Police arrest Indonesian politician over racist slurs
Groups fear gorilla insult directed against Papuan activist could trigger ethnic unrest
Ambroncius Nababan (front left) speaks to the media after a police complaint was filed against him by Papuans for uploading allegedly racist posts against a Papuan activist on social media. (Photo: YouTube)
Indonesian police have arrested a politician for allegedly making racist slurs against a Catholic Papuan human rights activist amid concerns the comments could spark widespread protests.
Ambroncius Nababan was arrested and charged on Jan. 26 for allegedly insulting Natalius Pigai, a former member of Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), police spokesman Argo Yuwono said.
The United Liberation Movement of West Papua has condemned more racist slurs directed at West Papuans from members of Indonesia s elite.
Two incidents have provoked fresh outrage, with at least one case prompting Indonesian police to make an arrest before public anger spills over.
A former head of Indonesia s intelligence agency and special forces, General Hendropriyono.
Photo: TEMPO/Dhemas Reviyanto
Last month a former head of the Indonesian intelligence agency and special forces, General Hendropriyono, said that West Papuans should be resettled away from their homeland on the island of Manado.
He explained that the idea to move two million West Papuans was so Indonesia could racially separate them from Papuans in PNG, so that they could feel more like Indonesians instead of foreigners .