JAKARTA: The Indonesian military issued a uncommon apology on Monday (Mar 25) and mentioned 13 troopers had been arrested after a video emerged displaying a person being tortured by troops within the nation’s Papua area, the place armed separatists have clashed with safety forces for years.
The footage, which confirmed a Papuan man in a barrel of bloodied water being minimize with a blade, has sparked outcry on Indonesian social media. Senior military officer Izak Pangemanan confirmed it was genuine and the incident had taken place in February.
“This motion is towards the regulation, tarnished the identify of the army and disrupted efforts to deal with conflicts in Papua,” he instructed reporters, including that the 13 arrested troopers in addition to others had been nonetheless underneath investigation.
“I apologise to all Papuans, and we are going to work to make sure that is by no means repeated,” he mentioned.
Pangemanan mentioned the person proven within the video was a separatist who had deliberate with two others to burn a well being centre in Central Papua, and that he had been launched after the incident.
Human rights group Amnesty Worldwide, which collects proof of violence in Papua, mentioned the person had died. It referred to as for higher-ranking officers to be held to account in addition to foot troopers.
Useful resource-rich Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost area, has experienced violence between armed separatists and troops because it was introduced underneath Indonesian management in a vote overseen by the United Nations in 1969.
The battle has escalated considerably since 2018, with pro-independence fighters mounting deadlier and extra frequent assaults, largely as a result of they’ve managed to obtain extra refined weapons.
Safety forces say that in some clashes, separatists have killed police and troopers.
