Jayapura – The Papua Representative Office of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) of the Republic of Indonesia commended the security forces for securing the demonstration in Jayapura City on Monday.
“The security forces are no longer being more repressive, but have chosen to adopt a softer approach, prioritizing dialogue. This needs to be done continuously in the future,” said Frits Ramandey, Head of the Papua Representative Office of Komnas HAM, in Jayapura on Monday.
According to Ramandey, his office also expressed its appreciation to the Jayapura City Police Chief for convincing the Papuan House of Representatives (DPRD) to meet directly with the demonstrators on the ground.
“We believe there has been a marked improvement in awareness during today’s demonstration. Although there was some chaos during the student protest, the intensity has decreased,” he said.
He hopes this approach will continue, especially in conveying aspirations, as fighting for human rights should not violate the human rights of others, such as public interest and security.
“And today, I think this action is a measure of how we convey our aspirations, so we need public support,” he added.
He said the important point of this action, from a human rights perspective, is that students send a strong moral message to the state that there are human rights issues in the Papua region that must be addressed.
“We cannot allow actions like this to go head-to-head with security forces on the ground. But today’s message is that the state must immediately respond to these issues, which cannot be ignored, and there must be a resolution process,” he said.
