The construction of a K90 million base on the PNG-Indonesia border has been put on hold indefinitelyย after clashes, 10 days ago, between Indonesian troops and a faction of the Free Papua Movement or the OPM.
At least a day before the attack, intelligence obtained by theย Papua New Guinea Defence Force promptedย an evacuation of government workers as well as contractors working on the facility on the PNG side of theย border.
ย
On Saturday, 5th April,ย aboutย 15 OPM fighters,ย dressed in battle fatigues,ย arrived from the jungleย covered south and raised the West Papuan Morning Starย as well as two UN flags.
ย
As a political declaration was read out in Bahasa, armed fightersย set fire toย the nearby Indonesian quarantine facility and began firingย at an Indonesian observation postย aboutย a hundred meters away.ย
ย
The attackย was aimed atย disrupting the Indonesian provincial elections and provoking a response from a company of Indonesian soldiers located about 200 metersย from the PNG side.
ย
The attack comes after a lull in armed rebel activity in recent years. Two days later,ย a statement by OPM leader, Mathias Wenda,ย declared a revival of the West Papuan struggle. In what was reminiscent of the 70s andย 80s,ย ย the statement names 10 regional commandsย stretching from Sorongย ย at the tip of the Papua province to the border areasย shared with Papua New Guinea.
ย
While much of the global community remains reserved or indifferent to the West Papua concern, the OPMย spokespersonย who agreed toย a recorded interview with EMTV,ย ย ย echoed a long held sentimentย ofย independence, cultural identityย and a plea for the global community to pay attention to Indonesian atrocities in West Papua.
ย
โWe are fighting for our identity,โ say Timothy Wenda. โSoon my people will be gone.ย ย We want the global community toย recognize whatโs going on in West Papua.
ย
Wenda is Papua New Guinean by birthย and West Papuanย by blood. His Wamena people haveย a fifty year historyย of armed confrontationsย with theย Indonesian military.ย ย
ย
โIndonesia doesnโt just kill up with guns. They kill us withย through many other ways.โ
ย
Over the last 20 years, Indonesiaย hasย tried to move away from the imageย of theย toughย enforcer of its rule toย one that is more diplomatic. The Indonesian consul in Vanimo, Jahar Gultom,ย says it isย a difficult task to uniteย a country that is as culturally diverse and complex as Papua New Guinea.
ย
โThere are weaknesses,โ says Jahar Gultom. โBut Indonesia is working to find a way forward.
ย
โIndonesia is a difficult country to manage. It has more than 500 ethnicities.โ
ย
In recent years, Indonesianย diplomacy has convinced countries like Vanuatuย ย โ a strong supporter of the Papuan struggle –ย and organizations like the MSGย to take a more moderate approach.
ย
Back to top button
All this comes against a backdrop of evidence on social mediaย that tell another story โย a story ofย continuing military atrocities in Papua.
ย
โWe are working through all of this,โ says Gultom. โThese days we can never hide what goes on. But weย remain open to dialogue.โ
