The government of Indonesia is continuing to move
forward with building a military base (KODIM 1810) in
the rural area of Tambrauw West Papua without
consultation or permission from the Indigenous
landowners who call this ancestral land their home. More
than 90% of Tambrauw residents are traditional farmers
and fishermen who depend on the land and environment for
their survival, and the development of the military base
would increase militarism against community members and
threaten their long-term health and sustainability.
In this email below, local lawyer and resident of
Tambrauw, Yohanis Mambrasar, tells us firsthand what is
happening in Tambrauw and how we can help end the militarism devastating their
otherwise peaceful and safe community:
"My name is Yohanis Mambrasar, I am a
lawyer and a resident of Tambrauw, West Papua. The
people of Tambrauw appointed me as their legal counsel
when we began our protest against the construction of
a new military base Kodim in Tambrauw.
"The people of Tambrauw have long
experienced military violence from the TNI (Indonesian
National Army). I experienced military violence first
hand in 2012, while my parents experienced TNI
violence in the 1960s-1980s when Papua was designated
as a military operation area.
Yohanis
Mambrasar at a rally to stop the development of a
military base in Tambrauw
"In 2008 our homeland was re-zoned and
named Tambrauw Regency. This is when military violence
against us began again. Under Indonesian rule the
military is deeply involved in development and other
civilian affairs, to the point of creating policies
that regulate and suppress citizens who are demanding
their rights. The involvement of the military in
regulating and limiting civil rights in society
frequently leads to violence against the people. In
the last four years alone we have recorded 31 cases of
military violence against civilians in just 5
districts.
"Currently, the TNI and the Government are
planning to build a new military base, the 1810
Tambrauw Kodim, and the TNI has mobilized hundreds of
troops to Tambrauw.
Yohanis
Mambrasar
"We, the residents of Tambrauw, do not
agree with the presence of the TNI in Tambrauw. We
held a consultation among community leaders -
Traditional Leaders, Church Leaders, Women Leaders,
Youth and Students - and we are united in our
rejection of the construction of the 1810 Kodim and
all its supporting units. We have even submitted our
decision directly to TNI and the government, but TNI
insists on building the Kodim and its supporting
units.
"We don't want any more military
violence against our citizens. We also don't want the
presence of the military to facilitate the arrival of
investment in our area that can steal our natural
resources and destroy the forests where we live.
"We Tambrauw people want to live in peace
on our ancestral land. We have a culture of social
relations and rules of life that govern our lives in
an orderly and peaceful manner. The culture and rules
of life that we adhere to have proven to create a
harmonious and balanced life for us Tambrauw people
and the natural environment in which we live.
"We need your help to stop this
militarisation of our homeland. Please lend your
support to help the people of Tambrauw stop the
construction of a new military base, and get the
military out of Tambrauw."
Fef, Tambrauw, West Papua
Yohanis Mambrasar, FIMTCD Collective
All donations made will be split evenly between the
Tambrauw Indigenous community and World BEYOND War to
fund our work opposing military bases. Specific expenses
for the community include transportation of elders
coming from distributed remote areas, food, printing and
photocopying of materials, rental of a projector and
sound system, and other overhead costs.
Make it a recurring donation at any
monthly level and from now until the end of August, a
generous donor will donate $250 directly to World BEYOND
War to help sustain the movement to abolish war once and
for all.
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original text in Indonesian:
Pernyataan Menolak Pembangunan
Kodim Di Tambrauw
Nama Saya Yohanis Mambrasar, saya
merupakan warga Tambrauw, Papua Barat. Saya juga
berprofesi sebagai Advokat dan ditunjuk oleh warga
Tambrauw sebagai Kuasa Hukum dalam protes warga
menolak pembangunan Kodim di Tambrauw.
Saya dan warga Tambrauw telah lama
mengalami kekersan militer TNI (Tentara Nasional
Indonesia). Saya perna mengalami kekerasan oleh TNI
pada Tahun 2012, Sedangkan para orang tua saya telah
mengalami kekerasan TNI pada Tahun 1966-1980-an kala
Papua ditetapkan sebagai daerah operasi militer.
