| fPcN Bericht aus dem Hochland West Papuas |
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| Geschrieben von Administrator | |
| Donnerstag, 1. Januar 2009 | |
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Aus Gründen der Authentizität haben wir den Bericht in der englischen Originalfassung bereit gestellt. Zusätzlich haben wir Fotos von West Papua Flüchtlingen in Port Moresby/Papua Neuguinea von der Reise eines unserer Teams im September 2008 in unserer Fotogallerie veröffentlicht. fPcN reports from the ground in West Papua (some names and data are replaced with XXX for security reasons!) I just wanted to send through a quick update on the situation in West Papua. I just arrived after spending the last 8 weeks (November and December 2008) there making an undercover documentary with a friend. We managed to smuggle alot of very powerful video footage out of the country, and come back with a very strong message from the people of West Papua - their desire for freedom and readiness to act by whichever means to achieve it is burning more brightly now than at anytime in recent history. Below is a brief summary of our trip and our time at an OPM (the West Papuan guerilla force) training camp in the XXX region.  Its fair to say things are very grave in West Papua at the moment. Military and police snatch squads have become prevalent in recent weeks in the capital Jayapura, as Indonesia seeks to install fear into the lives of the people. The International Parliamentarians for West Papua launch of October 15th in London was on the lips of everyone, everywhere we went, with people knowing the names of the people involved in the launch and expressing their deep thanks for them. As one man told me „every man, woman and child in West Papua knows about the IPWP launch and their hearts have been filled with renewed hope. We believe freedom is within our grasp and will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal“.We managed to smuggle out footage passed onto us showing Papuan men and women some as old as 60, being dragged through the streets of Jayapura by Indonesian military and thrown into the back of army trucks. Their crime was simply voicing their support of the IPWP launch in London and for calling for international action to help them. We were also given footage showing the frightening level of intimidation which is so common in West Papua, with lines of Indonesian military (navy, army, red berret special troops and armed police) all pointing their guns and gesturing at people making a peaceful protest in support of IPWP, whilst British supplied water cannon vehicles lurked in the background. We also met the activists Buchtar Tabuni and Sebby before their recent arrests, which have gained so much coverage. Sebby in particular I found to be one of the warmest hearted people you will ever meet, and we were deeply upset when we were given the news that he had been arrested, all the more so because his wife is heavily pregnant with their first child due anytime now. Before his arrest Sebby spoke of how much he was looking forward to taking his wife to the highlands to spend Christmas and New Year with his family. It seems that for the forseeable future he will remain in police custody. In Jayapura, we also met Yusak Pakage (the Amnesty International recognised 'prisoner of conscience' currently serving 10 years in prison for his role in the peaceful flag raising ceremony in Abepura in 2004). Yusak is now ill from the mistreatment he has endured during his time in prison and is in hospital. Whilst student activists distracted the prison guards and police officers patrolling the hospital ward where he was being treated, we sneaked in and conducted a 10 minute interview with Yusak, with him making a very strong message to the outside world calling for help. In order to avoid detection we were forced to spend over half the time in West Papua without the required Surat Julan travel permit (our original one was only valid till XXX - Indonesia not wanting any foreigners there around the 1st December independence day actions). But somehow through the remarkable bravery of the people we met and were looked after by, we were moved around from safe house to safe house, village to village, in such a way that we avoided detection. There were however some very hairy moments. One time we had to hide in the back of a open top van with tarpulin sheets and boxes of vegetables on top of us so we could get through an Indonesian military checkpoint and one soldier clambered on top but miraculously didnt find us. Another time 15 of us had to hide in a swamp as we hid from the military when walking very late at night to get driven out to safety the next day. When with the OPM (guerilla fighters), somedays we walked up to 15 hours a day, up and down steep mountains in order to reach areas without passing by the thousands of Indonesian military posts that have sprung up across the country. We spent alot of time, including 1st December, at an OPM training camp near XXX in the Highlands, led by General XXX. At the camp, armed men and women from across West Papua, some as young as 12, have come together to fight against the Indonesian occupation. Each and everyone with their own heart breaking story to tell of loved ones killed by Indonesian military or their villages destroyed in bombing raids. It was a very powerful insight into the Papuan struggle. The overwhelming feeling we came away with is that West Papua is on the cusp of major change. The West Papuan people have made it clear they will not stand for the occupation for much longer. The special autonomy process has been a astronomical failure and full independence is the only solution to the crisis. International help is desperately needed, and let us all hope 2009 sees big leaps being made on the road to freedom and all governments stance towards the issue! Look forward to seeing you all in 2009. Papua Merdeka! Free West Papua! The fPcN activist XXX from the ground reported! |
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