Checkpapuanow.com – A group of Papuan students and youth, affiliated with the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) and the Papuan Student and Youth Association (IPMAPA) in Surabaya, have reported a string of threatening incidents allegedly carried out by unknown individuals between June 19 and 23, 2025. These incidents reportedly occurred as the groups were mobilizing a joint demonstration themed “Anti-Militarism and Investment in Papua.”
One of the AMP Surabaya members, Hengky, detailed that the first act of intimidation took place on Thursday, June 19. At their dormitory on Kalasan Street, Tambaksari, Surabaya, students received an unusual package—a live monitor lizard placed inside a 50-kilogram rice sack.
“A man came to the front gate of the Kalasan dormitory and called for the residents. He claimed someone had sent a monitor lizard for us,” Hengky said during a press conference held at the Surabaya Legal Aid Institute (LBH Surabaya) on Tuesday, July 1. “He even asked if we usually eat lizards. When we asked who sent it, we found out two unknown people had passed it on to nearby residents.”
On the same day, provocative banners appeared around the dormitory and in front of several rented houses where Papuan students reside. The banners contained accusations and called for opposition to the group’s planned demonstration.
One of the banners read: “SURABAYA RESIDENTS MUST KNOW!!! PAPUAN STUDENT ALLIANCE AMP IS A SEPARATIST GROUP LINKED TO THE FREE PAPUA MOVEMENT OPM. REJECT THE TREASONOUS SEPARATIST ACTION.”
In a separate incident, Hengky claimed that a number of individuals, believed to be intelligence personnel, visited one of the students’ rented homes early Friday morning, June 20, around 12:42 a.m.
“These individuals allegedly provoked the local security guard and instructed them to monitor the activities of Papuan students living there,” Hengky added.
Later that night, students reportedly received coordinated threatening messages via WhatsApp. The messages came from two unidentified phone numbers and contained disturbing content, including death threats, racial slurs, and intimidation.
“The messages were clearly threatening and discriminatory. They included phrases like: ‘We are right next to you,’ ‘We will kill you,’ and other similar language,” Hengky recounted.
In response to these incidents, M. Ramli Himawan, head of the Advocacy and Campaign Division of LBH Surabaya, asserted that these actions constitute criminal offenses under Indonesian law.
“According to Article 335 of the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP), any individual who intentionally and unlawfully threatens another person with violence may face up to one year and four months in prison or a maximum fine of IDR 4.5 million,” said Ramli.
He further claimed that these acts were carried out deliberately and systematically to psychologically pressure Papuan students and discourage their involvement in activism. “This appears to be a strategy of fear instigated by reactionary forces to silence critical voices,” he said.
The AMP and IPMAPA Surabaya chapters have urged East Java Police, the Governor of East Java, and the Surabaya City Government to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the intimidation and harassment.
When asked for a statement, Surabaya Metropolitan Police said they were open to receiving an official report. “They are welcome to file a report,” said Police Public Relations Officer AKP Rina Shanty Dewi.
