The National Police announced that six Papuans had been charged with treason and were indicted following the third Papuan People’s Congress, which was forcefully dispersed by police on Saturday.
Six people reportedly died in connection with altercations surrounding the events.
“The six suspects were the leaders of the group,” Police deputy spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said, adding that the police had collected evidence. “We recognize Papua as a part of Indonesia and any attempt to secede from the country is against the law. We therefore must enforce the law,” the officer said.
The suspects were identified only by their initials: FY, EW, DS, AM, GW and SB.
The police and the military decided to disperse the congress on Wednesday after the participants hoisted the Morning Star flag — a symbol of the Papua independence movement. The police reportedly fired warning shots to break up the assembly, prompting numerous participants to flee into the hills.
Officials previously said the congress was granted a permit after its organizers promised the event would be limited to a discussion of the rights and welfare of Papuans.
Calls for independence have long been heard in Papua, as many among the indigenous population feel that they have been oppressed and marginalized for decades in the easternmost province, which has always been heavily controlled by the military.
These calls had been met with repressive measures. In September, a student John Raweyai, 20, was sentenced to 9 months and 17 days in prison for treason during a demonstration in December 2010.
Early this year, two Papuan activists, Melky Sehu Blesman Bleskadit and Reverend Daniel Yanu, were sent to jail for treason. They were arrested on Dec. 14 of last year for carrying the Bintang 14 separatist flag during a rally. Papuan activist Bucthar Tabuni was sentenced on Friday to three years in prison for “provocation” at a 2008 pro-independence demonstration.
However, over the past few months, violence escalated in the region that was taken over by Indonesia from the Dutch in 1967, drawing criticism from human rights activists and foreign observers over the way the government has dealt with Papua issues.
Two days after the congress, unidentified gunmen killed three people in Timika, Papua, the nearest town to the world’s largest copper and gold mine. A Freeport Indonesia contract worker was killed along with two local residents of Timika.
According to Boy, the police confiscated participant identification cards, event notification and recruitment letters, among other evidence. At least 18 people from 360 participants at the congress underwent police questioning, he said.
Wednesday’s incident in Abepura was followed by the discovery of two bodies near an Indonesian Military (TNI) post, about 200 meters from the site of the congress.
The bodies were identified as university student Daniel Kadepa, 25, and Papuan Land Guardian (Petapa) Max Yewon, 35. Another body was later found, identified as Yosef Samon Sabra, 53.
Comments (3)
Ating on Amsterdam | Sun, 23/10/2011 pm31 23:10pm
Enough innocent blood spoilt in West Papua!
Indonesia: LET MY PEOPLE GO!
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Hipolit Beras P. on Sukoharjo | Sun, 23/10/2011 pm31 15:10pm
This is 'Wonderful Indonesia'! The leaders of a peaceful demonstration are charged with "treason". Three hundred other demonstartors have ben confiscated their identification cards and other papers as 'evidence'. At the same time, the police does not say a word about six West papuans murdered by firearms when the police and the TNI broke the peaceful gathering. Here the Jakarta Post writes that they died during an "altercation", which is an euphemism. That was cold-blood murder and the perpetrators should be found and tried. Instead, it is the victims that the Indonesian authorities want to send to jail.
This reminds us of the Tanjung Priok massacre in 1984, where the Indonesian military fired on the crowd. The survivors of the shooting were given harsh sentences for causing "trouble" and the military officers who ordered the shootings still run free.
Nothing has changed since Suharto. What can you expect anyway, from a fascist system where the military is still influent everywhere, including both within the House and at the top of the executive. So 'Wonderful Indonesia'!
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sheldon on probolinggo | Sun, 23/10/2011 pm31 14:10pm
Maybe they should gag everyone in Papua and show them what Indonesian freedom of speech is really like.