Papua New Guinean Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says the Melanesian Spearhead Group has made solid progress under the chairmanship of Solomon Islands. Video: EMTV News
By Meriba Tulo in Port Moresby
West Papua’s application to become a full member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group has gained traction, with MSG leaders referring the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) request to the MSG Secretariat for deliberation.
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister and new MSG chair, Peter O’Neill, made this known at the conclusion of the Leaders’ Summit.
According to O’Neill, the leaders of Melanesia have approved new criteria guidelines for observers, associate members and full members to the sub-regional grouping.
Currently, the ULMWP has an observer status to the MSG, with Indonesia already an associate member to this sub-regional grouping.
However, with this new move, West Papua, or the ULMWP at least could be one step closer to becoming a full member of MSG.
ULMWP leader Benny Wenda was present at the closing of the MSG Leaders’ Summit and was pleased with the outcome.
FLNKS backing When addressing Melanesian leaders, Wenda called on the MSG to support West Papua in the same way that the MSG had shown support for the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) in New Caledonia in their push for independence.
Indonesia, however, called on the MSG to respect its sovereignty, calling the West Papuan issue an “internal matter”. These comments did not go down well with Wenda, when speaking to EMTV News:
“West Papua Is a Melanesian issue, which must be dealt with by Melanesians – Indonesia is not Melanesia.”
Meriba Tulo is a senior reporter and presenter and currently anchors Resource PNG as well as EMTV’s daily National News. Asia Pacific Report republishes EMTV News stories by arrangement.
Jakarta. Werur Airport in Tambrauw, West Papua — formerly a disused World War II airfield — has opened again for business after six years of redevelopment, Indonesia's Transportation Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday (14/02).
The airport, now with a 1,400-meter runway, used to be a military airfield for both the Japanese and the Allies during World War II.
The government had been planning to develop the airfield into a commercial airport since 2012, but construction work only began in 2015 after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo started his initiative to improve access to Indonesia's underdeveloped regions.
"Werur Airport's reopening is part of an effort to realize President Jokowi's Nawacita [nine-prong development principle]. One of the principles is that the government has to be willing to develop border areas in Indonesia," the ministry said.
"Tabrauw is right on the coast, a very strategic location. No wonder the Japanese and the Allies built the air base there during World War II," the ministry's air transport director Maria Murni said in the statement.
"The airport should help the local economy by bringing in more tourists," she said.
According to the ministry, the airport will also help reduce logistics cost to bring goods in and out of the area. Exorbitant logistics cost is the bane of many underdeveloped regions in Indonesia.
The airport at the moment is only used by Susi Air, an airline owned by Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, with two flights from Sorong to Werur every week on Monday and Friday.
The Transportation Ministry said the airport's runway and passenger terminal will be extended again later in 2018.
1) Papuan Liberation Movement hopeful over MSG process
6:40 am today
MSG leaders meeting in Port Moresby last week referred the Movement's application to the MSG secretariat for processing under new membership guidelines.
The Movement already has observer status but MSG leaders have been divided on whether to allow it full membership.
The chairman of the Movement, Benny Wenda, said he remained hopeful.
"I want to send my people a message to my people back home that this is another positive.
"Step by step, we are in the right dircetion, so please pray. We hope that the secretariat will discuss our application very soon, because we are dreaming to become full member," he said.
The release of the Trump administration’s 2018 national defence strategy (NDS) in January highlighted a more dangerous threat environment with an assertive China and aggressive Russia at the top of US concerns. The document states that ‘it is increasingly clear that China and Russia want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model—gaining veto authority over other nations’ economic, diplomatic and security decisions’. China and Russia are certain to push back against the new US strategy, and thus the stage is set for a new period of major-power competition akin to the Cold War.
The US plans to enhance cooperation globally by developing ‘an extended network [of allies] capable of deterring or decisively acting to meet shared challenges of our time’. It also wants to reinforce ‘collaborative planning and deepen interoperability in a manner that could also include supporting foreign partner capability development to ensure an ability to integrate with US forces’. In the Indo-Pacific region, the US says it will build ‘a networked security architecture capable of deterring aggression, maintaining stability, and ensuring free access to common domains’ and ‘bring together bilateral and multilateral security relationships to preserve a free and open international system’.
Australia must quickly respond by talking to Washington about US expectations of its allies. We can’t afford to send mixed signals like we did recently, with defence minister Marise Payne supportive of the NDS one day, and foreign minister Julie Bishop distancingAustralia from its key message the next. Our policy on the alliance has to be coherent and robust. The government should explore ways to strengthen the US–Australia alliance that enhance the likelihood of the NDS’s success and, at the same time, improve Australia’s security in a more contested environment.
The NDS refers to developing more survivable and dispersed basing arrangements in the face of a Chinese anti-access and area denial (A2AD) capability that’s increasingly long-range, accurate and responsive. Our contribution to that effort could include giving the US more access to Australian military facilities. For example, we could offer the US Navy home porting rights in Fleet Base West, and expand the enhanced air cooperation component of the US–Australia Force Posture Initiatives to a sustained presence, rather than only short-term rotations. That would enhance the survivability of US forces in the face of Chinese A2AD in East Asia, and reinforce extended deterrence below the nuclear threshold. It would also contribute to a more credible strategic deterrence posture for the US against China overall.
Strengthening our alliance arrangements will require us to discriminate between critical security interests and secondary concerns. If we’re going to help build the webs between the spokes in the ‘hub and spokes’ security arrangements, we must be careful to avoid commitments in which there’s a mismatch between our interests and the risks involved. That may call for some hard-headed choices about where, when and what we contribute. Making those decisions may be the most challenging aspect of developing a higher defence profile in Asia.
The Turnbull government has recently made good progress in facilitating closer defence relations with Japan, and is once again supporting a revival of the US–Japan–India–Australia ‘quadrilateral’ dialogue. These diplomatic efforts suggest useful pathways to playing a greater security role in Asia alongside the United States. But they do carry risks. We must not be naive about building ties that bind. We have to distinguish carefully between partners we want to cooperate with and those we seek a closer alliance with, because the latter group potentially entails defence obligations. These strategic conundrums aren’t new, but they’re becoming more acute and will force Australia to engage in a more mature strategic debate in more adverse circumstances. Our strategic holiday is coming to an end.
Indonesia also must, of course, be a priority for Australian defence diplomacy because it sits in the maritime fulcrum of the Indo-Pacific region, astride vital sea lanes and maritime straits. If China is to dominate Southeast Asia through the South China Sea, it ultimately must control Indonesian waters as well. The territorial dispute over Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone around the Natuna Islands, and China’s declared ‘nine-dash line’ which overlaps that zone, is likely to be a focal point for future crisis in Indonesian–Chinese relations.
Maintaining our strategic partnership with Indonesia is important because, as Stephan Fruehling noted recently, unless China gains access to, or control of, bases in Indonesia (as Japan did in 1942), the strategic geography makes it much harder for China to threaten Australia directly, at least in a sustained and substantial way. We should work alongside the US to boost Indonesian naval capabilities because a more powerful Indonesia that’s able to resist Chinese pressure on the high seas in turn limits Chinese territorial ambitions.
Taking on greater defence burden-sharing in Asia to support the US and counterbalance China will have significant defence capability and budget implications. I’ll consider those issues in my next post.
3) Indonesia stock exchange targets 2 thousand investors from W Papua
Reporter: antara 6 hours ago
Manokwari, W Papua (ANTARA News) - The Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) has set a target of an increase of 2 thousand investors from West Papua Province by 2018.
Head of BEI Office of Manokwari, Adevi Sabath, said during a media gathering in Manokwari, the capital of the province, on Saturday that the number of investors in West Papua shares in 2017 reached 906 people.
In January 2018, the number increased to 956 people. Sabath stated that the office will work optimally to encourage more people to invest through securities offices under the BEI.
According to Sabath, only the cities of Manokwari and Sorong dominated the number of investors from the province. In other areas of the province, the number of investors was not significant enough.
"We are still expanding campaign and literacy programs by targeting various circles, from students to communities," Sabath stated.
He remarked that there are only five investment galleries currently formed, which were in the University of Papua and Institute of Economic Science of Mah-Eisa in Manokwari city, and in Viktoria University, Institute of Economic Science of Bukit Zaitun, and University of Muhammadiyah in Sorong city.
In addition to providing services in the investment galleries, the Monokwari`s BEI Office is carrying out educational training for the community of motorcycle drivers.
"We see that the communities have quite high interest in investing their capital. Recently, many people in the areas were deceived while investing their capital," Sabath explained.
Reindhra Nadyarian Artika Putri, the Manokwari`s Indo Premier Representative Officer, was optimistic that the investors` transaction value in West Papua Province will increase in 2018.
"In 2019, from 285 investors, the transaction value reached Rp11.9 billion. In February 2018, from 35 investors, the transaction value reached Rp3.5 billion," Putri revealed.
Putri believed that the value of stock purchase transactions until the end of December 2018 would be much larger than last year.
1) Indonesia helps finance Melanesian Spearhead Group secretariat
4:56 pm today
Leading delegates at the 2018 Melanesian Spearhead Group summit in Port Moresby, including Charlot Salwai and Rick Hou, prime ministers of Vanuatu and Solomon Islands (third and fourth from the left) and West Papuan leader Benny Wenda far right). Photo: Supplied
Indonesia's government has been helping fund the Melanesian Spearhead Group's secretariat.
The secretariat, based in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila, has experienced funding limitations in recent years.
The five full members - Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia's FLNKS Kanaks Movement - are meant to pay annual contributions.
However, some members have struggled to pay their dues on time in the past few years.
According to a spokesman for Indonesia's embassy in Australia, Sade Bimantara, Jakarta has been helping the MSG out.
"And we have been giving our annual contribution. On top of that we have also helped the secretariat in procuring vehicles and other things for their secretariat. Yeah, so we have been assisting them financially as well."
Sade Bimantara, a representative of Indonesia's government, which has associate member status in the MSG.
Jayapura, Jubi – I wish I could begin this article by storytelling about my latest trip to this mysterious, little-known part of the World: formerly Irian Jaya – or, as more of you may know it, West Papua (officially two provinces: Papua and West Papua). This supposedly semi-autonomous region of Indonesia occupies the western half of the island of New Guinea, the second largest island in the World. It might be seldom talked about, rarely mentioned in the news, but West Papua is no stranger to hardship and oppression. An isolated region for millennia, it was colonised by the Dutch in 1898 only to gain independence 63 years later in 1961. Unfortunately, its freedom was short-lived, as in the turmoil of the Cold War the United States along with the Netherlands and the UN let the new nation slip into the hands of neighbouring Indonesia in 1963. The reason? They feared potential Soviet influence taking foot in South-East Asia during Indonesia’s push for control over the western half of the island of New Guinea. Today, Indonesia restricts the travel of foreigners into the region and foreign journalists are prohibited to enter all together.
As the Free West Papua Campaign ( see https://www.freewestpapua.org ) reports, human rights abuses and the devastation of the abundant natural resources of the region are rife. The Indonesian government regards West Papua as nothing more than a resource to fuel its economy and its people as primitive, subordinate to the mainstream population. What about the children of this ravished region? Where do they stand? How are their rights respected, protected and fulfilled? These are the questions I ask myself attempting to reveal a bird’s eye view of the situation on the ground to a greater audience.
The word “headlines” has a mass media connotation even though headlines can be found in niche publications too. From a children’s rights activist’s point of view, two headlines at www.freewestpapua.org are particularly disturbing: West Papuan teenager shot dead by the Indonesian police on Christmas Day and West Papuan youth tortured to death by the Indonesian military on New Year’s Day. Both articles tell the story of Papuan youth falling victim to the Indonesian Armed Forces stationed in West Papua. They claim frequent graves human rights abuses such as torture and extrajudicial killings targeting the native population, with little to no chance for justice to be served. As a result of heavy-handed oppression, ongoing atrocities and human rights violations resulting in racial segregation, Papuan children are nearly six times less likely to survive into adulthood than non-Papuans living in Irian Jaya. According to recent research by the Netherlands based NGO Foundation for Sustainable Society Papua Barat ( http://www.sdsp.nl/ ) infant mortality among Papuans stands at a staggering 18,4 % while among the non-indigenous population at “only” 3,6 %.
The result of the decades-old transmigration program in Indonesia, 50 % of the population of Irian Jaya are non-Papuans today. The report alleges that the Indonesian government is violating the Convention on the Rights of the Child (ratified by Indonesia in 1990) and is non-adherent to the Maastricht Guidelines (ICESCR, ratified by Indonesia in 2006) is not catering for the needs of the mainly rural-dwelling native population. Cities, largely populated by immigrants, are disproportionately better supplied with medicine, healthcare personnel and equipment. Observers claim that rural clinics are often dysfunctional due to lack of staff and supplies. Stocked medicine is often past the expiration date.
Education is often out of reach for Papuan families.
The educational establishments are limited to cities where the mounting costs of tuition and board have resulted in native children missing out on receiving an education. Paid work for native youth is scarce and hard to find and as a result, some end up joining the ranks of the underground independence movement. These young people are frequently confined to remote hideaway locations in fear of prosecution. The West Papua flag and all related symbols have been outlawed by the Government and anyone suspected of supporting independence can face arbitrary arrest, detention, torture or even death.
