[Kabar-Irian] News: June 23-28 2006
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June 17-22 2006
KABAR IRIAN NEWS
TOPICS
* Papua requires 'cool heads'
* Indon police 'tortured Papuans'
* Yudhoyono ready to snub meeting with Howard after Papua row
* PNG: UN's Refugee Agency Offers Praise For Papuan Crisis
* Govt passes asylum seekers on to PNG
* Former PNG defence boss worried about Indonesia border
* Indonesia urges Australia to review Papua refugee decision
* In Remotest Indonesia, Unfinished Business
* Police to take control of security at Papua mine
* Australian, Indonesia Resolve Dispute Over Papua Province
* West Papuan asylum seekers regret coming to Australia
* Two U.S. citizens questioned over visa violations in Papua
* Police to take control of security at Freeport
* Indonesian squad in Cambodia for rugby tourney
* Keep domestic politics out of Papua
* RI boys team up for rugby tour
* Australia's selective ethics on Timor
* Govt 'undermining' community land rights for own gains
* State secrecy bill may target foreigners
* Australian PM calls for Indonesian action on Papua
* Indonesia, Australia make up after Papua asylum row
*
---
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19588471-2702,00.html
Papua requires 'cool heads'
Patrick Walters, National security editor
June 26, 2006
PAPUA remains the main stumbling block to better relations between
Australian and Indonesia,
with Jakarta still deeply suspicious of Canberra's bona fides.
Wiryono Sastrohandoyo, Jakarta's most senior diplomat and a former
ambassador to Canberra,
said Indonesia wanted a clear assurance of support for its sovereignty
over Papua, and on
the treatment of asylum-seekers, from today's meeting between John Howard
and President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"I think there is a lack of communication between the two governments," Mr
Wiryono told The
Australian yesterday.
"That is regrettable because of the way we have worked together on terrorism,
money-laundering and other things.
"The heart-to-heart communication between Australia and Indonesia has
always been
problematic in my experience. What we need is cool heads. I don't see on
my side management
that reflects that kind of thinking."
Mr Wiryono, one of the key architects of the Aceh peace settlement, said
bilateral ties had
become "a bit unmanageable" because Indonesia remained very sensitive
about Papua.
"We are oversensitive and Australians are seen as being over-intrusive.
Communication is
very complex."
On the Indonesian side, the Papua problem had generated strong emotions.
"They see everything through the prism of East Timor and wonder if
Australia is again going
to be doing the same thing," he said. "On the other side, you have your
own politics as
well. It is very complex now and I don't know whether (the talks on the
island of) Batam
will resolve all that."
Mr Wiryono said he understood the decision to go ahead with the leaders'
meeting in Batam
had been taken only late on Friday, amid continuing differences between
key government
agencies in Jakarta about how best to handle ties with Australia.
Relations were severely strained in March following the decision to grant
protection visas
to 42 Papuan asylum-seekers.
Mr Wiryono said he did not see a strong personality in "my government and
also in your
government that is championing the relationship".
He said the recent return of Indonesia's ambassador to Canberra, Hamzah
Thayeb, was a
positive sign but Papua would remain a long-term problem.
"The sooner we can resolve the Papuan problem - like the Aceh problem -
the better. Because
what we need is internal stability and national peace.
"We are being troubled all the time in our way of thinking by outsiders
who are encouraging
Papuans to do this or that."
Indonesians also had problems with the terminology of Australia's
"temporary protection
visa" system.
"The sense here is that when you are talking about the temporary
protection visa, the word
protection is a very negative one because (we think) 'protection from
what?'."
---
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19590749-23109,00.html
Indon police 'tortured Papuans'
From: AAP
By Lloyd Jones in Port Moresby
June 26, 2006
A CATHOLIC human rights group has accused Indonesian police of torturing
23 West Papuans
arrested after violent protests in March.
The Peace and Justice Secretariat of the Catholic diocese in West Papua's
provincial
capital, Jayapura, alleges cases of physical and mental abuse, and
intimidation of
prisoners.
The claims coincided with the Batam summit between Prime Minister John
Howard and Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, called over Australia's policy towards
West Papua asylum
seekers.
The 23 were arrested after the March 16 and 17 student demonstrations
outside Jayapura's
Cendrawasih University.
The protesters had demanded the closure of the giant US-run Freeport
copper mine because of
environmental damage and the lack of benefits going to local Papuans.
Four policemen, an air force soldier and a civilian were killed in the
riots, prompting
hundreds of students to flee their homes and dormitories in fear of
reprisals by security
forces.
The Peace and Justice Secretariat said its staff and representatives from
other church
groups interviewed three of the 23 detainees at the regional police cells
in Jayapura.
The prisoners said wounds on their faces were sustained during days of
police interrogation
and they were being kept in crowded cells, the report notes.
One prisoner said they had been tortured for information during the first
few weeks and a
senior police officer had threatened to shoot him and had aimed a gun at
his mouth.
Prisoners also told interviewers they had not seen their legal counsel
appointed by the
authorities and so were at a loss when they went to court.
Two of them said they were maltreated by police two hours before the court
hearing started,
in a bid to get them to confess they were involved in the deaths of the
police officers and
air force soldier.
"They were kicked with army boots, struck on the head and body with rifle
butts and rubber
truncheons," the report says.
During hearings at the Jayapura District Court involving 16 of the
detainees, judges put
questions to police witnesses and gave answers for them that were
detrimental to the
accused, the report says.
At one hearing, a judge said: "Another time when there is a demo, you
should carry sharp
weapons so that, should the situation become chaotic and you find yourself
under pressure,
you can shoot the demonstrators on the spot, and if anyone dies, that
won't be a violation
of human rights."
Such statements were greeted with cheers by police attending the hearing,
the report says.
Judges and prosecutors had not upheld basic principles of fair and honest
hearings, which
were held amidst heavy security in an "atmosphere of terror and fear for
the accused", the
report says.
The authors of the report urged authorities "not to treat the legal
process as if it were an
act of vengeance for the members of police force who died in the
performance of their
duties" but to ascertain the truth behind the March 16 conflict.
---
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/yudhoyono-ready-to-snub-meeting-with-howard-after-papua-row
/2006/06/23/1150845378951.html
Yudhoyono ready to snub meeting with Howard after Papua row
Mark Forbes Herald Correspondent in Jakarta
June 24, 2006
THE Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is considering
scuttling Monday's
reconciliation talks with the Prime Minister, John Howard, in the wake of
his failure to
pass tough new asylum-seeker laws.
Frantic diplomatic efforts were under way last night to resolve the row.
Indonesian sources
remained hopeful the Batam meeting could proceed and the joint declaration
agreed, but said
the situation was "fluid".
Cancellation would again worsen a diplomatic row set to be resolved by the
leaders signing a
joint declaration committing them to comprehensive co-operation and a new
security treaty,
being prepared for the meeting.
It would also represent another rebuff for Mr Howard, who postponed
passing the asylum laws
in the face of a backbench revolt.
