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Nonnatives consider conflict-struck Papua home and intend to stay
Non-native Papuan residents say they have never faced discrimination or racism in Papua and are there to stay.
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Thousands of people in Dogiyai regency, Papua, rally against racism and demand a referendum on Aug. 26,. (Handout/-)
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or some non-natives and their descendants, Papua is where they live in harmony with indigenous people despite religious and ethnic differences. Ongoing antiracist protests have not deterred them from remaining in the violence-struck easternmost part of the country.
Decade-long resident Zoelfian Hukubun, who was born in Papua to parents who came from Maluku, and ethnic Chinese from Bandung, West Java, Romi Mintarya, have no intention of relocating.
Zoelfian said the ongoing protests and the unrest in Papua was among the biggest turmoil he had ever encountered.
The 32-year-old, who lives in capital Jayapura, said he had never seen unrest as violent and extensive, in which thousands of Papuans had taken to the streets to protest racist abuse experienced by dozens of Papuan students in East Java earlier this month.
“I saw some bloody-conflicts in Wamena and Abepura in 2003 and 2006, in which a number of lives were claimed, but they weren’t as huge as the recent protests. The number of people involved in the latest demonstration was tremendous,” he said.
Two civilians and one soldier died in clashes between protesters and security forces at a rally in Deiyai regency on Wednesday, according to the Papua Police.
Seven civilians have also reportedly been injured amid increased security measures across Papua and West Papua provinces in the past few days.
