Dogiyai, Jubi – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) held a meeting with Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian in Jakarta on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, to discuss the Walesi case in Wamena and the 2021 Maybrat displaced people.
Komnas HAM Commissioner Anis Hidayah highlighted that their monitoring, conducted between July 25-28, 2023 across several areas including Maybrat, Sorong, South Sorong, Aimas, revealed discrepancies of data between the local government, police, and civil society organizations related to displaced people statistics.
The second issue raised by Hidayah was the tragic death toll among Maybrat displaced people during their evacuation from 2021 to 2023, amounting to approximately 138 individuals. She also emphasized the dire living conditions of vulnerable groups among the displaced people, including women, children, and the elderly, who lacked suitable housing, faced deteriorating health conditions, and struggled to access education or maintain their daily livelihoods.
Hidayah further noted the emotional toll on these people, who had not been able to return to their homes since 2021, preventing them from celebrating Christmas with their families due to concerns about security.
Komnas HAM urged the Minister of Home Affairs to collaborate with the Acting Governor of Southwest Papua and the Regent of Maybrat, along with neighboring districts housing displaced people, to expedite assistance and find solutions.
The primary goal is to enable refugees to return home for Christmas 2023 while ensuring their security. Anis Hidayah expressed hope that the Minister would take prompt action in response to these concerns.
Earlier in January 2023, the Acting Governor of Southwest Papua, Muhammad Musa’ad, had committed to working with various local leaders to send the displaced people back to their Maybrat hometowns.
