Papuan Genocide

Dec 5th, 2006, in News, by

Some on the political left in the west continue to take an interest in the Papuan “genocide”.

Peter Tatchell, a radical gay rights activist in England, writes a blood-curdling, possibly hysterical piece in the “Comment is Free” section of the Guardian news website of the UK, entitled “A forgotten cause”, to mark West Papuan independence day, December 1st. guardian

Peter Tatchell
Peter Tatchell.

The summary of it:

The United Nations disgraced itself by allowing Papua to be forcibly integrated into Indonesia.

Indonesians are racist towards Papuans because Papuans have darker skin. In comparison white racists like the British National Party are cuddly kittens.

Indonesia is determined to commit both physical, and cultural, genocide in Papua. Javanese immigrants are pouring in to dilute the indigenous majority. Islam is being forced onto the Papuans – “The pressure to convert to Islam is immense.” One-tenth of the population have been killed since the Indonesian annexation.

Imperialists at work
Imperialists at work.

Papuans are ridiculed as savages and barbarians, they are despised.

Tribal peoples have been forced to live in coastal settlements so that they can be watched. Then Jakarta’s “secret weapon” in the extermination of the Papuans can come into play – malaria. Highland Papuans have no resistance to it.

At the end Tatchell says that most of the western left are uninterested in the cause of Papua, because Indonesians are dark skinned and Muslim, and therefore cannot be criticised. The Left is only interested in white (American, Jewish) oppressors.

The “balanced view of Papua” may be useful here.


34 Comments on “Papuan Genocide”

  1. Tony says:

    Then, balanced or not balanced, open it up and let the single person make up his own mind.

  2. O. Bule says:

    “Tatchell says that most of the western left are uninterested in the cause of Papua, because Indonesians are dark skinned and Muslim, and therefore cannot be criticised. The Left is only interested in white (American, Jewish) oppressors.”

    By and large that is true. The western left hates to admit that anyone other than a white person can be an oppressor, and they will go to any lengths to avoid having to acknowledge it as a fact.

    O. Bule

  3. Riccardo says:

    Sadly, he’s right about the Western liberal left, which has lost its moral compass. They have so much blind rage for Bush and the NeoCons that they get into bed with the likes of Chavez, Ahmadinejad, HisBollocks, Hamas for the sole reason of opposing the NeoCons. They’ve lost the plot and don’t care anymore about anything except opposing Jews and Americans.

    Sure, lots of stuff that the Jews and Americans do needs to be opposed, but not to the point that one becomes blinded by all other oppression, terrorism and genocide like the case of Papua.

    A good, detailed book to read on this subject is “Indonesia’s Secret War” by Robin Osborne.

  4. Tony says:

    “They are dark skinned and cannot be criticised”
    If it was true and I was dark skinned, I’d feel offended. The fact that western liberals require a higher moral standard to white (European,Jew, American, Israeli) smells racist to me.

  5. linda says:

    Gareth Evans, ex Australian Attorney General heads up the International Crisis Group. He had to work internationally because he was so disgraced in Australia, in relation to East Timor. The filming of his champagne toasting of an Australian /Indonesian deal on Timor Sea oil rights, in a plane, flying over as East Timorese were being murdered below, is a classic. It is included in John Pilger’s film on East Timor, where Pilger plays it over and over to make the point of what Evan’s was doing.

    Now Even’s is doing the dirty work against West Papuans, with a ‘respectable’ and ‘unbiased’ organisation.

    With that much blood on his hands, he will never be respectable. Having access to resources (from where?), and acceptance by those whose interests it serves does not make an organisation ‘respectable’. Who does bankroll the ICG?

    The fear in Papua is palpable. Women live in fear of Indonesian military doing whatever they like with them. No Indonesian military have been prosecuted for rape, though it is so common. In 1998 two navy shiploads of young women were taken from Biak island, after a flagraising there, never to return alive, only washed up dead on beaches, with hands tied and abused bodies.

    The IGR ‘report’ is a travesty, an attempt to mislead in an ‘authoritative’ way. The result is misleading, but it also shows where the organisation stands.

