Dear John,

The government of Indonesia is continuing to move forward with building a military base (KODIM 1810) in the rural area of Tambrauw West Papua without consultation or permission from the Indigenous landowners who call this ancestral land their home. More than 90% of Tambrauw residents are traditional farmers and fishermen who depend on the land and environment for their survival, and the development of the military base would increase militarism against community members and threaten their long-term health and sustainability.

In this email below, local lawyer and resident of Tambrauw, Yohanis Mambrasar, tells us firsthand what is happening in Tambrauw and how we can help end the militarism devastating their otherwise peaceful and safe community:

"My name is Yohanis Mambrasar, I am a lawyer and a resident of Tambrauw, West Papua. The people of Tambrauw appointed me as their legal counsel when we began our protest against the construction of a new military base Kodim in Tambrauw.

"The people of Tambrauw have long experienced military violence from the TNI (Indonesian National Army). I experienced military violence first hand in 2012, while my parents experienced TNI violence in the 1960s-1980s when Papua was designated as a military operation area.

Yohanis Mambrasar at a rally to stop the development of a military base in Tambrauw

"In 2008 our homeland was re-zoned and named Tambrauw Regency. This is when military violence against us began again. Under Indonesian rule the military is deeply involved in development and other civilian affairs, to the point of creating policies that regulate and suppress citizens who are demanding their rights. The involvement of the military in regulating and limiting civil rights in society frequently leads to violence against the people. In the last four years alone we have recorded 31 cases of military violence against civilians in just 5 districts.

"Currently, the TNI and the Government are planning to build a new military base, the 1810 Tambrauw Kodim, and the TNI has mobilized hundreds of troops to Tambrauw.

Yohanis Mambrasar

"We, the residents of Tambrauw, do not agree with the presence of the TNI in Tambrauw. We held a consultation among community leaders - Traditional Leaders, Church Leaders, Women Leaders, Youth and Students - and we are united in our rejection of the construction of the 1810 Kodim and all its supporting units. We have even submitted our decision directly to TNI and the government, but TNI insists on building the Kodim and its supporting units.

"We don't want any more military violence against our citizens. We also don't want the presence of the military to facilitate the arrival of investment in our area that can steal our natural resources and destroy the forests where we live.

"We Tambrauw people want to live in peace on our ancestral land. We have a culture of social relations and rules of life that govern our lives in an orderly and peaceful manner. The culture and rules of life that we adhere to have proven to create a harmonious and balanced life for us Tambrauw people and the natural environment in which we live.

"We need your help to stop this militarisation of our homeland. Please lend your support to help the people of Tambrauw stop the construction of a new military base, and get the military out of Tambrauw."

Fef, Tambrauw, West Papua

Yohanis Mambrasar, FIMTCD Collective

All donations made will be split evenly between the Tambrauw Indigenous community and World BEYOND War to fund our work opposing military bases. Specific expenses for the community include transportation of elders coming from distributed remote areas, food, printing and photocopying of materials, rental of a projector and sound system, and other overhead costs.

Make it a recurring donation at any monthly level and from now until the end of August, a generous donor will donate $250 directly to World BEYOND War to help sustain the movement to abolish war once and for all.

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original text in Indonesian:

Pernyataan Menolak Pembangunan Kodim Di Tambrauw

Nama Saya Yohanis Mambrasar, saya merupakan warga Tambrauw, Papua Barat. Saya juga berprofesi sebagai Advokat dan ditunjuk oleh warga Tambrauw sebagai Kuasa Hukum dalam protes warga menolak pembangunan Kodim di Tambrauw.

Saya dan warga Tambrauw telah lama mengalami kekersan militer TNI (Tentara Nasional Indonesia). Saya perna mengalami kekerasan oleh TNI pada Tahun 2012, Sedangkan para orang tua saya telah mengalami kekerasan TNI pada Tahun 1966-1980-an kala Papua ditetapkan sebagai daerah operasi militer.

Ketika daerah kami dibentuk menjadi daerah administrasi pemerintah baru pada Tahun 2008 dalam bentuk Kabupaten Tambrauw, kekerasan militer terhadap kami kembali terjadi lagi. Pemerintah mendatangkan militer ke daerah kami dengan dalil untuk mendukung pemerinta dalam melakukan pembangunan. Dengan dalil ini lah militer dilibatkan dalam urusan-urusan pembangunan mapun urusan warga, militer pun membuat kebijakan mengatur warga dan bahkan membatasi warga ketika menuntut hak-haknya, Keterlibatan militer dalam urusan-urusan pembangunan dan warga dengan mengatur dan membatasi warga ini lah terjadi kekerasan terhadap warga. Dalam empat tahun terakhir saja sejak Tahun 2018 sampai saat ini kami mencatat telah terjadi 31 Kasus kekerasan militer terhadap warga sipil yang terjadi di 5 Distrik, ini belum terhitung kasus-kasus kekerasan yang terjadi pada distrik-distrik lainnya.

Saat ini, TNI dan Pemerintah merencanakan membangun Kodim 1810 Tambrauw, bahkan TNI telah memobilisasi ratusan pasukannya ke Tambrauw. Kebijakan memobilisasi pasukan TNI ke Tambaruw ini dilalakuan tanpa adanya kesepakatan dengan kami warga Tambrauw.

Kami warga Tambrauw tidak sepakat dengan kehadiran TNI di Tambrauw, kami menolak pembangunan Kodim 1810 Tambrauw, bersama satuan-satuan pendukungnya yaitu Koramil-Koramil, Babinsa-Babinsa dan SATGAS. Kami telah melakukan musyawara bersama diantara pimpinan-pimpinan masyarakat : Pimpinan Adat, Pimpinan Gereja, Tokoh-Tokoh Perempuan, Pemuda dan Mahasiswa, kami telah bersepakat bersama bahwa kami warga menolak Pembangunan Kodim 1810 dan seluruh satuan pendukungnnya. Kami bahkan telah menyerahkan keputusan kami dimaksud secara langsung kepada pihak TNI dan pihak Pemerintah, namun TNI tetap saja memaksakan membangun Kodim dan satuan-satuan pendukungnya.

Kami warga Tambrauw menolak pembangunan Kodim dan seluruh satuan pendukungnya karena kami tidak mau terjadi lagi kekerasan militer terhadap warga Kami, kami juga tidak mau dengan hadirnya militer dapat menfasilitasi datangnya Investasi didaerah kami yang dapat mencuri sumber daya alam kami dan merusak hutan tempat kami hidup.

Kami warga Tambrauw ingin hidup damai di atas tanah leluhur kami, kami memiliki kebudayaan dalam berelasi sosial dan aturan-aturan hidup yang mengatur hidup kami secara teratur, tertip dan damai. Kebudayaan dan aturan-aturan hidup yang kami anut selama ini telah terbukti menciptakan tatanan hidup yang baik dalam kehidupan bermasyarakat dan menciptakan keseimbangan hidup yang baik bagi kami masyarakat Tambrauw dan lingkungan alam tempat kami hidup.

Demikian perntayaan ini saya buat, saya mohon dukungan dari semua pihak agar membantu saya dan warga Tambrauw membatalkan kebijakan pembangunan Kodim dan kehadiran militer di Tambrauw.

Fef, Kabupaten Tambrauw, 10 Mei 2021

Salam

Yohanis Mambrasar, Kolektif FIMTCD

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