A Joint Press Conference: The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) Papua Desk and Front PEPERA West Papua

Declaration “West Papuan Land: AN EMERGENZY ZONE!”

Thousands of West Papuans have been staging regular demonstrations in West Papua since the beginning of 2008. The demonstrations have caused arrests, intimidations, imprisonments of pro-democracy activists in West Papua.

Various human rights organizations in Jakarta have been receiving reports from human rights activists in West Papua since the end of October this year. The reports stated that a number of West Papuan students and youth activists has been arrested and jailed. There was a real indication that the Indonesian military and police purposively limited the room of democracy in order to limit the West Papuan people’s freedom of expression. The military and the police also have overacted above limit and their actions have caused serious human right abuses.

The killing of Otinus Tabuni [9th August 2008] was the worst case where a peaceful people’s demonstration was responded with Indonesian state police violent gun shootings.

The arrest of 16 West Papuan students and youth activists on the 20th of October 2008, although they were released later, showed that there was not any room for democracy in West Papua.

Repression, intimidation and terror happened continuously, especially after the official launch of International Parliamentarians for West Papua [IPWP] in London, England.

West Papuans living in Java and Bali who had demonstrations on the 15th to 17th of October 2008 were intimidated, repressed and extremely terrorized in their residence in various towns in Java and Bali. The intimidation, repression and terrors continued until 30th of November and 1st of December when the Committee for West Papuan People’s National Action for Java and Bali region held their demonstration.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Jusuf Kalla (JK) have again shown the New Order (President Suharto’s style) way to secure their political position and sacrificed the West Papuans. The people of West Papua have long been asking for a review of the 1969 Act of Free Choice which was violated and caused West Papua to be integrated with Indonesia. The Act of Free Choice in West Papua was not conducted in accordance with the New York Agreement.

The historical facts had caused different kinds of serious human rights abuses since Indonesian military operations began in West Papua from 1965 until 1998. During the time West Papua was controlled under military operation zone mechanism. However, after reformation in 1998 the strengthening of democracy in Indonesia was not perfectly implemented and therefore Indonesia returned to a fascist state pattern just like what had happened during the New Order Era (President Suharto’s period).

The Papua police’s arrest of Buchtar Tabuni on the 1st of December 2008 showed that violent patterns were still used in solving vertical conflicts between the people of West Papua versus the government of the Republic of Indonesia.

The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association West Papua Desk and Front PEPERA West Papua realized that this situation HAS THREATENED THE WEST PAPUAN PEOPLE’S RIGHTS TO LIVE and therefore feel that it is crucial to have a humanity declaration where unlimited solidarity is sought for saving the West Papuan People’s rights to live.

Therefore, The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association West Papua Desk and Front PEPERA West Papua declare that beginning from today, 6th of December 2008, West Papuan Land is in the emergency situation. We declare that West Papua Land is an EMERGENCY ZONE and demand the followings:

1. Put pressure and demand Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla’s government to withdraw all non-organic troops and Indonesian State Police from all over West Papuan land.

2. Put pressure and demand Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla’s government to eliminate extra military territorial bodies [Kodam (provincial level), Korem (regency level), Kodim (district level), Koramil(sub-distric level) and Babinsa (village level)] that spread out all over West Papuan Land.

3. Put pressure and demand Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla’s government to facilitate a review of the ‘History of West Papua’ that has been a central controversy between West Papuan People and the government of the Republic of Indonesia.

4. Put pressure and demand Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla’s government to review the implementation of the 1969 Act of Free Choice which was illegal and had violated human rights.

5. Put pressure and demand Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla’s government to seek alternative solution other than Papua Special Autonomy in order to solve West Papuan People’s problem in a comprehensive, humanity, democratic and dignified way.

6. Urge unlimited solidarity of the people of Indonesia to fight together with the people of West Papua to gain the West Papuan people’s rights that have been violated intentionally by the regime.

The West Papua Land in Emergency Zone Declaration is issued in Jakarta, 6th December 2008


Hans Gebze
PBHI West Papua Desk


Wens Edowai
KANRPB Spokesperson


Viktor Kogoya
KANRPB Spokesperson