The Papuan Volunteer Corps (PVK, Dutch: ''Papoea Vrijwilligers Korps'') was a corps consisting entirely of

Papuans The indigenous peoples of West Papua in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, commonly called Papuans, are Melanesians. There is genetic evidence for two major historical lineages in New Guinea and neighboring islands: a first wave from the Malay Arch ...

, formed on February 21, 1961. It was established to contribute to the defense of

Dutch New Guinea Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea ( nl, Nederlands-Nieuw-Guinea, id, Nugini Belanda) was the western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingdo ...

against the infiltration of the

Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its ...

. The establishment of the corps by the

Dutch Cabinet The cabinet of the Netherlands ( nl, Nederlands kabinet) is the main executive body of the Netherlands. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Fourth Rutte cabinet, which has been in power since 10 January 2022. It is headed by Prime Minis ...

was approved in December 1959, and the corps was to serve as a ''semi-military police''. The PVK was composed of different peoples of Papua, mostly members of Arfak and Biak tribes and was under command of colonel of marines W.A. van Heuven. As an emblem the PVK chose the Cassowary ''(kasuaris in Dutch)'': the Corp's motto was ''Persevero'' (''I persist''). The PVK was armed and was equipped with a khaki uniform and a hat with the left edge upward, which was adorned with the PVK emblem and a plume. In 1961–1962, the Indonesian threat greatly expanded. After the administration of the territory was passed to the United Nations ( UNTEA) and the subsequent Indonesian government (1962–1963), the PVK was dissolved, and the members were dismissed. Some members later joined the Indonesian Army. Others, including Sergeant Awom Ferry, founded a guerrilla army, the Cassowary Battalion (OPM), and began a struggle for independence from Indonesia. Although later this movement would surrender and some of its members would also join the Indonesian Army after they were trained in

Siliwangi Siliwangi may refer to various people and institutions in the past and present of West Java, Indonesia: * King Siliwangi (1482), eponymous ruler of Pajajaran Kingdom, a fifteenth century kingdom in West Java, centered in modern Bogor * Siliwangi D ...

and

Diponegoro Prince Diponegoro ( jv, ꦢꦶꦥꦤꦼꦒꦫ; born Bendara Raden Mas Mustahar, ; later Bendara Raden Mas Antawirya ; 11 November 1785 – 8 January 1855), also known as Dipanegara, was a Javanese prince who opposed the Dutch colonial rule. The e ...

and combined with forces of Trikora, to form Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih. Others would join in the two competing factions of

Free Papua Movement "Free Papua Movement" ( id, Organisasi Papua Merdeka, OPM, tpi, Fri Wes Papua Grup) is an umbrella term for the independence movement established during 1965 in the West Papuan or West New Guinea territory which is currently being administrat ...

, primarily in 'Victoria Headquarters' rather than 'Defenders of Truth' as the former were lead by former TNI member, M.L. Prawar and S. Rumkorem.

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at the

Legermuseum The Arsenal building in Delft The former museum building by night Stone coat of arms on the Armamentarium (Oude Delft side) The Koninklijk Nederlands Legermuseum (''Royal Dutch Army Museum'') is the former national museum of the Dutch Army. Un ...

Territory of Papua and New Guinea Paramilitary organizations Organizations based in Netherlands New Guinea 1961 establishments in Netherlands New Guinea Military units and formations established in 1961 {{mil-stub