Subject:  YUDHOYONO AND RUDD IMMOBILE AS DETACHMENT 88 BRUTALIZES PEACE PROTESTORS IN MANOKWARI

April 22, 2010

Today's peace rally on the Rote Sanggeng Football Field near Manokwari's Provincial Parliament began peacefully at 10:00 am. But by 10:30 am, security forces—namely BRIMOB (mobile police force), DALMAS (special security unit) and the US-Australian trained and funded DETACHMENT 88 –had moved into nearby Sannggeng Market.

At least seventeen of the 700 protestors were brutalized, including housewives and mothers who now outnumber men at peace rallies in West Papua.

The names of those arrested and detained by the police in Manokwari include:

1 Mark Yenu, Executive Governor, West Papua National Authority (Manokwari)

2 Martinus Manggara

3 Herry Mora

4 Matelda Maniani

5 Yan Gebze

6 Melianus Wantik

7 Ice Murib

8 Victor Omea

9 Yakonias Imbiri

10 Natan Waryan

11 Denis Mendez

12 Yorona

13 Yohana

14 Afrida Boby

15 Fridolin.

16 Oni Sail

17 Natalia Wantik

18 Timo Aybui

19 Ina Wenda

Rally speaker Rev. Yoku is calling for the immediate release of these political prisoners. "What is democracy if you can't have a rally" added the President of the National Congress of the West Papua National Authority. "Where is Yudhoyono? Why doesn't he pull back his security forces?"

"As a recognized leader in West Papua, I call on the US and the Netherlands, Australia and the 84 UN-member countries that recognized the Act of No Choice in 1969 to take responsibility for the decision they made. Let me say this, because 816,896 West Papuans were never asked whether they wanted the Indonesian occupation. Forty-seven years later, we still don't want them."

INQUIRIES

Terrianus Yoku President, National Congress, WPNA, West Papua TEL +62 812 489 094 68
Jacob Rumbiak, Foreign Affairs, West Papua National Authority, Australia TEL + 61 (0) 406606966