  6. Faiz says:

    Genocide is way too far theory, its daydream…

    not to harashment the papuan,
    but in fact, some of tribe will be very happy then.. especially the one which run cannibalism, check “Kuru disease” on Wikipedia

    I hear Cannibalism still runs there on some tribe, check Australian journalist report at Wikipedia, they confessed have help one local kid to escape from being eaten by their own tribe,

    there also frequent tribe war (not dance festival, …true fighting using axe, spear, and arrow.. never stop until the victim qty is equal)

    alas, the country to have most benefit harvested from papua its not their own country Indonesia but US from Freeport operation >
    copper mining with the more percentage BONUS of GOLD ORE and Uranium…. woww…

  7. Riccardo says:

    Faiz,
    Your comments, as a Javanese Muslim, represent precisely what is so wrong with NKRI’s occupation and oppression of Papua and it’s people. You demean them like animals, despise their culture and traditional way of life and then somehow you expect them to like Jawa-Indonesia?? You want them to bow down to the Red&White?? What’s in it for them, more hatred, ignorance and racism from their own fellow RI citizens…

    If they want freedom and self-determination, it is the responsibility of the international community to help them get it. RI is part of that int’l community, as a signatory to all the UN Charters about self-determination, anti-oppression, human rights and anti-colonialism.

    Then there is the issue of who will pay for all the admin costs by the UN to assist in their nation-building. Easy. Take the money that Freeport, BP, Rio Tinto now give to Jakarta and use that money to pay for the new nation-state in Papua.

    It’s the Papuans’ land, no matter how black they are, no matter how many kids they eat, and those mining profits that Jakarta now gets belongs entirely to the Papuans and whichever company they decide upon to help with the exploration.

  8. Faiz says:

    Which part in my post stated that I am expect them to be like you or like me,

    Kuru is true, check Wikipedia one more time AGAIN, and I am not the one who recalling ethnical issue here, its yourself that guessing I am Javanese Moslem..

    I am born in java Island, I am Muslim as my name is,
    but I am not Javanese hehe..,
    are you fun with guessing someone ethnical?

    Which one of us is racism in that way?

    I am just against terrible Genocide issue,

    well have you look at photos at abu ghraib IRAQ? that is more terrible result as invasion on a freedom country, no matter how bad the Saddam is, as you said…

    Is that very civilized treatment as your examples for my reference??

    It’s the Papuans’ land, no matter how black they are, no matter how many kids they eat, and those mining profits that Jakarta now gets belongs entirely to the Papuans and whichever company they decide upon to help with the exploration.

    Again it is your self ricardo where the “black” statement comes..
    not from my self.. not by you, but..
    ..yes it comes from voice behind your head..

    btw, do better research next time, use your head, not your emotions..

    The mining contract are around 80% to Freeport and 20% to Indonesia..

    doesnt care about how many kids they eat, where is your humanity buddy?
    are you practicing cannibalism also, so that you can forgive that behavior??

    Ok, have you met the Papuan? where, on the internet? on your daydream…?
    Or typing while drunk margaritas??

    you write your dream here?? wake up Ricardo… wake up..

    –I’ve met them, go to school with them, they are my neighbours, shake their hands, play with them, talk with them–

  9. Tomaculum says:

    Riccardo,
    I’m against any occupation and oppression, not to mention against any injury of the humanity and human right. I damn it.
    But please, before you argue here, do your homework and learn about the background of this all. Indonesia after 1945, the rolle of the west allies etc. Off course this all can not excuse what happened and happens in West Papua, but maybe you can see these all from a little different sight.
    Speaking about signatory of the UN Charta of human rights etc, look around and see which states have signed it, and what they do.
    The papuan eat kids????
    They eat the brain, the flesh and the bowels of their departed relatives, also those of their enemy, a child belongs to an enemy group is automatically an enemy. The preparing and the incorporation (the eating) of the above named human parts are ritually regulated and it is neither simple nor “primitive”.
    BTW: Kuru appears just in a tribe of ca. 8000 persons living in South fore in the Okapa area.

    Take the money that Freeport, BP, Rio Tinto now give to Jakarta and use that money to pay for the new nation-state in Papua.

    And add the money Freeport etc earn from West Papua.

  10. Riccardo says:

    FAIZ,
    You misunderstood one important little word. I did not ask whether the Papuans should BE LIKE (“menjadi seperti) jawa-Indonesia. I asked how can anyone expect them to LIKE (e.g. “suka” atau “mencintai”) after all the killing and raping that the jawa-born guys from ABRI and ORBA have done to them.
    And further, it is utterly meaningless to mention white trailer trash girls punking Iraqi terrorists in their own prisons, or whether I am drunk or sleeping (occasionally, I do both those things) . None of those things will fix the problems in Papua nor justify their torture by Indonesians.

    Tomac,
    Does “homework” to you mean I should read the propaganda and lies in the Indonesian school textbooks and DEPLU reports (I have) or all of the academic books and UN and university reports, many before 1945 even, produced by “foreigners” (I have) or interview Papuans who are pro-integrasi and pro-merdeka (I have)? What more “homework” would you like me to do? I’m always happy to find new books on the subjects that interest me. Are there a dozen new books out this week that I haven’t seen? Is there a TNI/ABRI seminar to tell us all the “real truth” scheduled soon?

