PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS, PEACE AND DEMOCRACY IN INDONESIA

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Aceh/West Papua: TAPOL urges restraint and an end to impunity as state terror set to escalate

9 December 2000

As the number of victims of human rights atrocities in Indonesia's far-flung provinces of West Papua and Aceh mounts daily, TAPOL today called for Indonesia to seek peaceful and democratic solutions to the provinces' problems and punish those responsible for the wave of violence and repression.

In the past two days, four Papuans have been killed while in police custody in apparent retaliation for the deaths of two police officers during an attack on a police station and market in the capital Jayapura. In Aceh, police executed three humanitarian workers and a torture victim on Wednesday.

Recent weeks have seen lethal crackdowns by the security forces on independence movements widely supported in both provinces. The peaceful expression of political opinion has led to extensive bloodshed and loss of life. Independence leaders and political activists who advocate non-violence have become the first prisoners of conscience of President Wahid's regime.

'The President's reputation as a pro-democracy reformer and advocate of human rights is in danger of being destroyed by the alarming return of the dark days of the Suharto regime characterised by the brutal repression of dissent and of opposition to rule from Jakarta. Human rights atrocities are bound to escalate in the coming weeks if the security forces remain committed to confrontation as opposed to reconciliation,' TAPOL said.

There are alarming signs that events are now beyond the President's control. His political power has weakened considerably in recent months as he has come under increasing pressure from military hard-liners, political opponents and ultra-nationalists determined to defend the unitary state at all costs.

On 5 December, the military (TNI) announced that troops would be deployed in villages in West Papua and Aceh for 'social programmes', a thinly-disguised pretext for a further crackdowns on independence supporters. The President's spokesman, Wimar Witoelar, admitted that the Wahid administration was concerned about the TNI's motives and that the President had no choice to agree. 'It's really hard not to allow the military to do anything,' he said [Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 5 December 2000].

This is a severe blow to reformers' hopes of ending TNI's social/political role in society and establishing civilian control over the military. The strategy of adopting the military solution to the problems in restive provinces does not augur well for human rights and democracy in Indonesia.

West Papua remains extremely tense following muted celebrations on 1 December to mark the day in 1961 when a Papuan Council adopted the 'Morning Star' flag as their national emblem amid promises from the Dutch colonial administration of a process leading to a genuine act of self-determination.

Thousands of extra troops have been sent to the province since August to crackdown on separatist aspirations. At the end of September, British-made Hawk aircraft buzzed the town of Wamena in an operation designed to intimidate independence supporters, and this week 37 warships were deployed around the province.

The security forces have adopted a strategy which involves repression, support for pro-Jakarta militias, splitting the moderate and hard-line elements of the pro-independence movement, and creating conflict between local people and settlers from the outside. The arrest last week of moderate leaders of the pro-independence Presidium Council - Theys Eluay, Taha Al Hamid, Don Flassy, John Mambor and Herman Awom - on subversion charges appears designed to provoke unrest, which can then be used as an excuse to intensify the crackdown.

Flag-raising remains a particular focus of attention since the 'Morning Star' flag is a powerful symbol of Papuan identity closely associated with the people's sense of injustice since Indonesia took over the province. In the worst incident so far at least 30 people, including many settlers, were killed after police gunned down two flag-raisers in the town of Wamena on 6 October. Ten people were killed at the time of the 1 December celebrations in the towns of Merauke and Fak Fak.

The principal grievance of the West Papuan people is their betrayal by the United Nations in 1969 when the fraudulent 'Act of Free Choice' resulted in their delivery to the mercy of the Indonesian military regime. Just 1,025 hand-picked tribal chiefs out of a population of 800,000 were forced to decide at gunpoint that their country should become part of Indonesia. It is vital that the UN now reviews the Act of Free Choice and allows the people of West Papua to exercise their right to self-determination in accordance with international law.

In Aceh, a 'Humanitarian Pause' agreed between the Government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has brought no respite from military violence. Amnesty International has drawn particular attention to attacks on women, children and human rights defenders. Security operations have been characterised by "serious and widespread human rights violations, including unlawful kiliings, 'disappearances', arbitrary detention and torture," it says. According to the Care Human Rights Forum, 841 people have been killed this year compared to 393 last year.

Violence is likely to escalate even further when the 'Humanitarian Pause' ends on 15 January after Defence Minister, Mohamad Mahfud, warned this week of a military campaign against GAM. 'If only we act firmly and forcefully, it (GAM) could be overcome militarily in just a short while,' he said.

On 11 November, a mass rally for peace was held to mark the first anniversary of a similar event on 8 November 1999 when up to a million people converged on the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, to call for a referendum on independence. Thousands of people were prevented from attending this year's event. The security forces were under orders to stop people travelling and opened fire in many districts, killing dozens of people.

Muhammad Nazar, a leading political activist with the Information Center for a Referendum in Aceh (SIRA) which organised the rally, has been arrested for his peaceful activities and tortured while in police custody. Several other civil society leaders have been forced underground out of fear for their safety. An editorial in the Jakarta Post newspaper condemned the arrest of Muhammad Nazar and the West Papuan independence leaders, saying they 'bore all the hallmarks of the Suharto regime'.

'The arbitrary detention of these men is an abuse of their basic democratic and human rights. They must be released immediately and unconditionally,' said TAPOL.

TAPOL is demanding that the Indonesian Government now demonstrates a proper commitment to the fight against impunity, which is a principal cause of continuing human rights violations. Tens of thousands of people have been killed by agents of the state in Aceh and West Papua since Suharto came to power without the perpetrators being held to account for their crimes. On 22 November, Experts of the UN Commission on Human Rights called on Indonesia to investigate violations against human rights defenders and cases of extrajudicial executions, torture and arbitrary detention in Aceh.

'The Government must conduct credible investigations into the recent killings and past human rights abuses in Aceh and West Papua, using the new human rights legislation if appropriate, and ensure that those responsible, including those who issued the relevant orders, are brought to justice in trials which meet international standards of fairness,' insisted TAPOL.

ENDS

Contact: Paul Barber on 01420 80153 or Liem Soei Liong on 020 8771 2904

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