Arfai incident

On 26 July, three Indonesian Army 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.[4]

The raid occurred against the barracks of army's 641st infantry battalion in Arfai, Manokwari on 28 July 1965, and was conducted by an armed group under one Permanas Ferry Awom, which numbered around 400 men and originated from Biak, Ajamaru and Serui.[5] Awom was a member of the Papuan Volunteer Corps, and according to a participant in the raid during a later interview, he entered Manokwari with around 80 fighters, receiving help from local sympathizers.[6] Later lieutenant general Sintong Panjaitan, who arrived in Irian in 1967, wrote in his memoir that the attack occurred on 4:30 AM in the morning, and the Papuan fighters utilized firearms, parang, spears and bows.[3]

Reportedly, 3 Indonesian soldiers were killed in the raid and another 4 were injured,[1] while Panjaitan wrote that 36 rebels were killed. He also wrote that two pieces of small arms - a Bren light machine gun and an automatic weapon - were captured.[3] The International Center for Transitional Justice reported that "18 Indonesian military personnel and four OPM guerrillas" were killed in the incident.[2]

Following the incident, alongside other events in Manokwari and Sorong, the Indonesian National Armed Forces launched a military operation codenamed Sadar, which involved pressuring civilians and launching aerial attacks, on occasion burning villages.[2]