Bruder Yulianus Pawika OFM while pushed by Indonesia Police – Jubi
Jayapura, Jubi – The Police released six Catholic seminarians arrested during a demonstration demanding the settlement of the shootings of four students in Paniai on 8 December 2014. They were released after an hour and half being stuck in the Police truck in front of Abepura Police Station with other protesters. “We’ve been released after an hour and half inside that truck,” Bruder Yulianus Pawika OFM said in the press conference organized by Solidarity for Papua Human Right Violation’s Victims, Independent Student Forum, USTJ Student Executive Body, Garda P, GMKI and Paniai Regional Customary Council at KontraS Papua Office, Padang Bulan, Abepura, Jayapura City on last week. Pawika said there are 18 seminarians and monks involved in the protest. According to him, their involvement has no political intention but the call of conscience on humanity of Papuans who continue to be slaughtered. “We get involved because of feeling compelled. Franciscan existed in Papua since 1936. It came because of Papuans, the humans, not because of State or others. So when we saw humans were killed, beaten, we are very upset,” he seriously said. Related to the arrest, Pawika said he couldn’t accept the Police’s act for being arrogant. The Police didn’t communicate with the protesters. They came with their truck close to the protesters without thinking they might hit them. “The Police almost hit us. Yesterday the protesters almost died. Couldn’t we just talk?” he said. Represeting Augustinian Order, Fr. Florentinus Sedik OSA, who also involved in the protest, said their involvement in the protest was a call to remind the government who doesn’t care about the shooting victims’ right. “We came down because the humanity value of shooting victims might be forgotten,” he seriously said. He said their involvement was of life reflection in the abbey. Monastic life is full of rules and prayer but it would never safe the human’s life that continues to be scarified. “To whom we do pray? Young people were killed easily; Papuans would disappear in twenty years. Even God would never allow the life of human would dismiss by force. We have obligation to speak about it,” he said. (Mawel Benny/rom)
