By Scott Waide - EMTV, Lae Bureau Chief Share Article
The
construction of a K90 million base on the PNG-Indonesia border has been
put on hold indefinitely after clashes, 10 days ago, between Indonesian
troops and a faction of the Free Papua Movement or the OPM.
At
least a day before the attack, intelligence obtained by the Papua New
Guinea Defence Force prompted an evacuation of government workers as
well as contractors working on the facility on the PNG side of
the border.
On Saturday, 5th
April, about 15 OPM fighters, dressed in battle fatigues, arrived from
the jungle covered south and raised the West Papuan Morning Star as
well as two UN flags.
As
a political declaration was read out in Bahasa, armed fighters set
fire to the nearby Indonesian quarantine facility and began firing at
an Indonesian observation post about a hundred meters away.
The
attack was aimed at disrupting the Indonesian provincial elections and
provoking a response from a company of Indonesian soldiers located about
200 meters from the PNG side.
The
attack comes after a lull in armed rebel activity in recent years. Two
days later, a statement by OPM leader, Mathias Wenda, declared a revival
of the West Papuan struggle. In what was reminiscent of the 70s
and 80s, the statement names 10 regional commands stretching from
Sorong at the tip of the Papua province to the border areas shared
with Papua New Guinea.
While
much of the global community remains reserved or indifferent to the
West Papua concern, the OPM spokesperson who agreed to a recorded
interview with EMTV, echoed a long held sentiment of independence,
cultural identity and a plea for the global community to pay attention
to Indonesian atrocities in West Papua.
“We
are fighting for our identity,” say Timothy Wenda. “Soon my people will
be gone. We want the global community to recognize what’s going on in
West Papua.
Wenda
is Papua New Guinean by birth and West Papuan by blood. His Wamena
people have a fifty year history of armed confrontations with
the Indonesian military.
“Indonesia doesn’t just kill up with guns. They kill us with through many other ways.”
Over
the last 20 years, Indonesia has tried to move away from the image of
the tough enforcer of its rule to one that is more diplomatic. The
Indonesian consul in Vanimo, Jahar Gultom, says it is a difficult task
to unite a country that is as culturally diverse and complex as Papua
New Guinea.
“There are weaknesses,” says Jahar Gultom. “But Indonesia is working to find a way forward.
“Indonesia is a difficult country to manage. It has more than 500 ethnicities.”
In
recent years, Indonesian diplomacy has convinced countries like
Vanuatu – a strong supporter of the Papuan struggle - and
organizations like the MSG to take a more moderate approach.
All
this comes against a backdrop of evidence on social media that tell
another story – a story of continuing military atrocities in Papua.
“We are working through all of this,” says Gultom. “These days we can never hide what goes on. But we remain open to dialogue.”