The former Dutch colony of West Papua was annexed by Indonesia in 1963, and international recognition was given in 1969 following the Act of Free Choice, a controversial referendum with an electorate of less than 1% of the local population.
The movement began fighting in an armed struggle, primarily against the Indonesian Army, in 1965 following the Arfai incident.
[5] A large number of Javanese transmigrant settlers to Papua were announced in late 1983, who would begin arriving in April 1984.
Around 100 soldiers of Papuan origin deserted in the aftermath of the incident, seizing weapons and ammunition in the process.
[7] Due to the shootouts between OPM and the Indonesian Army, several thousand refugees – around 8,000 by May 1984 – crossed the border into Papua New Guinea (PNG).
As fighting and army crackdowns spread from Jayapura, more refugees crossed the border from present-day South Papua.
[12][13] The refugees remain as of 2024, with concentrations primarily in Sandaun and Western provinces along with in Port Moresby.