Despite Reformist Image, Jokowi Stays Unfortunate Course in West Papua

A Papuan protest over the killings by Indonesian military at Paniai on Monday. Image: Merdeka

Mr Mote says the allocation of so many generals to command positions in Papua is out of proportion to its small population. 

"This is the island where you get the most of Indonesian generals will be based. Because two major generals for the commander of the armed forces and police; and then two other brigadier generals for chief of staff police and military; and then you have a brigadier general who leads the battalions."

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The Papuan Women Solidarity for Human Rights Defenders said the government had never provided counseling for the relatives of victims of violence each time it occurred in the country’s easternmost province. 

“Women losing their children and husbands in acts of violence should receive attention from the government by deploying a psychiatric team to help them recover. We have women whose children went to school. They expected a better future, but instead they found death and violence,” Sandra Mambrasar, an activist of the Papuan Women Solidarity for Human Rights Defenders, said on Friday.She added that the women affected continued to mourn for the victims when the bodies were laid out at Karel Gobay Field prior to their funeral. They women had even dug the graves themselves, she added. 

“The women are mourning. They went home in sorrow, without any attention from the government to help them recover,” she went on. 

“At a minimum, the presence of government officials during the funeral would’ve consoled the women,” she said.

More @ Jakarta Post