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A month and a half into the new administration of Abdurrahman Wahid, on December 1, 1999, tens of thousands of Papuans openly and peacefully celebrated the 38th anniversary of what they termed "West Papuan independence." The ceremonies, which consisted of flag raisings in eleven towns and massive gatherings in two others, were peaceful, and no action was taken by the military or police to prevent or disperse them.123 The events seemed to mark a welcome and significant break with the preceding thirty years, when flag-raisings had been met with arrests, brutality, state repression and violence. Only the following day, however, there was new violence in the city of Timika when police forcibly dispersed demonstrators who had gathered around a flag which had been raised three weeks before in a local churchyard. During the course of the police action, sixteen people received gunshot wounds and dozens of others were injured.
The Papua-wide flag-raising ceremonies on December 1 had been formally announced just three weeks earlier, at a November 12 gathering to celebrate the sixty-second birthday of traditional leader Theys Eluay. The gathering in Sentani, near Jayapura, was attended by about 3,000 people, including Yorrys Raweyai, a wealthy Jakarta resident known for his association with the Soeharto family, and Lieutenant Colonel Daud Sihombing, chief of Jayapura police.124 The December 1 plan had clearly been made before the party -- Yorrys leaked it to the media on November 10 -- but it was not clear who was responsible for the plan.125
The announcement sparked an eruption of organizing activity, and momentum grew after the province's top police and army chiefs expressed relaxed attitudes about it in the local media, apparently reflecting new orders from the new administration in Jakarta. In the November 15 edition of the widely-read Cenderawasih Pos daily, Territorial Commander Amir Sembiring was quoted as saying flag-raisings would be allowed;126 the same day, newly appointed provincial police chief Silvanus Yulian Wenas said flag-raisings would be tolerated as an expression of free speech, as long as the red and white Indonesian flag was not taken down and there was no violence or violations of the law.127
Some community leaders reacted to the new developments with alarm, because it was not clear who was organizing them, because they had not been consulted, and because in previous months, the activist community had discouraged flag-raisings.128 Rumors began to fly that December 1 would bring full independence, or failing that, anattack by the OPM.129 Somewhat more realistically, there were fears of reprisals by Indonesian security forces or communal violence.130
Tensions mounted when, one week prior to the date, police and army leaders changed their tune on the flag-raisings. On November 26, Amir Sembiring was replaced as regional army commander by Brigadier General Albert Inkiriwang, in a routine reassignment occasioned by the change of government in Jakarta.131 The same day, army chief of staff Subagyo flatly forbade flag-raisings.132 The position was soon echoed by Inkiriwang and Police Chief Wenas.133
Next, the two highest government officials in the region - Governor Freddy Numberi and the head of the provincial parliament, Nathaniel Kaiway - issued an announcement "in the name of the government of Indonesia" warning that raising the Papuan flag was against the law and would be treated accordingly.134 Photocopies of the announcement were dropped over Jayapura from a military helicopter at around 3 pm on November 30; it was sent by radiogram to other parts of the province.135
Despite the warnings and prohibitions, there was no way to stem the tide of public enthusiasm, defiance and organizing, and a massive stand off appeared to be taking shape. On November 29, leaders of the main churches in Irian Jaya issued a fatalistic-sounding joint appeal for restraint on all sides.136 Amid a mounting sense of panic, a series of meetings was held in Jayapura, involving almost every public figure and high official in town.137
At one such meeting, a compromise was struck: pro-independence leaders agreed to raise the Indonesian flag as part of the ceremony, with due respect and a rendition of the Indonesian national anthem, alongside the West Papua flag. Both sides also vowed to keep the peace. A man claiming to be a former OPM guerrilla told a reporter he was helping organize 2,000 Papuan patrol members for Jayapura: "anyone who has the nerve to take down the Red and White [the Indonesian flag] will have to deal with me," he was quoted as saying.138
A foreign-born priest and long-time resident of Jayapura described the atmosphere of December 1: anxiety giving way to relief at the lack of violence and an unprecedented sense that "for one day, the community was in charge of town."139 At dawn that morning, about twenty thousand people gathered in downtown Jayapura.140 After a prayer, the Papuan flag was raised at Taman Imbi park, then the Indonesian flag. "Many wept as they sang a Papuan anthem while the separatist flag fluttered in the morning rain," a reporter noted.141 Theys Eluay gave a speech calling for the "return of West Papuan sovereignty"; the crowd watched traditional dances, sang hymns, protest songs, and the Indonesiannational anthem. Later, a convoy of motorcycles and vans circulated through Jayapura and neighboring towns, with riders waving Papuan flags and onlookers shouting "Free Papua!"142 Police and anti-riot troops maintained their distance.
