INDO-PACIFIC Papuans Reignite Pro-Independence Protests in Indonesia OE Watch Commentary: In eastern Indonesia, there have been separatist movements led by Papuans seeking to establish their own independent state in West Papua province, formerly known as Irian Jaya. The excerpted Indonesian-language article discusses the latest Papuan pro-independence protests, led by Papuan students in Ambon, Maluku islands (near West Papua).

According to the article, the students attempted to protest peacefully in Ambon, but the Indonesian security forces broke up their protests claiming that students did not have a protest license. The students claimed their protest was lawful because they had notified the authorities beforehand. The attempt to break up the protests led to verbal exchanges between police officers and protesters. Ambon City. During the exchanges, the protesters read off Source: Talgraf777 via Wikimedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AmbonCity2001.jpg, CC BY SA 3.0 their grievances to the police. They claimed Papuans had declared independence in 1961 but then-President Sukarno disallowed it and later President Suharto continued the same policy. The protesters claimed that living under Indonesian rule was no different for them than living under colonial rule before Indonesian independence. The students picked 6 July as a reference to the 6 July 1988 protests in Biak, West Papua when eight Papuans were killed.

The most recent protest was rekindling a longstanding struggle for Papuans. Nevertheless, the security forces appear to have grown wiser. While they may have not respected the Papuan students’ right to protest in Ambon, the article indicates they refrained from using violence on students in the recent protest. End OE Watch Commentary (Zenn)

“The students held an event in commemoration of the 21st Anniversary of human rights violations known as ‘Bloody Biak’.”

Source: “Polisi Bubarkan Aksi Demo Damai Aliansi Mahasiswa Papua di Ambon (The Police Dismiss Peaceful Demonstration of the Papuan Student Alliance in Ambon),” http://beritabeta.com, 6 July 2019. https://beritabeta.com/news/amboina/polisi-bubarkan-aksi-demo-damai- aliansi-mahasiswa-papua-di-ambon/

A peaceful demonstration held by dozens of young people who are members of the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) and the Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) was forcibly dissolved by the police. [The students] held the event in commemoration of the 21st Anniversary of human rights violations known as “Bloody Biak.” The police officer then tried to forcefully disband the students. Police said the demonstrators did not have permission from the police. On the contrary, students insisted that they had provided notification before the event was held. The change of leadership from Soekarno to Suharto did not change the fate of the Papuan people at all. Precisely two months after Suharto’s fall, on July 6, 1998, the Papuan people in Biak city gathered and raised the Morning Star flag, a symbol of the struggle of the people and people of West Papua. The authorities then opened fire indiscriminately at the people who were gathering to express their political attitudes.

OE Watch | August 2019 36