Boven Digoel Regency


Boven Digoel Regency is an inland regency in the northeastern part of the Indonesian province of South Papua. It was split off from Merauke Regency on 12 November 2002. It is bordered to the south by the residual Merauke Regency, to the west by Mappi Regency, and to the north by the province of Highland Papua. At the same time, to the east lies the international border with Papua New Guinea.
The regency covers an area of, and the total population was 55,784 at the 2010 Census and 64,285 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid-2024 was 71,997. The administrative centre is the town of Tanah Merah in the Mandobo District.

Administrative districts

The regency comprises twenty districts, tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as of mid-2024. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district, and their postcode.
Regional
Code		Name of
District
Area
in
km2		Pop'n
2010
Census		Pop'n
2020
Census		Pop'n
mid-2024
Estimate		Admin
centre		No.
of
villages		Post
code
93.02.05Jair3,061.7317,48218,17916,461Getentiri599651
93.02.15Subur2,660.091,2241,4701,730Subur599653
93.02.19Ki2,050.601,7011,7292,172Ujungkia499652
93.02.02Mindiptana448.173,6223,7994,481Mindiptana1399663
93.02.08Iniyandit379.658331,0061,220Langgoan599661
93.02.07Kombut660.936911,1351,371Kombut499662
93.02.18Sesnuk1,306.632,1029181,055Sesnuk599664
93.02.01Mandobo2,699.5112,84020,02723,222Tanah Merah599674
93.02.10Fofi2,466.701,9872,6903,128Makmur/Ikisi899673
93.02.09Arimop1,311.771,2701,6312,327Maju799671
93.02.04Kouh467.251,1861,0931,123Kouh399655
93.02.06Bomakia1,082.952,1962,4752,954Bomakia I599672
93.02.13Firiwage1,219.971,0888451,307Firiwage499691
93.02.12Manggelum1,289.651,1888361,166Manggelum699692
93.02.14Yaniruma1,611.048661,0251,358Yaniruma399685
93.02.20Kawagit904.231,0011,1391,445Kawagit699654
93.02.16Kombay830.911,2631,0281,267Wanggemalo599682
93.02.03Waropko1,086.971,9101,9932,472Woropko999684
93.02.11Ambatkwi1,282.38743449770Kuken599681
93.02.17Ninati287.07591818968Ninati599683
Totals27,108.2955,78464,28571,997Tanah Merah112

History

In the Dutch East Indies era, the present Boven Digoel Regency was known as Digul Atas, located on the banks of the Digul River.
Boven-Digoel was a Dutch prison camp in the Dutch East Indies at the headwaters of the Digul River, where Indonesian nationalists and communists were interned between 1928 and 1942. Initially set to accommodate prisoners of the 1926 revolt led by the Communist Party of Indonesia, Boven-Digoel later was used as an exile for the national movement figures with a recorded number of prisoners of 1,308 people. Among the figures exiled, were Mohammad Hatta, Sutan Sjahrir, Sayuti Melik, and Marco Kartodikromo.
When the Pacific War broke out and Japan occupied Indonesia, Boven-Digoel prisoners were evacuated by the Dutch to Australia. The transfer was based on concerns that the prisoners would rebel if they remained at Boven-Digoel. It was hoped that the Indonesians brought to Australia would help the Dutch. It turned out that these political prisoners influenced the Australian trade union to boycott the Dutch ships that landed in the country. After the Allies won, the prisoners were returned to their original places in Indonesia.
The camp was reused to imprison Indonesian nationalists from Papua during West [New Guinea dispute|the West New Guinea dispute] such as J.A. Dimara, Petrus Korwa, and Hanoch Rumbrar.