‘Unthinkable’: Calls for Pacific leaders to act after shooting at West Papua school parade

Pressure is building across the Pacific for stronger political action after reports Indonesian police opening fire during a high school graduation parade in West Papua, leaving at least seven people injured.

The incident happened on 5 May at Kobakma in Mamberamo Tengah Regency, where tensions reportedly escalated after students displayed the Morning Star flag, a banned symbol closely linked to the West Papuan independence movement.

West Papua has been in a decades-long conflict with Indonesia since the 1960s. While independence supporters see the Morning Star flag as a symbol of identity and self-determination, Indonesian authorities view its public display as an act of separatism.

RNZ Pacific reported that local police said officers had tried to stop graduates from displaying the flag before the situation escalated.

Police said tear gas was later used and warning shots were fired into the air to disperse the crowds.

But human rights groups and West Papua advocates dispute that account, alleging the security forces directly fired on civilians, including students. A Human Rights Monitor report said seven West Papuans aged between 17 and 24 were injured.

A West Papuan student in 2025. Photo/Facebook

Catherine Delahunty, the West Papua Action Aotearoa spokesperson, described the incident as “very, very serious”.

In an interview with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Delahunty said seven people were shot and one remained in a critical condition when advocates last received updates.“But this was a ceremony whereby people were marching proudly because they had graduated from high school,” she said.

Delahunty said the Morning Star flag remains a powerful and emotional symbol for many West Papuans despite being banned by Indonesia.

Listen to Delahunty's Pacific Mornings interview below.

“The Morning Star flag is the most powerful symbol of West Papua’s fight for independence,” she said.

According to RNZ Pacific, tensions escalated when police moved to stop students from displaying the flag during the parade.

“And then the police started attacking them because they refused to remove the Morning Star,” Delahunty said.

Indonesia’s embassy in New Zealand told RNZ Pacific the parade had allegedly been “infiltrated by another group that provoked to create discord”.

The embassy said investigations were underway and authorities were working with local leaders to prevent similar incidents.

The shooting has renewed criticism of how Pacific governments respond to West Papua, with Delahunty saying New Zealand and Australia must take a stronger stand.

10 years ago, Vanuatu held a rally in support of West Papua joining the Melanesian Spearhead Group as a full member. Photo/Thomson Marango

“The only nation that has been consistently and bravely standing with West Papua on a regular basis is Vanuatu,” she said.

Vanuatu has long called for greater international attention on West Papua, while maintaining diplomatic ties with Indonesia.

Delahunty said Pacific nations needed to do more than issue statements.

“We have written to Winston Peters about this, and we’ve asked him to speak to the Indonesian ambassador in New Zealand,” she said. “It’s unthinkable that you would open fire on these people.”

The issue has surfaced in wider Pacific diplomacy discussions including at the 2025 Pacific Islands Forum in Solomon Islands, where leaders reaffirmed recognition of Indonesia’s sovereignty over West Papua while supporting further talks around a proposed Pacific leaders’ visit in 2026.

Human Rights Monitor said the Forum’s approach has done little to ease concerns on the ground.

Watch student protesters gathering in Abepura circle in Papua on 11 May. Suara Papua reports that students are protesting human rights violations.

Separate United Nations experts have also previously warned about worsening conditions for Indigenous communities in West Papua, including displacement, militarisation, and restrictions on traditional governance.

PMN News has approached New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment.

The incident is likely to add pressure on Pacific leaders ahead of further regional talks on West Papua next year, as Aotearoa prepares to host the Pacific Islands Forum.