The Koteka Tribal Assembly

(Dewan Musyawarah Masyarakat Adat Koteka – Demmak)

Betrayed but NOT Defeated!

20 December 2002   12:55:16 AM

To Media Worldwide & World Leaders

Dear Sir or Madam:

INDONESIA WANTS WAR IN WEST PAPUA, PAPUANS WANT POLITICAL DIALOGUE TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS

On 16 December 2002, Indonesian troops attacked villagers along the border between east and western part of New Guinea Island. Two Papuan people were injured and five were shot dead. Five TNI troops were dead on the same day.

The ambush by the TNI was carried out on the same day and time when their ambassador for PNG, the commander of Red-and-White Militia Group was passing the PNG-West Papua border, Wutung. This is clearly to tell its central government and the world that the border areas are unsafe, and therefore the deployment of more troops in this region is urgently required. A classic way for the Indonesian military and police, who prefer war than peace, to create chaos, conflicts and deploy more troops and generate more income for the generals.

The modus operandi of operations in West Papua is clear: trigger war and declare the territory as unsafe, then deployment of more troops is justified. This is one way. The second way is killing Papuan people under the command of so-called “mysterious gangs” or “Special Forces”. The third way is, by creating tensions among Papuan people and our organisations. The attack on the TPN/OPM post at this time is apparently current method set up when the TNI realized that peace talk between Free Acheh Movement (GAM) and Indonesia was about to become a reality.

This scenario of the TNI appeared to be working well. The TPN/OPM declared war and this war will certainly destabilize the whole country and the Pacific Rim. The door of the USA into SEA and the neighbouring country of Australia and PNG is now under a serious threat of bloodsheds. Surely, this war will soon have significant impacts on various economic, social and political activities all over West Papua.

There is no other way out to bring conflicts in West Papua to an end. No dialogue means war, no war means dialogue. And the world community should help Indonesia, encourage Indonesia to build its confidence that dialogue is the most civilised, democratic and humane way of resolving conflicts in this century.

Papuans were betrayed by the so-called the most democratic as well as civilised nations of the world and their organisation: the UNO, but not defeated. As fellow human beings in our global village, the time has come now to make it right by reviewing our past misconducts that put other people’s lives into continuous threats of death.

Sincerely Yours,

Sem Karoba

Spokesperson for International Community & Founder/Supervisor of Demmak and Watch Papua, Member of Papua Panel from Koteka Tribes, Assistant Mediator of the PDP.

BACKGROUND

Papuan people demanded for Dialogue with Jakarta since five years ago, through various ways, approaches and at different occasions. We declared West Papua as a Peace Zone and according to the mandate of the Papua National Congress II 2000; -Papuan independence movement will be carried out non-violently without any kinds of armed conflicts or violence.

However, the Government of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) has ignored and responded brutally by carrying out various militia and Jihad Troops activities as well as operations of “mysterious gangs” all over West Papua. It has deployed battalions of troops, declared war against West Papua and deployed special troops for war with a “war flag” into West Papua. It has trained the Red-and-White militia troops under the command of Drs. John Djopari, MA, the NKRI ambassador for PNG as the Commander in Chief. It has deployed Jihad Troops and other Islamic Troops into West Papua in the name of Islamisation and Indonesianisation, i.e., national integrity and sovereignty of Indonesia.

Moreover, Indonesia has deployed its Special Forces to carry out clandestine operations under the name of “unknown gang men” or “mysterious gangs” or “mysterious killers” all over West Papua. The outcome has been obvious. The kidnapping and assassination of the Late Ondofolo Dortheys Hiyo Eluay (11 Nov. 2001)[i], the mysterious murders of Col TPN PB Simon Alom, Col TPN PB William Onde, Brig. Gen. TPN PB Hans Bomay (all in 2001) as well as the poisoning of Tribal Elder  Yafeth Yelemaken (May 2002) are the work of these “mysterious” gangs. In addition, this special forces steered up conflicts that cost the lives of 34 innocent villagers in what is called “Bloody Wamena” (6 Oct. 2000) and also encouraged Papuan people to attack police post in Abepura and the police reacted and chased students into their dormitories, arrested and tortured them to death arbitrarily in what is known now as “Bloody Abepura.”[ii]

Under the Umbrella of Matoa Operation[iii], this Special Forces successfully carried out an ambush on 30 August 2002, and killed two American teachers, one Indonesian and one Papuan. This was used to justify the cancellation of the Meeting of 7 Nations planned to be held in Timika on 7 September 2002 and to deploy more troops into West Papua.

Lastly, the same Special Forces under the same command carried out an ambush against the Papuan people along the border and attacked the TPN/OPM troops, killing five and injuring two of TPN/OPM troops. This attack was carried out on the same day and time when their ambassador for PNG, the commander of Red-and-White Militia Group was passing the PNG-West Papua border, Wutung. This is clearly to tell its central government again that it is not only unsafe in Timika but also along the border areas, and therefore the deployment of more troops in this region can be easily justified.

Betrayal of Papuan people is not a new story. The Netherlands, the USA, and the United Nations betrayed Papuan people by promising independence for West Papua in 1970, by setting up scenario for handing over West Papua to Indonesia under the so-called New York Agreement of 12 August 1962[iv], and by approving the fraudulent and undemocratic Act of Free Choice[v] in West Papua in 1969.

Since 1962, Indonesia has killed at least 100,000 documented Papuans, and 200,000 more undocumented.[vi] While talking to the Free Acheh Movement, Indonesia has ignored our demand, a discrimination policy due to differences in our religion and race.