DOCUMENT: W_PAPUA.TXT U N I T E D N A T I O N S E C O N O M I C A N D S O C I A L C O U N C I L Commission on Human Rights Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities Working Group on Indigenous Populations, Third Session -- Geneva 30 July - 3 August 1984 Statement on behalf of the Free Papua Movement (West Papuan People's Movement for Freedom and Independence). Mr. Chairman On behalf of the people of West Papua who have struggled for freedom and independence ever since our country was handed over to Indonesia to advance the strategic and economic interests of foreign powers, we express our heartfelt gratitude to the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations for this opportunity to attend and address this forum. We are also deeply grateful to the Anti-Slavery Society which has so generously helped to make it possible for the voice of the people of West Papua to be heard for the first time in a forum of this kind. It is the fervent hope of the people of West Papua that this Working Group will pave the way to a peaceful solution of the question of West Papua. Last year, for the first time, the violation of human rights perpetrated by the Indonesian military rulers in West Papua was reported by the Anti-Slavery Society. The conditions faced by the people of West Papua have worsened in the past twelve months. The Free Papua Movement herewith calls upon the UN Commission for Human Rights to make strenuous efforts to find a way to halt the obliteration of the Papuan Negroid or Melanesian people in West Papua. A detailed report on the actual conditions in West Papua since the country was occupied by the Indonesian expansionist- fascist military government 21 years ago is being circulated in a separate document, but I would like herewith to submit the following short, general statement: THE WEST PAPUAN PEOPLE'S DESIRE FOR FREEDOM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. On 17 August 1945, Dr Sukarno and Dr Mohamad Hatta unilaterally proclaimed Indonesian independence, and on that same day, at 8:00 p.m., Markus Kaisiepo was chosen by West Papuan leaders to inform the government of the Dutch Kingdom, through the intermediary of CONICA, (Commanding-Officer of the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration) that the West Papuan people would not become part of the Indonesian Republic. 2. In a ten-year plan (1960-1970), the government of the Dutch Kingdom was preparing the people of West Papua for independence. From 1 December 1961, the West Papuan National Flag was flown side by side with the Dutch national flag. The future West Papuan state was already shining through on the faces of the entire population of West Papua. INDONESIA'S CLAIM TO WEST PAPUA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. Indonesia's claim to our country was based solely on an intrigue by the Indonesian government to extricate itself from a chaotic political and economic situation. President Sukarno wanted to make Indonesia a country and himself as President the leader of the newly independent countries in Asia and Africa. 4. Both President Sukarno and President Suharto knew full well when our country was handed over to Indonesia by UNTEA, (the UN Temporary Executive Administration) from 1 May 1963 that Indonesia's claim was groundless. The fact is that 99.5% of the native inhabitants of West Papua want independence. The Indonesian Government knew perfectly well that a referendum in West Papua would have resulted in our country becoming independent. INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE RIGHT OF THE WEST PAPUAN ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PEOPLE TO SELF-DETERMINATION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. The French-speaking states of Black Africa, known as the Brazzaville Group, were the first to support the right to self- determination of the Negroid people of West Papua when the question of West Papua was discussed at the UN General Assembly: -- They supported the draft resolution submitted by the Netherlands at the 1961 General Assembly calling for the internationalization of the administration of West Papua as a way to safeguard the West Papuan people's right to self-determination. -- They opposed surrender of authority to Indonesia according to the New York Agreement of 1962. -- At the 1969 UN General Assembly, these countries, together with the Caribbean countries and other African states, refused to recognize the so-called 'act of free choice' of 1969. THE 1962 NEW YORK AGREEMENT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6. The 1962 New York Agreement did not guarantee the people of West Papua their right to survival as an independent race and nation in our rich and bountiful land; it was a trick by foreign powers to bring Indonesia under their influence for the advancement of their own strategic and economic interests. 7. The 1962 New York Agreement has resulted in 21 years of suffering. According to provisional figures collected during careful investigations by the FPM, 109,278 people or roughly 12% of the native population of West Papua at the time of the 1968 census have been murdered or have disappeared. Since 1970, rich resources such as, minerals, petroleum, gas, timber, fish have been exploited by multinationals with the consent of the Indonesian government, bringing no benefit whatever for the welfare of the West Papuan people. Billions of dollars in economic aid have been granted to Indonesia every year by the Inter-Governmental Group on Indonesia (IGGI), the World Bank, the IMF and the Asian Development Bank. All this, plus the special military assistance given to Indonesia by certain western states, is proof of the real significance of the 1962 New York Agreement. CONDITIONS IN WEST PAPUA SINCE 1963 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8. In order to prevent West Papua from gaining its independence, everything was done after 17 August 1962 to nullify the provisions contained in the New York Agreement regarding the right to self-determination. A variety of methods were used after 1 May 1963 by Indonesian civil and military authorities to force the West Papuan people to agree to their country remaining a part of the Indonesian Republic. 