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Australian Academics Warn Violence Might Break Out in Papua
Nivell Rayda | July 14, 2010

About two thousand Papuans march in rally in Jayapura on July 8 to urge the provincial parliament to demand a referendum on self-determination, and reject the region About two thousand Papuans march in rally in Jayapura on July 8 to urge the provincial parliament to demand a referendum on self-determination, and reject the region's special autonomy within Indonesia. Australian academics are warning that such protests are likely to meet with a violent military response as the calls for independence get more vociferous. (AFP Photo/Banjir Amarita)
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kales
11:08am Jul 15, 2010

peterR - "Of course its not so simple, but maybe a master plan is needed?"

Yes. It can all be solved now in the “situation room” at the Presidential Palace.

peterR
8:26am Jul 15, 2010

Is Indonesia actually manageable? It is so large and spread over a such vast area, and so many diverse cultures. Java seems little more than a blood-sucking colonist who just takes and has nothing to give back. The incompetent and corrupt government can hardly manage Jakarta, let alone thousands of islands. Basically Java is more of a thorn in the side for the rest of the Islands. Look at Bali for example, why does it need Java? What benefit? What contribution?

Maybe there comes a time? Of course its not so simple, but maybe a master plan is needed?

SirAnthonyKnown-Bender
6:11pm Jul 14, 2010

...it's even on Youtube...

SirAnthonyKnown-Bender
6:10pm Jul 14, 2010

"Elmslie and Gannon predicted that a repeat of the 1991 alleged massacre in Santa Cruz, East Timor, is likely to occur."

There's nothing alleged about it. I've seen the video of it that was smuggled out of the country.

Markus Hagenauer
5:22pm Jul 14, 2010

It still looks like the Indonesian government and military don´t have learned much from the past, but at least a part of the Indonesian population has. I hope they wont back the autorities if they commit a massacer in their name again. The best way to prevent the security forces form killing, rapeing and torturing is to make clear that they will not get away with it once more. The government has no power over the military, but the population and the media might have. But as long as the flow of information from Papua is restricted, i´m not sure if there will be enought public awareness (in Indonesa as well as in the rest of the world). So maybe UN peackeeping forces might be the better way to protect the Papuan population, but im affraid there will be no quick decission.


A report published by an Australian university this month warns that massacres such as those alleged to have occurred in East Timor are likely to occur in Papua.

The report, prepared by the University of Sydney’s Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies highlighted that the majority of the Papuan people feel that the special autonomy in Papua had failed to bring prosperity to the province and paved the way to corruption.

The special autonomy status which was granted by the central government in 2001 was meant to suppress calls for independence after the fall of former president Suharto in 1998.

The autonomy gave larger economic independence and meant that a large portion of the royalties received from logging and mining industries were channeled back to the province.

”Money supposed to be allocated to health and education expenditure was swallowed up in public servants wages, in buildings and even in funding local military operations. Health and education services have declined in many areas,” the report says.

“Special Autonomy led to a fall in people’s living standards. It also failed to empower the Papuans politically.”

Jim Elmslie and Camellia Webb Gannon, the authors of the report, urge a peaceful dialog between Jakarta and the Papuan people.

The Papuan Parliament, or MRP, and leading Papuan intellectuals called for a referendum of independence on June 18.

A massive rally took place in the province capital, Jayapura, just a day later.

10,000 people are estimated to have participated in the demonstration during which members of the crowd symbolically handed back the special autonomy status to the central government.

The academics warn that unless a peaceful talk is staged soon there is likely to be an escalation in violence in the province.

“The real danger in Papua is that all of the events discussed in this report will lead to even larger-scale demonstrations that run the risk of increasingly violent military responses,” the authors wrote.

Elmslie and Gannon predicted that a repeat of the 1991 alleged massacre in Santa Cruz, East Timor, is likely to occur.