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Students demand referendum as dozens remain in detention
Hundreds 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
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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.
Jhon added rally-goers also demanded authorities stop military operations, which they deemed to have violated human rights, especially in Papua’s Nduga and Puncak Jaya regencies.
“There should be a democratic way to solve issues in Papua because they can’t be solved through military actions. The rights for self-determination are also guaranteed in the 1945 Constitution,” he said.
He said Papuan students living outside Papua were lucky because they could hold rallies to commemorate Dec. 1, while people in the restive province could only hold mass prayers to “avoid repression from law enforcers”.
On Saturday and Sunday, Jayapura Police in Papua summoned two United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) leaders, Markus Haluk and Edison Waromi, for interrogations regarding the distribution of flyers calling for people to attend the mass prayers.
Lawyer Gustaf Kawer said the police questioned Markus and Edison regarding their signatures on the flyers. “They confirmed that the names and signatures inscribed on the flyers were theirs, but they testified that it was not them who put their names and signatures there.”
Separately, Jayapura Police arrested 34 individuals who were suspected of planning some actions for the Dec. 1 event. Jayapura Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Viktor Mackbon said they were arrested on Saturday evening, as reported by Antara.
The police said the arrested individuals were either members or sympathizers of the KNPB. Law enforcers also confiscated uniforms, KNPB emblems, slingshots and machetes.
Dec. 1 has been claimed by some Papuans as the anniversary of the Free Papua Movement (OPM). Last year, the police arrested more than 500 Papuans in several cities for joining rallies to mark the event and to demand a referendum for Papuan independence.
The commemoration of this year’s anniversary took place following unrest in Papua and West Papua, including incidents triggered by a racially charged attacks in Surabaya, East Java, in August and another one reportedly involving a teacher in Wamena, Papua, in September.
More than 30 people have reportedly died as result of the rallies and riots. The government since claimed to have gotten the situation under control in the two provinces.
Police officers, as well as members of a local mass organization, Paksi Katon, stood guard near the Yogyakarta rally. Meanwhile, hundreds of police and military personnel were deployed to several locations across Surabaya from Sunday morning to afternoon, including on Jl. Kalasan where the Papuan students dorm is located.
East Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Frans Barung Mangera said the deployment on Jl. Kalasan was undertaken to safeguard the neighborhood.
“It is common if we deploy our personnel to the street because it is one of the main streets,” Frans told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
— Kharishar Kahfi contributed to the reporting.
