Robin pointed out he was not part of the refugees from Indonesian Papua who had come to PNG in the refugee wave in 1984.
By
AGUSTINUS WIBOWO
·5 minutes read
AGUSTINUS WIBOWO
Many forests in the Papua region of Indonesia, which are on the border with Papua New Guinea, have been cleared for agarwood cultivation.
"Sure, I\'m Indonesian," said Robin Moken, an advisor to the government of Papua New Guinea’s Western Province whom I met in Kiunga. A high-ranking PNG official had identified himself as Indonesian. That surprised me.
Robin\'s father hailed from across the border, namely Papua, Indonesia, and lived at a time when the Netherlands and Australia were in power in Papua. Robin\'s father wanted to become an Australian citizen, so he crossed to the border to the east. Robin was born in 1960 in PNG territory, before PNG became independent in 1975, so he automatically got PNG citizenship.
But in reality, his identity was not as simple as that. The customary land of Robin’s tribe is on the Indonesian side, so that he does not have any land in PNG. The strict customary land regulations in PNG do not allow him to buy land.
"Here, without land, you are nobody," said Robin quietly.
Robin pointed out he was not part of the refugees from Indonesian Papua who had come to PNG in the refugee wave in 1984. He did not flee Indonesia because he had supported the Free Papua Movement (OPM), and he has legal status as a PNG citizen.
However, Robin sympathizes with the refugees. In the increasingly populated area of the Fly River on the Indonesia-PNG border, about 5,000 Papuan refugees have settled. They live in deeply difficult circumstances because of the destruction of the Fly River\'s natural environment and resources.
Robin has repeatedly urged the PNG government to take a more sympathetic interest in the fate of the Papuan refugees. He has also advised the refugees to accept repatriation to Indonesia or at least to move to official refugee camps so they can receive assistance from the United Nations.
"But the majority of them are not willing to do so," said Robin, shaking his head. "Their agenda is Papuan independence, so they stay along the border no matter how bad the conditions are."
AGUSTINUS WIBOWO
Robin Moken
Robin pointed to a photo hanging on his office wall. In the photo, he is smiling broadly with Indonesian soldiers in the middle of the wilderness. He was conducting a survey for the construction of a highway crossing the MM9 border marker between the two countries.
"For eleven years, I have been talking about the importance of building this road, so that Dome and Kiunga can be connected to Mindiptana and Merauke on the Indonesian side," said Robin. “This road is for our common good, because we and Indonesia are not enemies. I\'ve been talking for eleven years, but none of our leaders want to listen."
Now Robin is seriously thinking about becoming an Indonesian. His daughter is married and lives in Kombut in Indonesian Papua, and Robin is thinking about following her.
I asked him where his home was.
“Home is where our land is. Our land is in Indonesia, so that’s where my home is. We are actually the same people, but we are separated by boundaries and political agendas,” he said straightforwardly.
***
I met Robin because I needed his help. My PNG visa had expired, and I had sent my passport to Port Moresby to arrange for a visa extension. The process took one month, and I got the visa just within a month. That meant my new visa was also almost expired as soon as I had received it. I only had two days to leave PNG.
AGUSTINUS WIBOWO
Robin Moken\'s office in Kiunga, Papua New Guinea.
The problem was that along the Indonesia-PNG border, there was only one international border post, namely between Jayapura and Vanimo, far to the north. I didn’t have time to go there. Immediately, Robin issued an official letter, allowing me to cross the traditional border. He also helped me get the immigration stamp on my passport.
"Hurry up and go," said Robin, sending me off. "As soon as you set foot in the Fly River’s [refugee] area, you are safe." To the west of that is Indonesian territory.
At that moment, I really felt the meaning of Robin\'s words. Our home, our feeling of safety, is closely linked to where our land is.
On the midnight before my visa’s expiry, a fishing boat dropped me in the proper area. I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. There was no need to be afraid of the PNG visa deadline. At that moment, I really felt the meaning of Robin\'s words. Our home, our feeling of safety, is closely linked to where our land is.
But it was a strange border area. On the map, it was clearly the territory of Indonesia. But in practice, the area was the customary land of the PNG people. I set foot in the field camp of the Buazi tribe from Mipan village. Here was the home of the family of Thomas Gabriel, a man in his 50s who was clearing the forest to plant agarwood. Agarwood can be sold for a very good price in Indonesia.
AGUSTINUS WIBOWO
A field camp belonging to the Thomas Gabriel family.
A symphony of birds and insects were continuously singing in the otherwise quiet forest. There was no village, no shops, no electricity or any other facilities. There was only an open stilt hut, where I stayed with Papa Thomas for a few days while waiting for the boat to take me to the “real” Indonesia.
