Sharon Muller – Terror against Papuan students has again been launched in several cities around Indonesia. This time round it has been through the delivery of packages containing rotten animal carcasses, threatening letters, the distribution of posters and videos as well as other threats.

This is not a new pattern. Only this time, under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the intensity of the attacks has increased dramatically.

On Friday June 6 two Papuan students in Denpasar, Bali, Yubertinus Gobay and Wemison Enembe, were terrorised by unknown people. Both were sent separate packages containing rotten pig's heads and soil wrapped in mineral water cardboard boxes. When examined, the sender was completely unknown to them.

Gobay and Enembe are members of the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP), a student movement organisation that demands independence for Papua. Both of them are actively involved in discussions and actions, and are also active in advocating human rights and environmental issues in the land of Papua.

Shortly after this, on Sunday June 8, a Papuan dormitory in Denpasar was visited by two unknown people. They asked for the student's identity without a clear purpose. In addition, they also asked where Enembe lived as well as who published the posts about the terror on various AMP social media accounts. As a result of this, the students become frightened and no longer dare to travel about freely.

Following this, on June 19 a similar act of terror occurred at the Papuan student dormitory in Surabaya, East Java. This time the target was an AMP member named Paul who was sent a package containing food and drink along with an envelope with a letter containing provocative words and threats against the students.

The next day on June 20, terror was again launched. This time it was a cardboard package containing dead rotting chickens. This was followed that night by a chain message from four different numbers to the students reading "We are already around you, surely you [feel] threatened".

In addition, there was also a delivery of a sack containing a live lizard. There was no further information other than it was sent by an unknown person. At the same time, another attack occurred in the form of banners being put up containing prohibitions on demonstrations and other intimidating messages to the Papuan students.

In the Central Java city of Yogyakarta, a similar terror was launched on June 19 against Papuan students at the Kamasan I dormitory on Jalan Kusumanegara. Initially a Grab courier delivered two packages, one at 12 noon and then a second at 1 pm, two more packages were then delivered by a different Grab courier.

When opened, each package contained rotten chicken carcasses and dirt, plastic waste that smelled, paper with threats written on them and finally instant noodles that had been damaged and were full of dirt. The name of the sender was unknown, but the threat was directed to students who are members of the AMP and also the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua (FRI-WP).

Meanwhile in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar, similar threats were also made against Papuan students who study there. A letter containing threats against students was sent on June 14. This time the sender's name was written down as "The United Makassar People's Forum". The contents of the letter were a threat to expel the Papuan students from the dormitory if they continued fighting for the future and rights of the Papuan people.

This letter did not contain a clear office address or contact number. As a result of the threatening letter, the students are now worrying about conducting their activities safely and peacefully as they should.

We ask: Who is the mastermind behind all this? The facts show that this is not happening randomly or coincidentally, but is very organised and directed, involves trained and professional forces and is supported by adequate resources. In the case of the firebomb attack against the Jubi Media offices in Papua last year, it was revealed that the culprits were members of the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Meanwhile in the terror case against Tempo media in Jakarta and the author of the book Papua Moving, to this day they have not been resolved. Why are the targets people and the media that are critical? What is the goal? It is clear that critical voices in this country must be silenced. But not only that, this is proof that the people's democratic space is being castrated down to the last foundation.

Therefore, people's power is needed to fight these systematic attacks. The power of the people who are organised and united in their own alternative power. Only in this way can the repression and curbing of democratic space be resisted, whether it be in Papua or Indonesia.

– Sharon Muller is a leading member of the Socialist Union (Perserikatan Sosialis) and a member of the Papua Socialist Youth (Sosialis Muda Papua).

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Teror Berulang Terhadap Mahasiswa Papua di Indonesia".]

Source: https://www.arahjuang.com/2025/07/02/teror-berulang-terhadap-mahasiswa-papua-di-indonesia/