TOLIKARA - The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) held an open demonstration action for the first time in Tolikara Regency, Highland Papua, since the organization was officially founded on 19 November 2008 in Jayapura. This historic momentum for the KNPB movement in the highland region took place safely and orderly on Tuesday (30/9/2026).
Hundreds of people gathered and sat orderly filling the main road area around the central city region of Tolikara. An orator wearing traditional head dress led struggle chants in front of a line of security forces standing guard at the incident location.
The action participants simultaneously raised clenched fists as a form of organization struggle solidarity. Based on visuals at the location, a background of church building, clock tower, row of kiosks, and typical Tolikara mountain panorama surrounded the crowd.
Participants flew KNPB organizational flags while carrying a number of banners and handwritten posters containing their demands. This sympathetic action took place peacefully without being colored by physical clashes at all between the action crowd and security forces.
KNPB organizational activities over the past 17 years indeed centered more on coastal areas as well as several urban regions. Open KNPB action networks were previously found more often in Jayapura, Manado, Timika, Nabire, Dogiyai, Manokwari, Sorong, Wamena, Yahukimo, Gorontalo, Makassar, to Timor-Leste.
Tolikara Regency located in the Lapago customary region had never before become a center for open KNPB protest. Steep geographical conditions, limited transportation access, and local political dynamics became reasons this region was rarely touched by KNPB mass action.
This mass action on 30 September 2026 officially marked the presence and consolidation of Tolikara Region KNPB management in the area. This step was considered proof of organizational network expansion growing wider into the Papua interior highlands.
"Thank you fellow Tolikara KNPB management," said a KNPB representative, Tuesday (30/9/2026).
The statement of appreciation was delivered along with the spread of video recordings documenting the action among the community. This consolidation reinforced that the KNPB structure now grows increasingly solid and rooted throughout all corners of the Papua land. (One Papua)