A number of human rights activists and leading personalities in West Papua have taken the unusual step of making representations to the police in Jayapura, complaining that they have been subjected to intimidation and terror from unknown persons.
In a meeting with Inspector-General of the Police Force in Papua, Drs Max Donald Aer, who was accompanied by Police Commissioner Drs Paula Waterpauw, they talked about what they have been experiencing.
Pastor John Djonga, Mama Yosepha Alomang and Albert Rumbekwan spoke about the terror and intimidation to which they have been subjected with SMS messages and having their activities watched wherever they go.
Pastor Djonga also mentioned complaints from the community in Waris, sub-district of Weerom. "People in Waris are in a state of anxiety because of the intimidation from certain people," he said. Speaking on behalf of people along the Papua-PNG border, he said: "I have lived in Waris now for eight years and the situation there is quite disturbing. People there do not feel safe."
Mama Alomang, Director of Yamahak, the Anti Violence Foundation for Human Rights, said they were having the same experience – intimidating SMS messages from unknown people. Albert Rumbekwan, an activist of Komnas HAM Papua said that he was constantly being followed and intimidated.
In response, the police chief said he would look into these complaints and decide on the follow-up. Urging people not to make any response to these messages, he said that the police would mount patrols in anticipation of these undesirable developments. He said that with the latest technology, it was difficult to prevent SMS messages being sent and urged people to refrain from responding to these messages.
On the same day, a delegation from the Presidium Council of the Papua Community of Indonesia (DPMPI) made similar representations to the DPRP, The Papuan Legislative Assembly, drawing its attention to the sense of anxiety in the community.
There have been SMS messages claiming that Pastor Herman Awom has been kidnapped and has been given a lethal alcoholic drink. Another SMS message said that men driving ojek (a small form of public transport) were from the TNI and warned that Papuans who take a ride on these ojek will be killed.
The delegation urged the DPRP and the Papuan People's Assembly, MRP to make it clear to the community as a whole that these threats were not true.
Speaking on behalf of the DPMPI, Ramsee Ohhee said that those sending these messages were cowards, afraid of revealing themselves. These messages have had the effect of making people feel afraid of the army (TNI). In some kampungs, the inhabitants are afraid to go out anywhere in the evening.
The delegation also urged the police and the health services to be completely open about the dangers of alcohol. The drink is being mixed with home-made brews that are mixed with spirits far beyond the safe limit.
Deputy chair of the DPRP urged people not to be provoked by these issues as nothing has been proven. If things move in the direction of criminal actions, it will be the duty of the police to respond. He promised that the matters brought to their attention would be passed on to the appropriate authorities. He said that in this reform era, it is not possible that the TNI would be involved in such activities as kidnapping Herman Awom. He was sure that those responsible for these acts of intimidation would be exposed in due course.
[Abridged translation from Tapol.]