Mr Howard wanted the changes - designed to prevent Papuans from fleeing to
Australia by
forcing them offshore - in place for Monday's meeting.
Relations with Indonesia were frozen after Australia granted asylum to 42
Papuan
independence activists earlier this year. Dr Yudhoyono accused Australia
of undermining
Indonesian sovereignty.
Early yesterday Indonesian Foreign Ministry officials said Dr Yudhoyono's
spokesman, Dino
Djalal, would provide a statement about the meeting with Mr Howard,
scheduled to be held on
the Indonesian island of Batam.
Late yesterday Mr Djalal said he "could not comment at all" on the meeting
nor confirm if it
would proceed.
Senior Indonesian officials confirmed that the talks could be cancelled,
with concerns at
the highest levels about the failure to pass the asylum-seeker changes and
disputes over the
wording of the joint declaration.
A letter from Mr Howard last week demanding that Dr Yudhoyono monitor the
activities of the
released Jemaah Islamiah spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir also caused
irritation in
Jakarta.
A spokesman for Mr Howard said yesterday the talks were not yet confirmed.
"The Prime Minister has only said he hopes to meet … shortly," he said.
The director of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry division covering
Australia, Yuri Thamrin,
also said yesterday that no decision had been made on whether annual talks
between senior
Indonesian and Australian ministers, scheduled to be held in Bali next
week, would proceed.
"We hope it will take place," he said. "It is going to be decided at
higher levels, at
ministerial levels, but we believe the Australia-Indonesia ministerial
forum is an important
element in terms of realising the comprehensive partnership between
Indonesia and
Australia."
---
http://www.pacificislands.cc/pina/pinadefault2.php?urlpinaid=22863
PNG: UN's Refugee Agency Offers Praise For Papuan Crisis
Friday: June 23, 2006
(RadAus PacBeat) - Tuesday 20 June marked World Refugee Day, an event
created by the United
Nations General Assembly in 2001 to pay tribute to people forced from
their homes and the
countries.
And nowhere in the Pacific does the day take on as much meaning as Papua
New Guinea, which
is home to many people who say they have been forced out of the
neighbouring Indonesian
province of Papua.
Australian authorities recently appeared to acknowledge their plight, by
granting refugee
status to a group of Papuan asylum seekers, who arrived off Australia's
northern coast in
February.
But since then, Australia has moved to mend its relations with Indonesia,
and appears likely
to pass legislation to make sure applications for refugee status aren't
processed in
Australia, but in Pacific detention centres.
But according to the UNHCR, the United Nations' Refugee Agency, Papua New
Guinea has dealt
with the influx of Papuans very well. The UNHCR's Wallaya Pura recently
met Papuan refugees
and border crosses now living in PNG's East Awin refugee camp, in the
Western Province.
Source: http://www.abc.net.au/ra/pacbeat/stories/s1670154.htm
---
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1670631.htm
Govt passes asylum seekers on to PNG
PM - Friday, 23 June , 2006 18:14:00
Reporter: Gillian Bradford
MARK COLVIN: The Federal Government has come in for more criticism today
over its treatment
of asylum seekers, after taking three Papuans who'd landed in the Torres
Strait back to
Papua New Guinea.
The men had been detained on Horn Island for more than a month, but
because it's already
been declared outside Australia's migration zone, they were not entitled
to have their
claims heard in Australia.
Papua New Guinea has agreed to take the men, but refugee advocates here
say Australia should
not offload its responsibilities to poorer countries.
>From Canberra Gillian Bradford reports.
GILLIAN BRADFORD: The three Papuans landed in the Torres Strait in early May.
But because all those islands have been excised from Australia's migration
zone, it was made
clear to the men they wouldn't have their claims heard in Australia.
And after more than a month of negotiations, the Immigration Department
has now confirmed
it's sent them to Papua New Guinea
The Department's Sandi Logan.
SANDI LOGAN: The three asylum seekers, who were originally from Indonesia,
but arrived in
Australia from Papua New Guinea in May, have now been repatriated to Papua
New Guinea. They
were flown out this afternoon and landed in Port Moresby safely earlier
this evening.
GILLIAN BRADFORD: The Government has a memorandum of understanding with
Papua New Guinea to
take asylum seekers who use PNG as a stopover to Australia.
But the Democrats' Andrew Bartlett thinks Australia shouldn't be
offloading its asylum
problems onto poorer countries
ANDREW BARTLETT: It shows the lengths Australia will go to, to try and
avoid their own
obligations. The fact is that Papua New Guinea already shelters thousands
of refugees from
West Papua and Indonesia.
For Australia to kick up such a fuss and resist so strongly just because
we've got three,
shows how much we're desperately trying to dodge our responsibilities,
even if it means
forcing them onto a country that is much poorer and much more... finds it
much more
difficult to deal with the obligations that they have to fulfill under the
refugee
convention.
GILLIAN BRADFORD: The Refugee Council of Australia also has concerns that
PNG doesn't have
the resources to deal with Papuan asylum seekers and may inadvertently
expose them to
danger.
The Council's President is John Gibson
JOHN GIBSON: I think the concern is always whether there really are built
in, essentially,
guarantees that people won't, for example, be sent back or even if they
were moved close to
the border, and exposed to a risk, given the cross border activity that
quite clearly has
been going on for some time in relation to camps of West Papuan asylum
seekers, refugees in
PNG.
GILLIAN BRADFORD: The Democrats' Andrew Bartlett also has concerns
Australia may be sending
the Papuans into a situation that isn't safe
ANDREW BARTLETT: The fact remains that it is of course a country that is
much poorer than
Australia and finds it much more difficult to have to provide safety for
refugees and of
course, they're already providing that safety for thousands of refugees
who have fled West
Papua over a number of years.
GILLIAN BRADFORD: The Immigration Department says it's confident the men
will safe in Papua
New Guinea.
SANDI LOGAN: We're quite confident that that the arrangements that are in
place, both under
the terms of the MOU and as a result of more recent discussions around and
surrounding these
three gentlemen who have been repatriated to Port Moresby today, that the
arrangements in
place will serve them well.
Further, we have agreed to meet the costs of the readmission of this group
of three to Papua
New Guinea, including some settling in costs, while any claims for asylum
might be made and
might then be assessed.
GILLIAN BRADFORD: To some that looks like the Immigration Department is
paying for them to
seek asylum in PNG, offloading Australia's problem.
SANDI LOGAN: I think the terms of the MOU provide for that range of
service for the
department to provide, and I think it's only fair under the circumstances.
MARK COLVIN: Sandi Logan from the Immigration Department with Gillian
Bradford.
---
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/bulletins/rnzi/200606211558/c86513a
Former PNG defence boss worried about Indonesia border
Posted at 3:58pm on 21 Jun 2006
A former Papua New Guinea defence force commander says the country is wide
open for possible
terrorist attacks from across the Indonesian border on major mining and
energy projects.
Retired Major-General, Jerry Singirok, says the Australian-backed
downsizing of the defence
force has left PNG unable to properly protect the 750 kilometre long border.
