The brutal killing of three Papuan civilians in Puncak Jaya shows that occupied West Papua is a ticking time bomb, and under Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto could become another East Timor.
The names of the victims were Tonda Wanimbo, Dominus Enumbi, and Pemerintah Murib. Their murders were followed by riots in Puncak Jaya, as enraged indigenous residents protested in front of the local police station and set fire to police cars. This incident is merely the most recent example of Indonesia’s military and business strategy in West Papua. Indonesia deliberately creates escalations to justify deploying more troops, particularly in mineral-rich areas, causing our people to scatter and allowing international corporations to exploit the empty land – starting the cycle of bloodshed all over again.
It is not a coincidence that over 4500 Indonesian troops have recently been deployed to Paniai, one of the centres of West Papuan resistance. Over 100,000 West Papuans have been displaced since 2018, while recent figures show more than 76,000 Papuans remain internally displaced, living as refugees in the bush. Indonesia wants our land and our resources, not our people.
Following the killings, the Indonesian military repeated the lie that the three men were members of the TPNPB. This is the same lie they told about Enius Tabuni and the five Papuan teenagers murdered in Yahukimo in September 2023. The military line was quickly refuted by a community leader in Puncak Jaya, who clarified that the three men were all civilians.
On behalf of the ULMWP, I would also like to issue my profound concern at the shooting of well-known lawyer and human rights defender Christian Warinussy. Warinussy has spent his career defending indigenous Papuans who have been thrown off their ancestral land to make way for oil palm plantations and industrial mines. Though we don’t know who shot him, his shooting acts as a clear warning to any Papuans who stand up for their customary land rights or investigate Indonesia’s crimes.
Indonesia’s latest violent escalation is taking place in the shadow of Prabowo Subianto, who will become President in October. Prabowo is a war criminal who committed genocide in East Timor: Will he form militias to crush the West Papua liberation movement, as he previously did in East Timor? West Papuans are once again being haunted by the ghost of Suharto, the man who massacred entire villages and committed biological warfare against women and children.
West Papua is a place of genocide, ecocide, and ethnic cleansing: it should not be a site of trade or investment for foreign governments. MSG leaders in particular must not promote investment on top of the graves of their Melanesian brothers and sisters. Melanesian leaders have too often held two-hour meetings with Indonesian officials and emerged trusting the lies of the coloniser over the evidence of the colonised.
In order for us to defend ourselves and our Melanesian identity, in order for us to dialogue with Indonesia as equals, the MSG must grant West Papua Full Membership of the group. Without this guarantee of a voice and a seat at the table, we are destined to become another East Timor.
On behalf of the ULMWP and West Papuan people, I issue the following demands to Indonesia:
- Immediately withdraw your military and stop your illegal war on our people;
- Allow media and international NGOs to report from West Papua;
- Allow humanitarian aid agencies to assist displaced peoples;
- Allow the long-delayed UN Human Rights visit.
Benny Wenda
President
ULMWP
