■♪♪ sally sara: a secret war, right on our doorstep. [chanting] sally: west papuan activists are fighting for independence from indonesia like never before. [guns firing] sally: jakarta is cracking down hard, cutting communications, and banning foreign media. sally: but we've managed to get inside where a long-running insurgency has reignited. [gun firing]

sally: this is the story indonesia doesn't want the world to know. ♪♪♪ [singing] ♪♪♪ sally: we start our journey in port moresby where the morning star flag, the symbol of west papuan independence, is being celebrated. musician ronny kareni wears the colors with pride. ronny kareni: for me, it represents my people and the

significance of how many people left suffered or died or imprisoned just for that morning star flag. sally: ronny fled from west papua nearly 40 years ago and now lives in australia. the performers are drumming up support for their compatriots across the border. ronny: [speaking foreign language] sally: in indonesian-controlled west papua, flying this flag can get you arrested or worse. ronny: it makes what we are fighting for and representing that morning star become so significant that it is something that we will die for. ♪ sorong samarai, one people, one soul, one destiny ♪ ♪ sorong samarai, we've got to keep on pushing ♪

sally: the band, sorong samarai, sings the soundtrack of the independence struggle. it calls for the island of new guinea to be one nation from sorong in the west to samarai in the east. while papua new guinea is independent, west papua is part of indonesia. ♪♪♪ powes parkop: one people, one culture, one ancestor. sally: the outspoken governor of port moresby, powes parkop, is urging papua new guineans and the international community to support west papuan independence. powes: i have chosen and committed not to live in fear anymore. to be courageous and to be brave

and to tell the truth. this is our weapon of choice. ♪♪♪ sally: the voices for change are growing louder but can they undo the past? ♪♪♪ sally: the western side of new guinea was given to indonesia in a deal brokered by the un. ♪♪♪ sally: in 1969, indonesia held a ballot called the act of free choice, but they only selected just over 1000 west papuans to vote and then declared a unanimous victory. there's been conflict ever since, bloodshed, and human rights abuses.

it still overshadows the lives of many west papuans. ♪♪♪ sally: the fly river is one of the biggest in papua new guinea. it makes up part of the border with indonesian-controlled papua. sally: for tony sapiopa, getting out on the water is a chance to forget his troubles for a short while. sally: are there many families living by the river? tony sapiopa: yeah, these young people they are west papuans, but they have been, you know, crossing the border for so many years. sally: tony is one of thousands of west papuan refugees living

along the border in png. tony: i sometimes feel depressed because of the situation that we face here--we are facing here, especially the government of papua new guinea is not really looking after the refugees here and that's what sometimes make us feel angry, feel frustration, feel depressed. but i think the only dream that we have is, you know, to fight for our freedom. ♪♪♪ sally: tony has a makeshift house near the riverbank. sally: how long have you been living here? tony: i left karawari, just came. sally: he lives with his 71-year-old widowed mother, esther finey. tony: mom, this is sally. sally: the family fled west papua in 1984 because of unrest.

esther finey: [speaking foreign language] sally: esther finey sells fried banana to earn a small living. esther: [speaking foreign language] ♪♪♪ sally: before she became a refugee, she was a teacher in west papua. her husband worked for a un agency. the family was middle class. ♪♪♪ tony: i used to tell her that it's okay, it's okay, don't cry

because, you know, because of your aim, because of your dream for your homeland to be free, that's why you took house here. so you don't need to cry. just wait patiently, struggle, and then you will see the result of it. sally: it's an impossible choice to endure a lack of freedom in west papua or live in poverty in papua new guinea. ♪♪♪ sally: tony is part of a lost generation, lacking education and opportunity. ♪♪♪ sally: the rest of the family has returned and esther finey wonders if it's better to go back too, but her health is failing.

esther: [speaking foreign language] ♪♪♪ tony: i'm eagerly want to go, go to west papua and fight, instead of wasting my time here, you know. so because this is the only dream i have. this is the only dream that i still carry on, that i hope that one day west papua will be free. ♪♪♪ sally: when there's trouble in west papua, it's felt here,

across the border in kiunga. it's one of the biggest towns in this part of western province. this is the place that asylum seekers try to reach for safety. the latest arrivals are being processed on the outskirts of town. ♪♪♪ sally: well, this is the camp behind me where the new arrivals are being housed. we have a media visa to be here in png that's been approved all the way from the prime minister's office and it includes permission to speak with people who have crossed over the border. but local offials are t allowing us to go inside the camp or to hear the stories of these people who fled during last year's unrest. ♪♪♪ sally: these are the first pictures of the more than 100 men, women, and children who crossed the border last november.