He says the area sees illegal trading, money laundering, gun smuggling and
illegal
migration.
Major-General Singirok says the government and top military brass cannot
be complacent when
Indonesia is home to Jemaah Islamiah whose terrorists could easily cross
into PNG to attack
vulnerable targets.
These include the Ok Tedi copper mine in Western Province and the Hides
Gas project in the
Southern Highlands.
Copyright © 2006 Radio New Zealand International
---
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2006/s1668013.htm
Indonesia urges Australia to review Papua refugee decision
AM - Wednesday, 21 June , 2006 08:12:00
Reporter: Geoff Thompson
TONY EASTLEY: A senior Indonesian parliamentarian says that the Australian
Government's
proposed changes to asylum laws should be completed before John Howard
meets Indonesian
President Yudhoyono next week.
Theo Sambuaga, the Chairman of the Indonesian Parliament's Foreign
Relations Committee, also
says it would be advisable for the Australian Prime Minister to steer
clear of discussing
last week's release of radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir.
Last night Mr Howard dismissed Mister Sambuaga's tips, saying he wouldn't
be taking his
advice on what issues to raise in his meeting with the Indonesian President.
Theo Sambuaga has told our Jakarta Correspondent, Geoff Thompson, that
Indonesia's
parliament still expects Australia to review its decision to grant visas
to 42 Papuan asylum
seekers.
THEO SAMBUAGA: We of course would like very much that first the granting
of Temporary Visa
to the 42, our brothers from Papua, asylum seekers, being refused by the
Australian
Government. While we are thinking for the future, we still have to address
this issue, and
we hope that the Government of Australia will have this review.
GEOFF THOMPSON: It seems that the Australian Government's offer is to
change the legislation
so that it won't happen again, but it seems that those changes may not
quite make it in time
for the meeting. Will that provide an obstacle to the healing effect that
the meeting is
meant to have?
THEO SAMBUAGA: Yes of course, as a signal, it is a positive signal of the
Australian
Government with the process of reviewing the legislation. We don't know
whether it's going
to be completed before the meeting. We hope it's going to be completed, of
course.
GEOFF THOMPSON: If it's not completed, what will that mean?
THEO SAMBUAGA: If it is not completed I can understand, as a Member of
Parliament, as a
legislator myself, I know that it takes time to have it processed.
GEOFF THOMPSON: Indonesia has obligations under United Nations Resolution
1267, which
requires for sanctions against UN-listed terrorists such as Abu Bakar
Bashir, such as
freezing his assets, restricting his movements and making sure he has no
access to arms. And
this issue is one which Prime Minister Howard says he will be taking up
with President
Yudhoyono.
THEO SAMBUAGA: But not in the (inaudible) of, let's say, put more
ascendance or put more
sanction to Abu Bakar Bashir.
GEOFF THOMPSON: Would you oppose moves to enforce the United Nations
Security Council
Resolution 1267 and take more action against him?
THEO SAMBUAGA: No. We, as a member of the United Nations, abide by the
decision or
resolution of the UN.
GEOFF THOMPSON: Why not freeze Abu Bakar Bashir's assets then?
THEO SAMBUAGA: We should see it case-by-case, but not in... give more,
let's say,
(inaudible) or sentence to Abu Bakar Bashir. As a, you know, a citizen, he
is a free man
after he's served his sentence.
GEOFF THOMPSON: Prime Minister Howard has said: "I don't normally take
advice on what I
raise with foreign heads of state from the chairmen of foreign relations
committees,"
referring to you. What do you say to that?
THEO SAMBUAGA: Oh, yes, yeah, of course. The Australian Prime Minister
doesn't take advice
from Members of Parliament of other countries, but of course it is the
express of the few of
the people, and then it is addressed to our President, Indonesian
President. The President
should take advice or should consider advice from his people and from his
parliamentarians.
GEOFF THOMPSON: And your advice would be what?
THEO SAMBUAGA: My advice is don't let other heads of foreign countries to
intervene in our
process of law.
TONY EASTLEY: Theo Sambuaga, the Chairman of the Indonesian Parliament's
Foreign Relations
Committee, talking there with Geoff Thompson in Jakarta.
---
The Washington Post, June 25, 2006:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/24/AR2006062400893.html
In Remotest Indonesia, Unfinished Business
Fear, Distrust, Insurgency Simmer in Papua
By Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, June 25, 2006; Page A17
SILIBA, Indonesia -- Here, in the chilly central highlands of Papua,
Yumbologon Wandikbo
wears nothing but an orange-beaded choker and a covering known as a penis
gourd, a custom of
his Dani tribe. "When we get freedom," he said with a hint of defiance, "I
will put on
clothes."
Wandikbo, a tall man with a lithe stride and a touch of gray in his
sideburns, paused on a
dirt path near about a dozen huts topped with shaggy thatch domes.
Snorting pigs rooted
around muddy trails. In a free Papua, he said on a crisp, gray afternoon,
the young people
will go to school and then find jobs.
A simmering dispute over the status of Papua, a region absorbed into
Indonesia under
controversial circumstances a generation ago, continues to fuel fear,
distrust and a
low-level insurgency in this remote land of ruggedly beautiful mountains
and vast virgin
forests on the western half of New Guinea island.
"I have never felt like I was part of Indonesia," said Jelam Wandikbo, a
former Dani
warrior, sitting cross-legged on the ground in a thatched hut an hour's
hike away. This clan
elder, with five wives and 17 children scattered across several villages,
is a former tribal
chief of war and a hero for the enemy tribesmen he killed in his youth.
Now, he posts scouts
around his hamlet, but not to fight. "I will run to the forest," he said,
eyes bright, his
body still taut and square-shouldered, "when the government troops come."
For Indonesia, which declared independence 60 years ago, Papua is the last
major piece of
unfinished business. East Timor, a former province, claimed independence
in a 1999
referendum, although international troops were called in recently to halt
fighting between
the police and armed forces. A three decade-long separatist uprising in
Aceh province ended
with a peace deal last year, given impetus by the devastating Indian Ocean
tsunami.
Indonesia insists that Papua is an integral part of the country, a
position that almost all
foreign governments accept, even as some have expressed concerns over
charges that
Indonesian security forces have engaged in human rights violations.
The former Dutch colony, more than 2,000 miles east of Jakarta, has the
world's largest gold
mine and second-largest copper mine, owned by Freeport-McMoRan Copper &
Gold, a U.S. mining
giant. But the villages here are among the least developed in Indonesia.
Papua has the
country's highest poverty level and the highest concentration of HIV/AIDS.
One-third of
Papuan children do not attend school. Nine out of 10 villages do not have
a health clinic,
doctor or midwife.
Papuans voice their frustrations as a desire for freedom, or merdeka . But
freedom has
various meanings, from political independence to social justice.
The continuing tensions were apparent again last month, when security
forces shot two
protesters dead at a courthouse in Wamena, the main town in Papua's
central highlands. The
demonstrators were showing support for their mayor, a native Papuan, who
had been charged
with corruption. The police said they fired in self-defense.
