indonesia last February sounded the death knell for West Papuans.

The current Indonesian defense minister, former general and son-in-law of dictator Soeharto (1967-1998), now aged 72, is known for his atrocities committed as a young officer during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor (1975-1999).

Faced with the Papuan tragedy, Prabowo preferred to blame foreign interference rather than his government's brutal policies. For him, military operations accompanied by “development” constitute the most appropriate solution. However, this development is synonymous with the destruction of the environment and the massive importation of migrants from outside Papua.

Today, Papuans are a minority in their country. A study conducted by the United Liberation for West Papua (ULMWP) shows that the percentage of indigenous people in West Papua is already below 40%, or less than 1% of Indonesia's total population. If we compare the mortality rate of indigenous Papuans to that of Indonesian migrants in Papua, it becomes clear that the Papuan people are on the verge of extinction!

Who reap profits?

A French proverb says the misfortune of some is the gain of others. The question now is, who benefits from the misfortune of West Papuans? In 1970, there was only one large multinational company in West Papua. Today, there are around twenty. And that's not all:

85 palm oil companies control more than 2,150,000 hectares of land in Papua. Not to mention the 83 logging companies that control 13,500,000 hectares of forest. According to an investigation carried out by Forensic Architecture and Greenpeace Indonesia. 57,000 hectares of Papuan forests in Boven Digoel have been deforested by the Korean group Korindo since 2001.

There are also 25 industrial plantation logging companies that control 3,700,000 hectares of forest. And 3 sago forest products management companies that control 129,000 hectares of sago hamlets. 15 sugarcane plantation companies which control 488,000 hectares of land.

At the same time, around 240 mining companies are dredging Papua's soil. The total area of indigenous Papuan land seized for mining is 9,120,000 hectares!

Ecocide alert

Data from the Pusaka Foundation, Greenpeace and Forest Watch Indonesia show that every year, the rate of deforestation in Papua triples!

From 2000 to 2009, it reached 60,300 hectares. From 2009 to 2013, 171,900 hectares. From 2013 to 2017, it increased to 189,300 hectares per year. Deforestation in West Papua continues despite environmental protection programs. The total loss of Papuan forest between January and February 2024 alone was 766 hectares.

In Merauke, flooding is common: forests are cleared to grow rice for export to Saudi Arabia. The construction of the 4,326 km Trans Papua Highway is endangering the existence of protected species of flora and fauna, such as the purple slipper orchid and the Mbaiso tree kangaroo. In the eyes of indigenous Papuans, this highway is only a logistical tool in the service of Indonesian oligarchs.

Ironically, these heinous crimes occurred under the “special autonomy” program imposed by Jakarta. In theory, this program aims to ensure the protection of indigenous Papuans. But in reality, it protects and supports environmental and humanitarian criminals in Papua.

No future with Indonesia 

Based on the facts presented, it is clear that the Papuans have no future with Indonesia in any way.

It is absurd to discuss the sociopolitics and human rights violations in West Papua without addressing the root cause, namely the illegal annexation by Indonesia, which took place amid International community's indifference .

The Papua tragedy constitutes a serious humanitarian problem that deserves our attention. Especially since there are Papuan tears and blood in almost all the products and services we benefit from. For the Papuans, independence is not optional, it is a question of survival!

ULMWP for an independent West Papua 

In 2014, West Papua struggle factions merged into an umbrella organization called the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP). This movement is recognized internationally by the South Pacific forum “Melanesian Spearhead Group” (MSG) and the Pacific Conference of Churches. ULMWP has been collaborating since 2016 with Catholic leaders and organizations, notably the justice and peace commission.

Declared a banned organization by Jakarta, the existence of the ULMWP nevertheless remains tolerated within the framework of freedom of association. The ULMWP acts non-violently and cooperatively with all parties. In addition to the South Pacific, ULMWP diplomats have lobbied persistently in various countries, including the United States and the European Union. They are striving to bring the West Papua issue back to the UN by revising resolution 2504 of 1969.

The preamble of the Indonesian constitution states that "Independence is the right of all nations and for this reason, all colonialism in the world must be abolished." In other words, the West Papuan nation, like all nations on earth, has the right to self-determination. Therefore, Indonesia's colonization of West Papua must end, for the sake of Indonesia's dignity!