The Biak Massacre: Indonesia’s Atrocities in West Papua, By Manuwai Gwijangge (New Guinea) and Paul Walker

WARNING: This essay contains descriptions of graphic violence and sexual abuse, necessary to bear witness to historical events.

On July 6, 1998, the island of Biak in West Papua became the site of one of the most brutal atrocities in Indonesia's ongoing occupation of the region. Indonesian security forces massacred scores of unarmed West Papuan protesters, many of whom were tortured, raped, and mutilated in a sadistic display of violence. The Biak Massacre, as it's known, left an estimated 100–150 dead, with bodies dumped at sea or buried in mass graves. Yet, 27 years later, no one has been held accountable, and the Indonesian government continues to deny or downplay the event, falsely attributing washed-up corpses to a distant tsunami. Australia, West Papua's closest neighbour and a key regional ally of Indonesia, has remained conspicuously silent, bound by geopolitical priorities and the 2006 Lombok Treaty, which forbids supporting West Papuan separatism. This post explores the horrors of the Biak Massacre, the role of Indonesia's transmigrasi policy in exacerbating tensions, and Australia's complicity in ignoring human rights abuses for the sake of diplomatic convenience.

The Biak Massacre unfolded after days of peaceful protest. On July 2, 1998, West Papuan villagers, led by activist Filep Karma, raised the banned Morning Star flag, a symbol of West Papuan independence at a water tower in Biak. Inspired by rumours that U.S. President Bill Clinton had recognised their independence (later proven false), hundreds gathered, singing and dancing in hope of a free West Papua. By July 6, the crowd had swelled to over 500, unarmed and celebratory. At dawn, Indonesian military and police forces surrounded the protesters, forming a U-shaped cordon and opening fire with live and rubber bullets. Eyewitnesses described a scene of chaos: bullets rained down, targeting the injured and those cowering on the ground. Survivor Yudha Korwa, then 17, recalled pretending to be dead amid screams of "help me" as a helicopter fired from above.

The violence didn't end at the water tower. Survivors were herded to Biak's docks, where many were forced onto naval ships. Women and girls faced unimaginable horrors: raped, mutilated, and tortured. Tineke Rumakabu, a survivor, testified at the 2013 Biak Massacre Citizens' Tribunal in Sydney that she witnessed her friend Martha raped, stabbed, and beheaded. Eight of the 12 women in her group were killed, their bodies dumped at sea. Other accounts describe men shot and buried in mass graves dug by villagers under duress, with entire families targeted. Estimates of the death toll vary, with local human rights group Elsham Papua reporting at least 40 bodies, while the Free Papua Movement claims up to 150.

Indonesia's response was denial. The government blamed a tsunami 1,000 km away in Papua New Guinea, despite mutilated bodies washing ashore days before the disaster. No military personnel have been charged, and the massacre remains officially unrecognized. The 2013 Citizens' Tribunal, held at the University of Sydney, concluded that Indonesian forces committed crimes against humanity, yet no international investigation has followed.

The Biak Massacre cannot be understood without the context of Indonesia's transmigrasi policy, a state-sponsored migration program that has fuelled West Papuan grievances. Since the 1960s, when Indonesia seized control of West Papua from the Dutch, transmigrasi has relocated millions of mostly Javanese Muslims to the resource-rich, predominantly Christian Melanesian region. By 2010, nearly half of West Papua's population were migrants, reducing indigenous Papuans to a minority in many areas. This demographic shift, coupled with land grabs for palm oil plantations and mining, has marginalised Papuans, turning self-sufficient communities into impoverished labourers.

The policy, reinstated in 2025 by President Prabowo Subianto, is described by critics as a "migration genocide." Prabowo, a former general with a history of alleged human rights abuses, has accelerated transmigrasi under programs like Trans Tuntas (T2), aimed at securing land rights for settlers. This has intensified clashes, with indigenous Papuans displaced by development projects and military operations. In May 2025, Indonesian forces killed 18 people, including civilians, in a single incident, with drones now used to target separatists. The transmigrasi policy not only dilutes Papuan identity but also escalates violence, as settlers and security forces clash with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB).

