200 priests in the Indonesian state of Papua are seeking foreign support

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

Nearly 200 Catholic priests in Papua have urged the international community, including the UN, to take a more active role in bringing peace to Indonesia's violent easternmost territory.

In addition to diocesan priests, 194 priests from the Franciscan, Augustinian, Jesuit, and Missionaries of the Sacred Heart claimed they felt called to be "proactively involved in the fight for justice, truth, and peace" in Papua.

They claimed in a statement that the region is engulfed in an insurgency perpetrated by separatist rebels against security forces, with innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.

 

The priests urged other countries to join them in calling for an immediate ceasefire from the National Liberation Army of the Free Papua Organization and security forces.

"We also strongly endorse inviting the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Papua to view and learn about the current human rights situation," they added.

They also demanded that the government and development agencies in Papua reassess some policies in place, such as expanding force deployments, which they say leads to more violence and state persecution.

 

Everywhere there are shootings of civilians. There is no transparent legal process to address such rights violations, let alone end them

 

"Some in government even accuse priests who speak out about human rights issues of being separatists," they claimed.

The clergymen expressed their sadness at the ongoing violence.

"There are shootings of civilians all over the place."
"There is no transparent legal framework in place to examine, let alone eliminate, such human rights violations," they stated.

Security troops allegedly following members of a rebel group destroyed hundreds of residences in Gunung Bintang district last month, they said.
Hundreds of people fled to neighbouring Papua New Guinea, according to the priests.

 

They also mentioned the killing of a two-year-old toddler and the injuring of a six-year-old child in a fight last month near a military checkpoint in Intan Jaya district between suspected separatist rebels and soldiers.

At least 60,000 Papuans have been displaced as a result of the violence, according to Gustaf Kawer, coordinator of the Association of Human Rights Advocates for Papua.

A spokesman for the priests, Father John Bunay, said they were advocating for Papuans whose lives were always under danger.

On Nov. 17, he told UCA News, "What they wish for and what we feel is important is to develop a peaceful land in Papua."