Protests increase against heavy military presence in Papua

Ridwan Max Sijabat and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Papuans have continued protesting the presence of security forces in villages across their troubled province, which they say has caused them to live in perpetual fear, despite the four-year implementation of the autonomy law.

Two members of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) from Papua, Ferdinanda Ibo and Max Demetow, joined the chorus of protests during an interactive dialog between the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) here on Friday.

They said the government needed to address Papua's most urgent problem: That the majority of Papuans continue to live in fear due to the mobilization of military and police officers across the province.

"The military has even deployed more personnel to Papua," said Ferdinanda.

The two said Papuan people were unable to voice their political aspirations freely and that villagers living in remote areas were restricted in their movements for fear of being branded separatists.

"Many people have been shot dead, arrested, or branded separatists after speaking about politics or protesting government policies," Ferdinanda added.

She said the security authorities treated Papua as a military operation zone and the indigenous population was subjected to intimidation.

Papuans could no longer be treated as "animals" because their fundamental rights had been guaranteed by the special autonomy law, she said.

"The Papuan people's right to live humanely and freely, free from intimidation and arbitrary actions must be guaranteed and, therefore, security authorities must abide by the special autonomy law in maintaining security and order," she added.

Max said Papuans had accepted the special autonomy status as they believed the government would give them back their rights.

Late last month, villagers living near the provincial capital of Jayapura also opposed the mobilization of hundreds of troops to their areas.

Their protest was lodged by the Mamberamo Tami tribal council in a letter through the Democratic Alliance for Papua (ALDP) in Jayapura.

In a recent press conference, the Coalition of Civil Society for Tribal Communities, including a number of social organizations, said the growing opposition against the military's presence was due to local residents' past experience of intimidation by troops.

Local NGOs, including the pro-independence West Papuan front, have reported that the deployment of soldiers to Papua began last year, when the Indonesian Military unveiled a plan to establish battalions in the regencies of Jayawijaya and Merauke. One battalion comprises between 700 and 1,000 soldiers.

In a recent hearing with lawmakers in Jakarta, defense minister Juwono Sudarsono said that up to 2010, some 15,000 troops would be sent to Papua.

Earlier, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Djoko Santoso said he planned to heighten the Army's strength in several areas bordering Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.

However, TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said on Friday his office was yet to approve the plan to establish the third division of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), which would likely be based in Sorong, Papua, as reportedly proposed by the Army.

"Indeed, we are only considering developing the territorial command in that vast territory," he added. Kostrad currently has two divisions -- one in Cilodong, West Java, and the other in Malang, East Java.