“Papua has been living a nightmare of unimaginable violence for over half a century. “No one cares about the tragic fate of the Papuan minority, who suffer from the injustices of the ruling powers and the Indonesian military, who accuse them of being separatists,” said Father Alexandro Rangga. Speaking by phone from Jakarta, the 37-year-old Read more
A Catholic official in Papua has condemned the killing of Rufinus Tigau, a catechist whom Indonesian security forces accused of being a separatist. “We are very concerned with this incident which targeted church servants,” Father Marthen Kuayo, apostolic administrator of Timika Diocese, told UCA News on Oct. 28. Tigau, 28, was reportedly killed on Oct. Read more
Catholic activists have accused Indonesia of unlawfully killing 95 people in Papua since 2010. A separatist conflict has simmered in Papua since it became part of Indonesia after a disputed UN referendum in 1969. An Amnesty International report found at least 95 deaths in 69 incidents. It says these happened between January 2010 and February Read more
Father Konstantinus Bahang says the attitude of Christians towards Islam of late has displayed both fear and, increasingly, loathing. He says their fear stems from growing Islamisation in all spheres of life, particularly the economy. “Most of the people who are well-connected and who are prospering are Muslims, while Papuans are getting left out,” said Bahang, Read more
Earlier this month the Executive Committee of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania called for quality education to empower people in Papua. Their call has been echoed by Papua’s Peace Network (JDP) coordinator. Father Neles Tebay says that prioritising only infrastructure will not be enough in developing Papua and must be balanced with the Read more
When Dewi was diagnosed with HIV in 2009, her life became miserable. “My family couldn’t accept my condition,” Dewi, not her real name, says in reference to the virus that affected her immune system. Following her diagnosis, Dewi underwent medical treatment for two weeks in Jayapura diocese-run Dian Harapan Hospital in Jayapura, Papua province. It was there Read more
Catholic students and young people in Papua have marched in protest against police interrogation of a Catholic priest. The protest in Jayapura by the Union of Catholic University Students of Indonesia and Catholic Youth organisations was in response to police treatment of Fr John Djonga. Last month, Fr Djonga led a prayer service at the Read more
In Papua, 15 Christian and Muslim leaders have issued a joint apology after an attack by some evangelical Christians on Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fit. Six houses, eleven kiosks, and a mushala (small mosque) were burned, and a man was shot dead. “We regret the burning of mushala and the attack on Muslims in Tolikara, which Read more
The Central Body for the Fellowship of Baptist Churches has expressed alarm at the conduct of Indonesian security forces in Papua, according to a press release dated 01 November. Examples of crimes by the Indonesian security forces include: The bombing of the parliament Jayawijaya building on 1 September 2012 by OTK (Orang Tak Dikenal) the throwing Read more
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