Bagus BT Saragih, Nusa Dua, Bali – Students in Bali from the restive province of Papua have become the targets of raids by security forces that could view them as threats to Indonesia's image during the prestigious APEC Summit.
While security officers were trying to prevent students from staging rallies during the summit to demand Papua's independence from Indonesia, three Papuan students trespassed into the compound of the Australian Consulate General in the provincial capital of Denpasar.
The Australian Embassy confirmed the incident took place early on Sunday, saying the three were from Papua and West Papua provinces. The embassy refused to detail how the students had entered the high security facility.
"We can confirm that three individuals from Papuan provinces delivered a protest letter at the Australian Consulate General in Bali this morning to Australia's consul-general. The three men left the consulate voluntarily before 7:00 a.m.," Ray Marcelo, a spokesperson from the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post.
"The circumstances of the incident and issues associated with the security of the consulate general are being reviewed," he added. Ray also reiterated the Australian government's position on Papua. "It is clear, we recognize and support Indonesia's sovereignty."
A release by the Papuan Students Alliance (AMP) claimed that the three, identified as Markus Jerewon, 29, Yuvensius Goo, 22 and Rofinus Yanggam, 30, scaled the two-meter high fence of the Australian compound in Bali's Renon district.
The AMP said the Papuans did not demand the independence of Papua. They only asked Australia to help push the Indonesian government to "treat them like human beings" and "release all Papuan political prisoners and open the secretive province to foreign journalists."
In the hand-written letter, the three wrote that they wanted to "seek refuge and to deliver our message to the APEC leaders in Bali, including US Secretary of State John Kerry and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott."
Contacted over the phone, Melkias Dagai, the coordinator of Papuan students in Bali, said he did not recognize the three "intruders". "I am also shocked to hear this news from you," he told the Post.
Hours after information about the incident circulated in Nusa Dua, the Papuan students' dormitory in Bali was raided by the police. "They intimidated us," Melkias said.
Contacted by the Post in the afternoon, Lt. Gen. Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus, commander of the APEC Summit's joint security operation, said he was still verifying the issue.
The Papuan students earlier complained about impromptu arrivals by people they believed to be intelligence officers. "They have terrorized us at least five times since August," Melkias said.
Lodewijk said last week it was not appropriate for students and activists to stage rallies during the summit, and launched attempts to prevent the rally. "If your house is about to receive special guests, then it is obvious to sweep the floor of your house and do some cleaning to please your guest. Right?" said Lodewijk.
Activist Ni Luh Gede Yastini from the Bali Legal Aid Foundation said the plan to hold rallies on Monday and Tuesday to protest at the APEC Summit was still on the table.
"We're still finalizing it," she said, adding that US President Barack Obama's absence and threats from security officers had not pressured them to call off the plan.