    Bottom line to both of you, there are people suffering badly because of the policies of the government we pay taxes to, and all you can do is whinge at me and try to attack my credibility, thereby solving nothing.

  11. Faiz says:

    FAIZ,
    You misunderstood one important little word. I did not ask whether the Papuans should BE LIKE (“menjadi seperti) jawa-Indonesia. I asked how can anyone expect them to LIKE (e.g. “suka” atau “mencintai”) after all the killing and raping that the jawa-born guys from ABRI and ORBA have done to them.
    And further, it is utterly meaningless to mention white trailer trash girls punking Iraqi terrorists in their own prisons, or whether I am drunk or sleeping (occasionally, I do both those things) . None of those things will fix the problems in Papua nor justify their torture by Indonesians.

    Are you read English word by word Riccardo?

    I read by the contex of your statement Riccardo

    whether you said Papua are Freedom fighter or Iraqi are Terroris ( in their homeland ??? are you kidding… haha.. you are so funny..)
    is clearly show what message are you bring to this forum..

    I know alcohol sometimes may give bad effect to human brain..
    Defrag your memory regulary, to keep it align and clear,

    Why dont you propose to Freeport to return 2/3 of 80% of their benefit to Papua people..

  12. Riccardo says:

    —- [Do] you read English word by word Riccardo?

    —-Iraqi are Terroris ( in their homeland ??? are you kidding”¦ haha.. you are so funny..)

    —-Why dont you propose to Freeport to return 2/3 of 80% of their benefit to Papua people..

    Generally, yes I do read English that way and I write it that way — word by word. I didn’t know there was another way.

    Why can’t Iraqis be terrorists in their own homeland? Ask mukhlas, samudra, hambali, amrozi, Hassanuddin, dulmatin and ayam bakar bashir? Timothy McVeigh? The Tamil Tigers? And all the other Iraqis currently blowing up people in Iraq?

    As far as Freeport, that’s a great idea! I’ll call them right now and order them to do just that.

  13. Tomaculum says:

    Riccardo,
    I’m sure you’ve read many books and I didn’t meant the propaganda of the goernment of Indonesia, about it we don’t need to discuss. But btry to find out the rolle of the netherlands and the allies at that time (inc. of the Australians). But once more: that all don’t excuse what happens and happened. Off course the Indonesian has to go out of West Papua or to stop the injuries of humanity and human rights (and to pay compensation). But in the same breath I would say, that Freeport etc have to leave West Papua too and the UNO should help them to construct a functioning state (maybe without the Australian as overseer).
    BTW: not only Indonesia profits from the exploatation of the natural resources in West Papua, but also Freeport etc and with them their homelands. To my opinion they support the Indonesian government and are complicit in this case, aren’t they?

    Bottom line to both of you, there are people suffering badly because of the policies of the government we pay taxes to, and all you can do is whinge at me and try to attack my credibility, thereby solving nothing.

    Off course only you do something for those people, aren’t you? I don’t try to attack any credibility of anyone, but your self-righteousness and your aggresiv always anti-Indonesia and anti-Islam yells solve the problem just as little, aren’t they?

  14. Riccardo says:

    I agree that the University of New Orleans (UNO) should help them too, they have a strong track record of nation building and they have solid baseball team.

    Joking aside, I do agree with you 100% that Australia should NOT be allowed to be part of any solution, they have too much baggage and possible self-interest with the Papua issue and the UN would be stupid to invite them.

    AND it’s not only your opinion that the mining companies support the Jakarta government, it’s a documented fact, and yes indeed they are very likely quite complicit. And yes indeed they send much of the profits back to their “homelands”. Of course their “homeland” is their private company HQ and their shareholders, not any governments. Freeport, you must remember, acquired the rights from the Dutch Administration to the gold/copper mine after the discovery in 1959-1960 by an American geologist working for Freeport… Freeport discovered it and developed it and operates it, all with the permission of first, the Dutch colonialists, then later the Javanese colonialists.
    Some questions that must be posed:
    How much influence did that company have on the US government’s (Kennedy admin.) lobbying on behalf of Indonesia (Sukarno admin) in 1961-2?

    Did the Americans think they could more easily swindle Sukarno’s “coolie nation” OR a European power — the Dutch — who were planning to give the Papuans full independence?

