APSN | Letter to Alexander Downer on recent arrests in Timika

Home > South-East Asia >> West Papua

Letter to Alexander Downer on recent arrests in Timika

Australia West Papua Association (Sydney) - January 16, 2006

Hon Alexander Downer MP
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

16 January 2006

Dear Mr Downer,

We are writing to you concerning the incident that took place in Timika on Wednesday the 11 January 2006, where Indonesian police arrested 12 people who had gone to meet with agents from the FBI to discuss the killing of two American teachers and their Indonesian colleague near the Freeport mine in West Papua in 2002. Four of those arrested were later released while the remaining eight have been taken to Jakarta against their will.

The names of those transported to Jakarta are:

Anthonius Wamang aged 32 years.
Pdt. Ishak Onawame aged 42years.
Hardi Tsugumol aged 29 years.
Agustinus Anggaibak aged 14 years.
Jairus Kibak aged 60 years.
Esau Onawame aged 33 years.
Yulianus Deikme aged 20 years
Yohanes Kasamol alias Joni aged 15 years.

Those arrested had voluntarily agreed to meet with the FBI who had promised them safe passage to the US. They had agreed to be interviewed in the US concerning the ambush at the Freeport mine in August 2002. However, when they arrived for the meting at the Amole II Hotel in the town of Timika on Wednesday evening, the agents shoved them into a container truck and delivered them to Indonesian police.

There are many unanswered questions about this case, and although Anthonius Wamang has admitted that he was involved in the ambush, he has also stated that he was involved with the military and had received ammunition from them. He also said he saw 3 men in Indonesian military uniform shooting at the convoy of cars carrying the school teachers.

In media reports Anthonius Wamang has been referred to as an OPM commander and this is not so. In an interview with the Foreign Correspondent program in 2004, Anthonius Wamang also denies that he was acting on orders from the Free Papuan leadership and in fact it should be noted that the OPM are committed to a zone of peace in West Papua.

We would like to point out that two of those arrested are aged 14 and 15 years. This would mean that they were only 11 and 12 at the time of the ambush.

We are concerned about the increase in tension that these arrests have created in West Papua. It was reported in the Jakarta Post of the 15 January that angry protesters held a rally and blocked the road in front of Cendrawasih University demanding the eight be questioned in Jayapura and in Timika, where the incident happened.

We urge you to use your good offices with the Indonesian government asking that those arrested be returned home to West Papua to avoid any further increase in tension.

As they Indonesian military have been known to use such incidents to crack down on those groups they term separatists, we also ask you to urge the Indonesian government to control its military in the province and to urge the Indonesian authorities to guarantee that those arrested will not be subjected to torture or other human rights violations.

Yours sincerely Joe Collins Secretary AWPA (Sydney)

CC Kevin Rudd MP
Senator Andrew Bartlett
Senator Natasha Stott Despoja
Senator Bob Brown
Various human rights organisations

Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)
PO Box 28, Spit Junction
Sydney, Australia 2088
Ph/fax: 61.2.99601698
Email: bunyip@bigpond.net.au.

Click here for archive of statements and press releases