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Papuan students demand referendum while dozens arrested on Sunday
Papuan students rallied in Yogyakarta on Sunday to commemorate what many claim was the Dec. 1 birth of West Papua, while dozens of others, accused of being linked to a pro-independence movement, were arrested in Papua arrested before they could do the same.
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Papuan students under the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) rally to commemorate Dec. 1, the day pro-independence activists declare as Papuan independence day, on Sunday in Yogyakarta. They demanded the government hold a referendum on Papuan self-determination and stop any human rights violations in Papua and West Papua. (JP/Bambang Muryanto)
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undreds of Papuan students living in Java and Bali flocked to Yogyakarta on Sunday to rally in commemoration what some Papuans claim to be the Dec. 1 birth of the West Papua nation in 1961, demanding a referendum on self-determination.
In some other areas, meanwhile, the police heightened security measures to prevent similar rallies from taking place, including in Papua where officers arrested dozens of people suspected of being affiliated to the National Committee of West Papua (KNPB) prior to Sunday’s event.
About 100 Papuan students and activists from various organizations, including the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) and the Indonesia People's Front for West Papua (FRI-WP), joined the rally in Yogyakarta, during which they carried banners stating that, among other things, “West Papua needs freedom, not special autonomy”.
“We also demand law enforcers to release prodemocratic and antiracism activists who are still being detained until today, as well as the government to open access for national and international journalists to Papua,” AMP chairman Jhon Gobai told journalists on Sunday.
A series of antiracism protests that broke out across Papua and West Papua in August and September has led to the arrest of at least 83 individuals for alleged treason, including FRI-WP spokesperson Surya Anta.
The activist is now filing a pretrial motion against the police to annul his arrest.
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