Putri Nurjannah Kurita, Sentani – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) has called for peaceful actions to commemorate 63 years since the New York Agreement on August 15, 1962, and the racist incident against Papuan students in Surabaya on August 17, 2019.
This was conveyed by KNPB National Spokesperson for Ogram Wanimbo during a press conference at the Waena III State Housing Company (Perumnas) in Jayapura city, Papua, on Thursday August 14.
Wanimbo said that the actions would be held peacefully tomorrow in 32 KNPB regions, two Indonesian consulates and in East Timor, by raising the black flag as a representation of the death of democracy in the land of Papua.
"The democratic values in the land of Papua have died, since Indonesia occupied the territory of West Papua. Until this day there has been a huge number of refugees", he said.
The actions also commemorate the day of racism because the Indonesian government only sees Papuans in terms of their natural resources. "So on the 15th the face of Indonesia proved they were racist", he said.
The KNPB asked the security forces both from the TNI (Indonesian Military) and Polri (Indonesian Police) to provide safe space and freedom for people to express their opinions in public because this is everyone's right in a democratic country.
"We ask for security to oversee the action tomorrow, not terrorising, forcibly dispersing", he said.
Wanimbo emphasised that all protesters should take part in peaceful actions, not be provoked by propaganda through social media, not to consume liquor or bring sharp instruments and to avoid things that are undesirable.
"Attend freely and orderly to take part in peaceful actions. Not just demonstrations, there will be free speech forums, and discussions. This is so that the actions tomorrow run smoothly and are dignified", he said.
Numbay KNPB chairperson for diplomacy Nain Wahla said the New York Agreement must be commemorated as a day when the Papuan people illegally entered the framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
"We appeal to the ordinary people, be aware that August 17 not the Papuan people's Independence Day. We reject this, because that date is Indonesia's Independence Day. Papuans must know the history of the New York Agreement", he said.
Notes
The New York Agreement was signed on August 15, 1962 at the UN headquarters in New York, ending a territorial dispute between the Netherlands and Indonesia over the territory of West Papua. The agreement led to the so-called 1969 "Act of Free Choice" to decide whether West Papua would become independent or be incorporated into Indonesia. The UN sponsored plebiscite, in which 1,025 hand-picked tribal leaders were allegedly coerced by the military into unanimously voting for integration, has been widely dismissed as a sham.
In August 2019, Papuans took part in protests across at least 30 cities in Indonesia in response to a racist attack by Indonesian militants and soldiers on a West Papuan student dormitory in Surabaya, East Java, on August 17. Videos showed soldiers repeatedly banging on the dormitory's gate while shouting words such as "monkeys". Police shot teargas into the dormitory and arrested dozens of Papuan students. Videos of the attack circulated widely and triggered widespread protests, including looting and arson attacks in Jayapura, Manokwari, Sorong, and Wamena.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "New York Agreement dan Matinya Demokrasi di Tanah Papua".]