The past year seemed to hold some promise for West Papuans. After all, an independence petition signed by 1,8 million Papuans (70% of the population) declared illegal by Indonesia reached the UN in September 2017. The petition, calling for a free vote on independence, could only be held in secrecy, was secretly delivered from village to village by courageous individuals who put their cause before their safety. Hopes were high coming up to the delivery of the petition but all hopes were shattered when the UN’s decolonisation committee (C-24) stated that its mandate did not extend to the issue of West Papua. Indonesia labelled the petition a publicity stunt while also prosecuting activist Yanto Awerkion for helping to gather signatures. The voices of the children have not been heard. Nor the pleas of the mothers. Or the tearful cries of the fathers. Not yet. When the voices of the oppressed are not heard, there are those who speak for the oppressed and will be heard. I offer the following quote by Audrey Hepburn to the children of West Papua:
“I speak for those children who cannot speak for themselves, children who have absolutely nothing but their courage and their smiles, their wits and their dreams.”
Writing this article has got me wonder about our understanding of who a child is. According to UNICEF, a child is a person below the age of 18 – a definition almost too simple. The words child and childhood often remind people of the vulnerability of children, of their dependence on the adults who make decisions for them while growing up (and sometimes beyond). West Papua within Indonesia was “born” a little more than 18 years ago, however, its people, both below and above the age of 18, are children of their native lands, are vulnerable to oppression and their fate depends on the decisions of those in charge: Indonesia and the international community. I genuinely hope that the children of West Papua will be listened to. (*)
This statement was originally published on PFF's Facebook page on 19 February 2018.
Jakarta must regain authority over Papua, demands PFF, the Pacific Freedom Forum, after the latest action by "rogue" security forces.
"Free speech should not suffer because of cookies," says PFF Chair Monica Miller, referring to removal of a BBC journalist from West Papua earlier this month.
Biscuits were highlighted by the BBC's Indonesia Editor Rebecca Henschke in a tweet about low-quality emergency relief food given to infants during a serious outbreak of measles, including sugary drinks, noodles and cookies.
"Removing BBC journalists from Papua provinces over such a tiny detail is proof that Indonesian security forces are still acting outside the law."
An official release from TNI, the Indonesian military, accused Henschke of "hurting soldiers' feelings" with her reporting. As previously noted by PFF, security forces in Papua have long operated outside the law, defying Indonesia constitutional protections for free speech, along with free press legislation.
"Papua free speech is worth more than cookies and fizzy drinks", says Miller.
PFF is calling on Jakarta to "end a slow genocide against free speech, and assert authority over rogue security forces." This call extends to development partners concerned at continued resource corruption in Papua, and across Indonesia.
From Port Moresby, PFF co-Chair Alexander Rheeney compares Indonesian 'feelings' with Papua anger over mass arrests, assault, killings and jailing of those holding up free speech rights.
"Papua people have suffered decades of free-speech loss, to tragic result - half a million documented deaths in half a century. "We then have a free-speech farce with Indonesia hosting World Press Freedom Day last year - but officially ignoring Papua."
"This deportation from Papua just adds to the farce."
From Palau, PFF co-Chair Bernadette Carreon says it is time the region paid closer attention to the role of TNI, an Indonesian armed forces badge. "That badge is the same badge currently being considered for fresh funding from the United States," notes Carreon.
"American law makers must ask themselves - can a country that gets angry over a packet of cookies be trusted with advanced security training?"
PFF supports statements from AJI, the Alliance of Independent Journalists in Indonesia, RSF, Reporters Sans Frontiers, and IFJ, the International Federation of Journalists, condemning the arrests and removal of the BBC journalists. PFF is also welcoming an invitation from Indonesia for the United Nations Human Rights Commission to visit Papua province as "long overdue.”
2) Government prepares sustainable program to address Asmat problems
Reporter: antara 5 hours ago
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government has prepared a sustainable program after the extraordinary status of measles and malnutrition in Asmat District, Papua, has been lifted.
"The Ministry of Social Affairs has prepared the Emergency Response Unit Forum (Tagana) and 46 mentors to support the implementation of the Family Hope Program (PKH) and the distribution of rice social assistance (Rastra)," Social Affairs Minister Idrus Marham said here on Monday.
In addition, the ministry has also prepared the Village Disaster Alert (KSB) to handle Asmat people continuously.
"The Village Disaster Alert will be officially inaugurated by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Puan Maharani," the minister said.
Health Minister Nila Moeloek earlier said as many as 13,300 children in Asmat District, Papua Province have been vaccinated as an effort to control the epidemic of measles.
Not all sub-districts in Asmat District, however, get the vaccination due to difficult terrain.
The ministry has alternately deployed medical personnel and delivered aid packages every 10 days to handle measles and malnutrition in Asmat.
The medical personnel provided assistance in hospitals and church halls, Moeloek revealed.
"Some people have returned to their homes. However, if they do not get any health supervision from medical institutions, there could be recurrence of the disease," she explained.
1) Indonesia says Uncle Sam to lift last bans on Kopassus troops
AMANDA HODGE,NIVELL RAYDA
The Australian12:00AM February 21, 2018
Indonesia says the US has undertaken to lift the remaining restrictions on engagement with Indonesia’s Kopassus special forces, ending a 19-year ban on the unit linked to civilian killings and human rights abuses in West Papua, Aceh and East Timor.
Former Indonesian military commander Moeldoko, now chief of staff to President Joko Widodo, said US ambassador Joseph Donovan had confirmed on Monday during a meeting at the presidential palace that the US would “gradually lift” the last restrictions on the military unit.
This follows a request last month from Defence Minister Ryacudu Ryamizard to his US counterpart Jim Mattis to end the ban, imposed in 1999, on US engagement with the unit.
Successive Indonesian governments have lobbied for the ban to be lifted, but have had only partial success despite support from the Pentagon. Former president Barack Obama in 2010 lifted the outright ban on US military contact with Kopassus, although its 6000 members are still banned from travelling to the US or training with US forces.
In a statement issued after Monday’s meeting, General Moeldoko said Mr Donovan had emphasised the importance of co-operation between the two armed forces in preserving stability in the Asia-Pacific region and said the US intended to “reopen the possibility of a military training co-operation, (beginning) with Kopassus”.
But the US embassy in Jakarta appeared reluctant to confirm General Moeldoko’s statement yesterday, or give a time line for when US training of Kopassus might resume.
Instead an embassy spokesman said: “As Secretary Mattis’ trip to Indonesia demonstrated, we are committed to deepening our defence co-operation with Indonesia and are seeking opportunities for further engagement in various areas. All engagement activities are conducted in accordance with US law.
“We support Indonesia’s efforts to promote human rights and the rule of law, and we continue to discuss the importance of accountability for past abuses.”
The move would be in line with the unveiling last month of a shift in US national security focus from counter-terrorism to contain the rising power of China and Russia.
American forces are prevented under the “Leahy Law” from providing assistance or training to units known to have engaged in human rights abuses, unless they have addressed the abuses and held those responsible to account.
Mr Mattis said last month he understood Kopassus had turned a corner and removed those from the unit believed responsible for a crackdown on student activists under the Suharto regime, as well as the deaths of independence and secessionist activists in East Timor, Aceh and Papua.
Australia also cut ties with Kopassus after its members fired on Australian soldiers sent to East Timor in the lead-up to independence in 2002. Its ban also cited links between Kopassus and the disappearance and killings of political activists and civilians.
Canberra lifted the restrictions about a decade ago following a series of deadly bomb attacks in Bali and on the Australian embassy in Jakarta, rationalising that improving the skills of Kopassus was in Australia’s interest and could save Australian lives.
Amnesty International Indonesia spokesman Usman Hamid said the military had not fulfilled its promise to bring to justice high-ranking officers responsible for kidnapping and murder in Papua, East Timor and Aceh.
He also said those accused of human rights violations continued to enjoyed strategic positions within the military and in the Joko administration.
2) Lukas-Enembe, John-Wempi to face off in Papua election
Nethy Dharma Somba The Jakarta Post
Jayapura, Papua | Tue, February 20, 2018| 07:03 pm
After days of postponement, the Papua Elections Commission (KPUD) announced on Tuesdaythat incumbent pair Lukas Enembe - Klemen Tinal and the pair of John Wempi Wetipo - Hebel Melkias Suwae would compete in the province's gubernatorial election in June.
The Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) declared that both pairs were indigenous Papuans, a necessary requirement to run in the election.
The Lukas-Klemen pair is endorsed by the Democratic Party, the Golkar Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the United Development Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the NasDem Party, the Hanura Party, the Crescent Star Party (PBB) and the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI).
John and Hebel, meanwhile, are supported by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Gerindra Party.
"The MRP conducted a factual verification to check whether the four people originate from Papua. They all passed the verification process," KPUD Papua chairman Adam Arisoi said in a plenary meeting in Jayapura.
The national date to announce candidates was initially set for Feb.12, however the country’s easternmost province was late to confirm its election candidates, as the MRP was late to submit the verification documents to the election offices of the four candidates’ home regions.
Article 12 of the 2001 Special Autonomy Law stipulates that all candidates in the Papua election must be native Papuans, and that the MRP has the authority to determine whether or not the applicants meet the requirement. (foy/ebf)
PM Charlot Salwai speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new ULMWP headquarters in Port Vila. The land grant was facilitated by then-Lands Minister, and now Foreign Minister, Ralph Regenvanu.
In a brief message yesterday, Vanuatu Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu responded to an Indonesian spokesman's claims by Indonesia's First Secretary for Political Affairs in Australia that West Papua's 'game is up'.
Radio New Zealand reported earlier this week that Mr Sade Bimantara said that the "United Liberation Movement for West Papua's bid to be a full member of the Melanesian Spearhead group has reached a dead end."
In the interview with RNZI's Johnny Blades, Mr Bimantara opined "I don't think they qualify to be a full member of the MSG. They are not a state, and as opposed to Kanaks, they are not on the C24 (UN) Decolonisation Committee, they are not on the list, West Papua. And also the separatist group does not obtain full support from all the West Papuans. And West Papua and Papua is also politically free, so there's no reason for the MSG to accept them as full members."
This was disputed yesterday by Vanuatu's Foreign Minister. In an email exchange with the Daily Post, Mr Regenvanu wrote, "Well, that's for the MSG Leaders to decide once the application is presented to them.
"Technically, the ULMWP can meet the new criteria just agreed upon."
The issue, he wrote, would not be decided by the technicalities outlined by Indonesia's spokesman. "The question is only whether a political compromise can be achieved by the MSG Leaders before the next Summit at which the application for membership will be considered."
"Vanuatu is working on achieving this political compromise," he concluded.
Mr Regenvanu has been an outspoken supporter of West Papuan Independence movement. One of his last acts as Lands Minister before he took up the Foreign Affairs portfolio was to facilitate a grant of land to provide the United Liberation Movement for West Papua a permanent headquarters in Port Vila.
A ULMWP statement following the announcement of Mr Regenvanu's appointment to the portfolio said that it "is certainly a very effective state policy closely linked to the direction of the effective support of... Vanuatu for the West Papuan independence struggle."
The Papuan People's Assembly in Indonesia has cleared the indigenous credentials of candidates for the upcoming provincial gubernatorial elections.
After days of postponement, the Papua Elections Commission announced that incumbent Lukas Enembe and challenger John Wempi Wetipo would compete in June's election for Governor.
According to the Jakarta Post, Papua province was late in submitting candidates' verification documents to the Commission.
The 2001 Special Autonomy Law established by Indonesia in Papua stipulates that all candidates for Governor, and their running mates, must be indigenous Papuans.
The Assembly has conducted a factual verification on the candidates and confirmed they all originate from Papua.
3) West Papua Liberation Army in fresh campaign against Indonesia
12:26 pm today
The West Papua National Liberation Army's central command in the Papuan Highlands has made a fresh declaration of war against Indonesian military.
The Liberation Army is the armed wing of the Free West Papua Movement. Since forming in the early 1970s after Indonesia took control of West Papua, the army has been waging a sporadic guerilla campaign for independence with limited weaponry.
However, it's been linked to a spate of skirmishes with Indonesian security forces in the Highlands region of Papua province in the past few months.
The Army's recently appointed Chief of Field operations, Major General Telenggen Lekkagak, has issued a new declaration about driving Indonesian forces out of Papua.
The Liberation Army also wants to close the operations of foreign companies that are exploiting Papua's resources.
Major General Telenggen specifically mentioned the oil and gas multi-national BP with its gas project in Bintuni Bay, and the US mining giant Freeport which runs the massive Grasberg gold and copper mine in Mimika.
The Freeport mine, which is one of Indonesia's largest single sources of revenue, has long been the subject of West Papuan grievances over environmental and social impacts.
As well, Papuans have complained about not being consulted over the control of Freeport, and about not gaining any benefit from its lucrative operations.
Attacks by the Liberation Army on Indonesian security forces have often occurred in the area around Freeport, and have at times extended to attacks on the miner's infrastructure and personnel.
In the declaration, Major General Telenggen says that Papua's resources must be protected for the sake of West Papuan independence.
"As long as Indonesia occupies our homeland, the war's resistance continues until Papuan independence becomes real," read an English version of the Army's declaration.
He said that as of last month, the Liberation Army had ordered a general mobilisation of all its soldiers in Papua to carry out operations against what it calls "the invaders".
Although its membership has, in the past, been divided into various groups over West Papua's rugged interior, a spokesman for the Army says all of its wings are now united
2) Halltekamp Bridge to be completed despite suspension
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1) AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2017/18
THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S HUMAN RIGHTS
Country report INDONESIA 2017/2018
Indonesia failed to address past human rights violations. The rights to freedom of expression, of peaceful assembly and of association continued to be arbitrarily restricted. Blasphemy provisions were used to imprison those who peacefully exercised their rights to freedom of religion and belief. At least 30 prisoners of conscience remained in detention for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression or of religion and belief. The security forces carried out unlawful killings and used excessive force during protests and security operations. Two men were caned in public in Aceh after being convicted by a local Shari’a court of same-sex consensual sexual relations…..