In March, activists staged protests against Freeport, accusing the company
of polluting the
land and taking the people's wealth. The protest turned violent, and five
security officials
were beaten to death. Forty-three Papuans recently sought asylum in
Australia; it has
granted to all but one, sparking a diplomatic row in which Indonesia
recalled its
ambassador.
The Indonesian government, citing security concerns, requires foreign
journalists and
researchers to obtain special permission to visit Papua and has seldom
granted it in recent
years. In rare interviews with a foreign journalist recently, native
Papuans in the
highlands near Wamena described living through three decades often
characterized by fear and
political uncertainty. Though a brief spring followed the ouster of the
authoritarian
president Suharto in 1998, renewed tensions in recent years have made them
reluctant to go
to their sweet potato gardens, for fear soldiers will arrest them. Their
crops, they said,
are dwindling.
A Crucial Vote
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Worige Wandikbo lives about an hour's walk from Siliba in a hut of sticks
and thatch called
a honai . The dirt floor is strewn with dried grass to make sitting more
pleasant. There is
no road, no electricity and no store. Once, Worige walked all day on muddy
trails and a
pitted road to Wamena, the nearest town. There, she saw "people driving in
a car and living
in nice houses."
"I want to live like that," said the strong-boned woman, her grim face
lined with
conviction. "I want freedom."
Her expectations of a better life were shaped by an event that took place
before she was
born. Simon Wandikbo, Worige's brother-in-law and the village pastor,
recalled that in 1969
a special vote was held to decide Papua's future. Simon's aunt was among
1,022 tribal elders
selected to take part. The vote was sponsored by the United Nations, with
U.S. support. The
aunt, now dead, told him the elders were coerced into choosing to remain
with Indonesia, he
said. Studies by academics in the Netherlands and in Britain, as well as
declassified U.S.
documents, support her contention.
"They promised that we would belong to a great nation and have great homes
and we would be
wealthy," Simon said his aunt told him. "That was in the 1960s. Now it's
2006. Nothing has
changed -- except for the worse."
"They said we would never live in honai anymore," Worige added. "We're
still in honai."
Like many adults in her village, Worige has never been to school. Unable
to read or write,
she votes in elections by poking a pinhole in the picture of the candidate
she likes.
Papua does not suffer from a lack of teachers or schools, but from the
unequal distribution
of resources, which flow to the cities at the expense of remote areas such
as the highlands,
the World Bank said. Simon said that many Papuan parents in the highlands
take their
children out of school so the children can marry or help raise pigs or
vegetables.
Once, the villagers tried to open a kiosk, an effort at commerce, said
Simon, one of only
six people in the village of 250 with a high-school education.
"But we sold just Coca-Cola," said Biruk Wandikbo, Worige's husband, the
current tribal
chief of war. "And nobody bought it."
Papuans in the highlands who were educated during the highly centralized
Suharto era spoke
of how non-Papuan teachers made no effort to hide their disdain for
Papuans, whose
Melanesian features -- dark skin, nappy hair, broad noses and lips --
distinguish them from
the ethnic Malay majority.
Papua has an indigenous population of 1.6 million; in all, 2.6 million
people live in the
region. Native Papuans now outnumber non-Papuan teachers in elementary
grades, though not at
higher levels, one expert said. But the sting of discrimination lingers.
"They said we
weren't smart," said the man, who has a university degree and spoke on
condition of
anonymity, fearing reprisals from authorities. "They didn't let us speak
our own language.
They called us all kinds of rubbish words."
Addressing the Past
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In an effort to redress long-standing grievances, the government passed a
law in 2001 giving
Papua, which is about the size of California, greater revenue and
decision-making power than
other provinces. The government also gives Papua more money per capita
than any other
province except East Kalimantan.
In the towns and cities, members of the educated Papuan elite have tried
to work with the
central government to advance special autonomy, which includes the
creation of a people's
assembly of ethnic Papuan tribal, women and religious leaders. But the
council has little
clout, and police keep close watch on the leaders and political activists.
Local government bureaucrats, increasingly native Papuan, often misuse the
money, to the
people's detriment, analysts said. The villagers noted that the mayor in
Wamena was recently
charged with misusing funds that should have gone to roads, medical
services and factory
construction.
People point to the recent shooting of protesters as reason for fear. The
military points to
such incidents as justification for a continued presence. There are 15,000
soldiers and
8,200 police officers and paramilitary forces in Papua and West Irian
Jaya, the two
provinces that make up the Papua region, according to military and police
officials. The
clashes often begin with a dispute over control of natural resources.
Security forces are battling a small, separatist insurgency called the
Free Papua Movement,
which has tried since the mid-1960s to gain momentum. But it is scattered,
ill-equipped and
lacking a central command, analysts said. Some activists allege that as
many as 100,000
Papuans have been killed since Indonesia took control of Papua in 1963.
But analysts who have researched the issue said they see no evidence of
genocide or a
massive military buildup. However, the area's remoteness and restrictions
on entry make
documentation difficult, they said.
When it comes to criminal justice, Papuans said they do not trust the
courts to be fair.
Theys Eluay, a charismatic leader who advocated separatism through
peaceful means, was
murdered in November 2001. A military court in 2003 convicted seven
soldiers. The longest
sentence was 3 1/2 years.
A year and a half ago, two men led a peaceful ceremony to raise the
Morning Star flag, the
symbol of Papuan independence. They are serving 10- and 15-year prison
sentences for
rebellion.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has admitted the government has made
mistakes, including
human rights violations. But now, he said, "the government is firmly
committed to upholding
human rights."
He recently announced that he would issue a decree to ensure that the $1.4
billion in
special autonomy money that Jakarta sends to Papua is spent wisely, on
poverty relief,
health and education.
Danny Mofu, 30, a itinerant pastor who lives in Wamena, wants to see
Papuans help
themselves.
"There's a popular slogan at the moment: Be a king of your own land. But
the problem is, a
lot of people take it wrong. They want to be a king but don't want to
work," said Mofu, who
hikes for days to reach his church members in the hills and valleys. "It's
about awareness,
and are Papuans willing to be leaders of their own people, to build their
own people?"
Biruk Wandikbo, Jelam Wandikbo's oldest son, is adamant about what he
wants: "Our own
president. Our own military chief. Our own police. Our own pilots. Our own
Freeport."
Asked if he would see freedom in his lifetime, Jelam Wandikbo, the old
tribal chief of war,
paused and then smiled.
" Wa. Wa. Wa. Wa ," he said, using a Dani word. "I hope so."
---
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=25003
Radio New Zealand International
The Voice of New Zealand, Broadcasting to the Pacific
Te Reo Irirangi O Aotearoa, O Te Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa
Police to take control of security at Papua mine
Posted at 07:43 on 26 June, 2006 UTC
Indonesian National Police will take over security at the Papua mine of
US-company Freeport
from the military beginning in July.
