WPAT and ETAN: Naming of Senior Kopassus Officer as Indonesia
Military Commander Undermines West Papua
Contact:
Ed McWilliams, West Papua Advocacy Team (WPAT), 575-648-2078;
edmcw@msn.com
John M. Miller, East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN),
+1-718-596-7668; etan@etan.org
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Kopassus actions in West Papua include "sweeping operations"
purportedly in pursuit of "separatists" that in fact
targeted highland Papuan villagers and the torture/murder of
the leading Papuan political figure Theys Eluay.
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January 23, 2010 - The West Papua Advocacy Team and East Timor and Indonesia
Action Network are extremely troubled by the naming
of a senior
Special Forces
(Kopassus) officer as regional commander in West Papua.
Kopassus forces have a long and dark history in the region.
The appointment of Major General Hotma Marbun to the
Military Command for the Kodam-XVII Cenderawasih region
comes as Papuans continue to seek a dialogue with the
Jakarta Government and the demilitarization of their
homeland. Their appeals have been resisted by a military
that persists in describing Papuans seeking their rights as
"separatists" and justifies attacks on peaceful
demonstrators as necessary to defending Indonesia's
territorial integrity.
The naming of any Kopassus officer in command of the region
raises obvious human rights concerns. In addition, Major
General Marbun has a personal record that underscores these
concerns. As pointed out by the respected UK human rights
organization Tapol, Marbun was involved in operations in
Indonesia-occupied East Timor in 1983 and 1986, a
particularly bloody period during the occupation. He also
participated in military operations in West Papua in 1982
and 1994.
General
Marbun takes command at a time of growing security force
abuse in the region, as
recently documented by Human Rights Watch. Indonesian
human rights organizations including the Papuan branch of
the Indonesian government's official Human Rights
Commission (Komnas Ham)
recently voiced public support for the withdrawal of
military forces from West Papua to improve prospects for
dialogue.
Kopassus actions in West Papua include "sweeping operations"
purportedly in pursuit of "separatists" that in fact
targeted highland Papuan villagers and the torture/murder of
the leading Papuan political figure Theys Eluay. The deeply
flawed Indonesian justice system notoriously has chronically
failed to hold accountable Kopassus and other Indonesian
security forces responsible for criminality and human rights
violations.
For decades, the U.S. military provided training and other
assistance to Kopassus notwithstanding its widely
acknowledged abuses and criminal activity. Despite the
demonstrated failure of international assistance to improve
its behavior, the Obama
administration is reportedly considering resuming such
assistance, terminated under Congressional pressure more
than a decade ago.
Papuans are increasingly marginalized in their homeland, as
tensions grow between Papuans and migrants, and Papuan
demands for an internationally mediated dialogue with
Jakarta and for the demilitarization of West Papua go
unanswered In this context, the appointment of a commander
from the Indonesian military's hard line Kopassus is
profoundly disturbing.
ETAN was formed in 1991 to advocate for
self-determination for occupied East Timor. The U.S.-based organization
continues to advocate for democracy, justice and human rights for
Timor-Leste and Indonesia. For more information, see ETAN's web site:
http://www.etan.org.
The West Papua Advocacy Team produces the monthly
West Papua Report.
see also
