Talking about what happened is hard for us. Some of us find it easier to share our stories. Every time I tell my story I share my pain and the pain is a little less; not a lot but a little bit less.
I was twelve years at the time of the Biak massacre. I was in junior high school, SMP Negri 1. My school was in the middle of the city. Because my family lived a little outside Biak City I used to stay at the school dormitory. On the first day of the demonstration we heard people on the street. They were yelling “Papua Merdeka”. At that time I did not understand what they were shouting about. We just followed the people to the tower. People were praying and singing. I saw a different flag flying from the top of the tower and I was really surprised. There were so many people and lots of police. The police saw us in our school uniforms. They told us to go back to school then they took us back to school. When the principal saw us he was angry. He said if anyone goes to tower they will get a penalty.
On the 5th of July the headmaster closed the school but we had to stay because we were living at the school. The only other person at the school was a school security guard. Non-one went outside. No-one went to the market. The headmaster and the teachers just told us to stay at school for our own safety. People everywhere were preparing to leave but we did not know what was happening. I remember it was Sunday. There was no adult to care for us, they had all left. No-one thought to get us something or do something for us. All of us, young people aged between 12 and 15 huddled together in one room.
The massacre was on a Monday. The night before – Sunday and the following morning – we heard everything. Our school is surrounded by a big fence. We couldn’t see anything but we could hear what was happening. You need to know that a military police post and army complex is next to our school. So when the army moves we can hear everything. On the Sunday night could hear heavy boots running beside the fence. Lots of boots. Running. We could not see but we could hear. We were so scared. We just sat there terrified, crying listening to the sound of heavy boots running close to where we were. At that time we thought something would happen and we were really afraid. We just sat there hugging each other.
Around 4:00am or 4:30am on Monday 6th July we heard gunshots. We sat there in that room in the school hugging each other and crying. The shooting kept going. I was one of the youngest. The oldest was around 15. We did not know what to do except shed tears. All we could do was say “oh God what is happening.” The guns kept shooting until 7:00am.
When the shooting stopped my older brother came round to pick me up. Some of my school friends had to go back to North Biak so we went to the market where they were met. About two blocks from the Tower a women ran up to the car begging for help. She was covered with blood. My brother quickly helped her get into the back of the car. When I turned around he told me not to look at her. We took her straight to the hospital in Rige. The security there was really tight. There were lots of police in front of the emergency area. They were checking everyone who was brought in. My brother left her at the hospital. He said he they would help her. I don’t know if she survived or not. Then my brother took me back to East Biak. It was hard to cope with what happened. There was so much blood in the car.
About a week later when I was back in East Biak I heard my parents tell of fishermen who were pulling up bodies in their nets. The bodies they pulled up had turned white. Some people said it was from the Tsunami that happened in Papua New Guinea. In one place called Orwer people used a small canoe to bring one body to shore. It was a woman. The fishermen put the body in a sack then they buried it. I was there. I saw the body and I still remember the place where it was buried. It was only 500 metres from the street. My parents made a small cross and they wrote “unknown” on the cross. I asked my parents about the body. They said it was a long and sad story and that when I was older I would understand. I still think about what happened that day. It has made me become a quiet person.
After a month we went back to school. The headmaster forbid us to talk about what happened on that day. He said “do not talk about the past”. He said that school could not be responsible for our safety. Two of friends had disappeared. Their names are Johanes Orboy and Hermanus Fakdawer. They were both twelve years at the time. They were my friends but we never knew what happened to them and I did not dare ask. We just had to keep these things inside and leave them there.
After school I wanted to join the Indonesian navy. I wanted to go to Surabaya to sign up. I even made up a permission letter from my parents because I knew my parents would not let me go. At that time I thought that if I was in the military I could help Papuans by getting information out to the movement but my father had a different view so I decided not to join the navy. My father told me “before you join the navy you must kill me first”. My father said “the military have killed Papuans and you know it. Why do you want to join the military?” I thought about what my father said and instead of joining the military I decided I would join the Papuan freedom movement. I went to Jayapura to university.
It was only later when I went to university and read the newspapers from that day that I realized that the corpse that the fishermen found on the beach that day was from the massacre. When I was in University a Papuan friend from Biak told me about Herman Wainggai and the boat he was organising to take people to Australia. I met Herman several times and we talked a lot about his plans. I thought this is my chance to get out. So I took that chance and went with my friends to Australia. But even now it is still hard to talk about what happened that day in Biak. Perhaps the most difficult for me is that I am not sure if my family will be safe back home.
When I came to Australia my father lost his job. People said the Indonesian government wanted to punish him because I was his son and I sought political asylum in Australia but my father said “no”. He said that he supported my choice.
Even now I can’t talk about what happened that day in Biak with my father, my brother or anyone else in my family. But I know my brother helped people that day. He picked up the wounded in his car. I am so proud of my brother. All these bad things that happened to him have never brought him down. He believes there will be a good change in the future.
When I was asked to be part of this tribunal I thought OK I will volunteer because the people in Biak have been suffering and in pain for 15years. But they won’t talk. Maybe they can’t. I think it is because they are still afraid.
Hopefully the tribunal will bring a little bit of a change. I don’t believe it will bring much but I hope there will be a little bit. I don’t wish for big things because big things are too hard. So I wish for little things. This is easier. One of my wishes is that my parents will be ok.
It was the experience of the Biak Massacre that brought me to Australia. I try to stand for the good of the people. I fight not for myself but for people’s rights. People’s rights are really important. Here in Australia we can stand up and talk. We can support people living under fear. I do some work for Amnesty International. I try and raise human rights issues in West Papua with them but it is up to them what they do with this.
Since being in Australia I have been able to make friends. I have been able to talk to my friends. Talking helps take away a bit of the pain.
