More deaths reported in West Papua clashes
File image: a Papuan man (right) in traditional clothing and face painted with the banned Morning Star flag stands next to a policeman during a demonstration demanding a referendum on independence in Yogyakarta on 1 December 2023.
Photo:
AFP / Devi Rahman
Further reports of civilian casualties are coming out of West Papua, with clashes between Indonesia's military and the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement continuing.
One of the most recent military operations took place in the early morning of 14 May in Sugapa District, Intan Jaya in Central Papua.
Military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Iwan Dwi Prihartono, in a video statement translated into English, said 18 members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) were killed.
He claimed the military wanted to provide health services and education to residents in villages in Intan Jaya, but they were confronted by the TPNPB.
Prihartono said the military confiscated an AK47, homemade weapons, ammunition, bows and arrows and the morning star flag - used as a symbol for West Papuan independence.
But according to the TPNPB, only three of the group's soldiers were killed, with the rest being civilians.
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua said civilians killed included a 75-year-old, two women and a child.
Both the women were allegedly found on 23 May in shallow graves.
A spokesperson from the Embassy of Indonesia in Wellington said all 18 people killed were part of the TPNPB, as confirmed by the military.
"The local regent of Intan Jaya has checked for the victims at their home and hospitals; therefore, he can confirm that the 18 victims were in fact all members of the armed criminal group," they said.
"The difference in numbers of victim sometimes happens because the armed criminal group tried to downplay their casualties or to try to create confusion."
The spokesperson said the military operation was carried out because local authorities "followed up upon complaints and reports from local communities that were terrified and terrorized by the armed criminal group".
Jakarta-based Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono said it was part of the wider Operation Habema, which started last year.
"It is a military operation to 'eliminate' the Free Papua guerilla fighters, not only in Intan Jaya but in several agencies along the central highlands," Harsono said.
He said the operation had been intensifying since the TPNPB killed 17 miners in April, which the armed group accused of being "military informers".
RNZ Pacific
has been sent photos of people who have been allegedly killed or injured in the 14 May assault, while others have been shared by ULMWP.
Harsono said despite the photos and videos, it was hard to verify if civilians had been killed.
He said Indonesia claimed civilian casualties - including of the women who were allegedly buried in shallow graves - were a result of the TPNPB.
"The TPNPB says, 'of course, it is a lie why should we kill an indigenous woman?' Well, you know, it is difficult to verify which one is correct, because they're fighting the battle [in a very remote area].
"It's difficult to cross-check whatever information coming from there, including the fact that it is difficult to get big videos or big photos from the area with the metadata."
Harsono said Indonesia was now using drones to fight the TPNPB.
"This is something new; I think it will change the security situation, the battle situation in West Papua.
"So far the TPNPB has not used drones; they are still struggling. In fact, most of them are still using bows and arrows in the conflict with the Indonesian military."
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