By Athena Yenko | October 25, 2013 1:33 PM EST
The report revealed that West Papuan independence supporters suffered
being burned and boiled alive. There were women who were raped, had
their breast cut off and internal organs pulled out. Other forms of
violence involved slicing Papuans with razors and forcing them to eat
soldiers' faeces.
The genocide was allegedly conducted by the Indonesians in 1977 to
1978 as a counter-attack to West Papuan independence uprisings after the
1977 general elections.
However, the report also alleged that two helicopters from Australian Defence Department were used in bombing attacks on the Central Highlands village to perform the genocide.
However, the report also alleged that two helicopters from Australian Defence Department were used in bombing attacks on the Central Highlands village to perform the genocide.
The report was released by the Asian Human Rights Commission.
Basil Fernando of the Asian Human Rights Commission expressed frustration over Australia's
lapse in judgement in recognising the act of genocide. He said the
association with Australia in this disturbing incident was the most
shocking aspect of the report.
"Such a large number of people being killed, but has not been a
preoccupation for the Indonesian government as well as for the
neighbouring countries - such as Australia - that is one of the most
shocking aspects of this report."
In a statement to SBS Radio, the Department of Foreign Affairs said
that the present situation in West Papua no longer reflects the
situation described in the report. The department reasoned that it
cannot comment on a situation that had happened 35 years ago.
Meanwhile, University of New South Wales West Papua expert, Associate
Professor Clinton Fernandes, explained why Australia was associated to
this harrowing detail of the West Papuan past.
"In the 1970s the Indonesian military was annexing West Papua and
some of the Papuans who were resisting had to be crushed by force. The
Indonesian air force's doctrine was to destroy agricultural areas,
destroy foodstocks, buffaloes, paddy fields and so on. And they would
use napalm and they would do that in order to starve the resistence into
submission."
Mr Fernandes said that it is difficult to establish proofs about the
involvement of Australia with the genocide, having all information
classified at present.
However, it was known that between 1975 and 1978 Australia spent $26
million in support of Indonesia's modernisation of its military. This
made it impossible for Australian authorities not to know that
Australian helicopters were being deployed as weapon for the genocide.
"It's inconceivable. Anybody who provided the helicopters as well as
Australian intelligence would have been writing detailed reports about
what they knew, how they'd been used and so on simply in order to inform
out own intelligence services about the doctrine, training and
operational capabilities of the Indonesian airforce. Bureaucrats can
never say they knew nothing. It's possible that certain high level
politicians may not have read certain reports and so on but this is all
the more reason for the government to declassify its holdings from the
1970s," explained Mr Fernandes.
Defence' Argument
In a statement obtained by ABC, The Australian
Department of Defence denied claims that Australia helicopters were
instrumental in Indonesia's alleged genocide attack to Papuan civilians.
"From 1976 to 1981, Defence units undertook Operation Cenderawasih,
the survey and mapping of then Irian Jaya. Iroquois, Caribou, Canberra
and C-130 Hercules aircraft from Australia operated within Irian Jaya.
The base for the operation was Mokmer Airfield on the island of Biak,"
the statement said.
"The Australian Government's current policy towards
Papua is clear: we condemn all violence affecting civilians and
security personnel alike. The contemporary human rights
situation in the Papuan provinces does not resemble the situation
portrayed in the AHRC report. Any requests for access to departmental
records from this period should be directed to the National Archives of
Australia in accordance with the Archives Act 1983," a spokesman for the
department told ABC.
To contact the editor, e-mail: editor@ibtimes.com
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