Papua protests: Racist taunts open deep

wounds
A catalogue of racist taunts aimed at a group of students have sparked violent protests in
Indonesia's eastern region of Papua.

The area's largest protests in years saw numerous buildings torched - including a jail and a
market - and resulted in the Indonesian government deploying thousands of additional security
officers to an area which is already the country's most heavily militarised.

The internet has also been shut down to "restore security", according to the Indonesian
government.

But while the taunts may have been the spark, it was years of underlying resentment which
provided the fuel.

Papua has always had an uneasy status in Indonesia

The Indonesian government says Papua, which is divided into two provinces, Papua and West
Papua, is an integral part of Indonesia and this has been recognised by the United Nations.

However, many who live in the region do not share this belief.

The former Dutch colony initially declared independence in 1961 and its annexation by
Indonesia in 1969 was controversial.

And while a referendum was held and overseen by the United Nations, only about 1,000 people
were allowed to vote, meaning many Papuans considered the result invalid.

As a result, a low-level separatist movement, fighting for independence, continues to this day.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Papuan demonstrators are calling for Indonesian authorities
to be held accountable for human rights violations

The Indonesian military, meanwhile, is accused of gross human rights abuses in their attempt to
suppress any form of dissent in the province.

Resentment towards central government is further fuelled by the fact that, while Papua is rich in
resources, including the world's biggest gold mine, it remains one of the poorest regions in the
country. In February last year, a measles and malnutrition crisis killed at least 72 people, mostly
children.
But these protests were triggered by accusations of racism
The groundswell of anger that has fuelled the latest demonstrators was sparked by an incident in
the Javanese city of Surabaya at the weekend.

After accusing Papuan university students of damaging an Indonesian flag during Independence
Day celebrations, nationalist groups surrounded their boarding house and goaded them with
racist taunts, calling them "monkeys", "pigs" and "dogs".

Police in riot gear then stormed the dormitory to force the students out. Authorities said the
students were briefly questioned before being set free.

Image copyright EPA Image caption A woman stands beside the rubble that was once her stall at
the market place

This incident, and the protests which followed, exposed simmering fault lines and deep-seated
racism within Indonesia, stemming from the fact people indigenous to Papua are Melanesian,
ethnically distinct from most of the rest of the country and more closely linked to the
neighbouring people of Papua New Guinea.

The exiled West Papua leader, Benny Wenda, told the BBC the treatment of the Papuan students
was "just one example of what we have experienced daily for nearly 60 years".

Mr Wenda recalled how, on his first day of high school, an Indonesian girl spat in his face.

"I thought maybe I smelled bad - I washed myself three times that night," he said. "The next day
I came in, sat down, and she spat in my face again.

"Then I understood: Indonesians see our black skin as less than equal, they do not see us as
human beings. Every Papuan has countless stories like this."

His experiences are echoed by those of Papuan students in Java, who told BBC Indonesian they
are often made to feel like second-class citizens.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Demonstrators have had the Morning Star flag, a symbol of
independence painted on their face

"I have been turned away from student boarding houses and told that they will not receive
boarders who are Papuan students," said Benfa, a Papua student in Yogyakarta.

"We face discrimination and racism daily," Aris Yeimo, from the Papuan student union, added.

Now the fight against racism appears to be entangled with the fight for independence.

Media captionPolice fired tear gas to disperse protesters in Timika city on Wednesday
Demonstrators this week have been chanting "We are not monkeys" and "Fight racism", while
also flying the banned Morning Star flag, a symbol of independence, and crying "freedom for
Papua".

"When we talk about fighting racism, we also have to talk about the struggle to decide our own
fate," said Albert, who led the demonstrations in the capital Jakarta.

Indonesia's president has sought to defuse the anger...

President Joko Widodo is urging people to forgive each other after the riots, adding that the
government will try to look after "the honour and welfare of all people in Papua and West
Papua".

"My brothers and sisters in Papua and West Papua, I know you feel offended" he said in a
statement. "Therefore, as fellow countrymen, to forgive each other is the best. You may get
angry but forgiving is better."

Image copyright EPA Image caption Activists are insisting on a referendum

There have been other attempts to ease tensions. Papua was granted greater autonomy in 2001,
and there has been a significant increase in government funds for the region, with Jakarta vowing
to bring prosperity to the people of Papua.

President Widodo has also visited Papua more than six times since his election in 2014, working
hard to demonstrate Jakarta's commitment to developing the province.

... But the conflict continues

Papua is the most heavily militarised province in Indonesia and more troops have been sent to
the area this week.

But their presence is likely to do little to make some feel safer: reporters from the BBC's
Indonesian service visited the remote Nduga area in early August and found women and children
civilians too frightened to return home.

They were hiding from a military crackdown which displaced thousands in the wake of an attack
by armed independence fighters linked to the Free Papua Movement (OPM), who killed a group
of construction workers building a highway through the jungle.

Image copyright BBC News Indonesia/Oki Budhi Image caption Jubiana Kogeya gave birth to
her baby under a tree

Jubiana Kogeya gave birth in the jungle and named her baby Refugee.
"I heard that the military had entered our area. There was gunshots and fighting and so we fled
our houses and into the jungle," she said.

They will wait in the jungle till it is safe to go home.

But demonstrators' calls for the military and police to be withdrawn from the region this week
have fallen on deaf ears - as have those for independence.

Indonesia's chief security minister Wiranto, who goes by one name, has flown to Papua with the
head of the military and the national police chief. He appealed for calm, and referred to Papua as
the nation's "golden child".

Image copyright EPA Image caption Cars have been torched in the protests

But his message was clear.

"Indonesia's unity is non-negotiable," the minister told reporters.

Despite this, Papuan independence leaders are demanding a political solution.

"Indonesia has always seen us as animals," said Mr Wenda. "They will never see us as equal.

"The only way to end this abuse and suffering is a peaceful referendum on independence."