9. Indonesia's chief objective in occupying our country which is so rich in minerals, petroleum and gas, and in agricultural lands, is to resettle impoverished people from Java on our soil. Our country opens up the prospect for Indonesia to become a strong, leading power in the Pacific region; the uranium deposits known to exist in West Papua will make it possible for Indonesia to become a nuclear power. This is why the Indonesian government has done everything possible to keep West Papua in the Republic. Their methods include murder, forced assimilation, birth control, alcoholism and drug-addiction, prostitution and, finally, transmigration from Java. 10. Some MURDERS are committed openly, in the presence of the victim's family or neighbours for the purposes of intimidation, whilst others are committed without trace and the victim simply disappears. Children and women are the target of open murders so as to INTIMIDATE PEOPLE AND HALT ANY INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF NATIVE PEOPLE OF WEST PAPUA. In its submission last year, the Anti-Slavery Society mentioned an estimate of 200,000 deaths. The FPM believes that estimate will eventually be shown to be correct, based on investigations already carried out or at present under way. As an example of the time lag involved in carrying out investigations, it was not until 1970 that the FPM discovered that 40,000 people had been killed in the period from 1963 to 1969. 11. Killings and disappearances already confirmed during FPM investigations so far are as follows: OPERATION 'TUMPAS' (Operation 'Crush') during the time of General Kartidjo and General Bintoro (1964- 1968) and OPERATION 'SADAR' (Operation 'Awareness') under General Sarwo Edhie (1969) resulted in the open murder of:................................................. 30,000 Disappearances during the same period, according to ongoing investigations by the FPM:...................... 40,000 OPERATION 'WIBAWA' (Operation 'Authority') under General Acub Zainul, (1970-1974) also known as the 'open-hand policy' -- led to the disappearance of:......... 10,000 OPERATION 'KIKIS' (Operation 'Chipping Away') under General Imam Munandar, (1977):....................... 10,329 OPERATION 'GALANG' (Operation 'Support') of 1981, under General Santoso, also known as the 'smiling policy'. Only in Jayapura:................................ 264 OPERATION 'SAPU-BERSIH' (Operation 'Clean-Sweep') under Generals Santoso and Sembiring (1981 to 1984):....... 14,001 In February 1984, the number of people who fled to Papua New Guinea amounted to:................ 5,000 but the number who arrived amounted to only:.... 316 The total number who disappeared:................. 4,684 ------- The Total of murders and disappearances:.................. 109,278 (provisional figure) 12. VIOLATIONS OF BASIC RIGHTS are a common feature of the behaviour of the Indonesian occupation authorities in West Papua. Of the estimated 200,000 young men and women who have been arrested at one time or another, BETWEEN 20 AND 25% DISAPPEARED whilst NEARLY 80% UNDERWENT SOME FORM OF TORTURE. Women under arrest as well as those living in the Kampungs are the victims of sexual abuse perpetrated in the most INHUMAN FORMS. Freedom of movement is severely restricted. Exercising the right of assembly and of speaking out is regarded as a crime against the Indonesian state. The people of West Papua are the victims of reprisals by the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI), and these reprisals take the most violent forms, in flagrant conflict with the civilized practices. 13. Efforts to ensure the obliteration of the Melanesian race in West Papua take the form of producing and selling alcohol to West Papuans (as was done to Indians in America), distributing narcotics and pornography to the youth of West Papua, the encouragement of legal prostitution without medical supervision as a result of which venereal diseases, such as syphilis and gonorrhoea, have spread like wild fire and the imposition of birth control under the guise of so-called 'family planning'. 14. Any attempt to popularize the specific culture of the Melanesian people in keeping with Indonesia's slogan of 'Bhineka- Tunggal-Eka' (Unity in Diversity) is considered a crime against the Indonesian state. The most recent example is Arnold Ap, a West Papuan anthropologist and curator of the Museum of Anthropology of West Papua who was murdered on 26 April 1984 because of his services to science and knowledge. Other West Papuan students and scholars, devotees of the special song and dance forms of West Papuan culture, were also killed at the same time. 15. The native inhabitants of West Papua are now being forced to become FOREIGNERS, PAUPERS AND ILLITERATES in our immensely resource-rich country. Kampung dwellers are being forced to abandon their kampungs and give up their land, and to settle on 'new-style' kampungs. The land seized by Indonesian civil and military authorities is used by foreign companies, or by ABRI for military projects and for transmigration from Java. When native inhabitants refuse to surrender their land, this too is regarded as a crime against the Indonesian state. 16. Job opportunities and working conditions for West Papuans were far better under the Dutch colonial administration than in the 21 years of Indonesian rule. Education opportunities for West Papuan children have become much worse in the past ten years. Only five out of ten children in primary schools are able to reach the final grade, and after the next six years of schooling in secondary schools only one out of ten children is able to go on to a higher educational institute. WEST PAPUAN REFUGEES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 17. External pressure is being exerted on Papua New Guinea over the question of West Papuan refugees; to prevent PNG from allowing the refugees to stay. Deportations carried out by the PNG government have resulted in thousands of people being murdered or imprisoned by the Indonesian military authorities. The most recent instance is Augustinus Runtuboy who was deported from PNG to Jayapura in November 1983. He was so badly tortured that he was forced to betray his comrades. He was murdered on 24 April 1984. In addition more than 4,000 refugees disappeared while fleeing by sea. It is to be hoped that the UN Commission for Human Rights will prevent the mass deportation of the 8,000 West Papuan refugees now in PNG. CONCLUSION ~~~~~~~~~~ 18. The UN Charter, the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights as well as the United Nations Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (1960) fully safeguard the rights of the people of non-self-governing territories, both as individuals and as nations. On the basis of these documents, the refusal of the Indonesian government to implement A PROPER AND COMPLETELY FREE ACT OF SELF-DETERMINATION in 1969 with UN participation, was an act that should be most strongly condemned because it FLAGRANTLY VIOLATES THE NOBLE principles upheld in those documents. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: -= THE FOURTH WORLD DOCUMENTATION PROJECT =- :: :: A service provided by :: :: The Center For World Indigenous Studies :: :: www.cwis.org :: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Originating at the Center for World Indigenous Studies, Olympia, Washington USA www.cwis.org © 1999 Center for World Indigenous Studies (All Rights Reserved. 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