MEDIA RELEASE
Christian Solidarity International (CSI) has expressed great concern over the threat to the indigenous Christian peoples of West Papua posed by Indonesia’s ongoing military operations and development programs.
In an oral statement at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 25, CSI’s Joel Veldkamp noted that this year, the number of internally displaced people in West Papua has increased to 105,000. Just last year that figure was 85,000. This rapid increase in the number of IDPs points to the acceleration of the Indonesian government’s military operations in the region.
West Papua is the easternmost region of modern-day Indonesia. While Indonesia is the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, the indigenous peoples of West Papua are almost entirely Christian.
West Papua was made a colony of the Netherlands in 1898, and was administered separately from Dutch-ruled Indonesia. It was only handed over to Indonesia in 1962, 13 years after Indonesia became independent. This decision provoked widespread protests and an independence movement that continues until today
Indonesia’s military operations aim to protect large-scale projects to exploit West Papua’s abundant natural resources, including nickel and gold, as well as industrial plantations. “These projects are dispossessing the indigenous Papuan people of their lands on a massive scale, and threaten devastating ecological damage,” said Veldkamp.
“All of this is taking place in a region that the Indonesian government has largely closed to independent observers, foreign journalists, and international human rights bodies,” he added.
Veldkamp concluded by echoing a call made at a UN Human Rights Council side event on March 4: “The Indonesian government should facilitate a visit to the region by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and extend an invitation to the relevant special procedures of the Human Rights Council to visit West Papua as well.”
The March 4 side event was hosted by the World Council of Churches. A representative of the Indonesian government attended the event, and argued that the development projects in West Papua were necessary to combat poverty in the region.
Peter Prove, the WCC’s Director for International Affairs, replied, “Access and transparency. That’s what we’re calling for from the Indonesian government. We ask you again to extend invitations to the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council and to facilitate a visit by the High Commissioner for Human Rights.”
