More than 500 people have been arrested in West Papua after protests on the 55th anniversary of the Indonesian military occupation of the region last week.
TeleSUR English reported that a total of 528 people were arrested by Indonesian authorities, with at least one report of a protester being tortured by security forces. Several children are also thought to be amongst those detained.
West Papua independence leader Benny Wenda said in a statement that in “this year alone over 4,800 people have been unlawfully arrested and many others killed and tortured by the Indonesian military and police”.
The protest, which saw thousands of people march in 15 different locations, also called for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) to become a member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG). Activists hope that membership to the intergovernmental organisation will provide increasing momentum to the West Papua independence movement, with several MSG members having spoken out against Indonesian abuses in the region.
See more from TeleSUR English here and here.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
