All Tribes in Manokwari to Issue Peace Declaration

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Representatives of all tribes in Manokwari District, West Papua Province will issue a peace declaration on Wednesday to help restore security following a violent rally protesting alleged racist slurs against Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java.

"We will organize the activity to issue a peace declaration on Wednesday. All elements of the community and all tribes will be involved. To be sure, all state civil apparatuses must be present," Assistant for Administrative Affairs to the West Papua Provincial Government Musa Kamudi said in Manokwari, Monday. The provincial government hoped that the peace declaration would expedite the restoration of security in the capital of the West Papua Province, he said.

All businesses in Manokwari which is the center of economic activities in the province were disrupted in the aftermath of the riot in August 19, he said.

"In the past couple of weeks, almost all government services have been affected. Rumors about the demonstration spread so quickly that state and civil apparatuses were reluctant to come to offices for security reasons. With the peace declaration, we hope everything will return to normal," he said.

Before issuing the peace declaration, the participants will march from Percetakan Street to Borarsi Square at Jenderal Sudirman Street in Manokwari. During the event, some participants will deliver a peace-loving declaration and representatives of five different faiths will recite prayers.

"Residents who have no other activities can be present. We will keep coordinating with the Provincial Police and the Provincial Military Command to discuss the security arrangements during the event," he said.

In related developments, the government and people of Raja Ampat District in West Papua Province have pledged to preserve security and peace in the district which is a global tourist destination.

The commitment was made at a function marking the declaration of "Raja Ampat Loves Peace" at the yard of the Raja Ampat district head's office in the district capital of Waisa Monday.

Raja Ampat District Head Abdul Faris Umlati, Regional Secretary Yusf Salim, Chief of the Police Resort Adjunct Senior Commissioner Edy Setianto Erning Wibowo, Chief of the District Military Command 1805 Major A. Y Padang, regional apparatuses, students, and local people were present at the event.

Umlati read out the text of the peace declaration that appealed to the locals to love one another irrespective of their ethnicity and religion; have mutual respect for the district’s residents; offer mutual help to fellow residents, and denounce violent demonstrations in any form that lead to disintegration, vandalism, looting, and violence.

The participants also supported and trusted the government and law enforcement agencies to initiate legally processes against the perpetrators of racist slurs, vandalism, and looting, as well as ethnicity-, religion-, and race-related cases.

They also pledged to keep the Unitary Republic of Indonesia intact and always pray to God Almighty for the security and peace of Raja Ampat, West Papua, in particular, and Indonesia, in general.

The declaration mirrored the blessings bestowed upon Papua and the love for peace among the people of Papua, particularly Raja Ampat, Umlati noted.

He appealed to everyone in the community to maintain peace and order so that Raja Ampat can set an example not only for the Papuan people but also for the global community.

Alleged racist slurs against Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java, on August 16, set off a chain of violent rallies in several parts of Papua and West Papua.

In the West Papua provincial capital of Manokwari, a rally turned violent August 19, with some protesters torching a local parliamentary building and tires in several parts of the city.

Another violent demonstration erupted in the Papua provincial capital of Jayapura August 29. The brutal demonstrators went on a rampage, setting ablaze several government buildings.

The police have alleged that Papuan separatist Benny Wenda was the mastermind behind the riots, supposedly disseminating hoaxes and attempting to provoke on social media the leaders of states in the Pacific region.

ANTARA