2) Halltekamp Bridge to be completed despite suspension
Jayapura | Thu, February 22, 2018| 08:42 am
Nethy Dharma Somba The Jakarta Post
West Papua’s capital of Jayapura will soon have a new icon as the construction of Halltekamp Suspension Bridge is nearing completion.
Despite the government’s recent decision to halt the construction of elevated projects following accidents on construction sites, director general of Bina Marga Road Agency, Ari Setiadi Moerwanto, attended the installation of the main section of the bridge at the construction site in Jayapura on Wednesday.
“We have obtained a special permit from the Bridge Safety Commission,” he said.
The second section will be installed within the next two weeks.
The parts of the bridge are arranged in Surabaya, East Java, before being shipped to Jayapura by tugboat on a 17-day voyage.
The central and provincial governments have spent Rp 1.7 trillions (US$1.19 million) on the construction of the four-lane bridge, which will extend 732 meters with a width of 21 meters.
The bridge, which is planned to be finished by October 2018, will cut travel time from Jayapura city center to Skouw, an area on the border of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
“The bridge will reduce driving time from 2.5 hours to only 60 minutes,” Rustan Saru, Deputy Mayor of Jayapura, said.
He expressed hope that the easier travel would encourage Jayapura residents to settle in areas closer to Skouw instead of in the densely populated capital of Jayapura. (gis/swd)
Illustration. The atmosphere of Kampung As, Pulau Tiga District, Asmat District, Papua. (ANTARA/Joko Susilo)
Timika, Papua (ANTARA News) - The condition of people in the district of Asmat, in the eastern province of Papua, has continued to improve following an outbreak of measles and malnutrition in the region from September 2017 until early January, a senior minister said.
"We have monitored the condition after the extraordinary case has been improving. Hopefully, it will continue to be better," Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Puan Maharani told ANTARA here on Thursday.
Maharani, along with Health Minister Nila Djuwita F Moeloek, Social Affairs Minister Idrus Marham, Education Minister Muhadjir Effendi, and presidential chief of staff Moeldoko, will visit Asmat to monitor the current condition there and check if all programs have been carried out.
She noted that almost 90 percent of the programs of ministries and institutions concerned have been carried out, including the delivery of aid supplies.
While in Agats, the capital of the district, Marham distributed Family Hope Program aid to mothers, while Effendi distributed Indonesia Smart Card education subsidy.
Maharani and the entourage also checked clean water facility in a 200-meter deep well made by the Public Works Ministry, as well as food crops to support food resilience program carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Regarding malnutrition problem that has affected children in the district, Maharani remarked that the problem has been tackled well by a health team, adding that only one person was still being treated in a hospital.
"Out of 80 children treated for malnutrition at the RSUD (regional) hospital, only two patients are still there. One of them has been allowed to go home, while the other still requires treatment for medical irregularity," she revealed.
The health ministry plans to send around 30 more medical personnel to Asmat in the near future.
"The team members from Nusantara Sehat (archipelago healthy) will be spread to other regions to check for any anticipatory measures," she pointed out.
Regarding education, Effendi has pledged to increase the number of teachers for schools in Asmat.
"The education minister noted that each school must have teachers to assure adequate education for the children," Maharani stated.
She explained that the mitigation program now being carried out in Asmat could not be completed immediately due to difficulty to access the region.
"This will continue until the end of the year. Everything that we establish in Asmat will be implemented in stages. We will evaluate it again in the next six months. It is still continuing," she pointed out.
Reported by Evarianus Supar (H-YH/INE) (T.SYS/B/KR-BSR/A014)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a snazzy theme to promote the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Indonesia: ‘60 years as friends for good’.
I’m all for friendship with the Indonesian people, but the diplomatic relationship has been badly marred over the years by our complicity and silence in the face of a long list of human rights crimes. The 24 year Indonesian occupation of East Timor is a well-known example, but there are other egregious examples including the matter of the 1965 massacres, when the ‘New Order’ regime set about killing half a million people accused of ‘communist sympathies’. New Zealand officials were well-informed about the scale and arbitrary nature of killings, but they welcomed Suharto’s rise to power and one diplomat told a 1967 parliamentary committee that the transfer of power had been ‘surprisingly peaceful’. At that time New Zealand’s diplomatic representation in Jakarta was upgraded from a Legation to a full Embassy.
New Zealand’s diplomatic relations with Indonesia began in 1958 when Dr A. Y. Helmi, Indonesia’s Canberra based Ambassador, was accredited to New Zealand, and in 1961 New Zealand’s Colombo Plan office in Jakarta was upgraded to a Consulate General. Back then there was a strong focus on New Zealand aid – especially educational and technical training support.
One of the first clouds on the horizon came in 1960. The future of Netherlands New Guinea, as it was at the time, was at a crossroads. The Dutch were preparing the territory for eventual independence, but Indonesia was insisting that it should be incorporated into the Indonesian Republic. The other half of the New Guinea island –today’s Papua New-Guinea- was administered by Australia under UN mandate. New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Walter Nash, put forward a proposal that the two halves of the New Guinea Island should be placed under joint trusteeship and prepared for eventual independence as one country. Nash put forward his initiative in The Hague in May 1960 and this prompted a trip across the Tasman by Dr Helmi. Declassified reports show that Dr Helmi’s attempt to sway Mr Nash from his position wasn’t successful. Nash said that the people of New Guinea might need more time to get ready, but one day, like people everywhere, they would want to be independent.
Nash underestimated the forces against him – the United States and Australia had come to the conclusion that Indonesia mattered more to them than the people of West Papua, and were quietly letting the Dutch know that they would be on their own should Indonesia carry out its threats of force. But he was on the right track and over the years Papuan leaders have often upheld the idea of one united country: ‘from Sorong to Samarai’.
Unfortunately, New Zealand soon fell into line, burying its qualms about the way the 1962 US brokered ‘New York agreement’ handed the territory to Indonesia on a plate. Our Ambassador observed part of the subsequent 1969 so-called ‘Act of Free Choice’, and described a stage-managed process, but his critical report did not prompt any action. During the UN debate that followed, New Zealand stayed silent, leaving it to newly independent African nations to speak up for the West Papuan people .
New Zealand acquiesced to Indonesia’s 1975 invasion of East Timor and helped Indonesia to cover up subsequent crimes even as the death toll approached 200,000. Three New Zealanders died in East Timor at the hands of the Indonesian military or militia during the Indonesian occupation: photo-journalist Gary Cunningham in 1975, human rights activist Kamal Bamadhaj in 1991 and peacekeeper Leonard Manning in 2000. Notwithstanding, New Zealand has worked hard to develop and maintain a close bilateral relationship with Indonesia – and because the military is so influential in Indonesian affairs that has included defence ties. Military training ties were suspended in 1999 after the cataclysmic violence in East Timor but resumed again in 2007 in the absence of any indication that the military had changed its spots or been held accountable for its crimes in East Timor.
Sadly, this is very much an ongoing issue as New Zealand says as little as possible about Indonesia’s ongoing crime of ‘slow genocide’ in West Papua. In January it emerged that dozens of children of the Asmat tribe had died of measles exacerbated by widespread malnutrition. The Asmat, famed for their elaborate carving and wood sculptures, struggle to preserve their way of life and diet against the predations of forestry, palm oil plantations and mining. Yet they live, metaphorically speaking, in the shadow of the Freeport McMoran gold and copper mine, Indonesia’s largest taxpayer.
The Papuans are calling for their right to self-determination to be respected but for successive New Zealand governments that is an ‘s’ word, never to be uttered for fear of offending Indonesia. Sixty years yes, for good – hardly.
Maire Leadbeater is one of NZs leading human rights activists. Currently her focus is the human rights abuses in West Papua.
1) An Indonesian District Isolated From Development
February 28, 2018
By: Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat and Dikanaya Tarahita
In a country comprised of thousands of islands, some of which have never been explored by outsiders, one of the most isolated regions in Indonesia is Asmat District, six and a half hours by plane from Jakarta to the Papua capital of Jayapura, then another hour’s ride in a 10-passenger Twin Otter or Caravan, followed by a nine-hour fast ferry ride across the Arafuru Sea.
It is a journey that can only be regarded as risky and not for the faint-hearted, given the possibility of extreme weather that can and does capsize vessels and that causes some passengers to stay on uninhabited islets to await the next boat rather than dare forbidding looking clouds.
This is the southern coast of Papua, nearly 30,000 square kilometers of forest, rivers and swamp with only 90,316 people in a district about the size of Belgium. Surrounded by mangrove forests and rivers, Asmat City is built on wood and boards over a swamp. The ethnic Asmat coastal tribes live as fishermen. Motorcycles can only be found in Agats, the capital of Asmat district 30 minutes down the river by boat. In more remote villages, the majority walk or use boats.
Prone to Illness
In January, Asmat faced an extraordinary crisis when 646 children were affected by a measles outbreak, a disease eradicated in the Americas and much of Europe. With 144 children recorded as suffering from malnutrition, the two diseases killed 70 people. With a global mortality rate of 19 victims per million people, measles is not a deadly disease and its treatment is not difficult. But 70 lives are an expensive price for a preventable tragedy.
It isn’t the first time famine and disease have taken the lives of under-five children in Papua. Asmat’s children look at incoming visitors expectantly with bloated bellies and breastbones that stand out, a common indication of malnutrition, apparently hoping the arrivals mean food. A total of 55 residents of Yakuhimo District died of starvation in 2005. Twice in the same area, as many as 100 residents have died. Another 95 residents of Tambraw District died because of the same issues in 2012.
Malnutrition is inevitable because there is no real food security. The marshy soil is not suitable for agricultural use. Consequently, nutritional intake for children is far from ideal, a problem made worse by the limited availability of clean water. With the soil unsuitable for wells, clean water is obtained from rainwater catchment, a problem in the dry season.
Although water is available from nearby rivers, it is unhealthy because villagers, unaware of sanitation and clean water provision, defecate on the banks where they obtain drinking and cooking water. The rivers and swamps are murky at best and the water is unfit for consumption.
Rare Health Facilities
There are only 16 health care centers, known as Puskesmas, serving 23 districts and 224 villages. However, Asmat is not the only region in Papua with minimal health care facilities. In an area of 319,000 sq km – an area the size of Poland or Norway, with a population of just 3.5 million people, Papua has only 589 health service units. Compare that with Jakarta, with 2,763 health units covering 664 sq km.
The low number of health care facilities in Papua is proportional to the lack of health personnel. In such a vast territory, Papua has only 17,000 medical personnel. In comparison, in West Java with an area of 35,000 sq km, there are 119,000, approximately seven times as many as Papua.
The Agats district has only one surgeon and seven general practitioners. It has no pediatrician although the hundreds of cases of malnutrition in infants and toddlers require handling by specialists in childhood diseases and afflictions.
What Needs to Be Done
Asmat’s isolation is a fundamental issue affecting the availability of public services such as health, education, and others. However, the central government is not turning a blind eye to the existing development gap. Between 2002 and 2017, Papua has received a special allocation of almost Rp58 trillion (U$2.4 billion). Another Rp8 trillion has been budgeted for 2018.
With Asmat District having been allocated not less than Rp173 billion for health care, it is almost incomprehensible how famine has always repeated itself there. However, funds go unused because the sick don’t or can’t seek hospital care. A trip from one village to another requires long hours of boat travel, and few even own boats. Take Atat village, located on the banks of the Mamat River and surrounded by swamp. To reach the closest district hospital in Agats, residents must rent a boat costing Rp3-4 million (US$210-292) for three hours’ travel time. Just finding money to pay for food is difficult. Renting a boat is out of the question.
If the trillions of rupiahs allocated to the local government aren’t utilized on fundamental issues, the situation isn’t going to change. The hungry continue to be hungry, the sick will get sicker. What is really needed in Asmat is the opening of road access. Where they exist, 43 percent or Asmat’s roads are unpaved and 56 percent are made of wooden planks. Only slightly less than 1 percent of the district’s roads are made of concrete.
The construction of roads and transport facilities is vital to contribute to the eradication of various issues of low quality of life in Asmat. The opening of access would facilitate the transfer of goods and services to contribute to the mobility of the public to use public facilities such as access to health care. The availability of proper transportation of access would also allow the construction of other crucial facilities such as hospitals, schools and water treatment. But given the district’s isolation, it is a daunting task. Just getting there is hard enough.
Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat is a doctoral candidate at the University of Manchester. Dikanaya Tarahita is an Indonesian freelance writer. They are regular contributors to Asia Sentinel.
Jakarta. The Indonesian Military, or TNI, accepted delivery of 24 General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets on Wednesday (28/02) as part of a grant from the United States.
The aircraft were handed over at Iswahyudi Air Force Base in Malang, East Java, witnessed by TNI chief Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu and US Ambassador Joseph Donovan, the TNI said in a statement.
Sorong, Jubi – A Dutch citizen, Robert Postma (60), was found dead in a room at the Papua Diving Resort in Raja Ampat District of West Papua on Sunday (26/2/2018).
Republika, a Jakarta based news paper wrote the victim was found by his colleague, Peter, who had arrived there to wake him up. Unfortunately, the ill-fated Postma had already died.
Peter was shocked when he opened the door and found Postma dead in his bedroom, with his mouth bleeding, Police of Raja Ampat stated.
Postma allegedly died because of his illness.
