Enforcing the Law in Papua

ANTARA FOTO/TOMI

A motorcyclist passes in front of a building that was gutted by fire in Manokwari, West Papua, on Tuesday (20/8/2019). In the aftermath of riots that took place on Monday (19/8/2019), life in the town of Manokwari is slowly returning to normal with residents staying busy with their daily activities as usual.

Protests in several locations across Papua and West Papua in the past week reflect multidimensional problems in the region. Law enforcement must be prioritized.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Thorough and transparent law enforcement is necessary in the case of alleged racism-imbued hate speech in Surabaya and Malang, as well as a series of other events before and after the incidents. At the same time, a comprehensive approach is required to resolve the Papua problem.

Meanwhile, conditions in Jayapura, Papua, and in Manokwari, West Papua, returned to normal on Tuesday (20/8/2019), as shops have reopened and people resumed their daily activities.

On Monday, the city saw protests over racism-imbued hate speech Papuan students had been subjected to in Malang and Surabaya. On Tuesday, protests continued and turned violent in Sorong, West Papua. Apart from blocking several roads, protesters threw things at Sorong Mayor Lamberth Jitmau.

Because of the protests, public transportation did not operate in Sorong from Monday evening to Tuesday. Shops, gas stations, schools and government offices were closed.

Presidential expert staff member on Papua affairs Lenis Kagoya said he had requested tribal heads to cease all protests in Papua and West Papua. “I have asked them that [the protests on Monday] were the last ones. As you can see, there are no [longer] protests in Papua. If there are still protests in West Papua today, I ask that the leaders be arrested,” Lenis said in Surabaya.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo said that the police would prioritize restoring normalcy to West Papua.

We prioritize using persuasion that involves everyone and all elements of society. Police personnel will not be given live bullets in their duty.

“We prioritize using persuasion that involves everyone and all elements of society. Police personnel will not be given live bullets in their duty,” Dedi said.

He said that, in investigating the case, the police had found five hoax-spreading accounts that triggered the protests in Jayapura, Manokwari and Sorong. The police are trying to find links between these accounts.

In a meeting on Monday evening, East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Luki Hermawan said that the police would investigate racism-imbued hate speech incidents in the province. “Surely, we will investigate,” he said.

V/Brawijaya regional military command chief of staff Brig. Gen. Bambang Ismawan said that he would check on the news that army personnel had come to the Papuan student dorm on Jl. Kalasen, Surabaya, and been involved in a hate speech incident. He said that there his office had received no instruction from the military command regarding the incident on the Papuan dorm. “We will check on this,” he said.

ANTARA FOTO/OLHA MULALINDA

Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) soldiers arrive at Domine Eduard Osok (DEO) Airport in Sorong city, West Papua, on Tuesday (20/8/2019). A total of 325 Kostrad soldiers were deployed to assist the police in securing Sorong and Manokwari in West Papua after students protested against the treatment of Papuan students in Surabaya and Malang in East Java and Semarang, Central Java.

Background

On Aug. 16, several persons from a certain mass organization came to the Papuan student dorm in Surabaya in response to reports that a Red and White flag had been damaged in or around the dorm. This was when the racism-imbued hate speech incident occurred.

Meanwhile, on Aug. 15, around 30 people claiming to be from the Papuan Youth Alliance (AMP) planned to hold a protest in Malang City Hall to voice their hopes for an agreement between the US and Indonesia. On their way to the city hall, AMP members clashed with locals wanting to prevent the protest from happening.

Regarding the Aug. 15 incident, Malang Deputy Mayor Sofyan Edi Jarwoko denied that he ever said that his administration would send Papuan students home, as was reported by several media outlets.

“Regarding the news of my statement that I would send [the students] home, I reaffirm that I never said that,” he said.

Research, Technology and Higher Education Minister Mohamad Nasir said that the ministry would not tolerate any discrimination against any ethnicity in universities. If discrimination occurs in a university, the rector must be held responsible.

“I will ask all rectors in Indonesia, especially those of state universities, to be responsible for the Papuan students on their campuses. If there is discrimination on their campuses, I will call upon the rector, who must be held responsible. We do not want these problems to spiral any further,” Nasir said.

Papua Interfaith Harmony Forum (FKUB) head Lipiyus Biniluk said that the forum appreciated the positive responses of East Java’s and Papua’s administrations in resolving the protests in Papua.

KOMPAS/DEFRI WERDIONO

Malang Mayor Sutiaji, Malang Deputy Mayor Sofyan Edi Jarwoko, and Malang City Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Asfuri have lunch with Papuan students in Malang, East Java, on Tuesday (20/8/2019).

Lipiyus said that the forum hoped law enforcers both in Papua and other regions would act professionally and not repressively in responding to the incidents in Papua.

Priority

The government should prioritize a proper response to the problems in Papua. The protests in Papua and West Papua this past week did not happen out of nowhere. Instead, they were the result of prolonged multidimensional problems.

Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) executive director Philips J. Vermonte said that the Papua issue had stretched beyond economic matters, holding aspects of social problems, history, culture and a dark legacy of past human rights abuses.

Philips said that developing a sense of belonging among Papuans and ensuring their involvement in social, welfare and economic programs in the region would be key to resolving the Papua issue. This way, Papuan people would develop a sense of ownership, involvement and enjoyment in programs held in their own home.

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

Domine Eduard Osok Airport in Sorong, West Papua, operates as usual on Tuesday (20/8/2019), a day after it was damaged by protesters demonstrating over the mistreatment of Papuan students in Surabaya and Malang in East Java and Semarang, Central Java.

At the same time, the government must have a strong commitment to resolving various allegations of human rights abuses in Papua. “If this is neglected, it will only worsen the perception of injustice among Papuan people,” Philips said.

(BEK/SYA/SAN/INK/WER/FRN/COK/BRO/FRN/FLO/NTA)