Indonesia strongly denies use of chemical weapons & white phosphorus again Papuans

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Indonesia authorities have strongly denied the use of chemical weapons or white phosphorus against West Papuans as claimed by the Leader of Opposition, Matthew Wale.

Wale this week issued an urgent call for an international investigation into serious allegations that the Indonesian military has once again deployed chemical weapons, specifically white phosphorus, against innocent West Papuans in Kiwirok.

He said these grave allegations, detailed in Frontier War, include testimonies from West Papuans describing fatalities consistent with the known effects of white phosphorus.

But the Indonesian government’s Head of the Public Information Bureau of the National Police’s Public Relations Division, Brigadier General (Pol) Dedi Prasetyo, has strongly denied the use of phosphorus bombs or chemical weapons.

He said only smoke grenades and tear gas were used.

“There were no bombs, they were smoke grenades and tear gas,” he said.

Dedi explained the information by the Western media was purely propaganda without out any verification or evidence.

The Indonesian National Police (Polri) has appealed to the Papuan people to be aware of propaganda spread by the Armed Criminal Group (KKB) adding KKB reportedly spread fake news about the threat of genocide against indigenous Papuans by the TNI-Polri.

Kaops Damai Cartenz, Brig. Gen. Faizal Ramadhani, emphasized that this information is baseless and aims to provoke and instill fear in the community.

He added that the TNI-Polri remains consistent in protecting all citizens, including indigenous Papuans, from all forms of threats, including criminal acts committed by the KKB.

“That is hoax news because it is an unfounded propaganda and aims to provoke and cause fear in the community,” said Faizal, in Jayapura last Saturday.

“The news is untrue and has no basis. In fact, the narrative conveyed is apropaganda to spread, incite, and generate hatred against the TNI-Polri,” said Faizal, who also emphasized that the TNI-Polri remains consistent in protecting all people, including indigenous Papuans, from all forms of threats, including from criminal acts committed by KKB.

Moreover, he added, it is the duty of the TNI-Polri to protect all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or class.

Indonesian authorities have also clarified the claims about the Humanitarian Evacuation Team from the Nduga Regional Government, Papua that was claimed to have been taken hostage by TNI-Polri troops in Yigi District, Nduga. They labelled the allegation as false – stating it was part of a propaganda used by the Free Papua Organization (OPM).

“If there are fatalities in Nduga, they are not civilians but KKB members,” they explained.

“We will continue to carry out operations with a measured and humanist legal approach to create security in the Land of Papua,” said Faizal.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Papua Lukas Enembe has also clarified that he has supported the steps taken by the TNI/Polri in carrying out law enforcement efforts against the Armed Criminal Group (KKB).

The Governor has asked for the presence of the TNI-Polri for security purpose.

Developing of Papuans

Meanwhile, Indonesian authorities say under President Joko Widodo’s leadership, the development in Papua has seen significant progress, especially in infrastructure.

Hendrina Dian Kandipi, Head of ANTARA’s Papua Bureau, highlighted major developments, such as improved road access, new office complexes, and a better governmental service system.

She noted that infrastructure development has significantly reduced travel time, with a bridge cutting the time to the border from three hours to just one hour.

Additionally, markets for local vendors, such as the Mama Papua market, and various social programs like scholarships and health cards for free health services were established.

The development also included youth facilities like the Papua Youth Creative Hub (PYCH).

Moreover, the construction of the Lukas Enembe Stadium for the recent PON (National Games) event and the strengthening of local SMEs and malls for youth engagement were key aspects of this progress.

Also, the Indonesian Deputy Minister of Home Affairs John Wempi Wetipo said the government is consistently overseeing the acceleration of development in the Papua Mountains Province.

He revealed that various strategic have been taking including the facilitation ofbudget allocation through budget shifts and changes to the Regional Budget (APBD) of the Papua Mountains Province to meet regional needs and priorities.

Through this effort, it is hoped that development in the Papua Mountains Province can run smoothly and meet the needs of the local community.