The Raja Ampat police are still conducting medical checks on the victim’s body to determine the exact cause of his death.
Based on information obtained from the local people, Postma, who worked in PT Papua Diving Raja Ampat, was once the best diver in the world.
He has been claimed to be one of the divers to have ever dived in the sea through the wreckage of the Titanic (*)
1) Melanesian Spearhead Group spat over Indonesia spills over
1 minute ago
Fiji has hit back at the deputy prime minister of Solomon Islands over criticism about the Melanesian Spearhead Group.
Speaking in the Solomons parliament yesterday, Manasseh Sogavare said Fiji should apologise for bringing Indonesia into the MSG.
He said Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama breached MSG procedure by forcing the other four full members to accept Indonesia as part of the sub-regional grouping, whose full members are Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and FLNKS Kanaks movement of New Caledonia.
Indonesia was admitted to the MSG with observer status in 2011 after Mr Bainimara assumed the MSG's rotational chairmanship.
"There was no consensus in the admission of Indonesia by member countries," Mr Sogavare claimed.
In 2015 Indonesia had its status in the group elevated. This remains a complicating factor as the MSG wrestles with the sensitive issue of a West Papuan membership bid.
However, in response, Fiji's Defence Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, who often represents Fiji at MSG summits, denied Mr Sogavare's claim that the MSG didn't reach consensus on the issue.
"I think he is either suffering from memory loss or trying to play politics with his own constituents," said Ratu Inoke.
"He has forgotten that it was during his term as chair of the MSG when Indonesia was admitted to the MSG as an associate member. All members of the MSG had agreed."
Mr Sogavare had chaired the 2015 meeting in Honiara where, according to Ratu Inoke, MSG leaders reached consensus about Indonesia's status in the group.
"I cannot really understand why he is making this statement, trying to put the blame on our prime minister, because all the (MSG) members agreed to admit Indonesia as an associate member," said the Fiji minister.
Following the 2015 summit, Mr Sogavare spoke of how bringing Indonesia into the fold had been polarising for MSG leaders.
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua was itself granted observer status in the MSG in 2015, but its application for full membership continues to divide the five full members.
At their latest summit in Port Moresby last month, MSG leaders approved new clarifications on guidelines around membership in the group.
The Liberation Movement's application has been referred to the MSG secretariat for processing, but Fiji and Papua New Guinea have signalled they remain opposed to the pro-independence West Papuans being given full membership.
Of the other full members of the group, Vanuatu and the FLNKS appear firmly in support of the Papuan bid.
Solomon Islands had until recently also been strongly in support of giving West Papuans full membership in the MSG. But when Mr Sogavare was ousted as prime minister late last year, and replaced by Rick Hou, that support appeared to dim.
The position of PNG and Fiji on the West Papua membership issue had been "really clear", accordig to Ratu Inoke.
"And the new prime minister of Solomon Islands, in the last meeting in Port Moresby, about three weeks ago, he took a similar position," he said.
Mr Sogavare however remains a strong influence in government, and his stand on the Papua issue appears unlikely to diminish.
"Close association of Fiji with Indonesia is sabotaging the work of MSG and their membership in MSG is not political but economic interest," said Mr Sogavare.
Echoing recent statements by Vanuatu's government, Mr Sogavare said the MSG's founding aim of working to decolonise all Melanesian peoples was at risk.
Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Manasseh Sogavare says Fiji Prime Minister (PM) should apologise to the member countries of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) for admitting Indonesia as an associate member.
Speaking on the floor of parliament yesterday, DPM says Fiji PM Frank Bainimarama should apologise to the MSG member countries for admitting Indonesia as an associate member which was totally un-procedural.
“There was no consensus in the admission of Indonesia by member countries.”
He said Fiji PM solely made the decision to admit Indonesia into MSG and forced the member countries to endorse it.
But DPM revealed that when it comes to the application for membership by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) into MSG, Fiji PM talks about the strict criteria to be followed to become a member.
“Which continue to be a difficulty for ULMWP to become a full member of MSG,” said the DPM.
Sogavare said the application by ULMWP is consistent with that of the Socialist National Liberation Front (FLINKS) of New Caledonia when they apply for membership.
DPM was speaking during the question and answer session in Parliament when Member of Parliament (MP) for Aoke/Langalanga Matthew Wale asked PM Rick Hou to answer the questions related to his apology MSG member countries for the sour relationship over the past years.
He said, MSG is a purely political body to free Melanesia from colonisation but this is not the case today as their interests have been shifted from its fundamental purpose that establish the organisation.
Mr Sogavare said, if MSG stands on the very purpose and the founding principles upheld by the MSG leaders who started the organisation there should not be any difficulty in admitting ULMWP full membership.
He said ULMWP is a political entity representing the indigenous people of West Papua who a Melanesians, so there is no problem to admit them full membership in MSG.
Arguing that MSG has been shift from its original purpose to protects the rights and freedom of Melanesia from colonialism.
“Close association of Fiji with Indonesia is sabotaging the work of MSG and their membership in MSG is not political but economic interest.”
He concluded that Fiji and Papua New Guinea strongly allied with Indonesia therefore their relationship continues to sabotage the work of MSG to uphold its purpose.
Kristina Yoman, a 53-year-old woman from Lanny Region and mother of two daugters, always knit bark splints for producing noken, a Papuan traditional knitted bag, in her spare time. Everyday she works in her garden where is planted with lemongrasses, cassavas, sweet potatoes, galangals and other crops. Then she sells the harvest of her crops every afternoon in the front of shop located in Sentani. Her daughter, who’s not even one year old, always accompanies her.
While waiting for customers, she knits a noken. “I used to make a bark splints noken. In the past, only few people make it. So our income is good enough. But it’s different now. In addition, many people are more likely to by a noken made of yarn from factories,” she told Jubi. She admitted to keep choosing bark splints for her noken. Generally she made it based on order. “In the past, customers liked my creation, therefore they bought it for a gift for their children, sisters, friends and partners. But it’s only a few of customers now. Because many people are now using yarns to make their nokens, as a result, customers prefer to buy those yarn nokens,” she said.
She explained that the process of the production of bark splints noken is quite difficult, and having the bark splints is the most difficult part, because it should be imported from the mountainous areas or Jayapura Region. For these reasons, the quality of materials is not the same. “Some bark splints nokens are washable, while some aren’t. They can be shattered. On the other hands, using yarns is relatively easy. You just buy it and knit it as you wish,” she said.
She usually makes nokens based on the customers’ orders, whether it is a small or big size. Therefore, she always asks her customers before making it. Based on her experience, people mostly like to order the small size than the big one. She told the bark materials are coming from certain trees in the forest, such as kulok, kewa, genemu and so on. Those are usually used in Jayapura. Meanwhile their names could be different in Batom, the border of Pegunungan Bintang and other regions. (*)
Arrived at around 06.20 a.m. in Sentani Airport, Jayapura on Tuesday, 27 February 2018, Sudomo slowly stepped down from the airplane. A huge ceramic platter was laid in front of him. Accompanied by dance and the blow of tifa (Papua musical instrument), he received a flower necklace and noken (Papuan traditional bag) and crowned with cassowary feather crown. This procession was to welcoming him as the Governor in Charge while the Governor Lukas Enembe is on leave due to his intention to compete in the current election.
Hard Work for Papua
An assumption that Papua is one of the risked conflict areas in regional election has required him to work hard. He should maintain the neutrality of government during the provincial election and a series of seven regional elections. He has to be neutral and acts as a mentor who has no hidden mission for the interest of any particular party.
“Welcome to Papua. As legislator, I hope the governor in charge could carry out of his duty very well, and support the implementation of the elections. He mustn’t out of this frame,” said Laurenzus Kadepa, member of the Government, Politics, Legal and Human Rights Commission of Papuan House of Representative on Tuesday (27/2/2018). So far, Kadepa, who’s also politician from National Democrat Party, believes that Sudarmo will do his task in good manner. He did not mind about Sudarmo’s background as former military general. In his opinion, whoever appointed for this position is still a representation of the central government in regions.
Meanwhile, the lecture of Public Administration of the Social and Political Science of the University of Cenderawasih, Dr. Yan Bonsapia, S.Sos, M.AP analyse this appointment must be well determined. The minister certainly had a careful consideration, and believed that Sudarmo has ability to replace the on-leave Governor Lukas Enembe to run the government. Even though, according to Regulation No. 74 2016 of the Minister of Domestic Affairs, the provincial government should propose a candidate of governor in charge. “So I think there is no problem. If we talk about the challenges, I think we should refer to what is he capable to observe the situation in Papua and to implement this task properly,” said Bonsapia to Jubi. He must really understand about the condition and culture of Papuans, especially in this current political situation. “But was this appointment already suitable with the mechanism? If yes, it means someone is already prepared and ready to do it. If there is a candidate for governor in the province, why not he be chosen as in charge? But if not, I think the minister already considered it,” he said.
Before Sudarmo was appointed as the governor in charge, there was a polemic in many parties in Papua. His background as a former high-rank military officer was the reason. However, the First Deputy of Papua People’s Assembly Jimmy Mabel said it was the central government’s decision. It was made to ensure the government would run well in Papua during the election. “It is a worry in regards to his status as a former military major general. It’s normal but we cannot inhibit the central government’s decision. Like or dislike, we must accept it.” said Mabel.
Sudarmo’s Track Records
Even though he was a military officer, referring to his track records, Sudarmo had a lot of experiences in government. He was the Aceh Governor in Charge. “We suggest that firstly the governor in charge should invite all customary, religious and community leaders to sit together. Then he talks to the Papua People’s Assembly and Papuan House of Representative about the real condition of Papua,” said Mabel. Furthermore, according to him, the governor in charge needs to conduct a bureaucratically approach with the regional leaders communication forum. He believes if this intercommunication were well established, the government and election in Papua would be well achieved.
Governor in Charge Sudarmono expects that all Papuan communities accept him. He is currently responsible for five tasks. Besides replacing the on-leave Governor Lukas Enembe, he must run the government by involving all stakeholders, such as Papua People’s Assembly, Papuan House of Representative and all members of the regional leaders communication forum. He will also coordinate with all tribe chiefs in order to support the implementation of peaceful, safety and integrated election.
“The second task is to facilitate the current election, so it can be implemented peacefully and successfully. The third one is I have to able to prevent and maintain the regional security and people safety in Papua,” said Sudarmono when arrived in Sentani Airport. Another task is to fulfil the vacant position as soon as possible, but it must have permission from the Minister of Domestic Affairs. “My task is also including to determine the regional regulation if it’s necessary, in this case I have to work with Papuan House of Representative and have permission from the Minister of Domestic Affairs,” he said.
The Minister of Domestic Affairs Tjahjo Kumolo as launched by CNN Indonesia, on Monday (26/2/2018) has inaugurated the Major General (Retired) Sudarmo as Papua Governor in Charge at the minister office in Jakarta. “This appointment would be applied until 9 April 2018,” he said. The minister in particular asked Sudarmo to maintain the security in Papua during the simultaneously election. He also has been asked to synergise with all elements.
As quoted from humas.acehprov.go.id, the Major General (Retired) Sudarmo was born Tulung Agung, East Java on 28 September 1956. He was the Aceh Governor in Charge from 28 October 2016 to 11 February 2017. His career in government has been started when he was appointed as the Director General of Politics and Government of the Ministry of Domestic Affairs in mid 2015. Before appointed for this position, he altered his status as high-military officer to civil servant. His last position in military was an expert in the field of ideology and politics of the State’s Intelligent Body.
Sudarmo, who was graduated from the Academy of Indonesian Military in 1983, had greater experiences in the field of defence and intelligent. He served in the Army Intelligent Service (Pusintelad) and run the defence operations in Dilli, Timor Timur and Irian Jaya with General Gatot Nurmantyo, former Indonesian Military Commander, then appointed as a defence attaché for the Indonesian Embassy in Singapura from 1995 to 1997, and become a staff for Legal and Security of the Indonesian Embassy for Malaysia. He occupied the position of defence attaché for the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, from 2003 to 2006.
After serving in the field of defence and security in many countries, Sudarmo finally joined the National Intelligent Body as the Director of Sumatera and Kalimantan, Second Deputy of National Intelligent Body before he was inaugurated as the National Intelligent Body Chief of East Kalimantan on 6 March 2012 and expert in the field of ideology and politics of the National Intelligent Body on 15 September 2014. Since 26 June 2016, he should ended his career in the National Intelligent Body and military because he was assigned for a new position as the Director General of Politics and Public Administration of the Ministry of Domestic Affairs. Now, less than a year he occupied the position in the Ministry of Domestic Affairs, he got lots of appreciation from many parties in regards to his performance, in particular concerning to the successful implementation of simultaneously election in 269 regions in Indonesia on 9 December 2015. (*)
It is not like common classes where pupils are always being quite and tense, playing games is a learning method for a group of children. They blend with the nature. Their jokes and laughers fill the atmosphere during the learning. Their joyfulness is often made teachers to stop for a while to laugh with them. These children are joined the learning group called Papua Learning Movement (GPM).
One of the pupils is Elvius Wakur, 13 years old, the son of Westen Wakur. He lives in Buper and joined the study group because he thinks learning is important. “We usually learn how to draw, count, listen to folk stories, reading a story book, and learn how to write and read as well. I prefer reading the fairy tales, counting and reading a book, and learning together,” said Elvius who is a pupil of VI-A SMP YPPK Padang Bulan. Everyday he must go to his school by public transport, but sometimes he goes with his brother who is a student of STM (Vocational High School) Kotaraja.
