Integrated Operation with a state of civil emergency in Papua?

Neles Tebay, Pontifical, University of Urbaniana, Rome

Papuans are again shocked by the proposal to conduct an integrated operation with a state of civil emergency declared in Papua, or even martial law, if necessary.

The proposal has been discussed in a closed meeting of the House of Representatives Commission I for defense, information, foreign and political affairs.

The integrated operation is considered necessary due to the political and security situation in Papua, which is not showing signs of improvement.

In the eyes of the commission, the operation is needed in order to guarantee the success of the general election, which is drawing near; to implement the governmental policy of splitting Papua into three smaller provinces, which is being implemented; and to maintain Papua within the Unitarian State of the Republic of Indonesia.

The proposal will be presented to the foreign affairs minister, the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), Indonesian Military commander, the National Police chief, the defense minister, and the state secretary.

If they welcome the proposal, sooner or later, it is very likely that an integrated operation will be conducted in Papua with a state of civil emergency declared, although Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recognizes that the government has no such plan.

The military/police faction and President Megawati's political party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), within the commission have even claimed the operation to be a necessity.

Before moving further, the government needs to be informed of the possible impact of the proposed integrated operation, either with or without the state of civil emergency for Papua.

The first impact would be the failure to implement the already passed law on special autonomy for Papua province.

The law was passed by the House and approved by President Megawati in response to the Papuans' demand for independence.

The international community, including the European Union, the Pacific Islands Forum and the American think tank Center for Foreign Policy (CFR) have explicitly expressed their support for the implementation of the law, in order to support the government's effort to maintain Papua within the frame of the Unitarian State of Indonesia.

As manifested in the two-day meeting hosted by the provincial parliament, in Jayapura, Dec. 15 to Dec. 16, the Papuans are also united and committed to implementing the law. They have begun to see the implementation of the law as a means for tackling the unresolved Papua case.

That's why the Papuans have repeatedly been calling upon the government to issue the long-awaited government regulation for the establishment of the Papua People's Assembly (MRP), without which the law cannot be implemented fully.

The main obstacle to the implementation of Papua's autonomy law, then, is not the Papuans but the central government.

The government has postponed indefinitely the implementation of the law because the law is being revised to accommodate the governmental policy of splitting Papua into three provinces.

So the necessity of conducting an integrated operation to implement Papua's autonomy law seems unreasonable.

If the commission is really committed to the implementation of the law, then it must urge President Megawati to issue a government regulation on the establishment of the MRP.

Otherwise, the proposed integrated operation would be the biggest obstacle to the implementation of the locally, nationally, and internationally supported law.

The second impact would be the failure to make the whole of Papua a zone of peace. The civilians in Papua, including the religious leaders, the provincial government and legislature, local non-governmental organizations, the Papua Presidium council and the Papuan Tribal Leader Chief Council (Lembaga Musyawarah Adat/LMA), are all committed to peace.

They have been making every effort to prevent unnecessary conflict. The peace movement is even fully supported by the Papuan rebels.

For the sake of peace, the Papuans have been calling upon the government to declare Papua a zone of peace, rejecting the establishment of any militia group, urging the withdrawal of some troops, and calling for peaceful dialogue.

Yet, for the government, Indonesia's territorial integrity is more valuable than peace.

Hence the proposed integrated operation would crack down on the peace movement in Papua for the sake of the government's values.

The third impact is that the territory of Papua would become a zone of military operation (Daerah Operasi Militer/DOM).

Learning from the integrated operation conducted in Aceh, many more additional troops would be deployed to Papua to make the integrated operation successful.

Thousands of troops were already deployed to Papua last year.

The whole territory of Papua, then, would be controlled by the military. The military would determine what could and could not be done in Papua, although political positions -- like governor and regents -- are occupied by civilians.

The fears that the proposed integrated operation would make the situation similar to that which was experienced during Soeharto's regime, when Papua was declared a zone of military operation (DOM).

The fourth impact would be gross human rights violations. As in the past, it is not migrants but the Papuans who would be targeted by the integrated operation.

Any Papuan who was critical of the governmental policy, including the proposed integrated operation might be considered a member, or at least a supporter, of the Free Papua movement (OPM).

This label would justify the killing by the military of any Papuan in the name of eradicating Papuan separatism and maintaining territorial integrity.

The consequences are very clear, that many more Papuans are expected to become victims of extrajudicial killing, torture, arbitrary detention, and other forms of oppression.

The human dignity and the very survival of one-and-a-half-million Papuans would be threatened by the integrated operation.

The fifth impact would be strong pressure from the international community. The international community has called upon the government to withdraw the policy of splitting Papua into three provinces, to work out the necessary legal requirements for the implementation of Papua's autonomy law, to engage in a peaceful dialogue with the Papuans, and to settle the unresolved human rights violations in Papua.

The community is still watching the situation in Papua closely and calling for a peaceful solution. For "Nobody wants an escalation of conflict in Papua to result in a military crackdown and demand for international humanitarian intervention," the president of the CFR, Leslie H. Gelb, says.

So it would be wise for the government to concentrate more on the implementation of Papua's autonomy law than to constantly produce controversial policies on Papua.