Papua: soldier damage St Mary Magdalene Parish Church
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Indonesian security forces broke down the front door of St Mary Magdalene Parish Church in Paniai Regency, Papua, a province in eastern Indonesia that is rich in oil and minerals.
The desecration of the sacred place took place at the end of a Sunday Mass as part of a joint national police-army operation against arms trafficking involving a local separatist group.
According to local activists, early on Sunday 4 August, soldiers surprised the local Catholic community by ordering them to feed some pigs, not unusual among native Papuans who traditionally breed pigs. Meanwhile, the security forces inspected the parish church but came up empty handed.
An officer ordered a parishioner to open the doors to the sacristy, where vestments and other sacred objects are kept. However, because finding the key was taking its time, one of the soldiers decided to kick down the door. Nothing was found in the building's attic and basement, no weapons, ammunitions or explosives.
The soldiers eventually went away, leaving parishioners under shock, bewildered and angry for the damages caused to their place of worship.
In 2001, Indonesian authorities adopted a law granting the province "special autonomy". In practice though, the law has never been implemented and indigenous Papuans are still complaining of "unfair treatment".
When Indonesia's first president Sukarno was in power, Papua was placed under temporary Indonesian control in accordance with an agreement brokered by the United Nations. Eventually, this led to the territory's annexation by Indonesia in 1969.
In time, the iron fist used by the Suharto regime (1967-1998) and the massive invasion of Indonesian companies and foreign multinationals gave rise to a separatist movement.
Former President Abdurrahman Wahid confirmed the province's current name of Papua in 2002.
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20/11/2017 09:54
10/11/2017 10:22
