Amid Crackdown, Indonesia Arrests Papuan Independence Leader
Victor Yeimo stands accused of organizing the wave of violent pro-independence protests that hit the region in August 2019.
May 11, 2021
Victor Yeimo as seen in a photo posted on his Facebook page on December 10, 2020.
Credit: Facebook/Victor Yeimo
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Indonesian authorities have arrested a Papuan independence leader for his alleged role in orchestrating a spate of civil unrest in 2019, the latest sign of the central government’s growing crackdown in the eastern region. According to a report by Reuters, Victor Yeimo, 38, was arrested in the provincial capital of Jayapura on Sunday, national police spokesperson Iqbal Alqudusy said.
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Indonesia is bolstering its military presence in disputed Papua province, following the assassination of a senior military officer on April 26.
On Sunday, Indonesian media outlets reportedthat the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) had deployed 400 members of the elite Infantry Battalion 315 to Papua after the completion of a month of special training at the end of April.
Nicknamed
pasukan setan, or “Satan’s forces” in Indonesian, the battalion has previously taken part in conflicts in East Timor and Aceh. A video, purported to feature the battalion executing a series of menacing drills on arrival in Papua, also surfaced on social media on May 1.