Four people were shot dead, 18 others are hospitalised in Wamena, Baliem Valley today (Wamena, October 6, 2000, CEB Reporting from Baliem.)
URGENT ACTION:
What to do:
Thanks!
Eliezer Alua at 07:30 am and Agus Murib at 11:00 am. were shot by Indonesian police, backed up by the military special troops (Kopassus) in Wamena town, Baliem Valley. 18 others are reported hospitalised after being shot at them by the police and army troops.
Following these, Merinus Tabuni from Posko Mapelima and a person from Posko Wouma village were also murdered late afternoon today. They were shot by the police.
The incident happen when the police was forcing local people in Wamena town to lower down the Papua Flag the Morning Star. According to a briefing given by the Commander in Chief of the Indonesian Police in Jakarta, the Regional Commander of Police in West Papua gave instruction to the Papua Presidium Council to lower down this symbol of freedom in West Papua since the last 40 years of intimidation, rape, torture, disappearance, and murder.
The people have suffered a lot. About 300,000 of Papuans have lost their lives because of Indonesian invasion and occupation since 1963. They are saying, "Finish us all, do not leave the rest of us alive. We will take revenge. It is better kill us all." Tonight is probably the last night in their life's history for some of the highlanders. They have dedicated their lives to the independence movement. They are competing to die. They are queuing up, waiting their turn to die. Their motto is this: "We are born to die!" There is no way, we will all die. To die in wars is worth-wile than to die because of sickness. These are not only words, these are facts. Four of them died today, they are looking forward to die tomorrow? Is this a weird reality? No, this is normal. They died for almost 40 years. They know that they will die for another century. They cannot just wait to die on the hands of military regime. They are humans. Of course, they want to tell the world that Indonesia is brutal, that Wahid is not different from Suharto, that the military regime is till here in West Papua.
Some people are now planning to sit on the House of Representatives Office in Port Numbay. Some are planning to flee to their brothers and sisters into Papuan New Guinea. In various occasions, the Governor of the neighbouring country's westernmost province, Sandaun, declared his support to the independence movement in West Papua. He called the Papua New Guinean government to openly support the independence on the basis of Papua as a nation, and in a Melanesian Brotherhood. Of course, Mr. John Tekwe cannot allow mass murder of his own people at his doorstep. He has openly stated to Mr. Mathias Wenda, the Commander in Chief of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN) of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) and said, "I welcome any refugee of my brothers and sisters from West Papua into Sandaun Province. This is your land, our land. If you are murdered there, just come here." This has given a fresh air to Mr. Wenda and his people in West Papua. Some people are now planning to flee into Papua New Guinea, their freed part of the New Guinea Island. They will tell the Indonesians, "Please take all you want. Please enjoy what you want to enjoy in West Papua. But we do not want to die at your gun points. We want to be alive in our land, but not under your colony. We have our lands, freed land in the east. We want to live freely there. Do not prevent us to escape from the brutality and murder of the iron hand of Indonesian army.