Free Papua Movement
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The Free Papua Movement (Indonesian: Organisasi Papua Merdeka, abbreviated OPM) is a separatist organization established in 1965 which seeks independence for Western New Guinea from Indonesia. The territory is currently administered by Indonesia as the provinces of Papua and West Irian Jaya. Since its inception the OPM has attempted diplomatic dialogue, conducted West Papuan flag raising ceremonies (illegal under Indonesian law), and undertaken militant actions.
While the organization, and in turn Papuan independence, is not supported by the significant immigrant Javanese population, it is supported by many indigenous Papuans who consider themselves to have no cultural or historical ties with Austronesian Indonesians. According to OPM supporters, Indonesian administration of West Papua is a military occupation.
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[edit] History
Though the rest of what is now Indonesia became independent from the Netherlands shortly after World War II, the Dutch retained western Papua as a colony until 1962. Upon the Dutch withdrawal from the region, a United Nations-sponsored agreement called for the transfer of control from The Netherlands to Indonesia, stipulating that a referendum on the transfer be conducted in the province by 1969. The legitimacy of this transfer was not recognized by many Papuans, and Papuan fighters and the Indonesian military fought frequent battles during the 1960s. Papuan supporters alleged several mass killings of suspected rebels by the Indonesian military during the 1960s.
In 1969 the United Nations sponsored what it called the "Act of Free Choice", a referendum on Papuan independence. The vote was nearly unanimous for integration, but by many Papuans and representatives of foreign governments, claim the result was rigged by the Indonesian Government. In response, Oom Nicolas Jouwe and two OPM commanders, Seth Jafeth Roemkorem and Jacob Hendrik Prai, planned to announce Papuan Independence in 1971. On 1st July 1971 Roemkorem and Prai declared a Republic of West Papua, and drafted a constitution.
Conflicts over strategy between Roemkorem and Prai soon initiated a split of the OPM into two factions; the PEMKA lead by Prai, and TPN lead by Roemkorem. This greatly weakened OPM's ability as a centralized combat force. It remains widely used, however, invoked by both contemporary fighters and domestic and expatriate political activists.
In 1982 a OPM Revolutionary Council (OPMRC) was established, and under the chairmanship of Moses Werror the OPMRC has sought independence through an International Diplomacy campaign. OPMRC aims to obtain international recognition for West Papuan independence through international forums such as the United Nations, The Non Aligned Movement of Nations, The South Pacific Forum, and The Association of South East Asian Nations.
In 1984 OPM staged an attack on Jayapura, the provincial capital and a city dominated by non-Melanesian Indonesians. The attack was quickly repelled by the Indonesian military, who followed it with broader counter-insurgency activity. This triggered an exodus of Papuan refugees, apparently supported by the OPM, into camps across the border in Papua New Guinea.
In the mid-1990s, the organization gained renewed prominence and greater support among indigenous Papuans. This was fueled in large part by anger over the actions of the gold mining corporation Freeport-McMoRan, which is accused of environmental damage and of supporting alleged human rights abuses by the Indonesian military. In separate incidents in January and August 1996, OPM captured European and Indonesian hostages; first from a research group and later from a logging camp. Two hostages from the former group were killed and the rest were released.
In July 1998 the OPM raised their independence flag at the Kota Biak water tower on the island of Biak. They stayed there for the following few days before the Indonesian Military broke the group up using force. Reports of a massacre have since surfaced.
[edit] Organisation
The internal organisation of OPM is difficult to determine. As of 1996 OPM's 'Supreme Commander' is Mathias Wenda.[1] An OPM spokesperson in Sydney, John Otto Ondawame, says it has nine more or less independent commands.[1] Australian freelance journalist, Ben Bohane, says it has seven independent commands.[1] Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI), Indonesia's army, says the OPM has two main wings, the 'Victoria Headquarters' and 'Defenders of Truth'. The former is small, and was led by M L Prawar until he was shot dead in 1991. The latter is much larger and operates all over Irian. [1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d van Klinken, Gerry (1996). "OPM information". Inside Indonesia 02.
- Bell, Ian; Herb Feith; and Ron Hatley (1986). The West Papuan challenge to Indonesian authority in Irian Jaya: old problems, new possibilities. Asian Survey 26(5):539-556.
- Bertrand, Jaques (1997). "Business as Usual" in Suharto's Indonesia. Asian Survey 37(6):441-452.
- Evans, Julian (1996). Last stand of the stone age. The Guardian Weekend. August 24:p. T20.
- Monbiot, George. Poisoned Arrows: An Investigative Journey to the Forbidden Territories of West Papua
- van der Kroef, Justus M (1968). West New Guinea: the uncertain future. Asian Survey 8(8):691-707.
[edit] External links
- FAS.org OPM listing
- TPN PB Mathias Wenda
- University sponsored information network
- West Papua Independence Campaign Docs & Info
- West Papua Peoples' Organisations
- West Papua Peoples' Representative Office
- Free West Papua Campaign (United Kingdom)
- West Papua News and Information
- Vanuatu Free West Papua Association
