On separatism in West Papua
In the Indonesian province of West Papua, located in the western part of the island of New Guinea, separatist groups have become more active.
West Papua independence activists attempted to draw attention to themselves on February 7 by capturing New Zealand pilot Philip Mertens and five passengers on a Susi Air flight. The passengers were safely released (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/08/separatists-fighters-in-papua-hold-new-zealand-pilot-hostage), but Mertens is still in captivity.
Members of the West Papua Liberation Army, one of several armed groups fighting for the region's independence, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. 🔻What is the essence of the conflict and what are the demands of the separatists? In 1969, in the process of decolonizing the countries of Southeast Asia, Indonesia held a referendum in the western territories of the island of New Guinea. As a result, these lands, which used to belong to the Netherlands, became part of Indonesia. ▪️Proponents of the independence of West Papua did not agree with the results of the referendum. Their main argument was that the Indonesian government did not grant the right to vote to all the inhabitants of the province, but only to a thousand of them. Because of this, already in 1971, the Free Papua Movement declared the independence of the territories of the entire western part of the island of New Guinea. The West Papua Liberation Army, which has been declared a terrorist organization in Indonesia, is among the organizations with the same goal. 🔻The province of Papua also has large oil and gas fields. In the west of the region, the Grasberg quarry is located, from which silver, copper and gold are mined in record volumes. ▪️The separatists claim that the resources belong to the people of Papua, and not to the capital's elite, which supposedly does not invest in the development of the region. However, this is not quite true. The current President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, pays special attention to West Papua and, in addition to fighting separatists, conducts programs in the province to build roads, schools and universities. 🔻What is happening in the region now? For many years, the West Papua Liberation Army did not pose a threat to the provincial authorities. However, since 2018, the number of clashes with local security forces has increased significantly. Since the beginning of 2021, there have been more than 20 collisions. In addition to the Punchak Jaya, Lenni Jaya and Mimika counties - permanent separatist habitats - skirmishes are increasingly taking place in the Yahukimo, Punchak and Intan Jaya counties. The increased activity of armed groups demonstrates the aggravation of the conflict. At the same time, the opportunities for dialogue are decreasing, since the Indonesian authorities are unlikely to agree to the demands of the groups: Western Guinea is a storehouse of resources critical to the state economy. However, the fact of public discussion of this issue will already be a victory for the separatists. And due to the recent stunt with the capture of a New Zealand pilot, the independence fighters at least managed to attract the attention of the international community.
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Members of the West Papua Liberation Army, one of several armed groups fighting for the region's independence, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. 🔻What is the essence of the conflict and what are the demands of the separatists? In 1969, in the process of decolonizing the countries of Southeast Asia, Indonesia held a referendum in the western territories of the island of New Guinea. As a result, these lands, which used to belong to the Netherlands, became part of Indonesia. ▪️Proponents of the independence of West Papua did not agree with the results of the referendum. Their main argument was that the Indonesian government did not grant the right to vote to all the inhabitants of the province, but only to a thousand of them. Because of this, already in 1971, the Free Papua Movement declared the independence of the territories of the entire western part of the island of New Guinea. The West Papua Liberation Army, which has been declared a terrorist organization in Indonesia, is among the organizations with the same goal. 🔻The province of Papua also has large oil and gas fields. In the west of the region, the Grasberg quarry is located, from which silver, copper and gold are mined in record volumes. ▪️The separatists claim that the resources belong to the people of Papua, and not to the capital's elite, which supposedly does not invest in the development of the region. However, this is not quite true. The current President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, pays special attention to West Papua and, in addition to fighting separatists, conducts programs in the province to build roads, schools and universities. 🔻What is happening in the region now? For many years, the West Papua Liberation Army did not pose a threat to the provincial authorities. However, since 2018, the number of clashes with local security forces has increased significantly. Since the beginning of 2021, there have been more than 20 collisions. In addition to the Punchak Jaya, Lenni Jaya and Mimika counties - permanent separatist habitats - skirmishes are increasingly taking place in the Yahukimo, Punchak and Intan Jaya counties. The increased activity of armed groups demonstrates the aggravation of the conflict. At the same time, the opportunities for dialogue are decreasing, since the Indonesian authorities are unlikely to agree to the demands of the groups: Western Guinea is a storehouse of resources critical to the state economy. However, the fact of public discussion of this issue will already be a victory for the separatists. And due to the recent stunt with the capture of a New Zealand pilot, the independence fighters at least managed to attract the attention of the international community.
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