West Papuan home burnt down by the Indonesian military and police
October 24, 2017
Much of the info in this article comes from Radio New Zealand, where it was originally published.
In the last few days, news has filtered out of West Papua that the Indonesian military and police have once again been engaging in “Sweeping Operations” around the area of the Grasberg Mine, operated by US mining corporation Freeport McMoRan.
Photo: Radio New Zealand.
Local communiy leaders Tambua Wakerkwa and Yulianus Tabuni say that last Saturday the Indonesian police came to their village of Utikini and burned a house down to the ground. They also killed livestock belonging got the villagers.
West Papuan home being burned down by the Indonesian police in Utikini village in 2015. Photo: Supplied.
Tambua and Yulianus said their people were now living in fear and called upon the Indonesian president Joko Widodo to command the military to stop harassing them.
This is by no means the first time that Utikini village has been targeted. In January 2015, the Indonesian military and police arrested and tortured scores of West Papuan people and burned down dozens of houses in Utikini, simply because villagers were supporting West Papuan self-determination.