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External elements linked to disorder at Papua rally
Radio New Zealand International - August 16, 2016
The rally in Waena, a suburb of Jayapura, had been organised by the West Papua National Committee, or KNPB, to mark the 55th anniversary of the New York Agreement.
The US-brokered deal in 1962 between Indonesia and the Netherlands concerning the future administration of West New Guinea lacked consultation with West Papuans themselves.
It's one of the core grievances for West Papuans regarding the incorporation of the former Dutch New Guinea into Indonesia.
Around 50 KNPB activists were arrested for handing out leaflets informing people of yesterday's mobilisations in Jayapura.
The KNPB has been centrally involved in a series of large public demonstrations in cities across Papua region since April.
These demonstrations have voiced support for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua and international efforts to assist Papuan rights including self-determination.
Although peaceful, some of the demonstrations resulted in mass arrests, with one rally in Jayapura on 2 May alone resulting in around 2000 Papuans being taken in by police.
Watched over by the usual heavy presence of police and intelligence agents, Monday's rally, and a simultaneous demonstration in downtown Jayapura, heard from KNPB leaders, outlining West Papuan opposition to the New York Agreement.
"We Papuans claim that New York Agreement in 1962 is not valid and firmly reject because Indonesia did not enforce the right of self-determination (Self-determination) democratically," read a statement signed by the KNPB Central Chairman, Victor Yeimo.
However while the Waena demo started off peacefully from the University of Cenderawasih zone, it later descended into unrest with a group allegedly burning tires, vandalising vendors' kiosks and causing other damages on Waena's main street.
Police forcibly dispersed the melee and, according to Indonesian media, arrested six demonstrators who were among the mob causing anarchy and fires.
The Antara News agency quoted police saying they arrested members of the KNPB. However a West Papuan lawyer and Catholic lay activist, Frederika Korain, said the KNPB were wrongly blamed for the unrest.
"People know that already it is not done by the KNPB members," she said, "because they know that then people in the KNPB they have shown their peaceful movement already in the past four months now, in their big mass rallies."
A spokesperson for the KNPB has denied the organisation's involvement, saying he didn't know who the arsonists were. Frederika Korain also said it was unclear who was responsible for the disorder at Waena.
Reports emerging from some of the mass rallies in May and June in Papua described undercover militia groups cause havoc in response to otherwise peaceful public mobilisations.
Meanwhile two young women were hospitalised after yesterday's event in Waena. One was assaulted by unknown assailants, while the other was shot by rubber bullets while fleeing the scene when police started pointing guns at people and firing into the air.
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