PARLEMENT NATIONAL OF WEST PAPUA
(PNWP)
(PNWP)
(The voice of West Papua people struggle to get self determinationa rights according with International laws Principles, Human Rights Standarts and UN Charter)
Email : westpapuaparlemen@yahoo.com, phone +62 081247302763
West Papua, July 6, 2013
Media Release for 15 Years Bloody Biak Incident
From July 2 to July 6, when the military opened fire, the morning
star flag of West Papua flew over the thirty –five –meters-tall water
tower near the harbor in Biak town. The demostration was led by a
Jayapura based provincial governement employee named Filep Yopy Karma.
Likes other, he had copies of the May 22 letter of U.S. members of
Conggress, interpreted it as support for independent, and drafted a
declaration of independence accordingly.
The flag appeared on the top of the tower on July 2, at about 5:00
a.m. Some hundred people gathered beneath it. Shouting freedom slogons,
singing sons and dancing traditional dances. Some had painted their
faces and arms wtih the morning star symbol, and as the demostration
continued, many people in immediate are joined in. The water tower is
both the main taxi terminal and a major market, so, the site is one that
many people would pass as part of their daily lives. Small boys
reportedly guarded the area wearing armbands that said Satgas ( task
force) OPM. The demostration grew to more that 1000 people by one
account.
Around 9:00 a.m., the regency head of Biak, Amandus Mansnembra,
together with the regency military and police commanders, came, in the
words of the military commander, to give guidance and direction to the
demostratiors. But they didnot want to listen. Instead, they held an
open forum as part of their protest. Filep Karma appeared as one of the
speakers to voice the aspirations of the people of Biak and demand
indepence for the people of West Papua.
About 4:30 p.m., security forces tried to break up demonstration.
When the crowd recognized one intellingence agent there, Police Sergeant
Irwan, who they believed had been infiltrated into the crowd to cauce
trouble. They attacked him, knocking out a few teeth and breaking his
leg. This led to a violent clash between the demostrators abd the
security forces surrounding them. The latter consisted of a Brimob
platon, a platoon from infantry Battalion 753, one from KODIM 1702, and
one from navi post. According to a report prepares by local activists,
thirteen troops were wounded from Biak Police. A military report said
twenty three of the security forces were wounded, seventeen lightly,
there seriously, and three critical. The troops were eventually
withdrawn around 8:00 p.m.
Economic activity in the area came to a halat because of the
demostrations. Shops and kiosks in the area closed down, and trading in
the old market ceased around 5:00 p.m. After about 5:30, the
demonstratiors had set up blockades around the area, preventing anyone
from reaching the harbor. A ship was supposed to dock at 5:00 p.m., the
Dobonsolo, was unable to do so and had to anchor offshore.
Meanwhile, on the same day, on July 2, in the subdistrict of West
Biak, eleven villages heads were ordered by the subdistrict authorities
to call a counterdemonstration at the Biak District Council against the
seperatist activisties of Filep Karma. The villages represented were
Mandenderi, Adadikam, Mamoribo, Sopen, Opuri, Dedifu, Yomdori, Kababur,
Warberik, Wasyai, and Andey. The village heads were all told that to
ensure that the people of West Biak were not branded as OPM, they had to
take part in this action.
Ealy on July 3, those gathered beneath the water tower began to hear
rumors that there was going to be a move to break up demonstration. The
subdistrict authorities, through their meeting with village heads,
reportedly secured an agreement that there would be two prongs to the
attack. A crowd from West Biak would gather in a housing complex north
of the airport and would go by truck to demonstration site. When they
got near the gas pumps in the harbor, they would be let off to attack
the demonstratots. Another group would gather in front of the guardpost
of the air force in front the Hotel Sinar Kayu, then would attack from
south. About 5:30 a.m. On July 3, the village heads were taken home to
gather up residents to be trucked into Biak, and about 1:00 p.m., seven
trucks belonging to the Karya Kencana Harpindo Company brought counter
demonstrators into the city. They were given a kind of armband so that
if a clash took place with the flag raisers, the army would know whom to
protect. But no attack took place ; the counterdemonstrators reportedly
chose to act peacefully.