Analogous events were held in Sentani, Serui, Manokwari, Nabire, Meruake and Sorong, in two towns in the district of Fak-Fak, and in the Tiom and Bokondini subdistricts of Jayawijaya province. In Wamena and Biak towns, there were large gatherings but no flags were raised. Tens of thousands - perhaps hundreds of thousands - took part, but there was no violence.143
From Manokwari, an observer wrote:
I just came back from the "Bintang Kejora" ("Morning Star") Flag Hoisting Ceremony. It was held at Doreri field, Manokwari, attended by approximately 30,000 people from various parts of the community. . . It was begun by the entering of the Irianese VIPs and dignitaries (members of traditional councils, "100 Team," etc) into the field taken by a group of dancers from the Mee tribe. The flag was then hoisted followed by the reading of declaration demanding the recognition from the Indonesian central government to the independence of the people of West Papua.
The speech of the ceremony basically consisted of a detailed account about the history of West Papua and how in various occasions the history has been manipulated for the benefit of outside powers. It was a very powerful political education for the West Papuans themselves as many of those attending the ceremony were young and have no access to the written information about their own history.
The singing of "Hai Tanahku Papua" hymn as well as "Dari Ombak Besar. Dari Lautan Teduh" were well performed. Those who attended tried to participate as much as they could.
The ceremony was very very peaceful. I should say it was the first time ever in Manokwari that a large and significant number of West Papuans gathered in one place to remember and reflect on what had happened in the past and pray for their future. The political situation and awareness in Irian Jaya will never be the same again. This is the beginning of a new hope, and the central government of Indonesia can not take it lightly. The demand for dialogue should be taken seriously by the Gus Dur - Megawati administration. I could sense a very strong determination for change in a peaceful manner.
The ceremony was closed with a very moving prayer by Reverend Wainggai - an old pentacostal pastor highly respected in Manokwari...The committee then thanked the police and army for their cooperation and urged the people to return to their homes peacefully. People started to shake hands and hug each other, all in tears...no hatred against Indonesia or migrants, just a very very peaceful expression of thanks and relief.144
According to the agreement struck by security forces and community leaders, flags raised on the morning of December 1 were lowered by 6 pm that evening. Timka was the only significant exception.145
In Timika, a city on Papua's south coast, where the flag had already been flying in a churchyard for three weeks, demonstrators also refused to take it down on December 1. The next morning, security forces used force to disperse the crowd and lower the flag. In the assault sixteen people were shot and dozens were injured.
The flag-raising began on November 10 in the yard of the Three Kings Parish, a Catholic church, organized by an Amungme activist named Yosepha Alomang146 and Isak Onawame, a priest.147 Thirteen tents were erected to represent the thirteen administrative districts of Irian Jaya; at the center was a flagpole with the "Morning Star" flag, and the wall of the churchyard was plastered with banners and signs. Between two hundred and one thousand people reportedly attended daily, listening to speeches, participating in prayer services, singing and watching performances of traditional dance.148
According to published reports and a leading Papuan human rights group, more than 2,000 people gathered in the churchyard to prevent the flag from being taken down on the morning of December 2. Shortly after 7:00 a.m., a Brimob police unit attempted to enter the churchyard. They were blocked by several hundred women who formed a "human gate" across the entrance. Police were finally able to break through using shields and sticks about a half hour later.149
According to one report, police moved into the middle of the crowded churchyard and fired warning shots.150 Other observers said the "warning shots" were fired directly at the crowd.151 In the aftermath, it weas found that sixteen people had been wounded by gunshots, including a 35-year old woman who subsequently had to have her leg amputated. Eighty others said they had been struck by the police, who used rifle butts, nightsticks, bamboo staves and tear gas.152 Others were injured in the press of the panicked crowd or as they attempted to scale a barbed wire fence. Chaos continued for one hour with an army helicopter flying so low that the wind caused by its blades blew down the tents. There were also reports of demonstrators hurling rocks and wood at the police.
