Recalling the Black Water Refugee camp experience

Recalling the Black Water Refugee camp experience

PNG Indonesian border marker

By Patrick Matbob



In the early 1980s, confrontation between the Indonesian armed forces and the West Papuan rebels heightened along the PNG/Indonesian border. There were regular skirmishes between the Indonesian armed forces and the Free Papua Movement (OPM) rebels causing refugees to cross the border into Papua New Guinea. The PNG Government at the same time was doing its best trying to care for these refugees while facing criticisms for the way it was handling the issue.



I was working at the TIMES OF PNG newspaper when the then General Manager, Mr Rowan Callick called me into his office.

He wanted me to go over to the Black Water Refugee camp near Vanimo to report on the conditions of the camp and get the views from the refugees. I was to accompany an Australian Channel Nine news team who were flying up to do a special coverage of the Black Water Refugee camp issue.

At that time, more waves of refugees were crossing into PNG, straining the relationship between PNG and Indonesia and causing real headaches for the local authorities at Vanimo. Border skirmishes between the OPM, PNG Defence Force and the Indonesia Armed Forces were regular.

Refugees who crossed over into the Sandaun province were all being housed at Black water refugee camp, which had become overcrowded causing all sorts of problems.

The OPM issue which The Times of PNG excelled in covering was my beat at the time having taken it over from the experienced Neville Togarewa, who had given excellent coverage for many years.

That morning, I was dropped off at the airport and, together with the Channel Nine news team, boarded the charted Talair Beech Barren aircraft. All the Channel Nine TV crew plus their anchor man, scrambled for the back seats of the tiny plane leaving me with the pilot. Early that year, there had been a fatal air crash in the Kokoda Gap and the only survivors in that small Norman Britten Islander were in the back seats!

We taxied off and climbed as our route was direct from Port Moresby to Vanimo over the Enga Province. Once we had cleared the mountainous Enga province, we descended straight over the peaceful Sissano Lagoon in Aitape, then hugged the coast up to Vanimo.

We picked up our hired vehicles from the Government transport pool at Vanimo then headed for the Blackwater Refugee camp outside the town. Blackwater camp was a temporary camp set up by the PNG Government to harbour refugees who were pouring across from the border in the early eighties. It was still expanding with new homes being built when we visited. The Channel Nine news team went about shooting their news footage while I visited the refugees and interviewed them.

A few moments later we heard sirens and a number of police vehicles  led by the provincial police commander, Passingan Taru, drove into the camp. The commander jumped out his car and used a loud hailer to order us to stop what we were doing. He ordered his men to confiscate our cameras, notebooks and other equipment and then commanded us to get into the police vehicles.

We were shocked to say the least, but obeyed orders as the police were heavily armed. Down at Vanimo, we were brought into the police station and then locked up without any explanation.

The Australians demanded to speak to the Australian High Commissioner.

Back in the lock-up, I was getting to know the TV crew members better and trying to calm their excitement by assuring them that everything would be alright.

Some time later, one of the Australians assured us that the High Commission knew we were being detained by police. It wasn’t long before a policeman asked us all to see the commander in his office. The wheels of the ‘powers that be’ had already began to roll.

The police commander was apologetic and told us he was under orders from the Foreign Affairs Department in Port Moresby not to allow us to visit the Blackwater Refugee camp. He said the refugee issue was a sensitive matter and continuous local and international media coverage was hurting our relationship with Indonesian Government.

Eventually, the order came from the Foreign Affairs department in Port Moresby to release us and our equipment returned.

Back in Port Moresby, the incident was given publicity by the media which drew criticisms throughout the country.

This did not help the government because we continued on to complete our coverage of the Blackwater Refugee camp and its crowded conditions. The Government was under pressure to set up another refugee camp at East Awin in Western Province where the refugees from Vanimo were transferred.