The west papuan Violence has been a recurrent feature of life for indigenous Papuans under Indonesian rule

Another reason for the absence of peace in West Papua, according to the religious leaders, is the use of violence as the only way to settle problems. Violence has been a recurrent feature of life for indigenous Papuans under Indonesian rule. A report compiled by the Catholic Church and kingmi church of the diocese of Jayapura reported that in 2001 alone there were some 35 cases of violence committed by the Indonesian military (TNI), the Papuan rebels (OPM) and unidentified men.31 To  make such cases public knowledge the religious leaders mention them in their joint statements.An analysis of the documentation compiled by the religious leaders reveals five different kinds of violence in Papua. The first kind of violence is that committed by unidentified men on Indonesian police officers providing protection for private companies or Indonesian migrants working for such companies as well as on Indonesian army barracks and police stations. Dispensing with any investigations, the Indonesian security forces usually blame the Papuan rebels (OPM) for such attacks, which is justification in itself for any subsequent military operations. Indonesian security forces usually close off the whole region in which an incident has occurred and immediately begin military operations lasting several months. During such operations Papuans are intimidated, hunted, tortured and killed. Their houses, domestic animals and vegetable gardens are all deliberately destroyed. Sometimes the security forces also burn down church buildings, health care centres and other public buildings. The people in the villages usually take refuge in the forest to escape the military.  Many of them die of sickness and starvation in the camps there. The security forces refuse to allow humanitarian aid workers, church leaders, religious leaders and health workers to visit the victims of military operations. The second type of violence involves mysterious killings. Civilians, both indigenous Papuans and Indonesian migrants, are often found killed by unidentified men. Although thousands of Indonesian migrants live in West Papua, most of the victims of the mysterious killings are indigenous Papuans, both leaders  of the Papuan resistance movement and ordinary Papuans.,It is common for Papuans to be found dead somewhere, either in the forest, on the street or in the wild grass after having been tortured by unidentified men. In many cases Papuans are the victims of kidnappings carried out by armed masked men. All this creates an atmosphere of fear and anxiety among indigenous Papuans. The third form of violence concerns disputes and fighting between the Indonesian military and the police, for example the fighting between members of infantry battalion 753 and the police in Nabire on 13 May 2001.35 Fighting also took place between members of infantry battalion 611 and the  brimob (mobile brigade, the crack forces of the Indonesian police) in Serui, Yapen Waropen district, on 23 August, which resulted in the deaths of two soldiers and injuries to several others.The fourth kind of violence involves the shooting of unarmed Papuans during peaceful demonstrations against Indonesian rule in all the major towns in West Papua. In July 1998, three Papuans disappeared, eight were shot dead, 33 wounded and 150 arbitrarily arrested and tortured; 33 mysterious corpses were found in the sea and along the coast of Biak, This was after Indonesian security forces had attacked Papuans holding a peaceful demonstration in Biak. InFakfak some 45 Papuans were arrested and tortured by the police during two days of peaceful demonstrations on 28 and 29 March 1999.38 In  Timika one person was killed on the spot, 19 people received gunshot wounds and 118 were tortured by the Indonesian police in the wake of a brutal attack on Papuans holding a peaceful demonstration. The use of violence by the Indonesian security forces against indigenous Papuans continued in 2000, 37 people were killed, many others injured and eight taken into custody during a conflict provoked by the police in  Wamena.The fifth sort of violence is related to the massive presence and arrogance of the Indonesian military as well as their direct and indirect involvement in commercial activities. The religious leaders regard some violent conflicts as being deliberately provoked or orchestrated by the Indonesian security forces in order to justify military intervention. The killing of a certain person is designed to incite a particular group of people into taking revenge. This revenge then provides the justification for retaliation by the security apparatus.
By: MITOPAI WEST PAPUA