Volunteers observing the incident for the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy reported that the windows of the Toyota Kijang jeep they had borrowed from a local organization, the Yayasan PendidikanAmungme-Kamoro, were shattered by police; a Brimob officer reportedly took a mobile telephone and purse belonging to a passenger.153
In a murky but apparently related incident, Abelek Murib, a fifty-year-old Amungme woman present at the Three Kings Parish during the police action, died at her home at noon on December 2. The exact cause of death was disputed. Four demonstrators told a human rights investigator they had personally witnessed Murib being struck with a rifle by a policeman. Local police chief Mayor Eddy Pramudyo said the woman had suffered a heart attack at home three days earlier and had coincidentally been brought to the church that morning by family members just as the police action was getting underway, leading people to conclude, wrongly, that she was a victim of police violence.154
In the aftermath of the incident, police at first denied the extent of the violence. In Jayapura, the province's police chief, Silvanus Wenas, said there had been no shootings or injuries in Timika, but that unarmed police had dragged 50 protestors out of the church grounds at the request of a local priest.155 Timika's deputy police chief, Edi Pramudio, said the police had gone "to stop arguments between demonstrators" over whether to lower the flag, and that some people were injured as they ran away to avoid the shooting.156
On December 3, however, Wenas admitted and apologized for the shootings, saying they had breached his instructions, and dispatched a fact-finding team to look into the incident and undertook to bring before a military court those officers found to have opened fire. He said thirty injured people were being treated at the Caritas hospital in Timika and a nearby Freeport facility, to which some had been taken by helicopter.157
Yosepha Alomang, Isak Onawame, Hiskia Merarabayan, Bruno Piligame, Marlon Tahrin, as well as two German journalists, were detained and questioned, but then promptly released.158
123 Flags were raised in the cities of Jayapura, Sentani, Serui, Manokwari, Nabire, Meruake and Sorong, in two towns in the district of Fak-Fak, and in the Tiom and Bokondini subdistricts of Jayawijaya province. In the towns of Wamena and Biak, flags were not raised but large gatherings took place. 124 "Rakyat Papua Bergolak, Kepemimpinan Tak Jelas, Penguasa Malas Tahu," November 19, 1999, ELSHAM press release. 125 "500 Warga Papua Barat Tuntut Referendum," Suara Pembaruan Daily, November 10, 1999. 126 "Rakyat Papua Bergolak, Kepemimpinan Tak Jelas, Penguasa Malas Tahu," November 19, 1999, ELSHAM press release. 127 "Kapolda Irja Izinkan Bendera Nintang Kejora Dikibarkan 1 Desember," Suara Pembaruan Daily, November 16, 1999. 128 Those expressing alarm included the Reverend Phil Erari of the Indonesian Council of Churches "Rakyat Irian Jangan Terpancing Provokasi," Suara Pembaruan, November 19, 1999, and Team of 100 member Dicky Iwanggin and Pastor Nato Gobay from Biak, "Masyarakat Biak Numfor Diserukan Tolak Kibarkan Bendera Papua," Suara Pembaruan, November 18, 1999. 129 "Rakyat Papua Bergolak, Kepemimpinan Tak Jelas, Penguasa Malas Tahu," November 19, 1999, ELSHAM press release. 130 "Wagub Irja Minta Semua Pihak Tahan Diri Soal Pengibaran Bendera OPM," Kompas, November 22, 1999; Gereja-Gereja Kristen Protestan dan Katolik di Irian Jaya Pernyataan Sikap dan Seruan Bersama, November 29, 1999. Suara Pembaruan reported a 50 percent increase in departures on Pelni passenger ships in the week before December 1, suggesting that some, most likely non-Papuans, were worried about potential violence. "Secara Bergantian Demonstran Itu Berorasi Menuntut Kemerdekaan Bagi Papua," Suara Pembaruan, November 29, 1999. 131 "Fachrul Razi Wakil Panglima TNI, Suaidi Marasabesi Kasum TNI," Suara Pembaruan, November 4, 1999. 132 "Kasad: Jangan Kibarkan Bintang Kejora, Irja Bagian RI," Suara Pembaruan, November 26, 1999. 133 "Hasil Dialog Kappolda dengan Pemimpin Papua Masih dirahasiakan," Suara Pembaruan, November 29, 1999. 134 Pengumuman, November 27, 1999, signed by Freddy Numberi and Nathaniel Kaiway. 135 "Situation in West Papua leading towards 1 December 1999," ELSHAM, November 30, 1999. 