OPM Does not Understand History

OPM Does not Understand History

The existence of problems on the Earth of Paradise created its own problems in the context of understanding nationalism for the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia. History records that the beginning of the problems that occurred in Papua because there were differences between the Indonesian and the Dutch in the Round Table Conference (KMB) at the end of 1949.

In these negotiations, the Indonesian and the Dutch failed to reach an agreement on the sovereignty of Indonesia. Therefore, in order to deal with the decolonization policy of the Dutch Government, President Soekarno sparked the Tri-People's Command (Trikora), so that the Netherlands signed the New York Agreement on 15 August 1962, which contained the transfer of administration in West Irian to the United Nation Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) at 10 October 1962, and finally on May 1, 1963, UNTEA handed over West Irian to Indonesia.

From the results of the signing, Indonesia is obliged to implement the Determination of People's Opinion (PEPERA), which in the end with the results received by the UN General Assembly through Resolution No. 2504 (XXIV) on November 19, 1969. Thus, in the perspective of international law, since then Irian Jaya has officially become the territory of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).

However, Papuan nationalist cadres who previously needed the Dutch Government tried to persuade West Irian's organizations or associations to gather strength in the form of underground movements, aimed at fighting for Papua or Irian Jaya regardless of the Dutch Government and the Indonesian Government. This was reflected in the rebellion of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) which began on July 26, 1965, led by Sergeant Major Permanes Ferry Awom (Former Member of the Papua / Papua Volunteer Battalion Battalion Vrijwillegers Corps / PVK) created by the Dutch.

Since its inception, the OPM has often carried out militant actions carried out as part of an insurgency effort aimed at separating itself from the Unitary Republic of Indonesia, eventually leading to many casualties from both civilians and the military. OPM even tries to propagate the international community to support the free West Papua movement in various ways, such as one of the OPM representatives, Benny Wenda, who always voices the issue of human rights violations in the land of Papua.