HEAD OF INDONESIAN POLICE IN WEST PAPUA WAS CRITIZED FOR A STATEMENT MADE ON INDIGENOUS DAY CELEBRATION IN WAMENA, WEST PAPUA

Jayapura, 11th August 2008. Head of Indonesian Police in West Papua blame Papuan Customary Council for organising world indigenous day celebration in Wamena, West Papua.

During the celebration the native West Papuan raised 4 flags (the UN flag, West Papuan independence flag, the white SOS flag, and Indonesian national flag). As soon as the four flags were raised, Indonesian police started shooting native West Papuans. One man named Opinus Tabuni was shot to death by bulets of the Indonesian police.

Bagus Ekodanto (Head of Indonesian Police in West Papua)
Bagus Ekodanto, head of Indonesian Police in West Papua made a statement in Cenderawasih Post, local newspaper in West Papua that the Papuan Customary Council organisd the celebration of world indigenous day in Wamena, West Papua without any permission from the Indonesian police in Wamena. “I’d like to state clearly that the celebration was illegal”, said the head of Indonesian police in Wamena.

Reverend Socrates Sofyan Yoman (President of Fellowships of Baptist Churches of West Papua)
Reverend Socrates Sofyan Yoman, President of Fellowships of Baptist Churches of West Papua criticises the head of Indonesian police in West Papua and said, “I’d like to tell you (the head of Indonesian Police in West Papua), that the celebration was not illegal.

It was legal and there are two reasons for that. First, the legal reason for the native West Papuans to celebrate world indigenous day on the 9th of August 2008 is the international convention on the indigenous rights that has been approved by the United Nations in 2006. Second, the celebration of indigenous day is not illegal because the native West Papuans are the owner of Papuan land.

You will leave this land when your appointment time is over but the people that you said doing this illegal celebration live here permanently whether in good or bad conditions because God has created them and put them on this Melanesian land. With all respect, I ask you to stop making statements that the native West Papuans are doing illegal activities on their own native land.

Rev Socrates Sofyan Yoman (President of Fellowships of Baptist Churches of West Papua)

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