National Liberation Army (TPN/PB) Spokesperson Arrested in West Papua

A peaceful resolution to West Papua’s long-standing conflict with
Indonesia has suffered a serious set-back with the arrest by Indonesian
authorities of leading pro-peace activist Jonah Wenda.

Mr Wenda was detained in Sele District, Sorong Regency, in the western
part of West Papua, on 6 September, and was formally arrested on 11
September on the grounds of being investigated for subversion (makar) at
Papua Regional Police (POLDA) in Jayapura, Papua.

Mr Wenda is a spokesperson for the military wing of the West Papua
liberation movement, the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN-PB, or
Tentara Pembebasan Nasional Papua Barat, formerly known as TPN/OPM).

However, despite working for peace, Mr Wenda is now being held pending
being charged with undermining the Security of the State (subversion).

Australian-based spokesperson for the WPPWG (West Papua Peace Working
Group, formerly known as West Papua Peace Task Force), Ms Paula Makabory
(footnote 1) , described the arrest of Mr Wenda as a serious set-back to
finding a peaceful resolution to the continuing troubles in West Papua.
She said: ‘Mr Wenda has been working for the past three years with the
West Papua Peace Working group to bring about a cessation of hostilities
between the forces of the Republic of Indonesian and the indigenous
people of West Papua’.

Paula Makabory said: ‘To this end, the West Papua Peace Working Group
and Jonah Wenda have facilitated the formation of unified West Papuan
political and civil society umbrella organisation called the West Papua
National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL).

’The WPNCL, which includes representatives of the TPN-PB, has expressly
sought to commence peaceful dialogue with the Indonesian President and
the Republic of Indonesian over issues of the political control and
administration of West Papua as a remedy to the impacts of Indonesian
Government policies on the West Papuan people.”

”Jonah Wenda has been acting for past two years as ‘media spokesperson’
for the TPN-PB in West Papua. In this role he has meet with the TPN-PB
military commanders throughout West Papua to gain support for peaceful
negotiation with the Republic of Indonesia. Jonah Wenda plays an
important part of the movement to unite West Papuan resistance groups
and support them to pursue a strategy of non-violent political change. “

The TPN-PB (or as the TPN/OPM) has been fighting a war of succession in
West Papua since Indonesia took control of the territory in 1963.

West Papuan grievances include, disputing the way the territory was
incorporated into the Republic of Indonesia during the 1960s,
traditional land rights and resource rights and control; widespread
killings, human rights violations and abuse by the security forces;
unregulated migration; impacts of large scale resource exploitation
particularly mining, logging and plantation establishment; economic
disadvantage through a development and civil policy that does not
benefit indigenous land owners; environmental destruction; political
repression, institutional racism and discrimination.

After East Timor achieved independence in 1999 and the conflict in Aceh
was resolved through an international peace accord in 2005, West Papua
remains Indonesia’s largest unresolved territorial dispute.

For further information, please contact:

Paula Makabory on +61(0)402547517;

Steve Waramory/Defense Lawyer on (+62) (0)85254831555;

Chris Warinussy/Defense Lawyer on (+62) (0) 81344694500

Photo available at http://ipahr.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/jonah-wenda/

INSTITUTE FOR PAPUAN ADVOCACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS (IPAHR)
PO Box 1805
Byron Bay, NSW 2481
Australia
Tel Matthew Jamieson +61 (0) 418291998


1/ Paula Makabory is a board member of Institute for Papuan Advocacy &
Human Rights and is spokesperson for West Papua Peace Working Group and
the Human Rights organisation Els-ham West Papua.