The Arfai incident () was a skirmish between

Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( (TNI-AD), ) is the army, land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,400 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its roots in 1945 when the (TKR) "People's Se ...

soldiers and

Free Papua Movement The Free Papua Movement or Free Papua Organization (, OPM) is a name given to a separatist movement that aims to separate West Papua from Indonesia and establish an independent state in the region. The territory is currently divided into six ...

fighters backed by local sympathizers on 28 July 1965, where the fighters launched a raid against an Indonesian barracks in an attempt to capture firearms.

Events

On 26 July, three

soldiers were shot during a flag-raising ceremony, and the following day, the army launched reprisals, with soldiers reportedly roaming the streets firing at civilians. The raid occurred against the barracks of army's 641st infantry battalion in Arfai,

Manokwari Manokwari is a coastal town and the capital city, capital of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of West Papua (province), West Papua. It is one of only seven provincial capitals of Indonesia without a city status in Indonesia, city ...

on 28 July 1965, and was conducted by an armed group under one Permanas Ferry Awom, which numbered around 400 men and originated mainly from Biak tribe, from

Biak Biak is the main island of Biak Archipelago located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua (province), Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak has many atolls, reefs, and corals. The largest popula ...

Numfor Numfor (also Numfoor, Noemfoor, Noemfoer) is one of the Biak Islands (also known as the Schouten Islands) in Papua (Indonesian province), Papua province, northeastern Indonesia. It was the site of conflict between Empire of Japan, Japanese and ...

, Ayamaru and

Serui Serui Kota (Seroei) is a town and the capital of the Yapen Islands Regency of Papua (province), Papua, Indonesia. As of 2021, the town had a population of 13,568. It is located on the island of Yapen. References

Yapen Islands Populated coa ...

. Awom was a member of the

Papuan Volunteer Corps The Papuan Volunteer Corps (PVK, ) was a corps consisting entirely of Papuans, formed on February 21, 1961. It was established to contribute to the defense of Dutch New Guinea against the infiltration of the Indonesian Army during the West New Gu ...

, and according to a participant in the raid during a later interview, he entered Manokwari with around 80 fighters, receiving help from local sympathizers. Later

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Sintong Panjaitan Sintong Hamonangan Panjaitan (born 4 September 1940) is a retired Indonesian army officer who graduated from the National Military Academy in 1963. Military Advisor to President BJ Habibie, Secretary for Development Operational Control of Kodam ...

, who arrived in Irian in 1967, wrote in his memoir that the attack occurred on 4:30 AM, and the Papuan fighters utilized firearms, ''

parang Parang is a popular folk music originating from Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago that was brought to Trinidad and Tobago by Venezuelan migrants who were primarily of Amerindian, Spanish, Mestizo, Pardo, and African heritage, something whic ...

'', spears and bows. Meanwhile forces of Lodewijk Mandacan and Barents Mandacan would be mostly from Arfak tribe, some former members of

. Reportedly, 3 Indonesian soldiers were killed in the raid and another 4 were injured, while Panjaitan wrote that 36 rebels were killed. He also wrote that two pieces of small arms - a

Bren light machine gun The Bren gun (Brno-Enfield) was a series of light machine guns (LMG) made by the United Kingdom in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1992. While best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces' primary infantry LMG in Worl ...

and an automatic weapon - were captured. The

International Center for Transitional Justice The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) was founded in 2001 as a non-profit organization dedicated to pursuing accountability for mass atrocity and human rights abuse through transitional justice mechanisms. ICTJ officially open ...

reported that "18 Indonesian military personnel and four OPM guerrillas" were killed in the incident.

Aftermath

Following the incident, alongside other events in Manokwari and

Sorong Sorong is the largest city and the capital of the Indonesian province of Southwest Papua. The city is located on the western tip of the island of New Guinea with its only land borders being with Sorong Regency. It is the gateway to Indonesia ...

, the

Indonesian National Armed Forces The Indonesian National Armed Forces (; abbreviated as TNI) are the military forces of the Republic of Indonesia. It consists of the Indonesian Army, Army (''TNI-AD''), Indonesian Navy, Navy (''TNI-AL''), and Indonesian Air Force, Air Force ('' ...

launched a military operation codenamed ''Sadar'' under Brig. Gen. R. Kartidjo , which involved pressuring civilians and launching aerial attacks, on occasion burning villages supporting rebellions. After Brig. Gen.

Sarwo Edhie Wibowo Sarwo Edhie Wibowo (25 July 1925 – 9 November 1989) was an Indonesian military leader and the father of Kristiani Herrawati, the former first lady of Indonesia, and the wife of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and also the father of Chief of ...

became commander of Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih he launched operation ''Wibawa''. He tasked Major Heru Sisnodo and Air Sergeant major John Saleky of Kopassus to meet with Lodewijk Mandatjan and Barents Mandatjan and managed to convinced them alongside to surrender. Both of them would later be granted the rank of titular Major. While some of Cassowary Battalions under them would be integrated with Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih after trained in Siliwangi and Diponegoro. Meanwhile Permenas Ferry Awom would surrender to Capt. Sahala Rajaguguk alongside 400 of his men in July 1971.

References

{{coord missing, Indonesia 1965 in Indonesia Attacks on military installations in the 1960s Military raids Military operations of the Papua conflict History of West Papua (province) Attacks on barracks Attacks on military installations in Indonesia Attacks on buildings and structures in 1965 July 1965 in Asia 1960s in Western New Guinea