Tag: knpb

Indonesian Police arrest 4, beat & shoot rubber bullets to disperse Mako Tabuni’s assassination commemoration in Jayapura

15 June 2022

by WestPapuaMedia Eds

West Papuan activists peacefully marking the 10th anniversary of the assassination of West Papua National Committee (KNPB) Chairman Mako Tabuni, were violently dispersed using rubber bullets and beatings by Indonesian police in Jayapura on Tuesday June 14.

2 protestors sustained penetration injuries from rubber bullets fired point-blank, and a further 8 sustained injuries from severe beatings. 4 protestors, Vara Iyaba, Ferry Molama, Emani Pahabol & Wene Beni Hiluka, were arrested by Police. The four were released on 15 June.

The KNPB commemoration was held at the Waena roundabout, the site of the 14 June 2012 assassination of Tabuni by a death squad from the Australian-trained Detachment 88 counter terror unit, was a small and peaceful gathering, but at approximately 1pm Jayapura time, 5 truckloads of heavily armed Dalmas Police attacked the gathering of students sitting on the ground singing with guitars.

KNPB spokesperson Ones Suhuniap told WestPapuaMedia, “At 1pm, 5 Dalmas trucks of joint TNI POLRI arrived at the P3 Waena taxi round, then (the protest was) forcibly dispersed by the TNI-Polri without negotiating with the masses, beating with rubber, tear gas,and shooting rubber bullets.”

Jayapura Police disband Mako Tabuni assassination memorial gathering, June 14, 2022.

8 people were injured from beatings. They were :
1. Jhon S Kadepa, on the head of the forehead.
2. Kikibi Pigai, on the soles of the feet
3. Manu Tinal, on the legs and eyebrows
4. Benediktus Tebai, hit in the palms
5. Nopen Tulama, in the palm of the hand
6. Jendri Wanimbo, hit in the cheek
7. Natan Pigai, hit with a weapon on the head, and in the hand
8. Fransiskus Petege, hit in the spine with a weapon

Coswin Tabyor was shot in the right buttocks by point blank rubber bullets, and Yuber Kalakmabin was shot in the waist. Both suffered deep penetration wounds.

The arrests follow a significant upsurge in Police violence against peaceful protestors, after the Jayapura Police Chief Gustav R. Urbinas began to issue aggressive orders criminalising all West Papuan dissent ahead of the Papuan People’s Petition (PRP) mobilisations in May, resisting the creation of new provinces and reimposition of the failed Special Autonomy package.
On both May 10 and June 3, PRP demonstrations were brutally attacked with live fire and rubber bullets, resulting in scores of injuries and arrests.

Witnesses to the latest police violence have called for international condemnation of Indonesia’s criminalisation of peaceful dissent and repeated acts of excessive and disproportionate violence against unarmed and peaceful Papuan protestors .

/WPM

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Indon police begin another crackdown on KNPB activists ahead of May 31 mobilisations

by West Papua Media

May 30, 2016

Indonesian police have arrested scores of West Papua National Committee (Komite Nasional Papua Barat) members around Papua on May 30, as Papuan civil society is gearing up for a day a mass mobilizations to sustain pressure brought on by the massive May 3 rallies, where Indonesian security forces beat hundreds of people and arrested close to 2300 people.

KNPB members across Papua were handing out pamphlets calling on West Papuan society to rally on May 31 for international mediation to allow West Papuans to exercise their universal human rights of Self-Determination, long denied by Indonesia.

The May 31 rally will also be demonstrating Papuan support for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) bid for full membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, which was due to meet in Port Moresby this week, but the meeting has been postponed.

In Jayapura, 24 KNPB members were arrested at 1250pm outside the office of Papua Province Governor Lukas Enembe, at Dock 2 Jayapura whilst handing out flyers. Together with the Chairman KNPB (Numbay Area), Mr. Calvin Wenda &
the Chief Diplomatic Commissioner from KNPB’s Central Committee, Mr. Cobabe Waninbo, they were taken and held at Jayapura Police headquarters.  