    Did Freeport get assurances from someone (perhaps a certain Maj. Gen?) in Jakarta that they’d have free reign in Papua and no such assurances from the Dutch/Papuan government, who would have held them to European standards?

    And I also agree with you Tomac, that even if we know the answers to these questions, it does not solve or justify the current killings and rapes in Papua today.

    I don’t agree when you accuse me of being anti-Indonesia, however. Anti-rights abuse by the TNI, yes. Anti-colonization by the jawa clique, yes. Anti-ORBA policies, yes. Anti-terrorism by muzzies, yes. A truly free, democratic, healthy, educated Indonesia, YES.

  15. Tomaculum says:

    Riccardo, I think we come a little bit closer to each other, let’s try to discuss objectively (also to all other commentators) and less emotionally. Maybe we can find a solution this way or at least we can make other people thinking and feeling.
    Peace!

  16. Deacon says:

    “¢ West Papua was invaded by Indonesia during 1962.
    “¢ Since 1967, US company Freeport McMoRan has been mining copper and gold in Indonesian Military occupied West Papua.
    “¢ Every day Freeport’s Grasberg gold mine dumps as much as 700,000 tonnes of mining waste into West Papua’s rivers. They have completely destroyed the traditional lands that the indigenous Amungme and Kamoro people rely on for survival and have forcibly displaced people from their villages.
    “¢ Over its entire operational history in West Papua, Freeport provided the Indonesian Military, who have killed around 100,000 Papuan civilians, with large amounts of money for “security”.
    “¢ Whenever West Papuan people take protest action against Freeport they often end up dead. In the past, the Indonesian Military has even bombed villages with cluster bombs after disruptions to mining.
    “¢ In March this year, large student demonstrations against Freeport broke out in Jayapura, West Papua’s capital. Students were arrested, tortured and forced to confess to taking part in violence by the Indonesian military and police.

    —–

    The main response I hear from Indonesians about West Papuan massarcres, is ‘but America invaded Iraq’ or ‘the Netherlands did this to Indonesians’. I agree that America’s current foreign policy and Netherlands past imperialism was bad “¦

    “¦ but how does this justify the murder of 100,000+ Papuans?

    ——

    A common myth among Indonesians is that the majority of West Papuans supported joining up with Indonesia.

    Under the terms of the New York Agreement of 1962, the Indonesian government was required to hold a referendum by the end of 1969 to allow West Papuans to determine whether or not hey desired independence. In 1969, President Suharto assured the Indonesian military of the impending “return of West Irian into the fold of the motherland”.

    President Suharto didn’t allow the West Papuans to have a free and fair referendum. Only 1026 hand picked West Papuans were allowed to vote. There was approximately 1 West Papuan allowed to vote for every 750 West Papuans who weren’t allowed to vote.

    I got this information from the following source:

    Indonesian Human Rights Abuses in West Papua: Application of the Law of Genocide to the History of Indonesian Control. (A paper prepared for the Indonesia Human Rights Network).

    By the Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic, Yale Law School

  17. Fanglong says:

    A new, genuine Act of Free Choice & the mere stopping of all activities by Freeport : this is the solution, isn’t it?
    Daydream, Faiz would say. But the situation, if not in the genocide figure, is highly unbeArable for anyone, here & there in the world. From 1962 to 1969, one can see how the anticolonialist Indonesians turn colons themselves and sell to others what they don’t possess — and don’t talk of Soeharto : it’s just human rascals taking advantage of the feebler. Unconceivably above all criticism is Freeport : people using guys like Kissinger for lobbying, criminals that should be arrested on the spot. The government of Indonesia should act seriously instead of endlessly creating controversial “fact finding teams” or “badan” with horrible names like Bakorstanasda etc. & postponing unpostponable issues (like Munir Thalib’s death, etc.). Yes, I’m quite angry with that all : please, friends, we shouldn’t squabble beside such a sad & degrading story as the Papuans’ !

    2004

    Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono meets with Papuan leaders in Jakarta to pledge to continue the process of Special Autonomy, and to establish a Papuan People’s Assembly.

    2006

    Forty-two Papuans are granted temporary protection visas by the Australian government after they arrive in Australia by boat, claiming persecution by Indonesian authorities. The incident causes tension between Australia and Indonesia, which withdraws its ambassador from Canberra from March until June.

    In August the 43rd member of the group of Papuans is recognised as a refugee by Australia’s Refugee Review Tribunal, after he was initially refused a protection visa by the Immigration Department.

    ….

    And then ?

  18. Oigal says:

    The mining contract are around 80% to Freeport and 20% to Indonesia.. ..

