by Mathias Hariyadi

Fr Johannes Jonga has been a parish priest in Keerom district since 2001. The area has been the scene of clashes between pro-independence fighters and the army. He has helped rebels and local civilians alike against abuses by the military and multinationals. The president of the Indonesian Human Right Commission praises his for doing his work despite “threats from the military.”

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Fr Johannes Jonga Pr, a 51-year-old Indonesian priest, won the 2009 Yam Thiam Hien Award, a national prize that goes people who have shown an outstanding commitment to peace, human rights and human dignity. A diocesan priest from Jayapura, Father Jonga is being recognised for his work on behalf of the population of Papua Province.

Originally from Manggarai, the clergyman has been parish priest at Saint Michael’s Church in Waris since 2001. The small town in Keerom district lies on the border with Papua-New Guinea.

This has meant that Father Jonga has had to deal with the consequences of the conflict between the Papua Independence Organisation (Organisasi Papua Merdeka or OPM) and the army since the start of his mission.

In Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost province, OPM separatists have been demanding independence from Indonesia.

For many pro-independence fighters, Keerom district is a safe haven just before the border with independent Papua-New Guinea.

Father Jonga has met many of those on the run from the Indonesian military. He has helped them without consideration for their politics and has joined local populations in pressing claims against soldiers and multinationals that violated their rights. He has become a thorn in the side of the military.

Today, Ifdhal Kasim, president of the Indonesian Human Right Commission and member of Yap Thiam Hien Award jury committee, said that Father Jonga deserves the prize for his “service to local people” against threats from security officials, mostly when Papua was still officially classified as a “war zone” by the Indonesian military because of sporadic action by the OPM.

• indonesia
• johannes
• jonga
• papua
• human
• rights
• organisasi
• papua
• merdeka
• opm
• indonesian
• human
• right
• commission