Free Papua Organisation (OPM) chief Jeffrey Bomanak has appealed to US President Joe Biden for a “proactive function” in ending Indonesia’s “illegal navy occupation and annexation” of West Papua.
He claims this unlawful occupation led to the following US “international coverage failure” in defending six a long time of crimes in opposition to humanity.
Bomanak made this enchantment in an open letter to the President — a harrowing 22-page doc citing a litany of alleged human rights violations in opposition to Papuan males, girls and youngsters by Indonesian safety forces — days earlier than Biden’s arrival within the Papua New Guinea capital Port Moresby subsequent week for a vital summit with Pacific leaders.
“Six a long time of callous betrayal and abandonment – my folks enslaved, imprisoned, assaulted, tortured, raped, murdered, massacred, poisoned, impoverished, and starved and forcefully relocated; villages bombed . . . day by day of each week,” wrote Bomanak within the letter dated Might 17.
He mentioned that when West Papua was a part of the Dutch colonial empire for 500 years, “we have been by no means abused and mistreated . . . we have been by no means subjected to crimes in opposition to humanity”.
Nevertheless, underneath Indonesia’s colonial empire, “we now have lived in a slaughterhouse with lots of of hundreds of victims — males, girls, and youngsters.
‘Gateway to hell’
“The New York Agreement, written and sponsored by your authorities on 15 August 1962 with none inclusion or illustration of a single West Papuan, paved the street for this slaughterhouse.
“My folks name this settlement ‘The Gateway to Hell’.”
Bomanak accused the US, together with Australia and New Zealand – “our Second World Struggle allies” – of getting handled the West Papuan folks as “collateral harm” for “geopolitical comfort” when coping with Jakarta.
“Sadly, these democratic Christian governments who we supported through the life-and-death cataclysm of the Second World Struggle, deserted each their obligation to assist worldwide decolonisation legal guidelines and their obligation of care to cease Indonesia’s barbarism in opposition to indigenous West Papuans — the rightful landowners of our ancestral lands,” he mentioned.
Bomanak’s open letter cited horrendous case after case with grotesque photographic documentation.
“I wish to introduce you to a few of these crimes in opposition to humanity and a few of our victims,” he started.
“I’ve restricted the prima facie photographic proof to not visually embody the worst of the worst. Though, how this may be outlined is a subjective element past my evaluation – they’re all my struggling grandmothers and grandfathers, moms and dads, sisters and brothers, little kids.
“Each crime is private. Each sufferer is household.
Mutilation and dismemberment
“Dismemberment is certainly one of Indonesia’s defence and safety forces specialties to instill terror and worry into village populations,” Bomanak mentioned.
“This apply has been used from the start of the Indonesian navy occupation and remains to be getting used.”
Bomanak supplied documentation of a 35-year-old girl, Tarina Murib, who was allegedly beheaded by Indonesian safety forces on 4 March 2023. – Worldwide Mom’s Day.
“Murdered and mutilated by the Indonesian navy in Puncak Regency; villages and church buildings have been emptied as hundreds extra troopers have been deployed within the space.”
Bomanak additionally cited the killing and mutilation on 22 August 2022 of 4 Papuan civilians by Indonesian particular forces — Irian Nirigi, Arnold Lokbere, Atis Tini and Kelemanus Nirigi.
“[They] have been beheaded and their legs have been lower off earlier than their our bodies have been positioned in sacks and tossed into the Pigapu river.”
He raised instances of assaults on village elders and youngsters.
“Utilizing terror to make us worry to face up for our proper to freedom . . . our proper to defend our ancestral lands from a hostile and barbaric invader.”
Infanticide
“It’s estimated that 150,000 youngsters have been victims of Indonesian crimes in opposition to humanity. That is the equal of a Holocaust,” mentioned Bomanak.
“An evil compelled upon West Papua for Chilly Struggle politics and to fulfill American mining firm Freeport-McMoRan’s quest to be the beneficiary of West Papua’s spectacular mineral reserves relatively than the Dutch, which might have been the case if West Papua had been decolonised in accordance with worldwide regulation and if the rights of West Papua’s folks to freedom and nation-state sovereignty had been revered,” he mentioned.
Bomanak cited the case of nine-year-old Kris Tabuni, who died on 18 October 2022. His dying remains to be unexplained.
Reality ‘distortion’
Bomanak condemned politicians and diplomats who “can not envisage Indonesia leaving West Papua”.
“It’s a step that’s troublesome for them to take. They reply to the injustice of the invasion and navy occupation of our ancestral land with hand-wringing apologies whereas stating that the world is an unfair place.
“That is their private maxim for hardship and crimes in opposition to humanity, after which they be part of within the plunder.
The historic reality is that West Papua — the western half of the island of New Guinea — has by no means been part of Indonesia.
“Numerous authorized, political and navy arguments stating in any other case are all opposite to the norms of worldwide legal guidelines and to justice.
“The Papuan nation will not be a part of the Indonesian Colonial State. The method of annexation on 1 Might 1963, was compelled onto my folks.”
NZ hostage pilot
Bomanak additionally wrote concerning the hostage disaster involving 37-year-old New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens who was captured by the West Papua Nationwide Liberation Military (TPNPB), the armed wing of the OPM, on February 7.
Addressing President Biden, Bomanak mentioned: “A battle of liberation has been undertaken by my folks because the fraudulent 1969 referendum.
“We’ve got issued lots of of warnings to each Indonesians and foreigners to not be in our land.
“Not like, Indonesia, we are going to look after Philip Mehrtens, the identical means we look after our brothers and sisters. He’s protected with us, however he’s at nice danger from Indonesian air and floor fight operations.
“The Indonesian defence pressure has already suffered important battle fatalities. We request a peaceable resolution with the intention of Indonesia leaving West Papua.
“Maybe you’ll be able to appoint Ambassador Caroline Kennedy [Ambassador to Australia] to this function?”
Bomanak’s letter additionally tracks the numerous West Papuan peaceable political leaders who’ve been the victims of extrajudicial executions in an effort to “terrorise the independence motion”. They embody the next:
“Arnold Ap was assassinated in 1984. Tom Wanggai died in mysterious circumstances whereas in jail which we imagine was one other extrajudicial execution in1989.
“Tribal chief Theys Hiyo Eluay was assassinated in November 2001. Filep Karma additionally died in mysterious circumstances which we imagine was one other extrajudicial execution in November 2022 on the identical seaside the place Arnold Ap was executed.”
“President Biden, I may have simply stuffed 10,000 extra pages with victims of this miscarriage of worldwide justice, however I perceive your time is restricted with necessary issues of state and of worldwide affairs.
“Sir, there isn’t any honour in serving to Indonesia preserve their lie, their deception, their treachery, and the six a long time of crimes in opposition to humanity that many lecturers name ‘West Papua’s gradual genocide’.
“The fraudulent annexation of my nation is as a lot a narrative of dishonourable and deceitful Western governance.”
Concluding the open letter, Bomanak informed President Biden that if Ukraine may have an investigation for crimes in opposition to humanity, then “after six a long time of Indonesia’s crimes in opposition to humanity, West Papuans are entitled to justice by way of the exact same measures of accountability and due course of.”
The OPM has waged an armed resistance in opposition to the Indonesian navy since 1969. The West Papuans argue that they need to regain independence on the grounds that, in contrast to Muslim-majority Indonesia, they’re predominantly Christian and Melanesian from the Pacific. Professional-independence views amongst Papuans are additionally motivated by Indonesia’s repressive rule within the Melanesian provinces.