At least 20 dead in protests in Indonesia’s West Papua
At least 20 dead in protests in Indonesia’s West Papua
Clashes between protesters and government forces in Jayapura have killed at least four people, including a policeman.
by Febriana Firdaus 5 hours ago
At least 20 people have been killed, including three shot by police, and dozens injured following a new wave of violent clashes between demonstrators and government forces in Indonesia’s West Papua region on Monday, prompting President Joko Widodo to call a security meeting.
Sixteen people were killed in Wamena city where hundreds demonstrated and burned down a government office and other buildings, authorities said.
Four of the other fatalities were from the clashes that took place on Monday in Jayapura, the provincial capital, Aloysius Giyai, head of Papua province’s health office, told the news website, Jubi.
Dedi Prasetyo, a spokesman of Indonesia’s national police, also confirmed to Al Jazeera that one police officer was killed. He could not confirm the number of fatalities among the demonstrators.
In a statement sent to the media, Lt Col Eko Daryanto, a military spokesman in Papua province, said members of the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) gathered at the Cenderawasih University.
Authorities later ordered the protesters to move the demonstration outside of the campus, which resulted in deadly clashes.
Albertho Rumsaur, a resident of Jayapura, said he witnessed the clashes between the joint police-military forces and the students.
"The students threw rocks and the police fired tear gas," he told Al Jazeera.
Siska Manam, a student, said she also saw civilian militia, who support the military, carrying wood and machetes, giving a chase to the students.
The AMP student alliance, however, denied that they have members in Jayapura, adding that they only have a local group in the restive region.
The AMP is a leading organisation of Papua students that has called for more freedom in the region.
Jhon Gobai, chairman of the alliance, told Al Jazeera that the government should "stop scape-goating" the student group for Monday’s protests.
Indonesia’s West Papua region is divided into two provinces: West Papua and Papua. Jayapura is the biggest city in Papua province, with a population of some 500,000 people.
Several people were killed during protests in Jayapura last month when the unrest erupted.
Since then, the government has deployed thousands of troops to the region and arrested activists to quell the protests.
West Papua was a Dutch colony until the early 1960s when Indonesia took control, cementing its rule with a controversial referendum.
The government in Jakarta maintains the West Papua region, which occupies the western half of the island of Papua New Guinea, is Indonesia’s because it was part of the Dutch East Indies that forms the basis of the country’s modern-day borders.
A low-level armed rebellion by indigenous Papuans, who now make up about half the population after years of migration by people from other parts of Indonesia, has been rumbling ever since.
West Papua is the poorest region in the country and there have been allegations of human rights violations.
At least 17 people were killed after violence erupted in December, which triggered a military crackdown.
Some 35,000 civilians have been forced from their homes as security forces attempt to flush out the rebels from the forested mountains.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA NEWS
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https://jakartaglobe.id/context/death-toll-rises-to-20-in-papua-unrest-hundreds-arrested
2) Death Toll Rises to 20 in Papua Unrest; Hundreds Arrested
BY : TELLY NATHALIA
SEPTEMBER 23, 2019
Jakarta. Unrest that broke out in Jayapura and Wamena in Papua Province on Monday has claimed the lives of at least 20 people, while dozens more were injured, officials said.
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo said four people – a soldier and three members of the Papuan Students Alliance (AMP) – have died in the incident in Jayapura. Seven policemen and 20 civilians were injured.
Dedi told journalist in Jakarta on Monday that Papuan students who returned from their places of study elsewhere in Indonesia held a rally outside Cendrawasih University in the morning, requesting the establishment of a coordinating office for them on the campus, which was denied.
The university called police to disperse the crowd of about 200 students after the discussions ended. The students then agreed to be transported to an area near the Expo Waena Cultural Park.
"We are investigating who provoked the students, because they suddenly brutally attacked security force members," Dedi said about what transpired after police and military personnel delivered the students to their destination.
He said the security forces fired warning shots to calm the situation after the soldier was killed and seven policemen were wounded. Police officers were also pelted with rocks, while some were attacked with sharp objects.
"It is suspected [that the three students] died after being struck by rubber bullets, but autopsies will be performed," the police spokesman said.
Police have arrested 318 students at the location and transferred them to the Papua Police headquarters for questioning, he added.
Cendrawasih Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. Eko Daryanto separately told the Jakarta Globe that 16 civilians had died in unrest in Wamena in Jayawijaya district on Monday. Some of them died after being trapped in burning buildings, which were set alight by rioters. About 65 people were wounded in the violence.
The riot in Wamena started after a brawl between students from two different high school spun out of control and turned into anarchy, when a crowd started to set fire to government buildings, public facilities and private houses. The city’s airport was also closed due to the unrest.
Benny Wenda
The police spokesman said Benny Wenda, leader of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), who now lives in Britain, was likely behind Monday’s violence in the two Papuan cities.
"From the start, these events cannot be separated from Benny Wenda, the ULMWP and its allies in the KNPB [West Papua National Committee]. The KNPB has infiltrated the AMP. The AMP was used to provoke members of the public and students during the incident at Cendrawasih University," Dedi said.
The Indonesian government previously also blamed Benny Wenda and the ULMWP and KNPB for the unrest in Papua and West Papua in August.
West Papua Action Network 