The Indonesian province formerly known as Irian Jaya, one of the most traditional areas in the world, is a tragic example of genocide ignored, where the forces of "civilization" are wiping out the native peoples for their resources, out of sight of the rest of the world. An American mining company, Freeport McMoRan, is playing a large role in this genocide.
Information dense, I know, but first a one-paragraph history -
Irian Jaya, known to its native inhabitants as West Papua, and since 2003 consisting of two provinces officially known as Papua and West Papua, is the western half of the world's second largest island, New Guinea. Formerly a Dutch colony, the Dutch government began to prepare Netherlands New Guinea for full independence and allowed elections in 1959. However, Indonesia, formerly the Dutch East Indies until the Declaration of Independence and revolution of 1945, maintained a claim on Netherlands New Guinea. (The eastern half of the island was claimed by Britain and Germany until WW1 when Australia seized Germany's portion; it was a territory until Papua New Guinea achieved independence in 1975). In 1962 the Netherlands and Indonesia signed the "New York agreement", under which Netherlands New Guinea would be placed under U.N administration until the inhabitants could vote on independence or becoming a part of Indonesia. In August 1969, through the "Act of Free Choice", Netherlands New Guinea became a part of Indonesia. The Act of Free Choice was a vote by 1,022 men and women selected by the Indonesian military. The vote was unanimous.
And this is the heart of the dispute. Can a "nation" of 800,000 people honestly be said to have freely relinquished their sovereignty through the vote of a thousand people chosen by the country hoping to annex them? Particularly when the majority continued to live their traditional lifestyles, unaware that Western civilization even existed? Picture a man dressed in only a penis gourd, with boars tusks through his nose, a feather headband, and carrying a bow or spear. This would be the typical resident at the time. This is how the elders still dress today.
Indonesia is the most densely populated nation in the world, and one of the poorest. A country of 250,000,000 people, it desperately needs the land and, more importantly, resources of Papua for its burgeoning population. The territory represents nearly a quarter of Indonesia, and is a major source of oil, Indonesia's largest export, timber, copper, and gold.
Even prior to annexation, Indonesia engaged in a brutal campaign to suppress political dissent - with, as recently declassified documents show, U.S support (Surprise!). Since that time, the country has engaged in a program of colonization, resource extraction, elimination of native peoples, land seizures, and destruction of native cultures. Much like the old "Indian schools" of the United States, children must go to Indonesian schools, where they are taught that their cultures are primitive and bad, and they are indoctrinated in the belief systems of the conquering people. Between this and the loss of the land base necessary to sustain their traditional lifestyle, the native cultures are quickly being lost.
The provinces are highly militarized, patrolled by soldiers with automatic weapons to control dissent. Protestors are shot, tortured in the most brutal ways, mutilated, and "disappeared". All media is banned from entering the provinces. Speaking against Indonesian rule is considered treason.
Into this volatile situation, enter American mining company Freeport McMoRan. Their initial mine in Papua exploited the Ertsberg copper deposit, which had been discovered in 1936 by a Dutch geologist. Started in 1967, even prior to the annexation by Indonesia but under Indonesian consent, it officially opened in 1973 at a cost of $175 million. At an altitude of 14,000 feet in one of the world's most remote areas, it was considered the most difficult site to mine in the world. In 1977, the mine was attacked by Papuans displaced by the natural resource exploitation, causing tens of millions of dollars in damage. The Indonesian military responded by killing at least 800 people. Many Papuans cite this as both the beginning of the serious independence movement, and the beginning and center of the overt genocide on the native people.
By the mid-1980's the initial depost was depleted, but the much larger Grasburg deposit was located less than two miles away. The mile wide open pit Grasburg mine is the world's largest gold producer and third largest copper producer, annually delivering about 650 thousand tons of copper, 60 million grams of gold, and 175 million grams of silver - over eight billion dollars a year. To protect the site from the rightful owners, the company pays over seven million dollars a year to the Indonesian military for security. Although it denies responsibility for the actions of the military it hires, this funding is said to be a major support for, and resource extraction the primary rationale behind, the genocide being ruthlessly visited upon the Papuan people, particularly in the vicinity of Freeport McMoRan's mine.
I just watched the movie "Isolated", nominally a surf movie but actually a documentary of a group of surfers' encounter with the people of West Papua and their gradually growing understanding of the violence they are facing. The people plead for intervention from the community of nations, and particularly the United States.
I have personally been aware of the plight of the Papuans for many years, and shamefully have done nothing. My understanding was enhanced through information from a friend who sailed through there a couple of years ago. But watching "Isolated" moved me to tears. As a Native American, what I see are the same horrors visited on our people - the resource grab, the slaughter, the displacement, the destruction of many and varied cultures - in this day and age. I had to speak out, and this diary is the result. As a world power, the United States has an obligation to use its influence to prevent genocide. And as a State that was complicit in the seizure of Papua by Indonesia, we have a special responsibility in this case to right the wrongs we helped visit on these people. Genocide is a strong word, but that is exactly what is happening here - the intentional elimination of literally hundreds of cultures, with different customs, languages, and beliefs, to make room for millions of Indonesians being brought in to replace them. The actual torture and murder is just a symptom of the policy.
The makers of the film "Isolated" started a petition to the White House to address the human rights violations in West Papua. Take a moment to sign it. Watch the film (it's on Netflix). Spread the word, even if just by recommending this diary. Stop the genocide.