Friday, July 19, 2002 11:49:48 PM

19 July 2002 

Mike O’Brien MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
Whitehall, London SW1A 2AH 


Dear Mike, 

Laskar Jihad and militia forces in West Papua 

The West Papua Association – UK would like to raise with the British Government its concerns with regard to the growing presence in West Papua of members of the militant Muslim organisation, Laskar Jihad. This organisation is widely recognised as having been instrumental in inciting inter-religious conflict in Maluku and Central Sulawesi. The influx of Jihad members into West Papua is therefore quite understandably causing alarm among West Papuans. 

According to our sources, the influx was first noted during 2000 in Sorong. In late 2001, the notorious Laskar Jihad commander, Jafar Umar Thailib, made a visit to Sorong and since then, the influx has increased. 

Local human rights and church activists report that military training has been underway in Sorong, initially in isolated bush areas but since April this year, it has been taking place publicly in the forecourt of a local mosque. Six Pakistani citizens known to be in the area are said to be involved in this training. 

In March this year, twenty church leaders in Sorong together with eight clan leaders and youth leaders issued a statement rejecting the presence of members of Laskar Jihad and drawing attention to the circulation of inflammatory publications and videos emanating from the organisation, alleging that Christians are responsible for ‘separatist’ movements and therefore constitute a danger to Indonesia’s territorial integrity A Laskar Jihad bulletin published in Sorong and dated 1 January 2002 said the organisation ‘is waging war against Christians because of their support for separatist movements in various parts of Indonesia’. 

According to West Papua’s leading human rights organisation ELS-HAM, there are now around three thousand members of the Jihad in West Papua and the organisation has set up branches of an organisation called Communication Forum of Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jamaah in six districts in West Papua – Jayapura, Sorong, Fak-Fak, Timika, Nabire and Manokwari. 

Reports from Fak-Fak say that small boats have been sighted arriving since April this year, each bringing on average ten Jihad members apparently from Maluku. On 22 January this year, a local Jihad commander named Ali Purnama (Ahmad Bauw) was arrested in Fak-Fak after being found to be in possession of hand-made rifles, ten grenades, ammunition and other weapons. 

Jihad members have also spread to Arso, a large Indonesian transmigration resettlement south-east of Jayapura and have set up their own communities in the Entnrop-Hamadi district on the outskirts of Jayapura. Following a visit to the area in May this year, the Rev. John Barr, the Executive Secretary of the Unity and International Mission of Australia’s Uniting Church, reported that he heard many accounts of Jihad training camps set up in the past six months. His impression was that Jihad activities have been ‘quietly infiltrating local communities’ in Arso. 

Alongside the influx of Laskar Jihad members, pro-Jakarta militias known as Satgas Merah Putih, are now rampant in several parts of West Papua. These are largely recruited from local Indonesian communities while new recruits are being made among large numbers of young men who have been arriving in West Papua. Independent observers point to a clear military involvement in the recruitment and training of these militias, a sinister reminder of what happened in East Timor during the months prior to the ballot on 30 August 1999. 

The human rights organisation ELS-HAM has obtained a copy of a military document dated 8 April 2002 and signed by the military commander of the Jayawijaya military command which lists the names of eighty local farmers who are members of Satgas Merah Putih in the district. 

We urge the British Government to convey to the Indonesian Government its deep concern at these developments which, if allowed to continue, can lead to a serious destabilisation in West Papua by promoting inter-religious conflict and inciting violence between pro-independence groups and groups which are prepared to use violence against what they regard as ‘separatists’. 

The West Papua Association – UK seeks an assurance from the British Government that it will act, on its own behalf and with its EU partners, to persuade the Indonesian Government to take action: 

To halt the influx of Laskar Jihad members into West Papua, to clamp down hard on their training activities and other provocative actions, and take action to remove these people from West Papua. 
To instruct the Indonesian military to end forthwith its efforts to recruit and train militia forces. 


Yours sincerely, 


Paul Barber
For WPA-UK