🐚 The Saltwater Series ~ Stories from the Pacific
“Shining light on the silenced stories of West Papua and the Pacific”
⋆₊𓇼࿐𖦹˖ ࣪⭑ Morning Star Rising- What’s Happening in West Papua Today?⋆｡˚⋆ Part 3: Why I’m Not Going to Bali and Why You Shouldn’t Either: Do You Know What’s Happening Right Next Door in West Papua?
Since Indonesia took control, West Papuans have faced:
Displacement from their native lands
Rape and other forms of sexual assault by military and police used as a method of torture
Military violence, disappearances, killings
Arrests for simply raising the Morning Star flag
Environmental destruction by mining companies (like Freeport)
West Papua voices are often silenced, where foreign media & NGOs are often banned from reporting
Just recently on the 13th of May 2025, the Indonesian military carried out a brutal operation in Intan Jaya’s Sugapa and Hitadipa districts of West Papua. Soldiers fired at random, killing civilians. Among the dead civilians included a child, two women (Hetina Mirip and Tapamina Tapani), and a 75-year-old elder. One of the women was buried in a shallow grave, surrounded by landmines to prevent her family from mourning.
Over 1,000 villagers fled the violence, joining more than 87,000 West Papuans already displaced by military campaigns. Despite this, Indonesia claimed all 18 victims were "KKB” short for Kelompok Kriminal Bersenjata (Armed Criminal Group), a label the government uses to justify violence and avoid taking accountability for civilian deaths. In reality, many of those killed were unarmed villagers.
This violence is not random it's tied to economic interests. Intan Jaya is home to the Wabu Block, a massive gold reserve the size of Jakarta. Military operations often clear Indigenous land for mining and industrial projects, forcing Papuans out.
This is not an isolated incident it’s part of an ongoing pattern of violence that is happening right now, not just history. Indigenous Papuan activists are still risking everything to speak out, and they need global solidarity more than ever.