136 Gereja-Gereja Kristen Protestan dan Katolik di Irian Jaya Pernyataan Sikap dan Seruan Bersama, November 29, 1999. 137 "Tokoh Irja Bertemu untuk Amankan 1 Desember," Suara Pembaruan Daily, November 25, 1999; "Hasil Dialog Kappolda dengan Pemimpin Papua Masih dirahasiankan," Suara Pembaruan, November 29, 1999. 138 "Disiapkan 2,000 Satgas Amankan Pengibaran Bintang Kejora, Polda Irja Siapkan Pengamanan Khusus," Suara Pembaruan, November 27, 1999 139 Human Rights Watch telephone interview, December 2, 1999. 140 According to a Reuters reporter in Jayapura, 20,000 people attended. "20,000 demand Irian Jaya independence," South China Morning Post, December 1, 1999. 141 Ibid. 142 Human Rights Watch telephone interview, December 2, 1999. 143 ELSHAM, the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy in Jayapura, which had observers monitoring all the flag-raisings, put the number of participants at 800,000. The entire population of the province is around two million. "Hasil Monitoring Aksi Pengibaran Bendera Papua Barat 1 Desember 1999 Seluruh Papua Barat," Report ELSHAM per Desember 1999, Dokumentasi Awal. 144 Letter from Dr. Agus Sumule, a professor at Universitas Cenderawasih's School of Agriculture in Manokwari, December 1, 1999. Used with his permission. 145 In Nabire, the only other exception, demonstrators did not lower the flag until several weeks later, but there was no attempt by the authorities to lower it by force.146 Yosepha Alomang, 48, is a well known Papuan activist. She is the lead plaintiff in a civil lawsuit against Freeport brought in the Louisiana state court system in 1996. In 1998, accompanied by Rev. Isak Onawame, she held a press conference outside the home of Freeport CEO James Robert Moffett in New Orleans to protest what she described as the company's unredressed and continuing abuses. She and Rev. Onawame also testified at a May 1998 U.S. Congressional briefing in Washington, D.C. regarding human rights abuses in Indonesia and East Timor.
On October 28, 1994 Alomang was dragged from her home by soldiers conducting anti-OPM operations in the area. The soldiers reportedly believed her to be the wife of guerrilla commander Kelly Kwalik. (Her husband, in fact, is Markus Kwalik.) For two weeks she was incarcerated in a bathroom. The incident was first documented by Bishop of Jayapura Mgr Herman Munninghoff OFM in an August 1995 report.
On December 10, 1999, Alomang was awarded a Yap Thiam Hien award by the Center for the Study of Human Rights (Yayasan Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia, or Yapusham) in Jakarta. The prize, named after one of Indonesia's most beloved and respected human rights lawyers, has been awarded annually since 1992 to human rights workers "who resist the militaristic and repressive policies of New Order Indonesia." Alomang was recognized for her work on behalf of tribal rights in Irian Jaya.
147 "Komnas HAM sesalkan jatuhnya korban di Timika," laporan Asep Salahudin Samboja, Satunet.com, December 2, 1999.
148 Human Rights Watch telephone interview, December 2, 1999; "Timika Berdarah," a report by the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy in Irian Jaya, December 12, 1999; Andrew Kilvert, "Police open fire on separatists," Sydney Morning Herald, December 3, 1999.
149 "Timika Berdarah," a report by the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy in Irian Jaya, December 12, 1999.
150 "Massa Bentrok dengan Aparat di Timika, 55 Luka-Luka," Suara Pembaruan, December 3, 1999.
151 "Timika Berdarah," a report by the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy in Irian Jaya, December 12, 1999.
152 See Appendix III for a list of casualties.
155 Reuters, December 2, 1999.
156 Andrew Kilvert, "Police open fire on separatists," Sydney Morning Herald, Dec 3 1999.
157 "Police chief apologizes for shootings," South China Morning Post, December 4,1999.
158 National News, Jakarta Post, December 3, 1999. Fearful immigrants reportedly fled to the Hotel Serayu Timika and an army facility where tents were erected. A Batak priest was beaten behind the hotel, though it was not clear whether the incident was directly related. "Massa Bentrok dengan Aparat di Timika, 55 Luka-luka," Suara Pembaruan, December 3, 1999; "Timika Berdarah," a report by the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy in Irian Jaya, December 12, 1999.