The Jakarta Post quotes Papua Police chief Inspector General Tommy Jacobus
as saying that
while police will be given the main responsibility for security at the
gold and copper mine
in Timika, the Indonesian Military would maintain a presence in the area.
General Jacobus says some 600 elite Mobile Brigade personnel are receiving
"cultural
sensitivity" training before deployment to help prevent potential clashes
with Papuans as a
result of cultural misunderstandings.
He says, for instance, sometimes Papuans stare like they are angry, but
that is just their
style.
General Jacobus says the police will be deployed on a six-month basis at
the mine, with the
possibility of their operation being extended if necessary.
He says around 350 military personnel would remain in the area under the
police’s authority,
because security remains at risk of disturbances by separatist groups.
---
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-06-26-voa17.cfm
Australian, Indonesia Resolve Dispute Over Papua Province
By Chad Bouchard
Jakarta
26 June 2006
The Australian prime minister has told the Indonesian president his
country does not support
the Papuan separatist movement. The two leaders were meeting for the first
time since
relations became strained over Canberra's decision to grant visas to
asylum seekers from the
troubled Indonesian province.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard, meeting President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono on
Indonesia's Batam Island, said his country had no interest in supporting
separatist
movements, including that in Papua Province.
Forty two Papuan asylum seekers who landed in Australia in March were granted
temporary-protection visas, enraging Inodonesia, which recalled its
ambassador to Canberra.
The Papuans, some of them members of the provincial independence movement,
claimed
Indonesian security forces were guilty of widespread human-rights
violations in the
province, charges Jakarta denies.
Indonesia also expressed concern that Australia's actions did not match
its official policy
of rejecting Papuan independence.
Indonesian presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal says Mr. Howard
clarified Australia's
position, saying he did not want the country to become a staging post for
separatist
movements.
"That was significant because ... that was new language," said Djalal.
"But secondly they
also reaffirmed that they did not want development assistance by Australia
to be used or
misused to fund political activities in Papua or to fund separatist
movements in Papua."
Following the visa decision in March, Mr. Howard proposed changes to the
Australian
immigration rules to make it more difficult for asylum seekers to gain
protection.
But last week, Australian legislators forced a postponement of the
changes, which the prime
minister had hoped to pass before his talks with Mr. Yudhoyono.
Spokesman Djalal says the Indonesian government appreciates that efforts
to address
immigration policy in Australia will take time.
"We understand that domestically this requires some effort to legislate,
and we also
understand this is an internal matter for the Australian government and
what the president
said is that he hopes there will be an outcome that would be good for the
relationship
between Indonesia and Australia," he said.
Mr. Howard also raised Australian concerns over Indonesia's recent release
of Abu Bakar
Bashir. The militant cleric served 26 months for his part in the 2002 Bali
nightclub
bombings, which killed 202 people, 88 of them Australians.
While never convicted specifically, Bashir is suspected of being the
spiritual leader Jemaah
Islamiyah, which was responsible for the bombings.
Mr. Yudhoyono has responded by saying the case against Bashir is closed
and his country has
exhausted all legal means to deal with the radical Muslim cleric.
---
West Papuan asylum seekers regret coming to
Australia: Hikam (via indoleft newservices)
Detik.com - June 20, 2006
Nurfajri Budi Nugroho, Jakarta -- The 42 Papuan
asylum seekers who obtained temporary visas in
Australia are now biting their finger nails. Their
dream of finding work in the Nation of the Kangaroo
has run aground (sic).
"The 42 Papuans appear not to want the same thing.
Only one or two are 'true believers' and in fact
they are now regretting [coming to Australia]", said
House of Representative (DPR) Commission I member AS
Hikam in Jakarta on Tuesday June 20. "They were
tricked as if after their arrival in Australia they
would be given jobs", added Hikam.
Nevertheless, Hikam who is also the head of the
Commission I Delegation Team to Australia declined
to elaborate on the source of the report he
received. "There is a report that mentions it", he
exclaimed emotionally.
Hikam conceded that his delegation did not meet
directly with the 42 Papuans. "The lawyer of the 42
Papuans appears to be afraid that the DPR's
Commission I would intimidate them and so objected
to us meeting with them", explained the National
Awakening Party politician.
Hikam has asked the Indonesian Consulate General in
Australia to provide humanitarian assistance to the
42 Papuans because their situation is of concern and
not as they had hoped for.
Howard
Hikam also took the opportunity to express his hope
that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and
Australian Prime Minister John Howard would hold
comprehensive discussions on the relationship
between the two countries.
"Don't just pick up on certain issues. Don't just
take one dimension for discussion such as the
question of [Abu Bakar] Bashir", said Hikam. (aan)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillgen.asp?fileid=20060627101926&irec=3
Two U.S. citizens questioned over visa violations in Papua
JAKARTA (AP): Indonesian immigration officials questioned two U.S.
citizens on Tuesday for
allegedly violating their visas by attending a meeting of separatist
sympathizers in Papua
province, authorities said.
The two were traveling on tourist visas, but were being questioned because
they attended a
meeting of the Papuan Tribal Council, said Giri Haryanto, chief of Papua's
immigration
office.
The tribal council peacefully campaigns for Indonesia's easternmost
province to become an
independent country.
Haryanto said the two men, whom he did not identify, would be flown to
Jakarta later
Tuesday, if a flight was available, for further questioning by national
immigration
officials.
Independence activists and a small band of poorly armed rebels have waged
a more than
30-year campaign for a separate state of Papua, which is one of
Indonesia's poorest regions
despite abundant supplies of gas, timber, gold and copper.
International human rights groups claim at least 100,000 Papuans have died
as a result of
military action by Indonesian forces dealing with the insurgency, though
clashes and
killings in the province have dropped in recent years.
Indonesia has barred foreigners and reporters from visiting the region for
much of the last
four years, though restrictions have been relaxed recently.
Jakarta is very sensitive about foreign support for Papuan separatists
especially after East
Timor broke away in 1999 following a determined campaign by exiles and
international
activists. (***)
(Admin note: A kompas article (heavily abbreviated here) provides more
details:
The names are Brian Keane and Casey Box. They were attending Dewan Adat
Papua meeings using
tourist visas. They are memebrs of an organization called Land is Life and
are advocates for
indigenous peoples. Keane is the executive director. )
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20060626.A01
Police to take control of security at Freeport
National News - June 26, 2006
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura
The National Police will take over security at U.S.-owned mining company
PT Freeport
Indonesia from the military beginning in July, an officer says.
Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Tommy Jacobus said Saturday that while the
police would be
given the main responsibility for security at the gold and copper mine in
Timika, Papua, the
Indonesian Military would maintain a presence in the area.
Tommy told The Jakarta Post the shift was based on a 2004 presidential
decree on vital sites
in the country. Freeport was listed as one of 270 vital sites by the
Energy and Mineral
Resources Ministry, but is the only one that is not yet handling its
internal security
independently.
