The West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda denies he and other activists are behind violent riots in the region.
Indonesian police on Monday arrested Buchtar Tabuni, a member of the executive committee of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.
Authorities blame Mr Tabuni and other leading West Papuan activists for widespread protests, which Papuans say were sparked by racist abuse against them.
The Liberation Movement's leader, Mr Wenda, has also been named a criminal suspect and told Mackenzie Smith Mr Tabuni's arrest was a shock.
The West Papuan independence campaigner Benny Wenda at the Pacific Islands Forum summit in Tuvalu, 2019.
Photo: RNZ / Jamie Tahana
Transcript
Benny Wenda: This is a very shocking news as, when I hear this because Indonesia, yeah you can see the situation in West Papua from actual information, what's coming out is nothing to do with Buchtar and treason. They accused Buchtar [of starting] this riot. But Buchtar wasn't there. And now they accuse him. ULMWP never make any statement. Buchtar Tabuni or any ULMWP member in West Papua, they always maintain the peacefully. And now they accuse him as part of these riots. So, this is just dragging the attention from what Indonesians are doing like from discrimination, racist words, and then secondly, Indonesia killing six people in Deiyai and divert all the attention to arresting all the activists.
Mackenzie Smith: And you yourself have also been targeted and named as someone who instigated these riots. Is that true?
BW: You know, this Indonesia is just laughing at myself because this is the typical Indonesia from the beginning. Everyone West Papuan has been coming out on the street peacefully, they [Indonesia] always stigmatise as different level like myself. Who is started in Jakarta, Surabaya racist, racial discrimination toward West Papuan and involving military and police and militia group and they started and then also secondly, they killing the West Papuan in Deiyai, six people were killed. More and more people have been arrested today. Almost 80 people been arrested across West Papua. It's just activists came out spontaneously because Indonesian call them a monkey. So, if you call us monkey we want to independent, free from you. Otherwise we always ... stigmatise us. This is like a spark. 57 years spark.
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