Jayapura, Jubi – The Civil Society Coalition is calling on the state to halt the establishment of new military battalions in Papua along with national strategic projects (PSN) that are not in line with the wishes of the Papuan people.
The call was made by the Civil Society Coalition in a written press release received by Jubi on Saturday February 7. The Coalition consists of the Centra Initiative, Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial), the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), the Indonesian Women's Coalition (KPI), the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), the Raksha Initiative and De Jure.
The Coalition stated that the recent call by the Indonesian Christian Church Synod (GKI Synod) in Papua and its solidarity with the Papuan Traditional Council (DAP), youth leaders and elements of the struggle in Papua, against PSNs and the construction of new military battalions and bases in Papua must be taken seriously.
Not just with regard to the state's approach to the land of Papua, but also in practice it must pay attention to the rights of communities, especially indigenous peoples.
According to the Coalition, this call shows that development projects in Papua are being carried out by directives from the central government, without any meaningful participation from the Papuan people.
Yet, projects and programs implemented by the government so far in Papua, which have not involved indigenous Papuans, do in fact have the potential to fail.
"Moreover, the majority of Papua's population are indigenous peoples and must be given special attention", the Coalition wrote in its press release.
Furthermore, the Coalition continued, the establishment of new military battalions, which the community has complained about through public calls, shows that the militaristic approach in Papua is no longer effective.
Because instead of providing the best for communities in the land of Papua, the establishment of new battalions actually spreads and perpetuates terror among the people there.
Additional battalions are considered to increase the potential for violence against the Papuan population and are potentially unaccountable in their implementation.
"The state must evaluate and reflect on the situation in Papua and the presence of the TNI (Indonesian military) in Papua in recent years which has tended to give rise to violence and human rights violations".
The Coalition also conveyed the following points. First, the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) should heed the calls made by the Papuan people regarding PSNs and the establishment of new battalions and military bases in Papua.
The state must first review and halt ongoing projects and programs, evaluate them and ensure the participation of indigenous communities.
Second, the government must respect the principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) from indigenous communities when implementing development projects and programs in Papua, because this principle has already gained global agreement.
Third, the construction of new battalions and military bases in Papua must be cancelled, reflecting the Indonesian government's commitment to building a peaceful Papua.
Fourth, the DPR must provide direction and oversight to the government to ensure that the development and the increasingly massive military deployment in Papua does not lead to militarisation.
- Communion of Churches rejects military expansion, strategic projects in Papua. Suara Papua – February 2, 2026
- LBH supports church rejection of strategic projects, military expansion in Papua. Suara Papua – February 5, 2026
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi Masyarakat Sipil Serukan Penghentian Pembangunan Batalyon Dan PSN Di Tanah Papua".]