He said some 600 elite Mobile Brigade personnel were receiving "cultural
sensitivity"
training in Jakarta to help prevent potential clashes with Papuans as a
result of cultural
misunderstandings.
"For instance, sometimes Papuans stare like they are angry, but that is
just their style. So
the personnel are being given some cultural understanding of the Papuans
before being
deployed to Timika," he said.
Tommy said that based on the presidential decree, the police would be
deployed on a
six-month basis at the mine, with the possibility of their operation being
extended if
necessary.
The security operation of the military, code-named Copper, ends in July,
at which time the
police will take over. The police operation will be called Amole, a word
from the Amungme
tribe meaning "welcome". The six-month operation will be led by Sr. Comr.
Robby Kaligis.
Tommy said around 350 military personnel would remain in the area under
the police's
authority. "Security remains at risk of disturbances by separatist groups,
which is why the
military personnel are still needed," he said.
Under the new operation, military soldiers will be deployed in areas seen
at risk of
conflict, while police officers will be assigned to guard the mine itself.
However, this announcement comes a week after the military said it would
continue to protect
the mine despite allegations of rights abuses against locals.
"We have to protect this site because it is not only a state asset but
also involves foreign
interests," Lt. Col. Siburian, the deputy intelligence director at the
Trikora Military
Command, which oversees Papua, said during a recent discussion.
He said some 700 military soldiers were guarding Freeport and an
additional 350 troops would
be deployed to back up the Amole operation, which will involve a total of
1,098 security
personnel, including 630 officers from the National Police and 118 from
the Papua Police.
Freeport recently came under strong criticism after The New York Times ran
a story saying
that from 1998 to 2004 the company paid the military and police nearly
US$20 million for
"security services".
Critics say Freeport needs the police and military to prevent attacks by
Papuans opposed to
its operations, while the police and military need the company to provide
extra income both
for their cash-strapped organizations and for individual officers.
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20060626.I01
Indonesian squad in Cambodia for rugby tourney
Sports News - June 26, 2006
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A 32-strong Indonesian rugby squad flew to Cambodia on Sunday to compete
in the 6th division
of the Asian Rugby Championships.
Team spokesman Geoffrey Atkinson said the team, which is made up of
Indonesians and
expatriates, would face Cambodia, Laos and Brunei Darussalam during the
weeklong
championships starting Sunday.
Atkinson said they had little knowledge of their opponents. "We have never
met them before.
We don't know which teams will be the strongest contenders," Atkinson said.
Winger Fikri Muhammad Al-Azhar said he was looking forward to the challenge.
"All the team members are in good shape and we have enjoyed good
training," Fikri told The
Jakarta Post before the departure.
The squad, under the coaching of Frenchman Nico E. De Ribas, underwent a
three-day intensive
training.
Fikri was hopeful that his team could sweep its matches. "We are a solid
team." he said.
Indonesia is a newcomer to the Asian Rugby Football Unions (ARFU)
organization. It joined
late last year along with Iran, Laos, Brunei, Macau and Cambodia.
This will be the second international outing for the Indonesian team,
nicknamed the White
Rhinos, following an exhibition competition during the Southeast Asian
(SEA) Games in the
Philippines last December.
Eight of the team members are expatriates who are eligible to play for
their adopted country
since they have been living here for at least three years, as required by
the rules.
The expatriates include three Englishmen, three Australians, one South
African and one Papua
New Guinean. English prop and hooker Dave Keefe, 50, and Australian
tighthead prop Rod
Bridges, 49, are the oldest players on the national team.
Two overseas-based young Indonesian players, prop Dwikie Pinotoan, 17, and
flanker Kurt
Arundale, 19, have been called home to shore up the team.
Dwikie, who is the youngest on the team along with flanker Daniel Rahadian
Nugroho,
currently studies at a university in Dubai and plays for the Dubai Exiles
club. Kurt plays
for MMU Cheshire club in England where he is studying.
The team had a discouraging warm-up last week. It was beaten 17-10 by a
visiting team from
Macau in a friendly game at the ISCI club rugby field in Ciputat, South
Jakarta.
(admin note: This article regretfully leaves out the fact that a team was
sent from Papua
and is 100% Papuan. They met yesterday (26th) with the local Indonesian
Ambassador to
Cambodia)
---
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/keep-domestic-politics-out-of-papua/2006/06/26/1151174129
424.html
Keep domestic politics out of Papua
June 27, 2006
Page 1 of 2 | Single page
The two major parties acknowledge the importance of our ties with
Indonesia, writes Gerard
Henderson.
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JOHN Howard has acknowledged on several occasions recently that the
relationship between
Australia and Indonesia is very difficult. Sure is. That's why it is
important to keep the
association out of domestic Australian politics, insofar as this is
possible. In opposition
before March 1996, the Coalition used Indonesia as a tactic to discredit
the Keating Labor
government. Since then, Labor has attempted to use much the same stratagem
against the
Howard Government.
Obviously, there are longstanding cultural differences. Yet Indonesia is
Australia's most
important neighbour. It is also the most populous Muslim nation in the
world and has
recently become a fledgling democracy. The importance of the
Australian-Indonesian
relationship is acknowledged by both sides of mainstream Australian
politics, even if the
principle is more likely to be embraced in office than in opposition.
Whichever party was in government would have faced problems following the
arrival of the
boat carrying 43 Papuan asylum seekers in January. Officers in the
Department of Immigration
and Multicultural Affairs, acting independently of the political process,
decided that 42 of
the asylum seekers should be granted temporary protection visas. Each
decision was made on
an individual basis and it would have been for the best if the various
individual decisions
had been accepted as such.
Unfortunately, this did not come to pass. Instead, the Greens senator Bob
Brown used the
occasion to proclaim that Australia "should support a legal act of
self-determination in
West Papua". He then moved into hyperbole mode by declaring: "There's a
sense of racism in
the way in which the Australian Government and Opposition treat the West
Papuans." According
to Brown, then, it is racist to oppose the break-up of the Indonesian state.
Soon after, several non-government organisations, church representatives
and academics
sought to use the department's decisions in relation to the 42 individual
Papuan asylum
seekers as a means to advance the cause of Papuan independence. This
tactic achieved
international attention when the Papuans who had been granted temporary
visas were filmed
and photographed arriving in Melbourne (from detention on Christmas
Island) waving the
Morning Star flag - the symbol of the independence cause.
Since then Papuan visa holders have engaged in public debate. Some have
addressed university
campuses while others have taken part in demonstrations opposed to
policies of the
governments in Jakarta and Canberra. This may make the opponents of
Indonesia in Australia -
who come from the left and the right - feel warm and noble. However, as a
political tactic,
such actions are invariably counterproductive. The fact is that neither
the Coalition nor
Labor supports Papuan independence. To imply that this policy will change,
irrespective of
which party is in office, is misleading and sends the wrong message to
Papuans.
The extent to which there are human rights abuses in Papua is a matter of
contention. The
International Crisis Group's Sidney Jones said on ABC television's
Lateline program in April
that there was no contemporary evidence the Indonesian special forces or
intelligence are
systematically going after Papuan independence activists for
assassination. Her opinion
deserves serious consideration.