    Absolutely 100% wrong…

    I am no big supporter of Freeport but with all the information freely available there is no excuse for such rubbish. And no matter what the split is ..how much did the Papuans get..

  19. Rudy Hendra says:

    I think Freeport don’t care whether they do business with Indonesian and Papuans.

    It’s Indonesia that want the gold (or the money from the gold).
    If Indonesia don’t want the gold, why don’t Indonesia just leave Papua to be a free country?
    Papuan don’t want to be a part of Indonesia.

    I worked for Freeport 6 years ago in Tembagapura, (Mile68, Papua, 3000 meters above sea level), and I talked to the Papuans workers there.
    All of them want freedom from Indonesia.

  20. Rudy Hendra says:

    I know alcohol sometimes may give bad effect to human brain..

    Poor Islam…
    They cannot enjoy beer…

    Yo ho ho..
    and a bottle of rum…

  21. Cukurungan says:

    Rudy Hendra Says.:If Indonesia don’t want the gold, why don’t Indonesia just leave Papua to be a free country?
    Papuan don’t want to be a part of Indonesia.

    Nothing free men in this word, if papuan want to be free from Indonesia, let them chose suitable methods to attain their freedom whether by force or politic up-to them to decide even Indonesia freedom was not free or given by Belanda but by blood flood and million of death.

    Indonesia is not so stupid to release Papua. Don’t be so naive ” money machine province” like papua and aceh will not be released for free by Indonesia.

  22. Chris C says:

    Being a half descendant of nusantara-Indonesian. I peronally think Indonesia should let west papua to be their own country.
    But I do understand why Indonesia wants to keep west papua, because of its recouses and $$$. Indonesian military shouldn’t be cruel to the people of west papua.

    It is not the people of Indonesia that is cruel to the west papuans, it is the military that cruel to them
    Even the javaneses civillians have no say in this, because the government and milatary decides what has to happen.
    Remote people in java also suffer these cruelties, alongside the people of the flores islands
    So it is the miliatry, politicians and governemnt to blaim for these devestating acts

  23. indo4life says:

    most of you westerner all negative about javanese, but you stay at work in java or bali not in papua, maybe for you better to life in papua so you can see for yourself what’s happening over there.
    you know everywhere there is racist, china, tibet turkey kurds, europe moslems, so everybody is little racist

  24. Oigal says:

    info4life.. Sure just as soon as Indonesia opens Papua up for travel instead locked down like the dirty little secret it is (although a lot of us have worked there).

    Oh and Bali is no Java in anybody’s book.

  25. andy says:

    indo4life, people go where the wor is and java being the major island means there is more work and opportunities. Doesn’t at all mean we prefer the people and culture from that place. I live in Australia and if everyone lived where they liked the most far north Queensland would probably have the biggest population.

    Chris C , I take your point. Problem is, and we’ve mentioned this several times over, your people are the only ones who can change this. Time to stop being sensitive when foreigners point out the human rights atrocities of your military and stop being supportive of them. Only when the ‘rakyat’ turn on the military and see them for who they are will they be forced to change. Then the Papuans can live in peace.

  26. diego says:

    andy,

    be clear when you ciriticize the military (of indonesia) or indonesian (you know, those brown, flat-nose, big-eyed, rather shorty creatures; I guess that’s what you have in your mind, for the way you described indonesians so far).

    All too often you mix between the two, and when question you evade by saying you’re criticizing the military. what a crap. oh ya, ni hao ma? got your whitening lotion already (to become bule)?

  27. andy says:

    I expected nothing better from you diego. Childish rants regarding race. I don’t care what they look like, they are barbarians. Killing and slaughtering more Timorese per capita than the Khmer Rouge, Russian communists, Nazis etc. 1 in 3 Timorese were slaughtered and if you want to hide and say we need more proof then you have no heart. Funny when you talk about race do you think when the predominantly Javanese troops go East and kill innocent Timorese, Papuans, Ambonese etc they may not have a bit of the colour supremacy themselves? I mean you brownies are always attacking and ridiculing Mr Blacky arent you? I give you a challenge. Show you care for the citizens of the world and denounce the violence and genocide committed in the name of the Indonesian Military.

  28. diego says:

    I don’t care what they look like,

    Who are this “they”?

    they are barbarians.

    Who are this “they”?

    No more questions.

  29. Odinius says:

    No chance Indonesia lets Papua go. The options are:

    *continue current sh*tty course
    *make another “special special autonomy” deal, as in aceh
    *actually reorganize the country along federal lines, which would make official a lot of the decentralization that has already occurred over the past 10 years, but would be viewed as more fair by a lot of people in the periphery

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