GPM Chairman, Alex Giyai, said the organisation was established on 20 February 2012 based on the initiative of Yohana Pulalo, a civil servant of the Provincial Papua Government. She solicited other current members because she thought the learning is important. “So, the first discussion was running, which was attended by Agus Kadepa, Andi Tangihuma, Aleks Giyai, Alfonsa Wayap, Hengky Yeimo, and Arnold Belau. After that we agreed to run the activity,” he told Jubi on Monday, 19 February 2018. Then another members came for joining.
Pulalo was inspired to establishing this organisation when she saw the children of Papuan women traders in Expo Waena. “There are many children at Buper, so she gathered the children and taught them every afternoon for two months by herself, until some of friends came to join her to encourage the establishment of this study group,” she said.
The presence of GPM is important because these children are victims of city development. Because their parents make a living from morning to afternoon and their children were neglected. “We pay attention to people who live in the suburbs because they are marginalised from development,” he said.
There are twelve volunteers in GPM, but only five remain active. GPM has run its activity in two places, Buper and Kotaraja. Within a week, the learning activity is conducted three days in Buper and three days in a kiosk in Kotaraja. The children were divided into two groups in three levels of learning activities.
Level one is aimed to those who are not able to read and write, they are usually not-attended school and first grade children. While the second level is aimed for those who are already know how to count, read and write but still with efforts. They are generally first to third grade student. In the third level, children are introduced to advance reading such as novel, folks, and academic textbook because most of them are generally in junior high school or minimum fourth grade of the elementary school. The class is opened from 15.30 p.m. to 18.00 p.m.
“So far the number of children who join the GPM class are more than 20 children in Buper and 16 children in Kotaraja,” said Giyai. He added not all of these children go to the formal school, but some of them cannot attend the formal school because of their age. GPM teaches children aged 6 to 17 years.
He said GPM expects this learning activity can develop a contextual education in Papua, therefore it can eliminate the illiteracy among Papuan generation. “GPM progress is significant since it was built in 2013 to 2018. So it has been 5 years,” he said. Its progress indicator is pupils can read and count. Even one of them can have the second rank in her class. “Currently our challenge is some of the parents are still not trusting us as a group of volunteers who really want to teach,” he said. GPM activist,
Tresia Tekege, said her reason to join this group is because she wants to share her knowledge to her juniors. “I hope that they can be improve and give the best for their country and become a master on this Black Pearl country which is rich with milk and honey,” she said. Represented the parents, the Reverence Welkies Kogoya, appreciated this activity. “We didn’t trust them their presence to teach our children at the beginning, but after five years of their integrity, we believe that they really teach and educate our children,” he said. (*)
6) In Indonesia, family support groups tackle roots of gender violence
5 March 2018
JAYAPURA, Indonesia – “My daughter used to hide all sorts of things from me,” said Martina, 41, at a support group session in Jayapura, in the far-eastern Indonesian province of West Papua. “But here, we learn to talk to each other openly, equally as friends, and she shares far more now – about problems at school, about boys and growing up.”
Martina and her daughter are not alone. Many families need guidance to become more open about these difficult subjects.
Traditional attitudes towards family and gender-roles prevail in West Papua, where jobs are scarce, infrastructure and services are weak, and poverty is widespread. Young people are often unwilling to approach adults with questions or concerns about relationships.
Yet having a reliable source of support is critical in a community where violence is all too common. According to a report published in 2015, 60 per cent of men in Jayapura reported they had committed physical or sexual violence against an intimate partner. Nearly half of men reported believing that women should tolerate abuse to keep their family together.
Martina’s support group is working to bring young people and caregivers together, improve communication skills, and diffuse conflict – part of broader efforts to end violence in the community.
Run by the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association, with support from UNFPA and Partners for Prevention, the programme aims to tackle the attitudes that fuel violence against women.
“By helping young people and others in the community talk openly about relationships between the sexes, along with sexual and reproductive health and consent, we’re giving them the tools they need to build happy and rewarding relationships for the future,” explained Grace Temongmere, a UNFPA project officer in Jayapura.
“I understand how they feel”
Budi Astuti, 41, became a group facilitator after solving a problem with violence in her own life.
“The impact [of the training I received] was easy to share, because through my own experiences, I understand how they feel,” she said.
“The programme looks at gender issues, including gender-based violence, and also how that links up with the risk of HIV,” said Ms. Astuti. Research shows violence can increase the risk of HIV, and vice versa.
“But the most important thing was that, by working with other facilitators, by sharing our experiences and what we learned, I saw my situation differently and changed my own life,” she said.
Courage and change
Thirteen-year-old Rivaldo Taime was empowered to change his own life, as well.
He often shielded his younger brother when their father returned home in one of his whiskey-fuelled rages. Substance abuse is prevalent in Jayapura, a factor closely associated with violence.
“He used to drink all the time,” recalled Emma, Rivaldo’s mother. “He would get home, yell at my children and smash things up.”
She added, “My husband and my boys weren’t close. They barely even talked.”
But Rivaldo did something few youth have the courage to do – he reached out for help. And he found the support group.
“We learned about emotional violence, physical and sexual violence,” Rivaldo said of the group. “I also learned how to calm people down.”
Eventually, Rivaldo convinced his father to join the group sessions with him.
Life is still far from perfect. But slowly, things are improving, Emma says.
“After [my husband] joined the programme, [my husband and Rivaldo] share more. They’re much closer, and they sit down together and talk things through.”
Hundreds reached
“Over 14 months, the project has reached 131 adolescents and over 131 caregivers,” said Michiyo Yamada, who heads the Partners for Prevention programme, which also works in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Papua New Guinea and Viet Nam.
These efforts have been shown to reduce the incidence of violence among participants. In Papua New Guinea, for example, intimate partner violence fell by 10 per cent in just under one year.
“By empowering girls, young people and families to communicate more effectively, we’re chipping away at the negative gender-related beliefs that fuel violence against women and girls, and so stopping violence before it even starts,” said Ms. Yamada
The project in West Papua is now winding down, she noted, but its popularity and success have convinced local governments, community leaders and volunteers to try to keep the support groups going.
1) Indonesian president wants Freeport purchase talks over by May
Indonesia's President is pushing for completion of talks over the purchase of a majority stake in the Freeport mine in Papua before May.
7:33 am today
Last August, the American miner Freeport McMoran agreed to divest 51 percent of shares in its Indonesian subsidiary which runs the lucrative mine at Grasberg in Papua province.
This was in exchange for the miner securing long-term operating rights.
Indonesia's government currently owned a less-than-10 percent stake in Freeport Indonesia.
However long-running negotiations over the terms of the divestment have not been finalised.
Reuters reports that President Joko Widodo has instructed his administration to complete negotiations over the purchase of a majority stake in Freeport-by the end of April.
Freeport said in January it was close to a deal with Indonesia for Grasberg, the world's second-biggest copper mine.
However a fair price for the shares has been a sticking point.
Papua province itself has also been seeking a greater share of the mine.
The provincial government last year reportedly secured a ten percent share in Freeport's local operations as part of the divestment package.
Seven percent was to go to Mimika Regency where the Grasberg mine complex is located, while three per cent would go to the provincial government.
Papua's Governor Lukas Enembe confirmed that the new arrangement, having previously complained about the lack of participation by Papuans in the control of Freeport.
For years, the Freeport mine has been Indonesia's largest single source of revenue.
Papua gubernatorial candidates have promised to prioritize programs to improve the livelihood of Papuan people.
With fewer than four months left before regional elections are held, two gubernatorial candidate pairs stated on Tuesday their vision and mission in an event held at the Papua Legislative Council. Acting Papua governor Soedarmo attended the declaration.
Lukas Enembe and Klemen Tinal said they would continue to build upon programs they had initiated, claiming to have achieved targets set during their term, in which they disbursed more special autonomy funds to regencies and municipalities across the province.
“This is because Papuans are concentrated in regencies and municipalities,” the pair said on Tuesday.
The two candidates promised to focus on the health and education sector should they be elected. Meanwhile, candidate pair John Wempi Wetipo and Hebel Melkias Suwae promised they would also focus their works to boost people’s confidence and sovereignty in all aspects of life, as well as to build a clean administration.
Appreciating both candidate pair’s campaigns, Soedarmo said every Papuan must maintain order and security during the election. Several surveys show Papua is among vulnerable regions in the 2018 simultaneous regional elections. (kuk/ebf)
1) Indonesia collects US$756m in state revenue from Freeport in 2017
Viriya P. Singgih The Jakarta Post
Jakarta | Wed, March 7, 2018 | 07:36 pm
A heavy vehicle drives through an open pit mine at gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia’s open pit facility in Grasberg, Tembagapura, Mimika, Papua. (JP/Nethy Dharma Somba)
The government collected US$756 million in revenue from gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) last year, of which 19.9 percent came from non-tax revenue (PNBP) and 17.85 percent from dividend.
PTFI paid $151 million in PNBP and $135 million in dividend to the government in 2017. Furthermore, it also paid $82 million in export duty, $108 million in corporate income tax and $280 million in other types of revenue.
“Total state revenues from PTFI amounted to $756 million in 2017 alone and $17.3 billion in the 1992-2017 period,” PTFI executive vice president Tony Wenas said during a hearing with House of Representatives Commission VII overseeing energy on Wednesday.
PTFI, the local unit of United States-based mining giant Freeport-McMoRan (FCX), has estimated that it will have to pay $6 billion in PNBP within the 2018-2041 period.
Since early 2017, the government has been negotiating intensely with FCX regarding PTFI’s future operations in the country. PTFI currently operates the Grasberg mine, the world's largest gold mine and second-largest copper mine.
The government's demand include an increase in Indonesian ownership in PTFI from 9.36 percent to 51 percent in return for an extension to PTFI's operating permit. PTFI is also expected to convert its contract of work (CoW) into the special mining permit (IUPK) and build a new smelter by January 2022.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has called for negotiations with PTFI to be completed by April at the latest. (bbn)
2) Sogavare suffering from 'memory loss': Ratu Inoke
06:45 Today
Defense Minister, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola says the Deputy Prime Minister for the Solomon’s Manasseh Sogavare may have amnesia.
Kubuabola says Sogavare was chairing the Melanesian Spearhead Group Leaders meeting at the time in which Indonesia’s membership was endorsed.
Sogovare this week in the Solomon Parliament called for an apology from Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama saying that he solely made the decision to make Indonesia a member of the MSG.
“There’s no need for our Prime Minister to apologise, I think the Deputy Prime Minister Sogovare must be suffering from memory loss because when he was Chairman of the MSG, Indonesia was admitted to be an associate member and all the members of the MSGagreed so I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
Meanwhile another issue of contention echoed by Sogavare was the pending membership of the ULMWP from West Papua.
Kubuabola says Indonesia’s membership was well within the requirements under the MSG, it’s more difficult with ULMWP because it’s a separatist movement and not a sovereign state.
1) A Story of ‘Pasar Mama-Papua Papua’ in the 108th Anniversary of Jayapura City
Caption: Pasar Mama-Mama Papua in Jalan Percetakan, Kelurahan Imbi, Jayapura Utara Sub-district, Jayapura City. – Jubi/Dok
Jayapura, Jubi – On 7 March 2018, in celebration of the 108th anniversary of Jayapura City, the Mayor of Jayapura City Benhur Tomi Mano launched Pasar Mama-Mama Papua, a traditional market that especially accommodating Papuan women traders.
This fourth-floor semi-modern market is built on an area of 2,400 square meters, which is located in Jalan Percetakan, Jayapura Utara Sub-district. It reflects a triumph of Papuan trader women who united in the Solidarity for indigenous women traders (Solpap) since 2003.
It started 14 years ago when some indigenous traders asked the Papua Provincial Government to provide a permanent market. They were never tired to speak out their voice. As a result, the provincial government built a temporary market which location is about 300 meters from the current permanent market. However, this does not answer their demand.
The traders were still asking their aspiration of the permanent market to the provincial government and Papua House of Representative.
A new hope arose in 2014. When Joko Widodo (Jokowi) was elected to be the President of Indonesia, he promised to build a permanent market. Their long waiting has been come true at last. On 30 April 2016, Jokowi put the first stone of this building. The market was completed in the early of 2017. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be occupied by women traders for some reasons. Despite not being yet inaugurated, one of the obstacles is a charge from landowners who claim for payment over their land. However, Papuan legislator John NR Gobai, who previously worked with Solpap in declaring these women’s aspiration, said nothing should be worried about.
“It is a mayor’s responsibility. As a native of Port Numbay (another name of Jayapura City), I believe he knew what he supposed to do,” said Gobai to Jubi on Tuesday (6/3/2018). According to him, in respect of the land tenure rights, traders from Port Numbai should be given a place in the market. This has been discussed with the municipal government in a meeting with Solpap and indigenous women traders recently. He further said it has become a common law that the owners of the territory will claim their rights. As long as they can be empowered, then it must be done.
“We will accommodate this, so everything can be well run. Furthermore, Solpap has always put a dialogue in the first place,” he said. The Papua House of Representative, according to him, will encourage the government in nurturing the indigenous women traders. In addition, the Papua Governor Lukas Enembe has made a breakthrough by providing a financial support for Papuan Trade Chamber (KAPP) to develop the community-based economy.
“We will definitely go with the government to implement the empowerment of Papua indigenous traders,” he said. In addition to the government, he added, the Bank of Papua is also expected to take a role by providing low-interest rate credits to Papuan indigenous traders.