At time of writing, no response had occurred to WPM attempts to contact Jayapura police regarding charges or time of release.

high spirited KNPB members being held at Police headquaters in Jayapura
high spirited KNPB members being held at Police headquaters in Jayapura
high spirited KNPB members being held at Police headquaters in Jayapura

According to KNPB sources, Police have alleged that the leaflets contain subversive material, and all gatherings of KNPB members are illegal as the organisation is forbidden from registration as a legal by a Jakarta mandate, despite the rights allegedly afforded to Papuan people under the long since abandoned “Special Autonomy” provisions, and guaranteed to all other Indonesian citizens.

Riot Police belonging to the Dalmas public order unit at 1420 swooped on the Yapis bus stop outside Abepura, and arrested all 34 KNPB Members handing out the allegedly subversive leaflets, confiscating them as well as personal possessions. 

KNPB Members at Yapis bus stop being arrested , May 30
KNPB Members at Yapis bus stop being arrested , May 30
KNPB Members at Yapis bus stop being arrested , May 30

In Wamena, several KNPB activist were chased, arrested and beaten by Indonesian police for handing out the flyers outside the KNPB Baliem office, activists had just begun leafletting for the May 31 mobilisation when Brimob police swooped and captured 21 of the KNPB activists.  

KNPB members being arrested in Wamena, May 30
KNPB members being arrested in Wamena, May 30

Their names are as follows: 

  1. Warpo Sampari Wetipo
  2. Hasan Kogoya
  3. Marta Haluk
  4. Mardi Heluka
  5. Hery Kosay
  6. Firdaus Hilapok
  7. Paska Iyaba
  8. Marsel Marian,
  9. Melianus Kosay
  10. Hiron Hiluka
  11. Yufry Kogoya
  12. Pilemon Meaga
  13. Domy Meaga
  14. Manu Wuka
  15. Martinus Wamu
  16. Deminus Qantik
  17. Ardis Wilil
  18. Nuber Surabut
  19. Mely Wantik
  20. Asa Asso
  21. Yulius Towolom.


Earlier, Three KNPB activists –  Darpinus Bayage, Ison Bahabol and Amiter Bahabol – were arrested for leafletting the same flyers at 1025am in  Dekai town, Yahukimo, outside the local Bupati (Regent’s) office.

According to witnesses of the arrest, interviewed by a WPM stringer, the three KNPB activists were beaten as they were taken to the paddy wagon, and the witnesses reported that they believed the detainees were being “even more severely beaten once the got taken away in the vehicle.

At time of writing, the three were still being detained at the Yakuhimo police station.
A KNPB source in Yahukimo, Marten Suhun, said “despite intimidation and torture happening in Yahukimo, but we KNPB will stay out on the streets (on May 31) according to the (KNPB) national agenda.”

westpapuamedia

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#LiveUpdatesPapua Cultural March by Paniai & highland students defies police blockade in Jayapura

Westpapuamedia

May 2, 2016 1025 West Papua time

KnpbNews is reporting that despite early arrests this morning, no more arrests have followed the detention by police of the mass gathering in outside the students hostel in Waena, Jayapura.

However, students from Paniai and Yahukimo regencies living at the dormitories have launched a surprise distributed but coordinated cultural action, and taken over the demonstration with a vibrant display of Papuan cultural identity whilst speeches were being conducted.

THis mass has now reached the gates of the Cenderawasih university where students were earlier arrested, and are now facing a blockade of police, while the speeches continue at Abepura in a distributed action.

More to come – photos below (courtesy of KNPB)

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#LiveUpdatesPapua Arrests begin in West Papua mobilisations, after night of Armed police terror raids across Papua

by WestPapuaMedia

May 2, 2016

Breaking News:

Arrests by Indonesian security forces of West Papuan demonstrators have just begun minutes ago in Jayapura,  as West Papuan people begin planned mass mobilisations to demand self-determination and referendum on the occupied colony’s future.

 

Blockade of police officers in the Old Market, sentani

Less than twenty minutes ago, at 0831AM local time, police officers led by the Jayapura region Chief of Police AKBP YERMIAS RUNTINI, have arrested approximately 10 students Cenderawasih University (UNCEN) students, at the gate of the UNCEN Waena student housing dormitory (Perumnas 3). 