no one from the png government here will give us an interview. off camera, they say they want to protect their relationship with indonesia. sally: last year, the world got a rare glimpse of tensions erupting in west papua. [chanting] sally: these videos shared online show papuan students being surrounded by indonesian mobs and racially abused. sally: thousands of people took to the streets across west papua, demanding an end to racism and crying "papua merdeka," "freedom for papua." [chanting] sally: students marched in solidarity, but indonesia's then security minister, former general wiranto, rejected

the calls. wiranto: [speaking foreign language] sally: peaceful protests soon turned violent. sally: more than 6000 indonesian soldiers and police were deployed. this video shows police shooting at unarmed civilians. indonesia says it was in self-defense. pro indonesian militia groups joined the fight. male: [speaking foreign language] sally: the region descended into the bloodiest unrest in decades.

hundreds of protestors were detained. internet blackout was enforced across the region. sally: we're on our way to a secret meeting. one of the activists on the top of indonesia's most wanted list has agreed to an interview. he's crossed the border illegally into papua new guinea. finally, we reach a safe house. ♪♪♪ sally: victor yeimo arrives in the early hours of the morning.

sally: how much do you worry for your safety at the moment in west papua? victor yeimo: all of my life i worry about my life. not only me, i worry about my people lives. all the people of west papua worry about their life. there is no future for people of west papua today. i grew up with suffering. i born with suffering, and i live with suffering. sally: victor yeimo is the leader of a growing west papuan civil resistance movement and was a key organizer of last year's protests. ♪♪♪ victor: people of west papua, for us it's better for us to fight before dying, for our dignity. it is better than just sit down and give up, be silent and be killed. occupied by indonesia. so, fighting is something--duty.

it's a role of young generation, like me. ♪♪♪ sally: victor yeimo is urging australia to support west papuan independence. victor: if you can do for east timor, you can do the same thing with the west papuan people. humanity is more important, so please, i believe that if people of australia today that care of us, you will be remembered by the generation of west papua. you will become part of history of our nation. ♪♪♪ sally: after last year's unrest, indonesia banned foreign media in west papua.

but one journalist is determined to get the story out. victor mambor is the editor of a west papuan newspaper. he reported on the 2019 demonstrations. sally: is it dangerous for you to get some of these stories? victor mambor: yeah, it's dangerous. with an indonesian mother, and west papuan father, he's trusted by both sides. victor: truly i am one of them lucky journalists 'cause i can walk in the papuan side, but also in the indonesian side. listen, my intent is to help my peoples. sally: he's been doing what we can't: filming inside west papua for "foreign correspondent." sally: how important is it for the world to know what's happening in west papua? victor: i think it's very important to the world to know what happened in west papua because the human rights abuses happen every day and every place.

♪♪♪ sally: victor mambor traveled to west papua's remote central highlands. there's long been unrest here, but the fighting between separatists and indonesian forces has intensified. male: why you going back together? sally: the recent conflict started here in the district of nduga, causing a humanitarian disaster. local officials say 45,000 people have been displaced. ♪♪♪ sally: victor is meeting raga kagoya, a highlander helping those who fled. raga kagoya: [speaking foreign language]

♪♪♪ sally: the construction of this road triggered the current fighting, a 4000-kilometer link called the transpapuan highway. jakarta says it will bring economic opportunity and improve living standards, but many west papuans fear indonesia will use it to take land, exploit natural resources, and destroy local culture. raga: [speaking foreign language] sally: in december 2018, a group of west papuan independence fighters ambushed and slaughtered at least

16 indonesian road workers. indonesia retaliated with a security offensive to capture those responsible. wiranto: [speaking foreign language] sally: "foreign correspondent" has obtained exclusive video of the aftermath of indonesia's operation. it shows houses burnt to the ground and villages abandoned. thousands of locals fled to the jungle for safety, some only venturing out to bury the dead.