Australia's response to the Biak Massacre and ongoing West Papuan abuses is a case study in diplomatic cowardice. A 1998 intelligence report, uncovered in 2021, revealed that Australian officials knew within days that Indonesian forces used "excessive force" in Biak, with photographic evidence handed to an Australian officer at great risk. Yet, the photos were never publicised and were likely destroyed by the Department of Defence in 2014. The Australian government, under Prime Minister John Howard, offered only muted concern, raising the issue with Indonesian officials but never calling for a UN investigation.

The 2006 Lombok Treaty, signed to smooth over tensions after Australia granted asylum to 43 Papuans, formalised this silence. The treaty commits Australia to respecting Indonesia's sovereignty and prohibits supporting separatist movements, effectively gagging criticism of Jakarta's actions in West Papua. Joe Collins of the Australia West Papua Association (AWPA) has repeatedly criticised Canberra's inaction, noting that while Pacific nations like Vanuatu raise West Papuan issues at the UN, Australia remains silent to preserve its strategic alliance with Indonesia, especially amid concerns over China's regional influence.

This silence extends to military cooperation. Australia continues to train Indonesian forces, including the notorious Densus 88 unit, despite allegations of human rights abuses. In 2021, the AWPA called for a moratorium on such training, pointing to the Biak Massacre and ongoing violence. The Albanese government, prioritising Indonesia as a counterweight to China, has deepened defence ties, with joint exercises in 2025 ignoring the plight of West Papuans. Australia's failure to condemn the massacre reflects a broader pattern of ignoring Indonesia's ongoing genocide against Christian Papuans.

The Biak Massacre is not an isolated incident but part of a pattern of violence. Human Rights Watch reports that since Indonesia's 1963 takeover, at least 100,000 Papuans have been killed, with torture, rape, and displacement ongoing. In June 2025, Human Rights Monitor documented 97,721 internally displaced Papuans due to clashes between Indonesian forces and the TPNPB. Activists like Filep Karma, imprisoned for 15 years for raising the Morning Star flag, and Tineke Rumakabu, who endured unimaginable torture, embody the resilience of the Papuan struggle. Yet, Indonesia's media blackout and restrictions on foreign journalists make documenting these abuses difficult, allowing impunity to persist.

The international community's inaction, particularly Australia's, emboldens Indonesia. The 1969 Act of Free Choice, a rigged vote under Indonesian military coercion, denied Papuans self-determination, and subsequent policies like transmigrasi have entrenched colonial control. Pacific nations, including Vanuatu, continue to advocate for West Papua at forums like the Pacific Islands Forum, but Australia's silence undercuts these efforts.

The Biak Massacre demands justice. The 2013 Citizens' Tribunal recommended that Australia and the U.S. pressure Indonesia to prosecute those responsible, yet no action has been taken. To break this cycle of impunity, Australia must:

Reevaluate the Lombok Treaty: Allow open discussion of West Papuan human rights without fear of violating diplomatic agreements.

Suspend Military Training: Halt cooperation with Indonesian forces until credible investigations into abuses, including the Biak Massacre, are conducted.

Support UN Inquiry: Back calls for a UN Human Rights Office investigation into the massacre and ongoing violence, as urged by Human Rights Watch.

Amplify Papuan Voices: Provide asylum and platforms for Papuan activists, like Yudha Korwa, who fled to Australia after surviving Biak.

The Biak Massacre remains a stain on Indonesia's record and a testament to Australia's moral failure. The sadistic violence, rapes, mutilations, and mass killings, demands accountability, yet Indonesia's denial and Australia's complicity have buried the truth. The transmigrasi policy, now revived under President Prabowo Subianto, continues to erode Papuan identity, while military operations escalate. Australia, bound by the Lombok Treaty and geopolitical priorities, has chosen silence over justice, ignoring the cries of its Melanesian neighbours. As Joe Collins of the AWPA urges, it's time for Canberra to raise human rights abuses with Jakarta and support West Papuan self-determination.

For a more detailed discussion see:

https://lettersfromaustralia.substack.com/p/biak-massacre-today-marks-the-most