ConflictBarometer_2015

ASIA AND OCEANIA
at a violent level. The Papuan side remained divided between
a militant spectrum spearheaded by the fragmented
Free Papua Movement (OPM), and a civic spectrum consisting
of mostly non-violent domestic and transnational activist
groups. In 2014, Papuan civil society and diaspora groups had
formed the umbrella group United Liberation Movement for
West Papua (ULMWP) in Vanuatu, incorporating the Federal
Republic of West Papua, the National Coalition for Liberation,
and the National Parliament of West Papua which includes
the National Committee for West Papua.
Throughout the year, the groups organized rallies for Papua to
become a member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).
Between June 24 and 26, during the leader summit in Honiara,
Solomon Islands, the MSG declined ULMWP's membership
bid, but granted it observer status. Indonesia was accepted
as an associate member due to its five Melanesian provinces.
On the government side, newly-elected Indonesian President
Joko ''Jokowi'' Widodo reiterated his commitment to peace in
Papua. In May, Jokowi formally lifted the media ban on Papua,
extended the moratorium on new forestry concessions, and
released several activists and OPM members in line with an
announcement of further amnesties. He did not, however,
respond to Papuan demands of a withdrawal of the National
Armed Forces (TNI). The military, its special force Komando
Pasokan Khusus (Kopassus), and paramilitary mobile police
brigades known as brimobs continued to conduct sweeping
operations that targeted both militants and civilians.
On January 1, militants killed two policemen and one security
guard at the PT Freeport mine complex in Papua. Six days
later, a 500-strong joint police and military force burned
down houses, arrested about 100 people, and caused hundreds
to flee during a sweeping operation in Utikini village,
Timika Baru district, Papua. In Tembagapura, a village close
to the Freeport mine, police and military forces set up security
posts and expelled about 1,000 illegal gold miners on
January 14, accusing them of financing militants. On April
30, the police arrested commander Leonardus Magai Yogi
and two other OPM members after a car chase and shootout
in Nabire district, Papua. Yogi was shot and died after one
month in hospital. On May 20, students and members of
the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) in Jakarta staged
protests in support of ULMWP's bid for MSG membership. The
same day, the police arrested about 70 students and KNPB
members during a rally in Manokwari, West Papua. On May
21, 400 police officers escorted a rally of 700 KNPB members
driving on trucks and motorcycles from Wamena to the Papua
Provincial Council (DPRD) office in Jayapura and back. One
week later, the police arrested at least 71 KNPB members in
two rallies in Wamena and Jayapura, heavily injuring five. On
June 28, two soldiers killed two people and injured three in
a street quarrel with Papuan civilians in Timika, Timika Baru
district. On November 29, militants in Namunaweja, Central
Mambramo district, Papua, shot dead TNI Major John Frans de
Fretes with his own pistol. Fretes had been sent to the village
by the Regional Military Command, following reports of OPM
activities. In early December, at least 120 families from the
Namunaweja villages fled into surrounding forests in fear of
military retaliation. On December 27, 15 militants raided a
police station in Sinak town, Puncak district, Papua, killing
three policemen. The militants stole seven assault rifles and
ammunition. twe
JAPAN CHINA (EAST CHINA SEA)
Intensity: 2 | Change: | Start: 1971
Conflict parties:
Japan vs. PRC vs. ROC
Conflict items: territory, international power, resources,
other
The non-violent crisis between the People's Republic of China
(PRC), the Republic of China (ROC), and Japan over international
power, resources, and territory continued. Throughout
the year, all conflict parties reiterated their claims over the
Senkaku/Diaoyu/Diaoyutai Islands and their Exclusive Economic
Zone (EEZ) in the East China Sea. Both Japan and the
PRC repeatedly sent ships and airplanes into the disputed
area, accusing each other of territorial incursions. Both sides
also continued to build up military and constabulary capabilities,
including the procurement of aircraft and helicopter
carriers. The PRC voiced concerns over Japan's new security
bills, lifting the country's constitutional restrictions on collective
self-defense. The diet passed the bill on September
19, against strong protests of opposition parties and civil
society groups. In the course of the year, Japan announced
the deployment of ground troops on the islands of Ishigaki,
Miyako, and Yonaguni, close to the disputed territories. On
January 23, satellite imagery confirmed the construction of
a Chinese military base with a radar installation and reportedly
ten helicopter landing pads on Nanji Island, Zhejiang
Province, roughly 300 km from the disputed islands.
On March 4, the PRC launched a website that stated its territorial
claims in multiple languages. On March 16, Japan's
foreign ministry published an official Chinese map from 1969,
contending that it proved Chinese acknowledgement of its
claims. Three days later, senior Chinese and Japanese officials
met in Tokyo for the first security dialogue since January
2011, negotiating the establishment of a maritime hotline.
On April 9, both sides resumed their parliamentary exchange,
last held in January 2012. On April 27, Japan and the USA issued
new guidelines for their defense cooperation, improving
the interoperability of their armed forces and establishing an
Alliance Coordination Mechanism to control escalating crises
on remote islands, among other things. The PRC urged the
US not to include the disputed territory in the guidelines and
to stay neutral. In May and June, the US approved potential
arms sales to Japan including 17 V22-Osprey tiltrotor planes
and four E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircrafts.
On June 5, Japan and the Philippines agreed to strengthen
their security cooperation, jointly opposing ''unilateral attempts
to change the status quo.'' One week later, the PRC
warned Japan against jeopardizing the improvement of relations
by ''hyping up'' the South China Sea issue [→ China
Vietnam et al. (South China Sea)]. On September 15, Japan
and Vietnam jointly expressed concerns over unilateral actions
in the South China Sea.
On June 12, a PRC military document showed its consideration
of the use of drone patrols in the East China Sea. On
July 22, Japan's foreign ministry published 14 photographs
showing PRC offshore platforms, claiming that they violated
the 2008 agreement on jointly developing the gas and oil
resources in the disputed waters. China rejected the accusations,
stating that the platforms were in undisputed territory.
In late July, former ROC Prime Minister Lee Teng-hui visited
Japan and asserted Japan's territorial claims, referring to
them as ''Senkaku'' instead of Diaoyutai, ROC's official desig-
144