Eko Widianto, Malang – Dozens of students from Papua united under the Papuan Students Alliance launched a protest at the Malang City Hall on Friday, September 4, 2015, demanding President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to investigate civilian shootings by military personnel.
"This is a nation of laws. The shooter must be probed and brought to trial," protest coordinator Nhoten Suhuniap said on Friday, September 4, 2015.
Last week on August 28, 2015, two civilians in Timika, Papua, were shot dead and two others were injured by the Indonesian Military. The students demanded that the incident must be prevented from recurring. In addition, they demanded the president to withdraw military personnel from Papua.
The students claimed that the number of Papuans killed since May 1, 1963 has reached 500,000 people. Data from the Central Statistics Agency revealed that Papua is currently occupied by 1.7 million Melanesians and 2.3 million non-Papuan people.
The students also urged the government to open the access for international journalists to cover issues occurring in Papua. "The law provides a guarantee for us to express our opinions in public," Nhoten said.
The students also claimed that they were supported by about a thousand of West Papuan pro-independence students. Dozens of police personnel were deployed to secure the protest.
"The protest was peaceful and non-violent," said Malang City Precinct Police deputy chief Comr. Dewa Putu Darmawan.