Reports of arrests continue to come out of Papua as a police crackdown intensifies. The Jayapura Police chief announced last Monday that his forces had detained three people responsible for “spreading fear and terror” in the province. The three — Jefry Wandikwo, Zakius Saplay and Calvin Wenda — allegedly acted in conjunction with slain independence Read more
The chairman of the Baptist Churches of Papua, Sofyan Yoman, is visiting the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, lobbying foreign embassies to help generate international intervention in Papua. “The Indonesian government and the West Papua representative should come to the negotiation table to talk peacefully,” he said. Pastor Socratez has suggested that a neutral “referee” mediate the Read more
Last year The New Zealand Defence Force hosted a Kopassus officer, Major Edwin Sumanta at its six month Staff and Command training course. The Komando Pasukan Khusus (Kopassus) is Indonesia’s Special Forces Command. Formed in 1952 in the wake of Indonesian independence from the Dutch, Kopassus conducts special operations missions, including intelligence gathering, counter-terrorism, deep Read more
A violent rampage by Indonesian soldiers in the town of Wamena in Papua province has sent thousands of residents fleeing to the bush. At least one person is confirmed to have been killed and several seriously injured by the soldiers from the Baliem Valley-based Battalion 756. An Indonesian military spokesman denied anybody had died and Read more
News of the cancellation of the Lady Gaga concert scheduled for early June in Jakarta, Indonesia is receiving a lullingly uniform spin in the American and international media. It is, we are told, a morality play about the triumph of radical Islamism over artistic freedom, and a disturbing omen of Indonesia’s supposed slide into religious Read more
Lady Gaga has cancelled her sold-out show in Indonesia after Islamist hard-liners threatened violence, claiming her sexy clothes and provocative dance moves would corrupt the nation’s youth. The controversy was a blow to the predominantly Muslim country’s reputation for combining free speech and democracy with a mostly moderate brand of the faith. Continue reading
JAKARTA: A mob of 600 Islamic hardliners threw plastic bags filled with urine at an Indonesian Christians who were celebrating the ascension of Christ, a lawyer said on Friday. The attack, during which stones and dirt were also hurled, occurred on Thursday as around 100 Christians prepared to hold a service at a church in Read more
A number of violent incidents that have occurred in West Papua recently have not been investigated by the Indonesian authorities. The chairman of the Alliance of Baptist Churches in Papua, Rev. Socratez Sofyan Yomanis, says this leaves the impression that the Indonesian government is simply not interested and has reinforced Papuan nationalism. “The Papuan people Read more
The ongoing protests by a Muslim extremist fringe has led to the closure of three Christian places of worship in the province of Aceh, the only province in Indonesia where Shariah (Islamic law) is enacted. According to the radical movement the churches were illegal and they have demanded – under threat – the intervention of Read more
Thousands of police were deployed in Indoneisa to ensure a peaceful Easter. In Jakarta a total of 4,313 police were deployed to secure 1,262 churches, while West Java deployed more than 8,000 officers across the province over the Easter period. Thousands of people attended services at Jakarta Cathedral in Central Jakarta. Services were performed three Read more