Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission on Monday issued sharp criticism of military operations in Papua as it pursues an investigation into the deaths of 12 civilians during a security action earlier this month. The commission reported that the fatalities - which included women and children - occurred on April 14 in central Papua, and that dozens of other civilians sustained serious injuries.
Commission chief Anis Hidayah condemned the operation in a public statement, saying the enforcement activity against Papuan separatists resulted in civilian casualties. She reminded authorities that attacks on civilians, by either state or non-state actors, constitute violations of human rights and International Humanitarian Law, and called on the military to reassess its approach to operations against rebels.
The commission has opened an inquiry into the events that produced the civilian deaths, but it says it is not yet clear whether the victims were struck by fire from Indonesian forces, rebel fighters, or a combination of both.
Representatives of the military in Papua said they had not received information concerning civilian fatalities during the period in question. At the same time, a Papuan rebel group has asserted that military operations led to the deaths of 12 civilians.
The operation in question was carried out by the military's Habema taskforce on April 14 in the Puncak region after taskforce personnel received reports from villagers about the presence of armed rebels in their community, according to Habema spokesperson Wirya Arthadiguna.
Wirya told authorities that four rebels were killed during the engagement in Kembru village. He also reported a separate incident in a nearby village in which a child died from a gunshot wound. According to the taskforce, no military personnel were present at that village at the time of the child's shooting, and the two incidents occurred at different locations and times and are not connected.
Resource-rich Papua, which is home to the world's second-largest gold and copper mine, has long been the location of an active separatist movement since the territory was incorporated under Indonesian control following a 1969 United Nations-supervised vote. The commission's investigation and the differing accounts between military spokespeople and rebel claims add to the immediate uncertainty surrounding who was responsible for the civilian deaths.
For now, the National Human Rights Commission has urged the military to reconsider the conduct and oversight of operations in the region while it continues its inquiry.