Pebriansyah Ariefana – The situation remains tense at the Papuan student dormitory on Jl. Kalasan Surabaya in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya after it was raided by security personnel.
Surabaya Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) public defender Muhammad Soleh said that the Papuan student dormitory has been surrounded by security personnel since yesterday evening, Friday July 6.
“Prior to this, at around 7pm, there were several intel (intelligence officers) who were monitoring [the dormitory]. Between 7.30pm and 10pam, security personnel from the Satpol PP [public order agency], police and TNI [Indonesian military] tried to force their way in on the grounds that they were conducting a check on registrations and IDs [yustisi operation], so they said”, Soleh told Suara.com.
Soleh and a Papuan student representative at the dormitory questioned Tambaksari sub-district head Ridwan Mubarun, who coincidentally was at the location, about the warrant for the operation.
“We asked if they had a warrant, and they replied we’re from the administration, so we don’t need one. I answered, oh you can’t be like that Pak [Mr], if this is indeed a yustisi operation, why is it only against our Papuan friends and not other people”, he added.
While conducting the yustisi operation, the police and military officers broke a table and used foul language. One of the students was even sexually harassed.
“Several of the officers who came used inappropriate language, some smashed up a table. And me and one other student from Surabaya were dragged away, and that student friend said they were sexually harassed by one of the officers”, he said.
Nevertheless, the Papuan students have offered to meet with Mubarun the next day. “The Papuan students said please let’s discuss it, but on the condition there are no security officers”, he explained. (Dimas Angga P)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was Polisi dan Tentara Kepung Asrama Mahasiswa Papua di Surabaya.]
