The separatist movement in Indonesia's Papua province took a major blow this week after the military claimed it killed 10 separatist rebels, including leader Yustinus Murib. But church leaders in Papua say they too have been targetted by the special forces, Kopassus, and subjected to surveillance, intimidation and even murder. Since 1963, when Indonesia took hold of the province, Christianity has flourished, despite an influx of Islamic migrants and despite Indonesia being the world's largest muslim country.
Presenter/Interviewer: Tricia Fitzgerald reports
Speakers: Pastor Benny Giay, Papua church leader
Catholic missionaries moved into southern Papua in the early 1900's, protestants arrived later from Holland and Germany and worked in the north and evangelical American missionaries arrived after the Second World War and began conversions in the highlands.
By the 1960's when Indonesia took control of the province, local Papuans had started taking up leadership positions in the church, and Christianity had started to become a symbol of Papuan identity and difference.
Benny Giay is one of Papua's most respected church leaders ... a lecturer at the theological college, and a leader of the Papuan independent church's Peace and Justice Bureau. He says there has always been suspicion between Papua and Jakarta over religious differences.
Giay: Papua is upon hearing that Indonesia was going to takeover West Papua, they were saying eh these are Muslims and these are Malays. We have different identity, we have different culture, different religion.
So when Indonesia took over West Papua, they realised the church was very much a part of West Papuans life. So there was a strategy made by intelligence actually where they had a document which published by intelligence saying that the church West Papua was supporting the movement. So I mean this was how the Indonesians tried to weaken the positionary church.
Fitzgerald: At the time of the Indonesian takeover the churches were running the province's education system, and Jakarta moved quickly to take over that role. Pastor Giay says the new Indonesian republic was deeply suspicous of the loyalty Papuans had for their Christian religion.
Giay: In terms of identity and spirituality West Papuans out there. Indonesians took over the school system and West Papuans initiative spirit to defend themselves, spirit to develop their identity was killed, was weakened, because by then, all the text books were preparing Jakarta, not only that school teachers also were paid by the government, brought in from Jakarta. That's how the government tried to deprive Papuans means and inspirations to develop their identity for future.
Fitzgerald: Jakarta not only moved into the schools, it banned books and publications by Papuan writers, with many books only taken off the prohibited list by former President Abdurachman Wahid, in early 2000.
Giay: I have a list of books which were written by Papuans, books on history, culture, dance which were seen by Indonesian as backward may be or primitive which according to Indonesian can prefer the people from becoming a part of Indonesia.
Indonesia is may be seen as a modern culture, so West Papuan culture has been undermined and in order for Papuans be part of Indonesia and accept the Indonesian culture, the Indonesian identity, the Indonesian history.
Fitzgerald: Pastor Giay says Jakarta has remained suspcicious of the christian churches' link to seperatisim, so has put in place a system of surveillance and intimidation of church leaders.
Giay: The strategy used now is to go into church, follow someone's and take notes of their sermons and analysing, just as a way of intimidating the pastor.
Fitzgerald: And what about killings and arrests of religious leaders?
Giay: Ah terror, yes, intimidation yes. We have a lot of pastors who have been killed, like in 1995 incident in where at least one pastor was slaughtered right in the pulpit with his family. Another pastor was shot dead in 1997, yeah '97. The Indonesians went in and killed several pastors.
Fitzgerald: Since 1992, Christian churches have become more involved in trying stop human rights abuses by the Indonesian military against Papuans. And health conditions are becoming a new battleground for the church.
Health services are minimal in the province and Pastor Giay is receieving reports of dozens of Papuans dying every month from unknown diseases. He says many Papuans believe the deaths are somehow connected to what they see as a desire by some in Jakarta for them to disappear as a people.
Giay: We have a lot of Papuans dying, a lot of Papuans dying. In January, I had reports of 50 to 70 people dying within 2 months – sickness caused malnutrtion I don't know. These Papuans are dying. Last year around June and July, 50 to 70 people dying within 3 weeks. These are people from the Mountains – the health situation is worsening.