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History repeats itself: West Papua a political pawn once again

West Papuan People's Representative Office Press Release - January 20, 2006

Port Vila -- In the 1960s, the Government of the USA shamefully sold out West Papua as a bribe to Indonesia for its cooperation in halting the spread of communism in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The USA is now trading off West Papua to Indonesia once again in return for its cooperation in the struggle against international terrorism and Islamic extremism.

The recent arrest of 12 innocent people as suspected members of the OPM, at Timika on 11th January 2006, in a joint military operation between the FBI and Indonesian police, shows that Jakarta and Washington continue to practice intimidation and violence in West Papua. The suspects have been accused of involvement in the killing of two Americans near the Freeport mine in West Papua in 2002. An earlier investigation by the Indonesian police, conducted four years ago, directly implicated the Indonesian Army (TNI) in the killings. This account of the incident was supported by Ms Patsy Spier, one of the American survivors of the attack. The principal suspect, Mr Antonius Wamang, who has admitted his role in the attack, has confirmed in an interview played on Australian television that he himself at the time was also a member of an Indonesian Army (TNI) sponsored local militia group. He has further stated that the Indonesian military supplied the ammunition that was used in the attack and that three uniformed members of the military were present at the scene when the attack took place.

The OPM categorically rejects any suggestion that its members may have been involved in the 2002 attack. The OPM is the national liberation movement of the West Papuan people and supports the creation of a "Zone of Peace" in West Papua. The OPM leadership, both political and military wings, has openly declared its full support for this policy for the simple reason that it is not a terrorist organization. The OPM has called for the withdrawal of non-Papuan military personnel and police from West Papua and the cessation of armed actions by all parties.

In the face of the above evidence, both the Indonesian and the American governments have blamed the OPM for the 2002 attack.

Mr. Andy Ayamiseba, Representative of the West Papuan People's Representative Office (WPPRO) in Vanuatu, made the following statement in relation to the incident:

"The truth is self-evident. The TNI is responsible for the killings. The innocent people who have been arrested have become political pawns in a game designed to satisfy the bilateral political interests of both Indonesia and USA. The FBI investigation at Timika in West Papua should be for the sole purpose of genuinely identifying the real perpetrators of the crime and not for political purposes. We appeal to the US Government to demand the extradition of these alleged suspects to face a fair trial in a US court of law. In the absence of such action, the real killers will be allowed to walk free and repeat the same action in the future."

The presence of Freeport McMoRan in West Papua has not brought any appreciable benefits to the people of West Papua in general, or the Amungme and Komoro people in particular. Instead, the exploitations of the mine has wrought serious damage to the local culture, belief system, environment, social structure and political aspirations of the people. To make matters worse, Freeport also promotes violence in the immediate region by providing funds in the millions of US dollars to the Indonesian military and security forces to maintain "security" over the mine area, beside the 1 Billion US Dollars as annual dividend, paid last year to Indonesian Government.

Consequently, there has been an escalation of violence and human rights violations in the region. Freeport is also alleged to have aided the local police to detain the alleged suspects by providing shipping containers for their incarceration.

"We cannot tolerate any more of these types of inhuman acts, and call upon the people of West Papua to take all necessary peaceful actions to close down the Freeport mine. This is the only way of expressing our solidarity and support for those defenseless people who are now suffering in prison in Jakarta", said Dr Otto Ondawame, International Spokesperson for the OPM.

For further information contact:

Dr. Otto Ondawame: Phone: +678 42601
Mr. Andy Ayamiseba: Pone +678 40808

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