Human rights group Kontras has accused the government of “preserving” the conflict in Papua after the Free Papua Movement (OPM) anniversary day brought more tension between locals and the police in the region.
“Perhaps the government is preserving these kinds of conflicts. Maybe they are looking for material profit, and also for immaterial profit such as being seen as NKRI (Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesian) heroes,” Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
He said that the public had not seen any serious effort by the government to resolve problems in Papua since violence during the third Papuan People’s Congress in October.
“Its business as usual, the situation has not changed. Two months down the line and the government has still not solved the problem,” he said.
On Thursday morning, police in Timika dismissed a mass gathering in the city after spotting a Morning Star flag raised at the celebratory event commemorating the OPM’s 50th anniversary.
In a separate incident in Timika, police searching for a reported Morning Star flag were attacked by 15 men, armed with traditional weapons.