Study finds proof of genocide in Papua

Study finds proof of genocide in Papua

Michael Casey, Associated Press, Jakarta

A United States university study released on Thursday alleges
Indonesia is violating UN genocide rules in Papua province with
abuses that appear aimed at the destroying the region's
indigenous people.

An Indonesian army commander, however, dismissed the findings
as "baseless lies."

The Yale University law school study said security forces had
committed crimes against humanity -- including rape, forced
relocation, torture and killings -- in the province, where a
small separatist group there has been battling Jakarta rule since
1969.

The school's Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights
Clinic said the acts appeared to "bring about the destruction of
the West Papuans."

"Many of these acts, individually and collectively clearly
constitute crimes against humanity under international law," said
the study, which was based on historic and contemporary evidence
and interviews with Indonesians, Papuans and international
experts.

It did not say whether researchers visited the province.

The report said the evidence showed that Indonesia had
violated the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of
the Crime of Genocide.

Col. Agus Mulyadi, the military commander for central Papua,
rejected the study -- the latest in a series that criticize his
troops in the province. He said the findings were "baseless
lies."

"These accusations of human rights abuses are not true," he
said. "We are only conducting our duty to keep the country
unified. Secessionism is illegal and we are preventing it from
growing."

Indonesia seized the resource-rich province in 1963 and
formalized its occupation in 1969 following a UN-sanctioned
ballot that rights groups have labeled a sham. Ever since, the
poorly armed Free Papua Movement (OPM) has fought a sporadic
campaign for independence.

Unlike mostly Muslim Indonesia, Papua, formerly known as Irian
Jaya province and about 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) east of
Jakarta, is overwhelmingly Christian. Its people are dark skinned
and ethnically distinct from most Indonesians.

In recent years, rights groups have accused the military of
widespread abuses in the province, including forcibly displacing
families and killing independence supporters. Two years ago,
independence leader Theys Hiyo Eluay was killed by security
forces. Seven soldiers were later convicted in his killing and
jailed for up to three years.