Wamena: In today's war: 30 died with, 45 injured in the second day of war in Wamena. (Wamena, October 7, 2000, CEB Reporting from Baliem.)
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More lives are taken today, but surprisingly more Indonesians than the Papuans. 24 Indonesians were killed, including members of the army and police, according to our source today. While the Indonesian police shot dead 3 Papuans in the second-day war in Wamena, Baliem Valley. According our interview with A.E. an American witnessing the war there since yesterday, most of the Papuans were shot at their back, which means they were shot not when they were fighting the police, but when they were running away from the modern weapons. Asked if he is scared about the war and that he tries to get away from the Papuans, he said, "I feel more secure with the Papuans. They protect me very well. They feed me, they treat me like one of them. They are more humane than the Indonesians. The Indonesia police are shooting everywhere. They do not care whom they are shooting. They shoot trees, houses, dogs, Indonesians, Papuans, birds, anything and anyone. This is brutal!"
Two battalions of army are deployed today to Wamena, to secure the situation. They have two missions, according to our source. First of all, they want to back up the Papuans to fight against the police. Last month, the Commander of the army (Danramil) of Port Numbay town was shot by the police. Following this, the police also shot Johan Sawaky, a student at law faculty of Cenderawasih University because the police suspected him as a member of the army. Early this year, there was a war between the army and police in Timika, which caused the Danramil of Timika injured. The war between Indonesian air force, Indonesian navy, Indonesian infantry with the Indonesian police is apparent. They are fighting everywhere in Indonesia. Papuans are receiving the impacts of the internal war of the army and police.
The second mission is to secure the territory from any attack from the Free Papua Movement's West Papua National Liberation Army. They want to criminalise this purely political issue. They want to punish the police commander and isolate the political issue of West Papua independence movement become a local issue.
(Please read our analytical article on: The roots of war in Wamena!"
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 yesterdat and three died, 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 still here in West Papua.
Responses are coming from various parties in West Papua.
First, from The Penis Gourds People's Assembly Council (Demmak). Demmak issued a Letter of Tribute and Condemnation to the murder in the Bloody Wamena Massacre in these two days. Demmak is also blocking roads leading to the house of the Chairman of the Presidium Council, Theys H. Eluway. They want Theys not to escape from his responsibility on the Bloody Wamena Massacre. They want him to go to Wamena and settle the peace in this main town of the highlanders.
Second, the Forum of Communication for West Papuan Students (FKMPB) blocked the main road from Port Numbay to Sentani, at the front of the Cenderawasih University, Abepura and demanded the Police Regional Commander for West Papua to answer their questions.
The police Commander for West Papua, Mr. Wenas deployed one battalion of police to Wamena. He was quoted by a local daily newspaper as saying, "The troops are not to frighten the people, but to settle peace there." But he did not mention whether or not his troops will kill more innocent villagers from this most un-privileged regent of West Papua Province.
Last week three and two jet fighters Hakws-100 and Hawks-200 were flying over Wamena in two days respectively, frightening the people. However, the Commander of the Air Force based in Biak said today to the same local newspaper as follows: "The planes came here for regular operation purpose. This is normal, it is scheduled. We visit every region after six months." However, "Why are they flying all over the province? Why are they flying again in Wamena today? At the time when we were interviewing the American journalist in Wamena, the jet hawks were flying very low over Wamena, did some maneuvers on the air. As response, people are not scared at all.
They are ready to die, anyway. "To die now or tomorrow is just the same. The only difference is the time. The world is not doing anything today or tomorrow, anyway. If the Indonesians kill us now or tomorrow, the world will not help us anyway. If the world will help us tomorrow than today, then we need to escape from death today, but if the story is the same, let us be ready to die now than later," says a war leader in Wamena today in a war speech in briefing his bows-and-arrows (koteka) troops. Will they win the war? Of course they will, because they are fighting with what they have from their past ancestors. They are not buying bows and arrows like Indonesia is buying weapons and hawks from England and the USA. If they die for using their bows and arrows and for their land, it does not matter. The matter for our humanity is who is selling the weapons to the murderous Indonesia, and who is selling hawks to a country that does not respect democracy and human rights. Where is the ethical foreign policy? (sk/07/00)