According to the local activists ‘ report, the villagers given pro
government banners to hold, and some expressed reluctance to take part
in the counterdemonstration. According the military report, 250 people
from thirteen villages sought out local military and civilian leaders of
their own accord to tell them that they rejected the idea of an
independent West Papua, that they did not want a repetition of the
bitter experince of years past, and that they wanted nothing more than
work hard and help development the district of Biak. Human rights
organization in Jayapura dismissed the military’s account as self
serving.
The head of Biak regency parlement, Ayub Sumerta, came and asked
Filep Karma to take down the flag, but before doing so, he reportedly
took off his hat to honor it. He then invited the people to come to the
council to discuss their demands, but they wanted to stay to guard the
flag.
At 1:00 a.m. on July 4, the local military brought nine village heads
together di discuss a strategy for attack and both the subdistrict
(camat) and subdistrict military commander told the village heads that
each man was responsible for bringing thirtymen into the city. He also
told them that the district commander’s instructions were that each man
should bring a weapon of some sort, whether a spear, a knife, or some
other sharp object.
At 8:00 a.m., negetations began between the army and church leaders to try to resolve the situation. As a result , troops were pulled back from around the district health clinic, near the water tower, but the demonstrators refused to leave, saying they would stay until a representative of Kofi Annan came.
At 2:00 p.m., a Hercules transport plane landed in Biak with troops
from the Trikora regional command, the regional command based in Ujung
Pandang, Sulawesi, and anti riot forces from the police mobile brigade.
Shortly there after, a group pastors from Iria Jaya ( now, Papua )
Tabernacle Church (GKII) began further negotiations with the
demonstrators, who turned over the molotov cocktails, spears and other
weapons they had massed for self defense. They pledged on the Bible,
however, to defend the morning star flag to the death.
On July 5, after Sunday service, villagers from West Biak were brougt
to Yomdori, the subdistrict center, where they stayed overnight before
proceeding on to the city to prepare for the attack. The pastors,
meanwhile tried uncuccessfully to convince Filep Karma to take down the
flag.
The long awaited attack took place and were reinforced by troops from
two warhips, a logistics ship called Waigeo and another with a
registration number of 108. The troops opened fire from four sides.
Witmesses reported that five civilians who were already on the ground
prone were deliberately shot. By 9;00 a.m., twenty one people had been
brought to the hospital, one of whom Ruben Orboi died about an hour
later in the hospital’s emergency room; he had been shot in the head.
Soldiers were all over tge hospital, and a nurse on duty said her
superior was ordered not to say anything about anyone having died. She
also told that when an army truck drew up to hospital entrance with some
of the wounded, the latter were just pushed off the tuck. She said
Filep Karma’s brother, Costan Karma was told to jump off truck even
though his feet and hands were tied. He of course fell to the ground.
Although he was barely conscious soldiers forbade the nurses to untie
him, but they did anyway after pleading with him not to run.
One young man who wasin the crow when the shooting told that the arm
loaded people on trucks, dead, woundedm and unhurt, and headed for the
outskirts of the town. When they reached the jungle, ten others were let
off the truck, while the remaining wouded and dead were driven on to
where he had no idea. He was then picked up with the other survibors and
taken to the navy headquarters where he was held from July 6 to July 11
and repeatedly kicked and beaten. He was not allowed to contact his
family who assumed je had died and it was not until he returned on the
shops instead.
People living near the water tower were taken to port area on the day
of the attack and were forced to remain there all day. Of 150 people
arrested after the crackdown, nineteen evebtually were charged and tried
and as of November 30, 1998, were detained at the Biak district prison.
Their trials began on October 5 and were continuing at the ti me report
went to press. All were rebillion spreading hatred toward the
government and assault under articleas 106, 154 and 170 respectively of
Indonesian criminal code.
Detention about there weeks after the shootings, The cauces of death
are not clear, but in neither case was an autopsy conducted. Mamoribo,
who had been shot in the hand during the demostration, died at his home;
Nico Smas collapsed and died while walking in the street. At least ten
others believed to have taken part in the demonstration never returned
home but a full accounting of the missing has not been passible because
of the climate of fear that prevails in Biak as of this writing.
This time i would like to:
1. call International fact finding to West Papua to research West Papua cases during 50 years West Papua people struggle their self determination and bring Indonesia to International Court
2. Call International Community and nations of UN to protect, promote and fulfill Self Determination Rights of West Papua because this rights notyet implementated for West Papua people as peace, fair and democration.
Sincely
Buchtar Tabuni
Chairman
Chairman
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