Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Sorong (Agenzia Fides) - More than five thousand people forced to abandon their homes following an army offensive in the Papuan district in Puncak Jaya have been living in the forest since last December in a situation of humanitarian emergency, according to NGOs present in the area.
The military offensive was triggered by the raising of an OPM flag. The OPM, Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM), a small separatist group is fighting for independence of Papua, the eastern most province of Indonesia annexed by Jakarta in 1969.
Seeing the advance of army and police forces, notorious for serious abuse on civilians, the people fled to the forest where they suffer have little or nothing to eat and risk infection by malaria and dengue.
Concern for the humanitarian crisis has been reiterated by religious organisation and human rights activists which continue to call attention to the situation of forgotten conflict in West Papua subjected to strong pressure by the Indonesian military.
At least 100,000 have died in a conflict which started in 1969. Following the collapse of peace talks when the OPM rejected an offer for limited autonomy for the province, a massive operation to uproot the separatists militias in the area was launched by the government.
West Papua’s rich gold, silver and copper resources are worked by foreign mining companies said to finance government troops. Other disputed resources include timber and natural gas. The lives of 300 indigenous ethnic groups in Papua are threatened by unregulated exploitation of resources, deforestation and continual arrival, with government incentives, of Javanese settlers. (PA) (Agenzia Fide 17/2/2007 righe 27 parole 243)