The Papuan episode has halted, perhaps momentarily, the reform of the
asylum-seeker
procedures which followed concessions made by the Prime Minister to
Liberal Party
backbenchers a year ago. It is not clear how the present disagreement
among the Liberals,
which followed a change in policy by the Government as a consequence of
the arrival of the
Papuan asylum seekers, can be resolved. Much will depend on the political
climate within the
Coalition when Parliament resumes after the mid-term break.
In the meantime, the Howard Government could demonstrate its goodwill in
this area by
addressing the problems experienced by some asylum seekers who have been
granted a Bridging
Visa E. The visas cover people who are allowed to live in Australia
outside a detention
facility but who may have a further visa application under consideration
or who may be
seeking a ministerial intervention after a decision to refuse a visa.
The immigration department estimates there are about 7000 people on such
bridging visas but
says some 4300 of these were granted on the grounds that the holder was
making arrangements
to depart Australia. Even on the department's figures, this leaves 2700
visa holders allowed
to live in Australia - for the moment at least. The problem turns on the
fact that about 90
per cent of these visa holders are not allowed to work - even in a
voluntary capacity. They
are also denied Medicare benefits.
The existence of the visa effectively creates a group of beggars dependent
on the charity of
individuals and charitable organisations for such basics as food, shelter
and health care.
This is despite most, if not all, of these visa holders wanting to work
and being capable of
gaining employment - especially at a time of labour shortages in many
parts of Australia.
This issue could readily be resolved. The principle should be that
individuals who are
allowed to live in Australia (for whatever period) should be allowed to
work and have access
to basic health services. The Papuan issue is difficult. Yet the bridging
visa anomaly could
be resolved tomorrow.
To do so would correct an injustice, while showing that the Howard
Government is continuing
to moderate its hard line on the administration of border protection.
Gerard Henderson is executive director of the Sydney Institute.
---
RI boys team up for rugby tour
Sports News - June 24, 2006
Geoff Atkinson, Contributor, Jakarta
They may live on opposite sides of the world -- but Kirk Arundale from
London and Dwikie
Pinontoan of Dubai become brothers-in-arms as the Indonesian "Rhinos"
embark on a tour of
Cambodia.
Both with Indonesian parents, Kirk and Dwikie flew into Jakarta to join
the 28-man
Indonesian squad to meet Brunei, Cambodia and Laos next week.
This is the first time Indonesia has played at an International Rugby
Board (IRB) sanctioned
tournament and organizers say it is international recognition of the big
steps Indonesia
rugby has taken on and off the field in the past two years.
The squad will leave for Cambodia on Sunday.
"I can't begin to tell you what this means in terms of pride for me and my
family," said
17-year-old Dwikie, whose father works as an oil company executive in
Dubai. "My dad
represented Indonesian in judo -- and for me to be able to play for my
country in the sport
I love is beyond my wildest dreams."
Next week's tour follows a tough international against Macau last Friday
night under the
lights at Jakarta's ISCI sports ground. The match was narrowly won by
Macau which was full
of praise for the young Indonesian team.
The Indonesian Rugby Football Union (IRFU) said the response to rugby in
the past 12 months
has been fabulous.
"We've been trying to spread the game through as many provinces as
possible -- we now have
players from Kalimantan, Bali, Maluku, Java, Sumatra and West Papua on the
tour to Cambodia
-- and the popularity of rugby is increasing every month."
The inclusion of Dwikie and Kirk into the squad would add balance and
experience and inspire
many of the young Indonesian players about them. "Both these boys play the
game at a high
junior level -- and while they're stepping up into open-age competition --
they will be a
steadying force for the inexperienced players around them," the IRFU said.
The squad is made up of 20 Indonesians, eight expatriates and is coached
by Nico de Rebas, a
French national living in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. They have been
training as a unit in
Jakarta for the past few days -- but will come up against tough
competition on the Cambodian
tour.
"Our players come from all over the country and they don't get the chance
to train together
until a few days before the tournament," de Rebas said. "It makes it hard
to work on the
finer points of team work and set moves -- but what these guys lack in
time together they
make with big hearts and their passion for the game."
Kirk, 19, will return to London for university studies immediately after
the Cambodian
tournament but says he will return to Indonesia as soon as possible.
"I want to put something back into the game in this country," he said. "If
I can do that by
coming out here (Indonesia) coaching and helping youngsters in my
university holidays --
that's what I want to do. If you'd have asked me a couple months back If I
would be
representing my country in rugby -- I would have said you were out of your
mind. What
Indonesian rugby has done for me is just unbelievable."
Geoff Atkinson is the spokesman for the IRFU.
---
http://www.crikey.com.au/articles/2006/06/27-1459-6828.html
Politics
Australia's selective ethics on Timor
Adam Hughes Henry, an ACT historian currently completing a thesis on
Australian foreign
policy and Australia's early Relations with Indonesia, writes:
Date: 27 June 2006
Prime Minister John Howard has blamed the unrest in East Timor on bad
governance and
corruption. The ethical condemnation of Timor Liste, one of the poorest
nations on earth, by
Howard and Downer should be cause for reflection. The Howard government
refused to accept
the US assessments that peacekeepers would be required to protect the 1999
UN independence
ballot, absurdly arguing that the Indonesian military could handle
security. Howard and
Downer then watched the post-referendum rampage by TNI militias, when tens
of thousands of
Timorese were forced at gunpoint to West Timor. Neither Howard nor Downer
ever supported
East Timorese independence, preferring Jakarta's special autonomy package.
Advertisement
The current situation in Timor Liste, despite Alkatiri's resignation,
cannot erase the
facts. After sacking disgruntled members of the army, who claim to be
victims of regional
discrimination, Alkatiri received overwhelming support from the Fretilin
Party. The sacked
soldiers turned rogue and used their stolen heavy weapons and ADF training
to intimidate the
elected government. This lawlessness spread violence and factional
tensions across Dili. The
leader of this group even looked forward to sharing a VB with the ADF.
Alkatiri's
resignation was forced not by his party, who for a second time endorsed
him, but by civil
unrest and the political manoeuvrers of political rivals.
Canberra has bravely labelled PNG, the Solomon Islands and now Timor Liste
as corrupt. But
there is one nation-state rated as worse by international watchdogs where
Australian comment
is absent. One need not support the cause of West Papuan separatism to ask
simple questions
about basic ethics and human rights.
Does a well-governed nation allow its military to so consistently
undermine its own rules of
law? If all is well in West Papua why does Jakarta continue to block
international media and
medical access, and require the presence of an estimated 40,000 TNI troops?
Over the last decade there has been a flurry of Australian comment over
the bad governance
of the Pacific. In contrast, our major parties maintain a stoic silence
over the
governmental situation in Indonesia. Instead of a similarly strong
Australian call for
reform of the TNI and for Jakarta to fix its dubious financial ethics, it
seeks closer
military co-operation and a possible 2006 bi-lateral security treaty.