Police are currently barricading the road with barbed wire to the hostel UNCEN Waena hostel where the KNPB headquarters are located. Currently the police are also pursuing activists and patrolling around the Waena taxi roundabout.

Indonesian Police have also just surrounded and arrested (0845) the gathered  masses who were preparing to rally, filling 3 trucks with students, 1 truck of KNPB members, and two  trucks of civilians.

This comes after Reports from students in Papua have come in overnight of an attempted raid overnight at a  that failed due to student security preparations.

A platoon of heavily armed Dalmas Public Order riot police, allegedly containing members of the elite Australian-funded Densus 88 anti-terrorism unit, attacked the Cenderawasih University (UnCen) student dormitory in Waena, Abepura, at 0220 (AM) local time,  according to confirmed reports from West Papua National Committee (Komite Nasional Papua Barat or KNPB) officials.

However, students maintaining watch ahead of expected security sweeps overnight escaped into the night, thanks to an effective early warning system, according to sources, and the Dalmas platoon gave up the chase.

Raids have been occurring across Papua overnight by Indonesian security forces in a bid to terrorise Papuans into abandoning mass mobilisations across the country today, due to start at the time of publication.  Reports have come in from Wamena, Merauke and Manokwari of preemptive security sweeps overnight.  More information as it comes to hand.

The demonstrations are demanding for a referendum as an act of self-determination on Papuan aspirations, seen as treason by the Indonesian colonial government. Indonesian police in Papua have vowed to crackdown on all displays of “separatism” and have banned all gatherings.

The rallies form part of a global day of action under the social media hashtag #LetWestPapuaVote, and coincide with a historic gathering of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua network in the UK Parliament on May 3.

This is a developing story.  More information as it comes to hand.  Please follow the twitter hashtag #LiveUpdatesPapua for up to the minute coverage.

westpapuamedia

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LP3BH holds a meeting ahead of May 1st

Statement by the Executive-Director of LP3BH-Manokwari, Yan Christian Warinussy

April 30, 2015

Today, Thursday, April 30th. the LP3BH organised a discussion on
the subject, Papua’s Integration with the Republic of Indonesia on 1
May 1963: A Blessing or a Disaster? Fifteen people took part in the
discussion. including community leaders, academics, activists, LP3BH
staff members and several other people.

One of the important points that was discussed is the immediate
necessity for Papuan people to come together and express their full
support for the international campaign which is urging the Indonesian
government to immediately allow access to Papua for journalists as
well as Indonesian and international human rights organisations.

Those attending the discussion agreed that it is very important for
the Papuan people to set up a local political party to provide a
means of communication to support the efforts of the Papuan people in
accordance with the provisions in the Special Autonomy Law for Papua.

They agreed on two points that should be discussed in another
discussion which is to be held next week.

During today’s discussion, we received a report from a colleague in
Nabire saying that special police units there had arrested a
journalist, Yohanes Kuaya, from an online publication ‘selangkah.com’
who was reporting on a shooting incident that occurred outside the
Nabire Hospital at noon, today.

According to the LP3BH contact in Nabire, this colleague was
arrested because he was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words:
Free West Papua (Papuan Students Alliance) and was accused of
entering a restricted area wearing this T-shirt. After being
interrogated for about an hour, he was released and ordered to change
his T-shirt which the police regarded as being completely
unacceptable. He subsequently changed his T-shirt and went home.

During the discussion organised by the LP3BH today, the chairman of
the KNPB (National Committee of West Papua) Alexander Nekemen, who was also present at today’s discussion, left the meeting before the
discussion it had ended, in order to check the situation of several
members of the KNPB who were handing out leaflets to people in the
streets, calling on them to take part in a peaceful action that is due
to take place on May 1st.

As far as we know at the moment, several of these KNPB members are
still being held by the chief of police of Manokwari and we have not
yet heard about what is happening to Alex and the other local KNPB
members.

Peace!

Yan Christian Warinussy, Executive-Director of LP3BH.

Translated by Carmel Budiardjo

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