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begun sending workers from various professions to Papua, both military and civilians.
Upton (2009) , for example, noted that at the beginning of the transitional government
under UNTEA, the Indonesian government sent about 1,500 troops to Papua, the number
that almost equaled that of UN troops in Papua. In addition, as many as 1,200 people who
worked for UNTEA in 1963 were Indonesian people, 200 Dutch people, and 80 people
from various other countries. The domination of Indonesia was supported by Pinhabitant
Sukarno, who in September 1963 issued a ban for any foreigners to visit Papua except for
missionary purposes.
In that period, the relationship between the people of Papua and Maluku could be seen
from the decision to make Maluku as the main headquarters of Trikora Forces. From some
points of operating bases in Maluku, Indonesia sent its troops to Papua to seize Papua
from the Dutch. Through an agreement between Indonesia, the Dutch, and the United
Nations, it was agreed that Papua would be under Indonesian control or in transition
until the referendum (Pepera) in 1969. The Dutch prepared to leave Papua, Papuan KNIL
soldiers were offered two options, namely to join Indonesia or to go back to the Dutch.
Those who chose to stay were then sent to Java to get Indonesian style military training.
Through this educational process, there was intermarriage between Papuan soldiers and
Javanese women. After the training, some Papuan soldiers were sent back to Papua, and
some remained in Java or sent to other areas. In this transitional period the Indonesian
government began to restore security by sending its military to Papua. In addition, it also
conducted a limited construction work. Administrative personnel, and nurses and teachers
were also sent to Papua. Some of those sent to Papua married indigenous peoples where
they worked. These mixed-race marriages produced a number of children. After the
referendum, in which Papua joined the Republic of Indonesia, the government started
its development program in various fields, such as education, health, infrastructure and
economy (personal communicationYapsenang, 2015).
In 1964, the government began to send the first homesteaders to Papua. They were called
the pioneers of multipurpose development or the pioneers of the development of West Irian
(TPPJG/PPIB). The homesteaders were placed among others in Manokwari as many as 12
heads of family/30 people, Kumbe (Merauke District) 27 heads of family and in Dosai (Jayapura
District) 9 heads of family (Parera, 2014: 6). Indonesian government’s efforts to build Papua
before the referendum were challenged by community groups who disagreed with the Dutch
and Indonesia on the status of Papua. The submission of Papua to Indonesia was considered
a submission from one colonizer to another. Their ideals were for independence. The group

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