sally: others suffered severe injuries in the attack. allegations of chemical weapons have surfaced, a claim indonesia strenuously denies. ♪♪♪ sally: human rights groups estimate that more than 200 west papuans have died. irian kagoya witnessed the violence and is still traumatized. irian kagoya: [speaking foreign language] lly: indonesia denies using bombs but admits grenades were launched during the military operation. [speaking foreign language]

sally: last year, human rights workers discovered this grave, containing the bodies of three papuan women and two children who had allegedly been shot dead. activists want the united nations to investigate events in nduga. indonesia's former security minister, wiranto, and the indonesian ambassador to australia, declined our requests for an interview. in a written statement, they blamed separatists for the violence and say, "indonesian security forces respect and promote human rights." they say only 2000 civilians were affected by the situation in nduga. male: [speaking foreign language] sally: these are the rebels that indonesia is hunting:

19-year-old commander, igianis kagoya and his soldiers. these pictures show children in the ranks. raga is igianis kagoya's cousin and she says the use of child soldiers is a new and tragic part of the conflict. raga: [speaking foreign language] sally: raga has opened her home in the main town of wamena to care for children orphaned by the conflict. the children are severely traumatized and too scared to

reveal their identity for fear of reprisal. [speaking foreign language] raga: [speaking foreign language] ♪♪♪ sally: the spokesperson for the armed wing of the west papuan independence movement is now based in png.

sebi sanbong is a former political prisoner. he fled across the border in 2013. sally: will you kill again? sebi sanbong: oui, of course. before independence we will kill. we will fight, continue fight, no compromise. sally: and he defends the use of child soldiers, even though it's banned under international law. he says it's the result of decades of repression and an estimated 100,000 deaths under indonesian rule. sebi: when they--their father been to kill, their mother been to kill, and then they grow up to, like, 12 year, to 15 year, they will become soldier. sally: victor yeimo from the civil movement says they're committed to peaceful action but defends the right of papuans to take up arms. victor: they are not terrorists. they are not troublemaker. they are not criminal.

they are--originally they are freedom fighter. ♪♪♪ sally: on papua new guinea's north coast, the town of vanimo sits close to the border. it's a popular tourist spot for surfers from around the world. ♪♪♪ sally: life is peaceful here, but for musician ronny kareni this place is full of memories.

ronny: there is a lot of pain that my family has gone through and even my own immediate family. but one thing that we also came to realize is the memory of suffering. sally: ronny was a refugee here for seven years as a child. his family was one of thousands who fled west papua due to political unrest. ronny: growing up in a refugee camp in vanimo, it's the survival of the fittest, and it's living in limbo. ronny: okay, so here we are. sally: so this is the border up here. ronny: we're coming up close to the border. papua new guinea and indonesia. sally: ah, there it is. think we'd get so close. sally: we've traveled to the official border checkpoint

between indonesia and png. normally, a busy trade route, today it's closed because of coronavirus. ronny: i'm feeling emotional, especially where i know the land is one. it's like i'm already in my homeland in west papua. although the fence behind me will separate me but i'm home. this is--i feel like i'm home. sally: many families are split by the border. ronny's aunt, dorothy tekwe, lives on the papua new guinean side. dorothy tekwe: my great-grandmother is from the other side of the border so we see our relatives on the other side. while they enjoy certain economic benefits brought by indonesia, they--there are other things that they don't enjoy

that we enjoy. sally: activism runs in the family. dorothy is a long-time human rights and environmental campaigner. dorothy: it is time the world look at what is happening in this little spot. just because we are black and we happen to be melanesians, and we don't have tanks, we don't have fighter jets, but you forget that there are people on this island that are suffering like that. something has to be done. ♪♪♪ ♪ one people, one soul, one destiny ♪ ♪ sorong samarai ♪ ♪ one people, one soul, one destiny ♪ sally: the battle for independence continues, and the dream of west papuan freedom.

victor: morning star is our vision, our mission, our destination. along the night, there will be sunrise in the morning. and the people of west papua hope that one day, the morning star will rise up. ♪♪♪ ♪ one man, one canoe ♪ [singing foreign language] ♪ come back again like a disco boomerang ♪ [singing foreign language] ♪ sorong samarai ♪ ♪♪♪

[chanting foreign language] matt davis: bali is one of the world's most popular holiday destinations, but has it become a victim of its own success? wayan: tourism started to explode. more people's coming in from outside than the peoples living here. matt: decades of unhinged tourist development has come at a cost. gary bencheghib: the island of gods had become the island of trash. [singing foreign language] matt: now, mostly closed to the outside world,