Indonesian police have defended their decision to storm into a dormitory of West Papuan students alongside the nation's military, over vigilante allegations that someone had committed slander on the national symbol.
Police and armed military personnel stormed through the gates of the dormitory in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, firing around 20 tear gas canisters into the building, causing injuries, last Saturday.
Forty three students were arrested and taken to a police station in the city, but released around 9 hours after without charge, over claims that the Indonesian flag was found in the gutter by the building.
East Java police spokesperson, Frans Barung, told the ABC the reaction was in response to the growing crowd outside the building who "was close to attacking".
"[We entered] due to the [students'] provocative actions on allegedly committing slander on the national flag … the police simply acted as a stabilator," he told the ABC.
Nationalist-vigilantes gathered outside the building from Friday night — a day before Indonesia's independence day — singing the Indonesian national anthem, cutting power to the building, and attacking good Samaritans delivering food and drinks to the trapped students.
The crowd grew the following day, with videos of the scene catching chants of "get rid of the Papuans right now" and "monkeys, get out".
Human rights lawyer Veronica Koman told the ABC five people were injured during the incident.
"Racist Indonesian ultra-nationalists insist that West Papuans can't be free, but they don't want West Papuans at the same time too," she said.
Hundreds of protesters attacked and arrested
Flare-ups such as these are considered common around August 17, which marks the Indonesian proclamation of independence and freedom from Dutch colonial rule in 1945.
West Papua and Papua, often referred to collectively as West Papua, are the easternmost provinces of Indonesia and their acquisition has been the cause of controversy for more than 60 years.
In a separate incident on Friday, demonstrators protesting the anniversary of the 1962 New York Agreement, which paved the way for Indonesian control of West Papua, were also forcibly dispersed and attacked by civil militia under police watch, Ms Koman said.
More than 100 protesters were arrested that day and Ms Koman said they were beaten, verbally abused, kicked and had rocks thrown at them because police "failed to intervene".
"The incident shows a worsening trend of repressive tactics against West Papuans and Indonesians speaking about West Papua issue," Ms Koman said.
"Peaceful protesters were attacked by civil militias under the police's watch, but then they are often framed in [domestic] media as the rioters."
The city of Malang's deputy mayor, Sofan Edi Jarwoko, said students from the embattled region should be forcibly removed due to unrest following the incident, according to reports by local media.
At the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu, regional prime ministers and presidents also discussed concerns about human rights abuses by the Indonesian Government in West Papua, urging a strong call for Jakarta to take action.
