Jayapura – The struggle of the Papuan people to determine their own future as an independent and sovereign nation has been going on for a long time, since the Indonesian government unilaterally claimed the territory of West Papua through the manipulation of the UN sponsored Pepera referendum in 1969 which was full of intimidation and was legally and morally flawed.
The unilateral claim of the Indonesian state as a new coloniser continues with massive military operations in the land of West Papua. The efforts of the Indonesian occupation to control Papua are carried out brutally through various means and methods.
Starting from military operations to transmigration, the creation of new provinces and districts, illegal mining, national-scale agricultural projects and various other methods, these are continuously pursued. This was conveyed by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) General Chairperson Agus Kossay in a statement on Saturday May 24.
Under these conditions, the Papuan people have truly experienced brutal intimidation by the Indonesian government. This state of the Papuan nation has forced fighters and solidarity activists to be more serious in responding to the actions of Indonesian colonialism that threaten the lives of Papuans who have been colonised for 64 years.
"Not long ago, everyone was shocked by the brutal shooting of civilians by the TNI [Indonesian Military] in Intan Jaya [district], which claimed the lives of around 15 people whose bodies were not allowed to be taken by their families. Only on May 23 were the bodies of the civilians found, which had been deliberately intended to be lost by being buried secretly".
"Meanwhile, on Friday, May 23, there was also the brutal shooting of civilians in Dogiyai by the authorities, resulting in five civilians falling victim. Previously in May, there was also the shooting of civilians in two districts, namely in Ilaga, Puncak regency and Puncak Jaya regency", said Kossay in the statement.
Kossay said that all these events remind everyone of the dark history of military operations that have occurred in Papua since 1961, and are still ongoing today in 2025.
These include the Trikora Operation (1961-1962), the Jayawijaya Operation (1963-1965), the Misnumurti Operation (1963-1965), the Sadar Operation (1965), the Baharata Yudha Operation (1966-1967), the Wibawa Operation (1967), the PEPERA Operation (1961-1969), the Tumpas Operation (1967-1970), the Pamungkas Operation (1971-1977), the Koteka Operation (1977-1978) and the Senyum Operation (1979-1980).
Then the Gagak 1 Operation (1983-1986), the Kasuari 1 Operation (1986-1987), the Kasuari 2 Operation (1988-1990), the Rajawali 1 Operation (1989-1990), the Rajawali 2 Operation (1990-1995), the Sadar Matoa 1 Operation (1998-2000), the Sadar Matoa 2 Operation (2001-2004), the Sadar Matoa 3 Operation (2004-2005), the Damai Cartens 1 Operation (2005-2009), the Damai Kartens 2 Operation (2005-2009), the Damai Kartens 2 Operation (2009-2015), the Damai Kartens 3 Operation (2015-2020) and the Damai Kartens 4 Operation, which has continued since 2020 to this day.
Meanwhile, he said that in the military operations carried out by the TNI in its armed conflict with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the victims have been civilians. In addition to shootings, there is also intimidation, brutal torture and even the massive displacement of people over decades.
Kossay said the volume of civilian casualties continues to rise due to the program to create new provinces and regencies in Papua, where this enlarges and expands bases and the military's power to control civilian areas. This shows that West Papua is in a state of military and civil emergency.
"In such a worrying situation, we, the Papuan nation, really need support and international solidarity to help articulate the emergency status that the Papuan people are currently experiencing."
Therefore, Kossay said that in order to respond to the East Timor international solidarity action on the armed conflict in Papua, the KNPB as the media of the Papuan people representing the victims of the armed conflict between the TPNPB and the TNI hereby declare its position.
- The people of the Papuan nation support the press conference that will be held by East Timorese students on May 26, 2025 in front of the National University of East Timor (UNTL) campus on the armed conflict that is taking place in West Papua and its impact on civilians.
- The people of the Papuan Nation appreciate and fully support international solidarity in East Timor which is united in various organisations such as KEP/MRS (Klibur Estudante Progresif, Movimentu Resistesia Sosial) the HAK Foundation, TRABATILAN, ASEMA, the Esperasa Committee, OAN, FHTL (Frosa Humanista Timor Leste) and Rosas Medan which continues to speak out about the armed conflict in West Papua and also fully supports the right to self-determination for the Papuan nation.
- The people of the Papuan nation give a full mandate to Mr. Harry Kossay and East Timor Solidarity to establish diplomatic relations with the government of East Timor regarding the future of the Papuan nation.
- The people of the Papuan nation call for unlimited solidarity with communities and international solidarity in various parts of the world to voice the emergency status in the armed conflict in Papua because it has claimed many lives among civilians.
- The people of the Papuan nation call for international solidarity to urge the UN Security Council to respond to the armed conflict in West Papua.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "KNPB Menyerukan Solidaritas Internasional Menyuarakan Status Konflik Bersenjata di Papua".]
