On behalf of the ULMWP and the West Papuan people, I demand that Indonesia cease their crackdown on peaceful protest in the wake of the massacres in Dogiyai and Puncak.
The West Papua National Committee has organised numerous peaceful demonstrations against Indonesian colonialism since the military (TNI) murdered fifteen West Papuans in the Puncak massacre on April 15th. In response, the TNI and Indonesan police have launched a brutal crackdown, dispersing protesters with water cannons, tear gas, and beatings.
The latest crackdown occurred this morning (27th April), after protestors gathered in front of the Mimika Dormitory in Waena, Jayapura. They were met by a heavily armed TNI squadron, who broke up the peaceful protest by firing tear gas canisters and blasting activists with water cannons.
The violence committed against the KNPB and allied student protestors is part of Indonesia’s strategy in West Papua. By suppressing peaceful action in this way, Indonesia hopes to stoke a cycle of violence in West Papua in order to strengthen their colonial grip over our land.
Ultimately, intensified militarisation serves Indonesia’s economic interests – by deploying additional troops and establishing new checkpoints, Indonesia protexts their investment and creates a pretext for new destructive economic developments. Chaos and violence are good for business: this is Indonesia’s reason for keeping hold of West Papua.
This crackdown shows once again that democracy does not exist in West Papua. We have never been allowed to peacefully voice our demand for self-determination, whether under the Suharto dictatorship or so-called democratic rule. West Papuans will never achieve justice through colonial systems.
The ULMWP asks that our solidarity groups and parliamentary allies apply pressure on Indonesia to stop this crackdown, withdraw their military, and facilitate a visit to West Papua by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Our own actions are not enough: international pressure is the only language Indonesia understands.
Benny Wenda
President
ULMWP
