BY IRWIN ANGIKI
Leader of Opposition Matthew Wale is calling on leaders of Melanesian countries to ‘speak up against atrocities in West Papua’.
This call follows fresh reports of alleged killing of civilians by Indonesian forces in the Dogiyai Regency in West Papua on March 31.
Indonesian police allegedly fired ‘indiscriminately’ towards residences and a market in response to the killing of a police officer that morning, a statement by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) on April 2 said.
Five people including a 60-year-old woman were killed, and others wounded including an 11-year-old boy who was shot in the chest and remains in critical condition, ULMWP reported.
Opposition Leader Mr Wale said reports of the killing including a minor are deeply troubling and raise serious questions about the protection of indigenous Melanesian communities.
“The people of the Solomon Islands share strong historical, cultural, and ancestral ties with the people of West Papua, and such incidents resonate across our region,” Wale said.
The Opposition Leader said the safety, dignity and human rights of all Melanesians must be upheld at all times.
“Fellow Melanesians must stand in solidarity with the people of West Papua and I urge regional leaders especially Melanesian leaders to speak up and to ensure that justice is pursued and that lasting peace is prioritized,” Wale said.
In light of the killings in Dogiyai, President of ULMWP Benny Wenda echoed his calls for leaders of Pacific nations to condemn and pressure Indonesia to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua.
“I direct this particularly at Pacific leaders – how long will you allow Indonesia to spill Melanesian blood before taking a real stand against this genocidal occupation? How many Papuans must die?” Mr Wenda said.
“On behalf of the ULMWP and the people of West Papua, I reiterate our demand for Indonesia to allow UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua.
“Over 110 countries – a clear majority of the UN member states – have now demanded this visit, but Indonesia continues to refuse.
“Dogiyai is not an isolated incident: every day brings a new atrocity. How long will the world allow this to continue before Indonesia is made to suffer genuine diplomatic consequences for their refusal?” Wenda said.
The killings in Dogiyai are the latest in what the ULMWP has described as ‘military escalation’ by Indonesia in West Papua.
“West Papuan civilians are the victims of Prabowo’s [Indonesian president] ongoing military escalation, which has spread across Yahukimo, Intan Jaya, Paniai, Maybrat, and now Dogiyai,” ULMWP said.
“What the carnage in Dogiyai demonstrates is that Indonesia views all West Papuans as legitimate targets.
“Elders, women, and children: no one is safe from the murderous vengeance of the Indonesian security state.
“The massacre triggered a wave of internal displacement, as terrified civilians fled into the mountains and surrounding villages.”
West Papua has been under Indonesia’s control since 1963. Indonesia regards West Papua as its province.
Since then, the region has seen a persistent pro-independence movement met with heavy military presence and systematic repression.
Human rights organisations and academic reports have documented widespread extrajudicial killings, torture, and mass displacement, with some scholars and activists describing the situation as a “slow-motion genocide”.
Estimates of the total death toll since the 1960s vary significantly, with some advocacy groups and researchers suggesting figures as high as 500,000 Papuans killed.
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