He reminds the municipal government to not monopolize the management of the market. As a partner, Solpap has been assisted the indigenous women traders for 14 years. So it should be given a trust. “Solpap should be compensated with a trust for their 14 years works. Every shortcomings and mistake are common. Therefore, the partnership between Solpan and municipal government is legitimate. There should be a regional regulation, municipal regulation and other legal products to be established,” said Gobai.
Solpap Coordinator Franky Warer said Solpap is ready to carry out a mandate in providing assistance to the indigenous women traders in the market. According to him, this is not a new task because they have worked and fought together.
And now, when their struggle has been successful, Solpap would not let the women traders walk alone. “Based on our last conversation with the mayor, he said there would be a program for the women traders. Solpap would be more focus on the empowerment or capacity building of women traders,” said Warer.
Meanwhile, Solpap Secretary Natan Tebai agreed with John NR Gobai. He expected the municipal government doesn’t ignore the existence of Solpap because it has played a big role in the realization of the market.
In a meeting between Solpap, the mayor and the representative of Jayapura Municipal Industry and Trade Office on 2 March 2018, it is agreed that Solpap would handle the market management. He expected there is a regional regulation to legitimate Solpap as a partner of the government, while the government should deal with the maintenance of building and administration.
He further said the women traders do not want the municipal government to change the role of Solpap, because Solpap has been with them all the times. “Solpap see the government as a partner. We are here to help the government in assisting the women traders, not to oppose it,” said Tebai. (*)
2) Indonesia seizes illegally logged wood from Papua
By Associated PressMarch 9 at 1:30 AM
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities foiled the shipment of 21 containers of prized ironwood from Papua, highlighting what environmentalists say is a rampant illegal trade in the country’s easternmost region.
The Forestry and Environment Ministry’s law enforcement agency said the wood from the Kaimana tropical forest was processed and ready for shipment to Surabaya, home to a major port and a center of Indonesia’s wood furniture manufacturing and export industry on the island of Java.
The seizure was made Tuesday and announced Thursday.
Greenpeace Indonesia said the seizure is small compared with long-standing smuggling from Papua where no “big actors” have been prosecuted.
Indonesia was in 2016 admitted to an EU licensing system that makes it easier for Indonesian wood producers to export to the bloc.
3) Activists march against violence toward women in Papua
Nethy Dharma Somba The Jakarta Post
Jayapura | Thu, March 8, 2018 | 05:45 pm
Activists rally in Jayapura, Papua, on International Women's Day on March 8, 2018, to call on men to end violence against women. (JP/Nethy Dharma Somba)
Dozens of women and several men marched in Jayapura, Papua, to show their support for the fight against gender-based violence on International Women's Day on Thursday. They gave flowers and areca nuts to people driving around Abepura traffic circle in Jayapura, Papua, on Thursday.
The areca nuts are the symbol for peace. We appeal to people to communicate and interact peacefully with women,” said Vien Yarangga, the coordinator of the march.
Ryan Griffiths is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney. His research focuses on the topic of secession.
West Papuans have it much harder than Scots or Catalans. In West Papua it is illegal to fly the independence flag. Español
A demonstration by West Papuans in The Hague, against the Indonesian government. Wikipedia. Public domain.
In guidebooks it is referred to as the country’s final frontier. It is a vast territory consisting of mostly unspoiled wilderness and a relatively sparse population. There are immense forests and soaring, glacier-capped mountains.
When traveling to the region from the country’s populated core, it is common to see settlers and contractors who work for mining and logging companies. One cannot help but notice the presence of soldiers that are there to offer protection from the natives.
This description sounds, to the American ear, like the development of the western frontier. It has an old world ring to it, and is resonant with the frontier stories of Australia, Canada, Russia, and numerous settings around the globe. But the subject of the description is West Papua, a contemporary frontier region in Indonesia.
West Papua, roughly the size of California, is the colloquial name given to the western half of the island of New Guinea (the eastern half of the island is the sovereign state of Papua New Guinea). It is an extraordinarily diverse place with hundreds of languages and cultural groups.
The very concept of West Papua is in many ways the product of colonialism. It was once known as Dutch New Guinea, a region within the Dutch East Indies. Between 1949 and 1963 it was a stand-alone Dutch colony. It was later called Irian Jaya after it came under Indonesian control in the 1960s. Since that time it has been the scene of an independence struggle against the Indonesian government.
The independence effort, or Free Papua Movement, is now 60 years old. It is thought that 100.000 people have died in the resulting conflict, although estimates vary widely. Reports of torture, extrajudicial killing, and human rights abuses are common.
The strategy of the secessionists (never really a unified group) has oscillated between outright insurgency – at times pitting rebels with bows and arrows against soldiers with modern weaponry – to forms of nonviolent civil resistance and protest to diplomatic outreach.
The independence effort, or Free Papua Movement, is now 60 years old. It is thought that 100.000 people have died in the resulting conflict.
Like other historical cultures on the frontier of a large expansive state, the West Papuans feel that they are becoming increasingly marginalized on their own land.
A chief driver of this sentiment is the Indonesian transmigration program, an attempt by the State to relocate people from the core islands of Java, Bali, and Madura to the less populated and less developed outer islands.
This has dramatically altered the population balance in West Papua. Whereas non-West Papuans accounted for approximately 4% of the population in 1971 and 32% in 2000, they are now becoming a majority.
Whether or not this represents an attempt by the State to transform the ethnic composition of the region, instead of simply transferring citizens to less populated provinces, the native reaction is not hard to anticipate: they see this as a form of imperialism that alienates them from their land. Some observers of the state of affairs in West Papua have called it “slow motion genocide.”
In addition to the demographic trends, the West Papuans feel marginalized from the economy and relative prosperity that non-West Papuans enjoy.
West Papuans are disproportionately poorer and have higher rates of incarceration and alcoholism. The ethnic, linguistic, and religious differences combine with stereotypes of West Papuan backwardness to perpetuate forms of racism. Not unlike the marginalized indigenous groups of Australia and the United States, there is a seeming intractability to the divide that gives rise to despair. Many West Papuans fear that they will disappear as a people.
Whereas non-West Papuans accounted for approximately 4% of the population in 1971 and 32% in 2000, they are now becoming a majority.
Independence movements are shaped by their settings. The Northern Cypriots and the Abkhazians possess their own independent, albeit unrecognized, state and for them life is not so different from state-possessing nations elsewhere.
The Scots and the Catalans have democratized movements and their resulting political efforts bear a likeness to other forms of formalized political contestation.
But the conditions in West Papua are different. It is illegal to fly the independence flag (The Morning Star), demonstrations are routinely broken up, and independence-related meetings are often raided by the police or military.
In addition, media access to the region is limited. This type of state suppression transforms an independence movement in a specific way: it makes it into a resistance struggle.
I recently traveled to West Papua to participate in a workshop focusing on unity building and the advancement of nonviolent methods for seeking self-determination. The workshop was clandestine and I was told to travel without any physical or electronic documents about secession should I be detained.
It is illegal to fly the independence flag (The Morning Star), demonstrations are routinely broken up, and independence-related meetings are often raided by the police or military.
The participants were brought in from all over West Papua and Indonesia, and included students, former insurgents and political prisoners, and members of the clergy. More than half of the participants had been beaten by the police, several had been tortured, and they all knew people who had been killed by the State security forces.
At close range, I have found all independence movements to be inspirational. There is always a sense of hope, enthusiasm for the mission, and a poignant celebration of national identity and culture.
But independence movements in the form of a resistance struggle are truly stirring, and I was unprepared for the level of camaraderie and devotion I found when attending the workshop.
The participants would begin each session by joining hands and singing spirituals. They engaged in highly emotional unity-building exercises and forms of ritual. In one exercise they formed a circle, joined hands, closed their eyes, and took turns calling the names of those who have inspired them, alive or dead.
With each calling the group would murmur “present” (in Indonesian). I was told that this was a way to invite the larger community (the living and the dead) to bear witness to their struggle, and that the practice was borrowed from past Latin American resistance groups.
A visitor to Barcelona will quickly notice the ubiquity of the Catalan independence flag. But in West Papua I saw the Morning Star flag only once, painted on the side of a handbag for sale at a local market.
I asked a friend if the vendor would be arrested, and they replied that the West Papuans push the envelope in small, subtle ways such as this – after all, it was a bag not a flag – and that such acts constitute everyday forms of resistance.
The deck is stacked against the West Papuans. Indonesia is quite keen to hold on to the province, and it is a strong state with powerful allies including the United States, Australia, and transnational mining corporations, who all have an interest in looking the other way.
The military and police are involved in local business and the growing non-West Papuan population is loyal to the State. Secessionist-related activity is punishable by imprisonment or worse. And the West Papuans are becoming increasingly marginalized.
Indonesia is quite keen to hold on to the province, and it is a strong state with powerful allies including the United States, Australia, and transnational mining corporations.
This is a form of frontier imperialism that goes largely overlooked outside of West Papua. Yet this is a moment that took place generations ago on other frontiers. Given the current trajectory, the West Papuans are destined to become a small minority in their own land.
Like the Native Americans or Australian aboriginals, their languages might endure in pockets and in the names of geographic features and terms that will be appropriated by the settler population. One day, after a period of semi-assimilation, forced or otherwise, there may even be sincere society-wide attempts at reconciliation that many will see as too late.
There are two sides to every independence struggle. The Indonesian government has gotten some things right and it would be wrong to fault the non-West Papuan migrants who are just seeking a better life.
But there is always space for dialogue, the right to free speech, and the opening of democratic channels. The solution is to empower the West Papuans now, to recognize and bear witness to their struggle, and to give them greater autonomy, before it is too late.
2) Indonesia seizes illegally logged wood from Papua
Published: March 9, 2018
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities foiled the shipment of 21 containers of prized ironwood from Papua, highlighting what environmentalists say is a rampant illegal trade in the country's easternmost region.
The Forestry and Environment Ministry's law enforcement agency said the wood from the Kaimana tropical forest was processed and ready for shipment to Surabaya when seized. The city has a major port and is a center of Indonesia's wood furniture manufacturing and export industry on the island of Java.
Greenpeace Indonesia said the confiscation, which was made Tuesday and announced Thursday, is small compared with long-standing smuggling from Papua where no "big actors" have been prosecuted. The region has Indonesia's largest remaining tropical forests and is seen by logging and palm oil companies as a new frontier for exploitation after the stripping of most of Java, Sumatra and Borneo of natural forests.
Indonesia was admitted in 2016 to an EU arrangement that makes it easier for Indonesian wood producers to export to the bloc if they've been certified by Indonesia's new Timber Verification and Legality System, known by its local acronym SVLK.
Some environmental and civil society groups have said the system, meant to provide certainty about the origin of wood, could easily become a conduit for illegal timber from a country where tropical forests have been cut down at an epic rate.
The ministry said investigations by police and its staff in Papua revealed a scheme for transporting and processing the wood and then shipping it once the desired quantity had been accumulated in warehouses at a West Papua port. Apparently falsified documents were to be used for the transport of the illegal wood.
It said police have arrested a suspect, who is a director of one of the companies involved, who could face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $140,000.
Ironwood is prized for its beauty and strength and is used as flooring and in joinery.
Greenpeace Indonesia forests campaigner Charles Tawaru said weak supervision is one factor why the illegal timber trade continues to flourish in Papua and a significant amount of wood is shipped out without verification.
On the ground, oversight through the timber verification and legality system had weakened because of the absorption of the district forestry service into the larger provincial apparatus, he said.
Earlier this week, the U.K. ambassador to Indonesia, Moazzam Malik, said the SVLK system had provided a major boost for Indonesian wood exporters.
"The SVLK standard that Indonesia created, actually with an enormous U.K. investment over a 15-year timeframe, is something that's given Indonesian wood exporters access to the European market on a no restrictions basis," Malik said at a Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club event.
"A world first, really a very major boost and that industry is responding really well," he said.
Caption: Illustration of conflict in Kwamki Narama, Mimika District, Papua Province. – Jubi/Dok
Jayapura, Jubi – The elected legislator from Meepago customary area, John NR Gobai, gave his response to a conflict between villagers in Kwakmi Narama, Mimika District, Papua that has been occurred for several years.
He said this is not a tribal war. The terminology should be corrected, so people would stop to consider it as a conflict between one tribe to another. In a tribal war, he said, it is extremely not allowed to kill or even injure children, women or the elderly. Besides, a tribal war will be definitely started with a customary ritual. “This is not a tribal war. Please do not be misunderstood. There is should be something behind it,” Gobai told Jubi on Tuesday (6/3/2018).
He estimated the conflict in Kwamki that has occurred for about seven years is based on revenge or other reason. But whatever it is, he thought all of Papuans should be responsible to solve it to not be happening in the future.
“I questioned what was the intelligent done? How could they do not have any information about who’s behind this conflict? Who did supply the logistic or food supplies during the conflict?” He assumed that certain people are behind the conflict in Kwamki, because when it happened, the access to and outside of the area was closed, but the food supplies are always available. As a consequence of the conflict, people who live in the area, especially from Amungme and Komoro tribes felt uncomfortable.
He further said that one of the tasks of the Papua Governor in charge Soedarmo is to create peacefulness. Therefore, he asked him and the Papua House of Representative to form a team to solve the conflict in Kwanki. “Let’s us stop this conflict. The governor in charge, provincial legislators, regional governments and local legislators must sit together to find a solution,” he said.
Another Papuan legislator from Mimika Sub-district, Mathea Mamoyao, has a similar opinion. She thought the government, security officers and any related parties should solve up to the root of the problem. “I ask all related parties to see this conflict clearly. Bring back the peacefulness and comfort of people in Kwamki Narama,” she said.
