Anatomy of an Occupation: The Indonesian Military in West Papua

This report deals with a series of Indonesian military documents that were passed to the West Papua Project (WPP) in early 2011. The documents provide remarkable insights into how the Indonesian military (Tentara Nasional Indonesia - TNI), operates within the disputed territory of West Papua (disputed, that is, between the vast majority of Papuans and the Indonesian government), and how they view West Papuan civil society. The documents reveal the names and activities of Indonesian intelligence agents; describe how traditional Papuan communities are monitored; and include a detailed analysis of both the West Papuan armed guerrilla groups and the non-violent civil society organisations which promote self-determination. Identifying so many West Papuan leaders and others as "separatists", these documents effectively show that support for independence is widespread and surprisingly well organised. West Papuans have long complained of living under an Indonesian military "occupation" and these documents go a long way to substantiating this claim.