{"id":51336,"date":"2021-02-23T23:30:57","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T23:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=166070"},"modified":"2021-02-23T23:30:57","modified_gmt":"2021-02-23T23:30:57","slug":"west-papua-needs-urgent-red-cross-intervention-over-crisis-says-wenda-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/02\/23\/west-papua-needs-urgent-red-cross-intervention-over-crisis-says-wenda-2\/","title":{"rendered":"West Papua needs urgent Red Cross intervention over crisis, says Wenda"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>A Catholic priest from Bilogai parish, Father Yustinus Rahangiar, and several civil servants in Intan Jaya, accompany local residents to take wounded Janus Bagau (lying on the stretcher) to the community health center. Image: Suara Papua.<\/div>\n
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Asia Pacific Report<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The Indonesian state is causing a renewed humanitarian crisis in West Papua. Three young West Papuan men have been murdered by the Indonesian military in Intan Jaya Regency, and hundreds of residents have now fled the area in fear.<\/p>\n

Indonesia must urgently allow the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights into West Papua, says the leader of a \u201cprovisional\u201d Papuan government.<\/p>\n

The authorities in Jakarta have been blamed for \u201ccausing a renewed humanitarian crisis\u201d.<\/p>\n

Benny Wenda, interim president of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua provisional government, said in a statement that three young Papuan men had been murdered<\/a> by the Indonesian military in Intan Jaya regency.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of residents had now \u201cfled the area in fear\u201d.<\/p>\n

Wenda also called on Pacific nations to pay close attention to what was happening in West Papua.<\/p>\n

The three men, Janius Bagau were, Justinus Bagau and Soni Bagau, were alleged to have been tortured and killed on February 15<\/a> in a health centre where one of them was receiving treatment after being shot in the arm by a soldier.<\/p>\n

Amnesty statement of concern<\/strong>
Amnesty Indonesia has issued an urgent statement<\/a> of concern over the killings.<\/p>\n

\u201cFearing more acts of violence, at least 600 men, women and children<\/a> have been displaced by the military\u2019s actions, seeking shelter in a Catholic compound,\u201d said the statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey join over 50,000 West Papuans internally displaced<\/a> by Indonesian operations since December 2018. Over 400 have died<\/a> from a lack of medical treatment and supplies. Indonesia is ethnically cleansing<\/a> my people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wenda said that people displaced by the operations would have no access to healthcare.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey cannot tend to their crops. The children cannot go to school. In the middle of a pandemic, Indonesia continues to kill us West Papuans and force us from our homes by our thousands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Indonesian state has imposed martial law<\/a>, using the covid-19 crisis as a cover to conduct military operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the West Papua Council of Churches, the four Protestant denominations in our nation, put it in a statement on February 5, \u2018The Land of Papua has become a military operation area\u2019.<\/p>\n

International monitoring<\/strong>
The ULMWP provisional government<\/a> demanded that Indonesia immediately allow the international community into West Papua to assist civilians affected by military operations. It said:<\/p>\n