Kwamki Conflict is becoming a business?
Mathea Mamoyao said the conflict between villagers that has been occurred every year in Kwamki Nrama, Mimika District is already becoming a business. She said it was occurred as an effect of the tradition of peace by paying ‘one head’ which value reaches to billions of rupiah.
She wants the chain of Kwamki conflict to be stopped immediately, so there are no more disputes between villagers. Besides, she thought the ‘head paying’ system is a burden for the regional government because the money was occasionally taken from the regional budget.
“Where is the source of money to pay it? This ‘head paying’ system must be stopped because it seems to become a business opportunity,” said Mamoyao on Tuesday (6/3/2018).
She hopes the regional government to not spend the money to pay ‘the head’ to solve the conflict because this does not solve the problem.
Further, Mamayao, who is the secretary of first commission of the Papua House of Representative for legal and human rights, said there are certain parties who are behind the conflict that frequently occurred in Kwamki. Even though the conflict has occurred for months, people still had food supplies. This allegation is similar with Gobai’s. “Whereas the access in and out was closed,” said Mamayao who is a native of Komoro tribe. (*)
Leader of the Parliamentary Independent Group, Dr. Derek Sikua.
Leader of the Parliamentary Independent Group, Dr. Derek Sikua asks Prime Minister (PM) Rick Houenipwela to move a motion in the next Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) meeting to change the name of MSG, since the organisation no longer serves its purpose.
Sikua stressed this on the floor of parliament after learning from the revelation by the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Manasseh Sogavare that some member countries are pursing economic interests, at the expense of Melanesia.
Sogavare revealed that Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG) are not doing any good for the plight of our Melanesian brothers and sisters in West Papua.
Citing, the two countries only strengthen their ties with Indonesia to serve their interests that is not founded in the very purpose and reasons, in the formation of MSG.
Dr. Sikua, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Guadalcanal said the word Spearhead should be change to something else because MSG no longer serves its purpose as intended by its founding fathers.
He joked that the head of the spear is blunt so its better to change the name to something like Melanesian Economic Forum, so that it reflects where we are now.
“MSG has drifted out from its very purpose so the name has to be changed to remove the word spearhead to something that reflects the current position of MSG, which no longer stands for the freedom and rights of Melanesia from colonial rule and oppression.”
But PM Houenipwela said, the application of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) to be admitted full membership in MSG has been referred to the Director General of MSG.
He said the application has been agreed on by leaders to follow the procedures and criteria, so it is an administrative matter and not an issue for leaders to meet over and decide on.
PM further added that the apology made to member countries of MSG will not change government policy on West Papua.
He responded to a question asked by MP for Rendova-Tetepare Danny Phillip.
Stating, his term will end this year, which is too short, so he hopes that he will come back next year to work on a new policy for West Papua.
2) 19 People Reported Missing After Boat Capsizes in Papua
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As many as 19 people went missing after the boat they rode turned upside down on its way to Demba District in the Waropen district in eastern province of Papua. The incident occurred at around 1pm on Friday, Papua regional police spokesman Senior Commissioner Ahmad Kamal confirmed here on Saturday.
He said the boat turned upside down after being hit by waves in the Orega waters after 45 minutes journey.
Of the 19 people, 13 are students of senior high public school of Urfas, he said adding the students were reported to pay respects to their school friend who died in the sub-district of Demba.
The boat was hit by waves on its way and the incident was known only after report from a resident at around 4pm. Upon the information a search and rescue team led by Waropen police chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Supraptono immediately left for the location to find the victims but none had been found so far, Kamal said.
Among other victims besides the students are motorist Riki Windesi and boat crew Yunus Buburaya.
3) Historic Ship Rainbow Warrior to Sail Throughout Indonesia
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Rainbow Warrior is a historic ship of Greenpeace organization which will sail throughout Indonesia as a vehicle for environmental campaigns. Rainbow Warrior often sailed to remote areas to directly see the environmental issues in the region and immediately act against its destruction.
Since its first visit in Indonesia in 2013, Rainbow Warrior will be sailing in the archipelago beginning this week until May 2018. The visit themed Jelajah Harmoni Nusantara will be the longest tour of Rainbow Warrior ship.
Its first destination is Papua to witness the natural beauty of Papua forest. The ship will also see the underwater life of Raja Ampat as the best tourist destination.
After leaving Papua, Rainbow Warrior plans to head Bali. Looking at the rich culture which holds local wisdom, and its beliefs that the best source of energy comes from nature.
The last destination is Jakarta. As the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta has many issues including pollution and waste. The Rainbow Warriors ship aims to help Jakarta to be a more comfortable and eco-friendly city. "The main point of this tour is to create harmony in protecting Indonesian environment," Greenpeace stated in a press release received by Tempo on Saturday, March 10.
The name Rainbow Warrior was based on the Prophecy of native American tribe Cree in North America, "When the earth being sick and dying, there will come a day when people from all over the world rising up as the Rainbow Warrior."
The Rainbow Warrior ship that will sail to Indonesia is the third-generation ship. The first generation was destroyed. In 1985, a French secret agent planted two bombs and drowned the Rainbow Warrior and killed a crew member.
After the bombing, the Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior ship docked at Matauri Bay, in the Cavalli Islands, New Zealand, and became alive reef that attracted marine life and recreational divers. The second ship was made shortly after and sailed for 22 years which then in 2011 replaced with the third generation Rainbow Warrior. Like its predecessor, this ship carries out the mission of a green and peaceful future campaign.
Summary of events in West Papua for February -12 March 2018 The last update ended 17 February. This report takes in the rest of February to the 12 March.
Melanesian Spearhead Group
The last update reported how the Leaders of the MSG countries referred the West Papuan application for full membership to its secretariat for processing. Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, and chair of the MSG said the leaders of Melanesia have approved new criteria guidelines for observers, associate members and full members to the sub-regional grouping. More stories on MSG below.
According to Sade Bimantara, a spokesman for the Indonesian embassy in Australia, Jakarta has been assisting the MSG financially and in procuring vehicles and other things for their secretariat. Sade Bimantara also said the ULMWP's bid is at a dead end."I don't think they qualify to be a full member of the MSG."
Vanuatu Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu responded to Sade Bimantara's claim that West Papua's 'game is up'. In an email exchange with the Daily Post, Mr Regenvanu wrote, "Well, that's for the MSG Leaders to decide once the application is presented to them. "Technically, the ULMWP can meet the new criteria just agreed upon." The issue, he wrote, would not be decided by the technicalities outlined by Indonesia's spokesman. "The question is only whether a political compromise can be achieved by the MSG Leaders before the next Summit at which the application for membership will be considered." "Vanuatu is working on achieving this political compromise," he concluded (RNZI 19 Feb.)
Speaking in the Solomons parliament, Deputy PM Manasseh Sogavare said Fiji should apologise for bringing Indonesia into the MSG. He said Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama breached MSG procedure by forcing the other four full members to accept Indonesia as part of the sub-regional grouping, whose full members are Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and FLNKS Kanaks movement of New Caledonia. Indonesia was admitted to the MSG with observer status in 2011 after Mr Bainimarama assumed the MSG's rotational chairmanship. "There was no consensus in the admission of Indonesia by member countries," claimed Mr Sogavare who wants Indonesian control of West Papua reviewed by the United Nations.
Fiji's Defence Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola denied Mr Sogavare's claim that the MSG didn't reach consensus on the issue. "I think he is either suffering from memory loss or trying to play politics with his own constituents," said Ratu Inoke. "He has forgotten that it was during his term as chair of the MSG when Indonesia was admitted to the MSG as an associate member. All members of the MSG had agreed."
Indonesia helps finance Melanesian Spearhead Group secretariat
RNZI 19 February 2018
Indonesia's government has been helping fund the Melanesian Spearhead Group's secretariat. The secretariat, based in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila, has experienced funding limitations in recent years. The five full members - Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia's FLNKS Kanaks Movement - are meant to pay annual contributions.However, some members have struggled to pay their dues on time in the past few years. According to a spokesman for Indonesia's embassy in Australia, Sade Bimantara, Jakarta has been helping the MSG out. "And we have been giving our annual contribution. On top of that we have also helped the secretariat in procuring vehicles and other things for their secretariat. Yeah, so we have been assisting them financially as well." Sade Bimantara, a representative of Indonesia's government, which has associate member status in the MSG.
ULMWP Can Pass Muster: Foreign Minister
Dan McGarry 21 Feb. 2018 Vanuatu Daily Post
PM Charlot Salwai speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new ULMWP headquarters in Port Vila. The land grant was facilitated by then-Lands Minister, and now Foreign Minister, Ralph Regenvanu.
Dan McGarry
In a brief message yesterday, Vanuatu Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu responded to an Indonesian spokesman's claims by Indonesia's First Secretary for Political Affairs in Australia that West Papua's 'game is up'. Radio New Zealand reported earlier this week that Mr Sade Bimantara said that the "United Liberation Movement for West Papua's bid to be a full member of the Melanesian Spearhead group has reached a dead end."
In the interview with RNZI's Johnny Blades, Mr Bimantara opined "I don't think they qualify to be a full member of the MSG. They are not a state, and as opposed to Kanaks, they are not on the C24 (UN) Decolonisation Committee, they are not on the list, West Papua. And also the separatist group does not obtain full support from all the West Papuans. And West Papua and Papua is also politically free, so there's no reason for the MSG to accept them as full members." This was disputed yesterday by Vanuatu's Foreign Minister. In an email exchange with the Daily Post, Mr Regenvanu wrote, "Well, that's for the MSG Leaders to decide once the application is presented to them. "Technically, the ULMWP can meet the new criteria just agreed upon." The issue, he wrote, would not be decided by the technicalities outlined by Indonesia's spokesman. "The question is only whether a political compromise can be achieved by the MSG Leaders before the next Summit at which the application for membership will be considered." "Vanuatu is working on achieving this political compromise," he concluded.
Mr Regenvanu has been an outspoken supporter of West Papuan Independence movement. One of his last acts as Lands Minister before he took up the Foreign Affairs portfolio was to facilitate a grant of land to provide the United Liberation Movement for West Papua a permanent headquarters in Port Vila. A ULMWP statement following the announcement of Mr Regenvanu's appointment to the portfolio said that it "is certainly a very effective state policy closely linked to the direction of the effective support of... Vanuatu for the West Papuan independence struggle."
Melanesian Spearhead Group spat over Indonesia spills over
Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific JournalistRNZI 7 March 2018
Fiji has hit back at the deputy prime minister of Solomon Islands over criticism about the Melanesian Spearhead Group. Speaking in the Solomons parliament yesterday, Manasseh Sogavare said Fiji should apologise for bringing Indonesia into the MSG. He said Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama breached MSG procedure by forcing the other four full members to accept Indonesia as part of the sub-regional grouping, whose full members are Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and FLNKS Kanaks movement of New Caledonia.
Indonesia was admitted to the MSG with observer status in 2011 after Mr Bainimarama assumed the MSG's rotational chairmanship. "There was no consensus in the admission of Indonesia by member countries," claimed Mr Sogavare who wants Indonesian control of West Papua reviewed by the United Nations. In 2015 Indonesia had its status in the group elevated. This remains a complicating factor as the MSG wrestles with the sensitive issue of a West Papuan membership bid.
However, in response, Fiji's Defence Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, who often represents Fiji at MSG summits, denied Mr Sogavare's claim that the MSG didn't reach consensus on the issue.
"I think he is either suffering from memory loss or trying to play politics with his own constituents," said Ratu Inoke. "He has forgotten that it was during his term as chair of the MSG when Indonesia was admitted to the MSG as an associate member. All members of the MSG had agreed."
Mr Sogavare had chaired the 2015 meeting in Honiara where, according to Ratu Inoke, MSG leaders reached consensus about Indonesia's status in the group.
"I cannot really understand why he is making this statement, trying to put the blame on our prime minister, because all the (MSG) members agreed to admit Indonesia as an associate member," said the Fiji minister. Following the 2015 summit, Mr Sogavare spoke of how bringing Indonesia into the fold had been polarising for MSG leaders. The United Liberation Movement for West Papua was itself granted observer status in the MSG in 2015, but its application for full membership continues to divide the five full members. At their latest summit in Port Moresby last month, MSG leaders approved new clarifications on guidelines around membership in the group.
The Liberation Movement's application has been referred to the MSG secretariat for processing, but Fiji and Papua New Guinea have signalled they remain opposed to the pro-independence West Papuans being given full membership. Of the other full members of the group, Vanuatu and the FLNKS appear firmly in support of the Papuan bid.
Solomon Islands had until recently also been strongly in support of giving West Papuans full membership in the MSG. But when Mr Sogavare was ousted as prime minister late last year, and replaced by Rick Hou, that support appeared to dim. The position of PNG and Fiji on the West Papua membership issue had been "really clear", according to Ratu Inoke. "And the new prime minister of Solomon Islands, in the last meeting in Port Moresby, about three weeks ago, he took a similar position," he said. Mr Sogavare however remains a strong influence in government, and his stand on the Papua issue appears unlikely to diminish. "Close association of Fiji with Indonesia is sabotaging the work of MSG and their membership in MSG is not political but economic interest," said Mr Sogavare. Echoing recent statements by Vanuatu's government, Mr Sogavare said the MSG's founding aim of working to decolonise all Melanesian peoples was at risk.
