JAKARTA – Law enforcement officials in Indonesia deployed tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators in Papua province on Monday after approximately 800 people gathered to demand the removal of military forces from their region, according to local police authorities.
The demonstrations were sparked by a military operation conducted earlier this month that reportedly killed 15 individuals, including women and children, according to police spokesperson Cahyo Sukarnito.
The military action targeted armed independence fighters who have been seeking to separate the resource-abundant Papua region from Indonesian control since 1969, when a United Nations-supervised referendum placed the territory under Indonesian authority after more than 60 years of Dutch colonial administration.
Indonesia’s human rights monitoring organization confirmed the fatalities last week and urged government officials to reassess military activities in the area. Military officials have not yet acknowledged the reported deaths.
Protesters assembled at three separate sites in Jayapura, the provincial capital, before converging in the downtown area, Sukarnito explained. The demonstrators demanded government withdrawal of military personnel from Papua’s six provinces and an end to decades of regional violence.
“The deaths during recent military operations had sparked local anger,” Sukarnito told Reuters, acknowledging the connection between the casualties and the protest movement.
Violence erupted when demonstrators hurled rocks at law enforcement officers, prompting authorities to use crowd control measures. Five police officers sustained injuries during the confrontation, though no protester injuries were reported, according to Sukarnito.
Video footage from Tribun Papua, a local news outlet, captured police officers wearing protective equipment and carrying batons as they advanced toward the crowd.
After the initial violence subsided, the demonstrations resumed without further incident. Several regional legislators arrived at the scene to engage with protesters and hear their concerns directly.
The Papua region houses Grasberg, the world’s second-largest gold and copper mining operation, which operates under joint ownership between the Indonesian government and American mining corporation Freeport.
