The ongoing torture of Papuan people
Disturbingly graphic videos exist of the torture by Indonesian soldiers of a West Papuan man, Defianus Kogoya, in Papua’s Puncak area on 3 February 2024.
The two short videos show the Papuan man immersed in a barrel of water and being punched and kicked in the face. The water turns red with his blood. The Indonesians chat about how easily the skin peels off his back.
The Indonesian military has said that the videos are authentic. An investigation has been promised and 13 soldiers have been detained.
It seems that intelligence had been received about a planned arson attack at a health clinic and military leaders had become “emotional” at the prospect of such an attack. Defianus had admitted to previous violence, including the wounding of a soldier.
Similar torture of Timorese people during the 24 Indonesian occupation was ignored, downplayed, denied and excused. The filming of the Santa Cruz massacre in 1991 (thank you Max Stahl, may you Rest in Peace) showed the world what was going on. There were photos of Timorese women being tortured in subsequent years which also showed the depravity of the military.
As Indonesia severely restricts the entry of foreign media into Papua, it difficult to independently verify and document this and other incidents. However, the speed with which the footage of Defianus’s torture has sped across the world has forced the Indonesian military into a rare, if mild, admission of authenticity.
The question is, how many incidents of torture and killing are not filmed and distributed? How many other people have died violently? Are we to believe that the more than 100,000 Papuans who have died violently since 1969 when Indonesia took over are not Indonesia’s responsibility? Those who have investigated the whole West Papua situation claim otherwise, such as Genocide Watch and Startts.
Australia and other states should start to take their responsibilities to the Papuans people seriously. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights visited Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji in February this year. Why didn’t he go to West Papua? Did he ask for admittance? Was he refused?
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles recently re-affirmed Australia’s opposition to Papuan independence. Marles was visiting Prabowo Subianto, now President of Indonesia. Prabowo is an ex-general who had four tours of duty in East Timor with high command responsibility. During his military service the Indonesian military oversaw widespread displacement, torture, starvation projects and murders. The prospects for the Papuan people are dimmer by the day.
Joe Collins of the Australia West Papua Association Sydney says that the Australian government should immediately condemn the torture of West Papuans by the Indonesian security forces. Australia trains and holds exercises with the Indonesian military.
He asks “Do we have to remind the government of Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights? It states: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Collins is fearful that as more Papuans become aware of the horrific video they may respond by holding rallies and protests. “There could be more crackdowns on peaceful demonstrators,” he said. He hopes that Jakarta might realise that the whole world is seeing evidence of the military’s methods and his hope is that Indonesia will begin to control its military in the territory.
The denial of West Papuan history and the refusal to listen to the people’s rightful and long-standing claims to independence must cease.
Julie Wark of Counterpunch says “We’re all living in a Zone of Interest.” She’s referring to a current film depicting the life of the German Commandant of Auschwitz and his family who lived in comfort on the other side of the fence which separated their home from the death camp.
SOME MEDIA COMMENT
Counterpunch
West Papua: The Torture Mode Of Governance
ULMWP (United Liberation Movement for West Papua)
A crime against humanity has been committed.
Sydney Morning Herald – 25 March 2024
Indonesian military confirms authenticity of torture video, detains 13 of its own
(Mention of the atrocity does not seem to appear in the print version of the newspaper.)
Radio New Zealand – 25 March 2024
‘Committed to human rights’: Indonesia says West Papua torture incident ‘deeply regrettable’
ABC 25 March 2024
Asia Pacific Report – 25 March 2024
Australian group warns of new ‘arrests, torture’ in Papuan crackdown
The Guardian – 25 March 2024
Indonesian military apologises after West Papuan man filmed being tortured in water-filled barrel
HISTORY OF WEST PAPUA
Foreign Correspondent – Inside Indonesia’s Secret War for West Papua –
YouTube Video (29 minutes, 12 May 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMeYD-wFC1o
History Guild – March 19, 2024
A Brief History of West Papua: Indonesia’s Unwilling Territory
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West Papua is one of the world’s least understood regions. There are people, including Australians, who either know nothing of it or confuse it with Papua New Guinea, and yet the capital, Jayapura, is just over 4000 km from Canberra, not too much farther than Canberra is from Perth.
Australian governments and large, powerful news outlets are silent and rarely comment on the situation so close to our shores.
Brief history
For centuries the Dutch East Indies covered the great archipelago above Australia, except for Portuguese Timor, and embraced the western half of the island of New Guinea, known as West Papua. The Dutch began preparing the people for independence throughout the 1950s, culminating in a congress in 1961. The congress adopted the Morning Star flag as the symbol of the emerging nation, and it was first raised on 1 December that year. Dutch colonisation throughout the remainder of the archipelago was thrown off in 1949 and the Republic of Indonesia was born, growing into a modern and generally cohesive democracy.
The “Act of Free Choice”
The United Nations initially controlled West Papua but then handed the administration to Indonesia in preparation for independence. The exercise of that ‘freedom of choice’ was planned for 1969, but it did not happen.
Australia’s involvement was significant. Officials stopped two pro-independence West Papuan leaders from travelling to the United Nations, just weeks before the so-called Act of Free Choice, at the request of Indonesia. The two West Papuan leaders were halted, questioned by ASIO officers, and then held in detention on Manus Island. As the United Nations stood back and allowed the sham consultation to proceed, their voice could not be heard in New York.
The consultation consisted of 1025 people who were selected to vote on behalf of the other 800,000 Papuans. At gunpoint, they voted unanimously in favour of Indonesian control.
This so-called ‘Act of Free Choice’ was held all over West Papua. The people call it the ‘Act of No Choice’. It was a disgrace that the UN was involved.
Creeping genocide
Since then, the Papuan people have become strangers in their own land. Government-sponsored migration to the territory has greatly increased the number of Indonesian residents whose numbers now equal the Indigenous people. Papuans lack proper representation at all levels of government.
Under Indonesia, hundreds of thousands of people have died violently. Indonesian anti-terror units are funded by the international community, including Australia, but in West Papua they are used to search for political activists, especially those agitating for independence. Indonesia now treats Papuan political acts as terrorism. Papuans are jailed for raising the Morning Star flag.
Refugees
The Indonesian government, through its huge military presence, enables widespread human rights violations of the Papuan people, who are still resisting and cling fiercely to their land, their cultures, languages and desire for freedom. Human rights experts appointed by the UN state that 60,000 West Papuan internal refugees have been created by military operations in the highlands, many fleeing to the forests or to other regions, and currently there are at least 10,000 in PNG.
Political demonstrations are met with military dispersal and the arrest of attendees. Civil society, activist and even church group meetings are spied on and often disrupted by state agents. Journalists, aid workers and even diplomats are prevented from witnessing what is going on.
Resource rich Papua
The reason for this appalling situation is that Papua is extremely rich in natural resources which brings great wealth to Indonesia.
Fearful Australia
Australian governments rarely comment on the situation. Fearful of upsetting Indonesia or challenging the source of company profits, they remain complicit. This unspoken policy ensures that Australia remains in lockstep with the United States, which for decades has fawned upon Indonesia both as a sprawling non-communist presence in Southeast Asia and as a reliable buffer to China.
For all its fanfare of independence, Australia is dutifully meek on the Papuan issue, mirroring the meekness of its relationship with both the United States and highly influential Australian corporations.
It is important that Papua’s Australian neighbours keep reading reports, viewing documentaries and writing letters for the Papuan people.