Forgotten occupation: West Papua under Indonesian tyranny

TG123 · Oct 21, 2011

While much of the world's attention is currently focused on Palestine and the move at the UN to end Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Indonesia's brutal occupation of Papua New Guinea continues. Just a few days ago, a protest for freedom in that tiny country was brutally crushed by Indonesian troops and policemen, who used guns and clubs to beat a peaceful gathering of people. Two have been murdered. They are only some of thousands who have died in the past 4 decades.

Indonesia has occupied West Papua since 1969- the people of that country have been victims of occupation almost as long as the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Indonesian soldiers have tortured and murdered Papuans who have called for an end to the occupation.

The history of Indonesia's actions in West Papua is a history of massacres, rapes, bombings and torture.

Papua conflict - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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West Papua: A history of exploitation - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

The West ignores Indonesia's crimes, hypocritically treating it as an 'ally' in the 'war on terror'. Actually, some oil companies make a very good profit over there. Muslim majority countries, whose citizens are very vocal about calling for an end to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and the US occupation of Iraq, are also hypocritically silent or supportive of Indonesia, as it represses the small nation with a 78% Christian majority. The media for the most part ignores what is happening there.

May God give the people of West Papua freedom, and may people under occupation find freedom from injustice.

blarg the 2nd · Oct 25, 2011

seems violence goes both ways

the militant Free Papua Movement (OPM) organization has conducted a low-level campaign of attacks on government outposts, businesses, and civilians.

TG123 · Oct 26, 2011

blarg the 2nd said:
seems violence goes both ways

the militant Free Papua Movement (OPM) organization has conducted a low-level campaign of attacks on government outposts, businesses, and civilians.

That is almost always what happens during a repression. A segment of the society that is being mistreated and pushed down retaliates, and often attacks both the military and police that are involved in the abuses, and civilians who are targeted because they are perceived to be part of the occupation. Attacks against civilians are always wrong and contrary to international law.

This is as true in West Papua as it is in Palestine and Chechnya and Sudan as it is in almost any part of the world where people are occupied.

OPM's attacks against civilians are wrong, but had Indonesia not been occupying West Papua they would not be taking place.

blarg the 2nd · Oct 30, 2011

so do you want sanctions against them or what?

TG123 · Oct 30, 2011

blarg the 2nd said:
so do you want sanctions against them or what?

Economic sanctions, no. They harm poor people who have no involvement in the crimes being committed- for that reason while I am a supporter of Palestinian rights I do not take part in the BDS movement.

A good idea would be to cut off military aid and any co-operation, blacklist their political and military leaders and make it clear to them they'd be arrested after they set foot outside of Indonesia, picket Indonesian embassies, flood their mailboxes and emails with millions of letters, raise awareness about what is happening in West Papua, encourage Indonesian human rights workers... pressure them in various and creative symbolic as well as concrete non-violent ways to end their occupation of West Papua.

And yes, I believe the same should be done to the US, Russia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Canada and any other country that is occupying another land.

Make occupation costly and unsustainable.

StormHawk · Jun 11, 2012

Here is another "free Papua movement".

pennmark · Jun 11, 2012

The Dutch were right, the Papuans were ethnically different. The USA pressured the Dutch to hand over West Papua to Indonesia because of concerns during the Cold War.

Those concerns are moot now -- it's time for the Indonesians to get out of there.

Desk trauma · Jun 11, 2012

pennmark said:
Those concerns are moot now -- it's time for the Indonesians to get out of there.

Given the vast mineral wealth of the provence there is really no hope of that. No country is going to relinquish control of the worlds largest gold mine, third largest copper mine and reserves capable of more then a century worth of exploitation with out military action forcing their hand.

mindlight · Jun 12, 2012

The place is mainly Christian in a predominantly Muslim country. Like East Timor it could eventually potentially pay its own way cause of its mineral wealth. It will not be easy. Not sure why the US would put relations with Indonesia over the rights of these historically differentiated people.

TG123 · Jun 17, 2012

mindlight said:
The place is mainly Christian in a predominantly Muslim country. Like East Timor it could eventually potentially pay its own way cause of its mineral wealth. It will not be easy. Not sure why the US would put relations with Indonesia over the rights of these historically differentiated people.

Because Indonesia helped the US in 'the struggle against communism' and it is now an ally in 'the war on terror'. During the 1970s, Suharto killed hundreds of thousands of Indonesians and then East Timorese, and the American governments blessed him with weapons and diplomatic and political support. At the same time they did the same for monstrous regimes in Guatemala and El Salvador who murdered 300,000 and 70,000 of their own people, respectively. Not to forget smallfries like Pinochet who murdered something like 3,000 Chileans and the Argentinean juntas which 'disappeared' something like 30,000 people. In the war for 'freedom', I guess some human lives are expendable, so in order to protect American interests, it was necessary to turn a blind eye and assist in the murder of a few hundred thousand people.

Today the US gives weapons to the Colombian army which continues to work with paramilitary death squads, to Israel, to Egypt, Yemen, and a host of other nations which have a long and continuing history or murdering their own or other people. The victims are Christian (more or less almost everyone in South and Latin America, as well as many people in Muslim majority countries including Palestine) as well as Muslim.

Unfortunately no powerful nation's leaders care about the weak. Neither the US or Russia or China will ever come to the defence of the West Papuans or Chechens or Colombians, unless there is a very clear political, economic or military gain for them.

mindlight · Jun 17, 2012

TG123 said:
Because Indonesia helped the US in 'the struggle against communism' and it is now an ally in 'the war on terror'. During the 1970s, Suharto killed hundreds of thousands of Indonesians and then East Timorese, and the American governments blessed him with weapons and diplomatic and political support. At the same time they did the same for monstrous regimes in Guatemala and El Salvador who murdered 300,000 and 70,000 of their own people, respectively. Not to forget smallfries like Pinochet who murdered something like 3,000 Chileans and the Argentinean juntas which 'disappeared' something like 30,000 people. In the war for 'freedom', I guess some human lives are expendable, so in order to protect American interests, it was necessary to turn a blind eye and assist in the murder of a few hundred thousand people.

Today the US gives weapons to the Colombian army which continues to work with paramilitary death squads, to Israel, to Egypt, Yemen, and a host of other nations which have a long and continuing history or murdering their own or other people. The victims are Christian (more or less almost everyone in South and Latin America, as well as many people in Muslim majority countries including Palestine) as well as Muslim.

Unfortunately no powerful nation's leaders care about the weak. Neither the US or Russia or China will ever come to the defence of the West Papuans or Chechens or Colombians, unless there is a very clear political, economic or military gain for them.

It seems to me that Indonesia has been targetted by the Democrats for more favourable treatment on the grounds of its economic potential and democratic direction. It is no longer required as an ally against communism or simply to block Communist control of its vast resources. So there is now military cooperation as a result of Hilary Clintons and Obamas decisions on this and trade links are also being developed.

But on this one I think I am inclined to agree with you and the previous Republican administration in the current context. Why is the US military supporting groups of guys who go around murdering Christians, why is Americas national interest best served by having one big Muslim Indonesia as opposed to having multiple smaller states that are more respectful of religious and democratic freedoms. The breakup of this state seems more righteous than its preservation.

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Forgotten occupation: West Papua under Indonesian tyranny

TG123

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blarg the 2nd

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TG123

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blarg the 2nd

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TG123

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pennmark

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Desk trauma

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mindlight

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TG123

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mindlight

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