PAPUA -- MORE ARRESTS FOR "FLAG RAISING"

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001393

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/ANP, DRL, DRL/AWH
NSC FOR E.PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2018
TAGS: PGOV PINS KDEM ID
SUBJECT: PAPUA -- MORE ARRESTS FOR "FLAG RAISING"

REF: JAKARTA 1297 AND PREVIOUS

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Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Authorities in the Papuan region of eastern
Indonesia have detained 41 people and may charge nine in
connection with an incident in which a flag with separatist
connotations was raised during a peaceful protest. Human
rights groups are mobilizing for the detainees' legal
defense, but anticipate an uphill struggle. This is the
latest in a string of incidents where Papuans have expressed
their discontent with persistent underdevelopment in their
region and the slow implementation of the region's Special
Autonomy Law. END SUMMARY.

ARRESTS FOR RAISING THE "MORNING STAR"


2. (SBU) There has been more tension in the restive Papua
region. Police in Fakfak, a town in the southern part of
West Papua Province, detained 41 people for raising the
"Morning Star" flag during a peaceful rally on July 19. The
GOI considers the flag a separatist symbol. Activists
organized the demonstration to protest the slow
implementation of Papua's Special Autonomy Law and the
province's continuing underdevelopment. (Note: It is the
case that the outlawed Papua Freedom Movement, OPM, and other
pro-independence groups use the flag. Many Papuans who are
not separatists also favor the Morning Star flag, however,
seeing it as a cultural not a political symbol.)


3. (SBU) The authorities released all but nine of the
detainees after questioning them. The Fakfak bupati
(district head) reportedly gave the released detainees a
stern warning that authorities would not tolerate further
incidents of this sort.

DEFENSE GEARS UP


4. (C) Re the nine still under detention, Papuan human
rights sources told us that the authorities plan to charge
six with treason and three with the lesser charge of
participating in an illegal demonstration. Prosecution plans
are not yet finalized, however. Human rights groups are
mobilizing to defend the detainees, who could face prison
sentences of up to 20 years if convicted of treason. Paula
Makabory of the Institute for Papuan Advocacy and Human
Rights told POLOFF that a coalition of human rights groups
was organizing legal representation for the group. Makabory
expects the defense to face an uphill battle, as the two
alleged leaders of the protest, Simon Tuturop and Tadeus
Weripang, are well-known to authorities (they were imprisoned
during the Suharto era for alleged involvement in the OPM).

DISCONTENT IN THE REGION


5. (C) The Fakfak incident is one of a series of recent
instances where Papuans raised the Morning Star flag during
peaceful protests. Twelve Papuan activists are currently on
trial for a flag raising incident in Manokwari, the capital
of West Papua. Others have been detained in Jayapura, the
capital of Papua province, and in Timika, site of U.S.
company Freeport-McMoRan's mining operations (see reftel).


6. (C) The most recent arrests are notable because Fakfak
has not regularly been a site of Papuan political activism.
Whether the Fakfak incident has any direct links to the
previous incidents remains unclear. Overall, the flag
raising incidents underscore the discontent many Papuans feel
over the slow implementation of Papua's Special Autonomy Law
and persistent underdevelopment in the region. Another
aspect of the problem includes the long-standing tensions
that exist between indigenous Papuans and migrants from other
parts of Indonesia (Fakfak is known as a region that is
popular with migrants due to its relative proximity to other

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parts of Indonesia).

HUME