Ketika daerah kami dibentuk menjadi daerah
administrasi pemerintah baru pada Tahun 2008 dalam
bentuk Kabupaten Tambrauw, kekerasan militer terhadap
kami kembali terjadi lagi. Pemerintah mendatangkan
militer ke daerah kami dengan dalil untuk mendukung
pemerinta dalam melakukan pembangunan. Dengan dalil
ini lah militer dilibatkan dalam urusan-urusan
pembangunan mapun urusan warga, militer pun membuat
kebijakan mengatur warga dan bahkan membatasi warga
ketika menuntut hak-haknya, Keterlibatan militer dalam
urusan-urusan pembangunan dan warga dengan mengatur
dan membatasi warga ini lah terjadi kekerasan terhadap
warga. Dalam empat tahun terakhir saja sejak Tahun
2018 sampai saat ini kami mencatat telah terjadi 31
Kasus kekerasan militer terhadap warga sipil yang
terjadi di 5 Distrik, ini belum terhitung kasus-kasus
kekerasan yang terjadi pada distrik-distrik lainnya.
Saat ini, TNI dan Pemerintah merencanakan
membangun Kodim 1810 Tambrauw, bahkan TNI telah
memobilisasi ratusan pasukannya ke Tambrauw. Kebijakan
memobilisasi pasukan TNI ke Tambaruw ini dilalakuan
tanpa adanya kesepakatan dengan kami warga Tambrauw.
Kami warga Tambrauw tidak sepakat dengan
kehadiran TNI di Tambrauw, kami menolak pembangunan
Kodim 1810 Tambrauw, bersama satuan-satuan
pendukungnya yaitu Koramil-Koramil, Babinsa-Babinsa
dan SATGAS. Kami telah melakukan musyawara bersama
diantara pimpinan-pimpinan masyarakat : Pimpinan Adat,
Pimpinan Gereja, Tokoh-Tokoh Perempuan, Pemuda dan
Mahasiswa, kami telah bersepakat bersama bahwa kami
warga menolak Pembangunan Kodim 1810 dan seluruh
satuan pendukungnnya. Kami bahkan telah menyerahkan
keputusan kami dimaksud secara langsung kepada pihak
TNI dan pihak Pemerintah, namun TNI tetap saja
memaksakan membangun Kodim dan satuan-satuan
pendukungnya.
Kami warga Tambrauw menolak pembangunan
Kodim dan seluruh satuan pendukungnya karena kami
tidak mau terjadi lagi kekerasan militer terhadap
warga Kami, kami juga tidak mau dengan hadirnya
militer dapat menfasilitasi datangnya Investasi
didaerah kami yang dapat mencuri sumber daya alam kami
dan merusak hutan tempat kami hidup.
Kami warga Tambrauw ingin hidup damai di
atas tanah leluhur kami, kami memiliki kebudayaan
dalam berelasi sosial dan aturan-aturan hidup yang
mengatur hidup kami secara teratur, tertip dan damai.
Kebudayaan dan aturan-aturan hidup yang kami anut
selama ini telah terbukti menciptakan tatanan hidup
yang baik dalam kehidupan bermasyarakat dan
menciptakan keseimbangan hidup yang baik bagi kami
masyarakat Tambrauw dan lingkungan alam tempat kami
hidup.
Demikian perntayaan ini saya buat, saya
mohon dukungan dari semua pihak agar membantu saya dan
warga Tambrauw membatalkan kebijakan pembangunan Kodim
dan kehadiran militer di Tambrauw.
Fef, Kabupaten Tambrauw, 10
Mei 2021
Salam
Yohanis Mambrasar, Kolektif
FIMTCD
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Sent:
Monday, July 19, 2021 6:52 PM
Subject:
"We need your help to stop the militarism in our
homeland"
With your support,
we can help end the militarism in Tambrauw
| | | |