Sikua says MSG must change its name
Solomon Star 06 March 2018
Leader of the Parliamentary Independent Group, Dr. Derek Sikua asks Prime Minister (PM) Rick Houenipwela to move a motion in the next Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) meeting to change the name of MSG, since the organisation no longer serves its purpose. Sikua stressed this on the floor of parliament after learning from the revelation by the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Manasseh Sogavare that some member countries are pursing economic interests, at the expense of Melanesia. Sogavare revealed that Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG) are not doing any good for the plight of our Melanesian brothers and sisters in West Papua.
Citing, the two countries only strengthen their ties with Indonesia to serve their interests that is not founded in the very purpose and reasons, in the formation of MSG. Dr. Sikua, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Guadalcanal said the word Spearhead should be change to something else because MSG no longer serves its purpose as intended by its founding fathers. He joked that the head of the spear is blunt so its better to change the name to something like Melanesian Economic Forum, so that it reflects where we are now. “MSG has drifted out from its very purpose so the name has to be changed to remove the word spearhead to something that reflects the current position of MSG, which no longer stands for the freedom and rights of Melanesia from colonial rule and oppression.”
But PM Houenipwela said, the application of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) to be admitted full membership in MSG has been referred to the Director General of MSG. He said the application has been agreed on by leaders to follow the procedures and criteria, so it is an administrative matter and not an issue for leaders to meet over and decide on. PM further added that the apology made to member countries of MSG will not change government policy on West Papua. He responded to a question asked by MP for Rendova-Tetepare Danny Phillip. Stating, his term will end this year, which is too short, so he hopes that he will come back next year to work on a new policy for West Papua. By AATAI JOHN LAUNGI
Indonesia told to respect media freedom in Papua after expelling BBC reporter Rebecca Henschke
This statement was originally published on PFF's Facebook page on 19 February 2018.
Jakarta must regain authority over Papua, demands PFF, the Pacific Freedom Forum, after the latest action by "rogue" security forces. "Free speech should not suffer because of cookies," says PFF Chair Monica Miller, referring to removal of a BBC journalist from West Papua earlier this month. Biscuits were highlighted by the BBC's Indonesia Editor Rebecca Henschke in a tweet about low-quality emergency relief food given to infants during a serious outbreak of measles, including sugary drinks, noodles and cookies. "Removing BBC journalists from Papua provinces over such a tiny detail is proof that Indonesian security forces are still acting outside the law."
An official release from TNI, the Indonesian military, accused Henschke of "hurting soldiers' feelings" with her reporting. As previously noted by PFF, security forces in Papua have long operated outside the law, defying Indonesia constitutional protections for free speech, along with free press legislation. "Papua free speech is worth more than cookies and fizzy drinks", says Miller.
PFF is calling on Jakarta to "end a slow genocide against free speech, and assert authority over rogue security forces." This call extends to development partners concerned at continued resource corruption in Papua, and across Indonesia. From Port Moresby, PFF co-Chair Alexander Rheeney compares Indonesian 'feelings' with Papua anger over mass arrests, assault, killings and jailing of those holding up free speech rights. "Papua people have suffered decades of free-speech loss, to tragic result - half a million documented deaths in half a century. "We then have a free-speech farce with Indonesia hosting World Press Freedom Day last year - but officially ignoring Papua." "This deportation from Papua just adds to the farce." From Palau, PFF co-Chair Bernadette Carreon says it is time the region paid closer attention to the role of TNI, an Indonesian armed forces badge. "That badge is the same badge currently being considered for fresh funding from the United States," notes Carreon. "American law makers must ask themselves - can a country that gets angry over a packet of cookies be trusted with advanced security training?"
PFF supports statements from AJI, the Alliance of Independent Journalists in Indonesia, RSF, Reporters Sans Frontiers, and IFJ, the International Federation of Journalists, condemning the arrests and removal of the BBC journalists. PFF is also welcoming an invitation from Indonesia for the United Nations Human Rights Commission to visit Papua province as "long overdue.”
West Papua Liberation Army in fresh campaign against Indonesia
RNZI 21 Feb. 2018
The West Papua National Liberation Army's central command in the Papuan Highlands has made a fresh declaration of war against Indonesian military.
West Papua Liberation Army at the issuance of a declaration of war against Indonesian security forces. Photo: Supplied
The Liberation Army is the armed wing of the Free West Papua Movement. Since forming in the early 1970s after Indonesia took control of West Papua, the army has been waging a sporadic guerilla campaign for independence with limited weaponry. However, it's been linked to a spate of skirmishes with Indonesian security forces in the Highlands region of Papua province in the past few months.
It claimed responsibility for the killing of an Indonesian soldier in remote Puncak Jaya regency last week. The Army's recently appointed Chief of Field operations, Major General Telenggen Lekkagak, has issued a new declaration about driving Indonesian forces out of Papua.
The Liberation Army also wants to close the operations of foreign companies that are exploiting Papua's resources. Major General Telenggen specifically mentioned the oil and gas multi-national BP with its gas project in Bintuni Bay, and the US mining giant Freeport which runs the massive Grasberg gold and copper mine in Mimika. The Freeport mine, which is one of Indonesia's largest single sources of revenue, has long been the subject of West Papuan grievances over environmental and social impacts. As well, Papuans have complained about not being consulted over the control of Freeport, and about not gaining any benefit from its lucrative operations.
Attacks by the Liberation Army on Indonesian security forces have often occurred in the area around Freeport, and have at times extended to attacks on the miner's infrastructure and personnel. In the declaration, Major General Telenggen says that Papua's resources must be protected for the sake of West Papuan independence. "As long as Indonesia occupies our homeland, the war's resistance continues until Papuan independence becomes real," read an English version of the Army's declaration. He said that as of last month, the Liberation Army had ordered a general mobilisation of all its soldiers in Papua to carry out operations against what it calls "the invaders". Although its membership has, in the past, been divided into various groups over West Papua's rugged interior, a spokesman for the Army says all of its wings are now united.
Indonesia seizes illegally logged wood from Papua
By Associated PressMarch 9
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities foiled the shipment of 21 containers of prized ironwood from Papua, highlighting what environmentalists say is a rampant illegal trade in the country’s easternmost region. The Forestry and Environment Ministry’s law enforcement agency said the wood from the Kaimana tropical forest was processed and ready for shipment to Surabaya, home to a major port and a center of Indonesia’s wood furniture manufacturing and export industry on the island of Java. The seizure was made Tuesday and announced Thursday. Greenpeace Indonesia said the seizure is small compared with long-standing smuggling from Papua where no “big actors” have been prosecuted. Indonesia was in 2016 admitted to an EU licensing system that makes it easier for Indonesian wood producers to export to the bloc.
Opinion pieces/reports/media releases etc.
They’re killing the Koroway with mercury and precious metals.
The next two years could prove to be transformative for Melanesia, a region of Pacific islands spanning from Papua in the west to Fiji in the east. Two votes on independence, scheduled in 2018 and 2019, could bring two new nations into the fold and shake up the politics of a region where decolonization is still a pressing matter.
One more long-running movement hopes to join their ranks: the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), which seeks independence for the Indonesian-controlled western half of the island. Unlike their neighbors in French New Caledonia and the Papuan island of Bougainville, there is little prospect of a free vote for West Papuans.
In an unprecedented effort organized by ULMWP leader Benny Wenda, activists in West Papua and among the diaspora worked to collect 1.8 million signatures throughout West Papua’s two provinces for an independence petition to be presented to the United Nations last September. Despite receiving the backing of over 70% of West Papua’s population, the effort to gain a seat at the UN Decolonization Committee failed — it won the support of only eight countries, all of them small Caribbean and Pacific island states.
“I think the Indonesian government will increase its efforts to block the ULMWP,” says Jakarta-based Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono. “This could range from increasing bilateral cooperation with Melanesian states to threatening to boycott some businesses over their support for West Papua.”
Indonesia’s Papuan provinces were incorporated into the country in 1969, when Indonesian authorities held a widely disputed referendum that ended seven years of UN administration following the departure of the Dutch colonial regime. An on-and-off conflict with local separatists of various stripes has endured since then, with the Indonesian military accused of atrocities amounting to genocide against the Papuan population.
Political prisoners
The Indonesian authorities aggressively prosecute any actions deemed supportive of independence, including jailing activists for raising West Papua’s “Morning Star” flag. The election of Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, to the Indonesian presidency in 2014 raised hopes of a thaw in the conflict. He promised to lift restrictions that forbade journalists from visiting the region on the campaign trail, but those hopes have largely been dashed.
While he did lift the bans, it is still difficult for reporters to access West Papua. Jakarta released several high-profile prisoners that had been in jail for years, but authorities still imprisoned up to 8,000 Papuans in mass temporary arrests over the last two years. Political prisoners like 27-year-old Yanto Awerkion, who was arrested last May in the coastal city of Timika while collecting signatures for the ULMWP petition, remain in jail with uncertain prospects for release.
“Jokowi would probably like to see these political prisoners released, but there have been more mass arrests,” says Dr. Jim Elmslie, co-founder of the West Papua Project at the University of Sydney’s Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. Harsono agrees, pointing out that the number of annual arrests has risen well into the thousands under the Jokowi administration.
War & peace
Activists fighting for independence in West Papua have operated under a variety of different armed and peaceful groups since 1969. While going through several periods of internal division, most have long operated under the umbrella of the Free Papua Movement, also known by its Indonesian acronym, OPM.
Activists fighting for independence in West Papua have operated under a variety of different armed and peaceful groups since 1969
The OPM’s armed wing, known as the TPN-PB, has long engaged in a low-level insurgency against the Indonesian military and police. Another target of its attacks has been the Phoenix-based mining company Freeport-McMoRan, which operates the enormous Grasberg gold and copper mine in the region’s western mountains. Indigenous Papuans living in nearby towns have long protested that they see receive little of the lucrative wealth produced, which instead finds its way to Freeport or officials in Jakarta.
The armed conflict escalated towards the end of 2017, when deadly clashes in November were followed by the Indonesian military accusing the TPN-PB of occupying several villages near Grasberg one month later. After the death of a leading TPN-PB commander in September, the group released a formal “declaration of war” against Indonesia in February this year.
“The TPN-PB stole two powerful guns from the Indonesian military near the mine in 2016,” says Elmslie. “That’s when the attacks started increasing, and after they declared war they blocked the road leading to the mine in Tembagapura.”
Melanesian support
The leaders behind the petition campaign brought together several disparate groups after the 2011 Papuan People’s Congress, going on to form the ULMWP three years later and enabling them to form a united front for the independence effort.
Its biggest platform for international support has been the Melanesian Spearhead Group, a regional forum for Melanesian countries. Citing the increased profile that MSG membership gave the FLNKS, a pro-independence party in New Caledonia, the ULMWP was grantedobserver status at the MSG summit in 2015 — but so was Indonesia, which became an associate member.
After presenting the independence petition to the UN, ULMWP leader Wenda renewed his efforts to gain full membership at the MSG summit in Port Moresby last February. Wenda gave a speech to leaders at the event, highlighting the movement’s progress on reforms demanded by the MSG before granting full membership. But with the Indonesian government placing its diplomatic weight behind regional allies like Fiji, the membership application was shelved for the foreseeable future.
“The West Papuan people continue to suffer brutality at the hands of oppressors every day,” said Wenda in a statement released before his speech. “We call on Melanesian leaders to acknowledge our political aspirations, to hear this cry for freedom.”
Member of Parliament (MP) for Aoke-Langalanga Mathew Wale
Member of Parliament (MP) for Aoke-Langalanga Mathew Wale has lashed out at the country’s Parliamentarians who have bowed down to Fiji’s economic interests when the issue of West Papua was brought up at the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) meetings.
Speaking in Parliament last week, Wale said Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela was wrong to have apologised in the recent MSG leaders meeting in Port Moresby last month because this only shows that Solomon Islands is weak and will therefore continue to allow Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG) to always ride over Solomon Islands at the regional meeting.
Wale, who sits at the Independence Bench in Parliament, said the Solomon Islands must stand firm on its position on West Papua and not to apologise at the regional level because this only shows the country is weak.
He was speaking on the session where the question on the apology by the Prime Minister Houenipwela in the recent MSG meeting was raised.
The question was earlier raised by Mr Wale himself as a question in the Order Paper of the session.
It was during the question and answer session of Parliament that Minister for Foreign Affairs Milner Tozaka stood up to support and reiterate on the importance of the apology made by Prime Minister Houenipwela at the recent MSG summit.
Mr Tozaka said the apology showed how Solomon Islands play an important role in upholding respect among our leaders within MSG in the PNG meeting.
“If anything is wrong or we do not feel good about it, then we reconcile,” said Tozaka.
“We show respect to other leaders as part of our culture and tradition to protect our relationship and stay calm to discuss together issues affecting our countries.”
He said the apology does not undermine the country’s diplomatic relationship with the MSG countries.
Mr Tozaka gave the example of the important role Solomon Islands played on the reconciliation Solomon Islands mediated and hosted in year 2010, which reconciled Fiji and Vanuatu over their differences.
He said leaders come together to iron out the differences and move forward.
But Mr Wale slammed the reconciliation event hosted in Honiara by stating it was Tozaka and the Prime Minister then who hosted the reconciliation and gave the chairmanship of MSG to the unelected dictator of Fiji in 2011.
“That is why MSG is a laughing stock,” he said.
“PNG and Fiji continue to ride over us because we accept rubbish,” Mr Wale said.
Mr Wale said he understands that PNG has security issues regarding the West Papua issue but Fiji’s interest is money and their heart is not Melanesian.
Wale stressed that Solomon Islands must stand with its Melanesian brothers and sisters in West Papua because they were treated like dogs or even worse than dogs.
Fiji is represented at the recent MSG Leaders Meeting in Port Moresby last month by the Defence and National Security Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola.
