Pamphlet on the Commemoration of Bloody Abepura (7 December 2000)

BUK has been preparing all year for this annual commemoration of Bloody Abepura, but today (Monday, 6 December, 2010) the police would not give permission for the commemoration activity to go forward. The reason given by the police was the unstable security situation in the city of Jayapura following the shooting death of a civilian by members of the security forces on 28 November 2010, in the Nafri village of Red Mountain. The incident began when members of the military (TNI) and the Police performed a sweeping, raiding a civilian house which they suspected was a TPN-OPM (Free Papua Movement) base. During the raid by security forces, one civilian tried to run and was shot dead. Eight other civilians were arrested and are still detained at Papuan Police headquarters (as of this writing – 6 Dcember 2010). Because the man killed was a member of a group which also includes political prisoners currently in Abepura Prison, the shooting is regarded by many as an intentional provocation, designed to anger the inmates of Abepura Prison. Indeed, the prisoners staged a protest about the shooting of their comrade. Political prisoners Filep Karma and Bucthar Tabuni, as well as 3 non-political prisoners, were transferred to Papua Police headquarters based on the suspicion that these 5 initiated the prisoner protest. Also, activist Seby Sambom was arrested at the Sentani (Jayapura) airport as he was preparing to depart for Jakarta at 08:30 on the morning of 3 December 2010. Seby Sambom was subsequently booked into the Narcotics Prison at Doyo, Sentani.