The UN enquiry into Indonesian rule (1975-99) of East Timor estimated that
183,000 Timorese
died as a direct or indirect result of Indonesian/TNI actions. At least a
comparable figure
is estimated for West Papua.
Our leaders seem only most willing to highlight the corruption of smaller
regional nations.
In turn, ordinary Australians are expected to overlook that our leaders
refuse to apply
these very same universal ethical standards to the substantially more
corrupt administration
of Jakarta.
Any security treaty between the two nations that is secured by selective
Australian silence
is doomed to failure. History demonstrates that Jakarta's ongoing
involvement in any such
arrangement will rest on the continuation of this sensitive Australian
approach.Any
perceived Australian breech of this unwritten quid pro quo diplomatic
contract will quickly
void any treaty arrangement and plunge relations into turmoil. A clear
case in point has
been the Indonesian reaction to the 42 temporary protection visas
Australia granted to West
Papuan refugees three months ago.
The lessons of 1999 underline the dangers of this style of Australian
diplomacy to our
regional security. Given the many valid questions over Indonesian
administration and the
large presence of an unreformed and unrepentant TNI in West Papua, these
lessons should be
urgently re-examined.
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20060623.H03
Govt 'undermining' community land rights for own gains
National News - June 23, 2006
Tb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post, Ubud, Bali
Sidelining customary laws and undermining tribal wisdom in managing
Indonesia's rich natural
resources is certainly not what the 1945 Constitution espouses, therefore
reinterpretation
of the supreme law is badly needed to promote prosperity among
Indonesians, environmental
law and management experts say.
An expert from the Center for International Environmental Law, Owen Lynch,
says the content
of the 1945 Constitution has been consistently misinterpreted by various
governments that
administered Indonesia to state their claims to exploit the country's
natural resources on
behalf of national interests.
To make matters worse, he says, the present government has not been able
to execute Article
18 of the Constitution that acknowledges traditional rights and opens the
door for
indigenous people to participate in the management of natural wealth.
"The recognition of traditional rights to natural resources should be
initiated by scraping
regulations that contradict the Constitution," he said in a statement
released by the
organizer of the 11th Biennial Conference of the International Association
for the Study of
Common Property in Ubud, Bali, on Wednesday.
The five-day conference was attended by over 500 scientists, NGO activists
and
policy-makers, who discussed the issue of devolution of natural resources.
Owen said the government could demonstrate its willingness to recognize
traditional rights
by revoking a 2005 presidential decree, which regulates that the state has
the right to take
over private property for the sake of public interests.
Indonesia has the richest natural resources in Southeast Asia, but is
falling behind
Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in terms of prosperity and human
development.
Critics say the country, which has Asia's largest forests area and is rich
in mineral, oil
and gas reserves, has failed to manage its wealth for the prosperity of
its people.
Experts also fear that the government will privatize the management its
rich natural
resources by issuing controversial laws, such as the 2004 Water Resource
Law, the 1999
Forestry Law, the 2001 Oil and Gas Law as well as the bill on energy and
mineral resources,
all of which were passed for the sake of luring foreign investors.
Director of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture's Center for Regional
Systems Analysis
Planning and Development, Ernan Rustiadi, said the government's monopoly
over the right to
manage common property, a property collectively managed by traditional
groups, such as land,
contradicted the 1960 Agrarian Law that recognized land ownership based on
customary law.
"The government seems to think that everything that is not privately owned
belongs to the
state. On the contrary, much of the land is owned by traditional groups,"
Ernan, said the
chair of the conference.
"Unfortunately, the government feels they're referring to Article 33 of
the Constitution
that stipulates that `Land, water and natural wealth contained in them is
controlled by the
state'", he continued, adding that the government had failed to use its
authority to help
its citizens prosper.
"That contradicts the article's last sentence, which enjoins the
government to exploit
natural resources for the well-being of its citizens," he said.
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20060627.H01&irec=0
State secrecy bill may target foreigners
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government wants the new state secrets bill to restrict foreigners
access to information that could threaten national security, the
information minister said Monday.
Sofyan Djalil unveiled the proposal at a hearing with the House of
Representatives' Commission I on foreign affairs, defense and information.
The minister declined to elaborate on the contents of the bill, saying to
do so could jeopardize national security.
He said other democratic countries, including the United States, had
passed similar legislation. Sofyan noted the U.S. government was still
refusing to release documents relating to its alleged role in Indonesia's
clampdown on communists in the mid-1960s.
"These documents that have been kept from the public for 30 years should
be opened. But the U.S. has repressed them permanently to ensure good
relations with Indonesia," Sofyan said.
He said the state secrets bill would make it legal for government
officials to restrict foreigners from accessing certain public information
in Indonesia.
Foreign individuals and organizations could get information on customs
procedures or taxes but would not be given access to sensitive
information, like that on intelligence operations here, Sofyan said.
"Foreigners have the right to get information about things like
immigration laws and taxes. But there is certain specific information that
they will be forbidden from accessing," he said without elaborating.
However, the minister said the government would make it easier for
Indonesian citizens and foreigners with permanent residence to access such
information.
He did not explain how the government would stop Indonesian citizens and
residents from passing on this information to foreigners.
Sofyan said if the government did not create legislation protecting state
secrets, the country's security would be in danger.
He gave an example of "a person in South Africa" sending an email to on
Indonesian public official to ask for "specific information".
"If the official refuses to answer the message, then he (in certain cases)
could be sent to jail for breaking the law. But if the law regulates this
kind of situation, then the public official has the right to refuse to
answer."
Speaking on the bill, lawmaker Muhammad A.S. Hikam from the National
Awakening Party urged the government to clearly specify what kind of
information was being protected.
"Otherwise, this regulation could be very dangerous because it could be
used to restrict public access to all information," he said.
Deddy Djamaluddin, a lawmaker from the National Mandate Party, warned that
restricting foreigners from accessing certain public information could end
up making the government look guilty when it was not.
"For example, a foreigner wanting to do a research in Papua province would
find it difficult to get any information. He or she could conclude that
what has happened there is genocide. It's dangerous," he said.
All foreign journalists are currently barred from entering Papua.
Local and international human rights groups have frequently accused the
police and military of committing human rights violations in the province.
(05)
---
http://abcasiapacific.com/news/stories/asiapacific_stories_1673004.htm
Australian PM calls for Indonesian action on Papua
The Australian prime minister, John Howard, is calling on Indonesia to
implement its special autonomy package for its troubled province of Papua.
At the same time, he has written to the Indonesian president, Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono, stressing Australia's respect for Indonesian
sovereignty.
The issue of Papua has been a point of contention between the two
counties, since Australia granted temporary protection visas to 42 asylum
seekers from Papua province earlier this year.
Our correspondent in Indonesia, Geoff Thompson, says the hard work was
already done before the two leaders even met on the island of Batam, with
three letters in 10 days exchanged between Mr Howard and President
Yudhoyono.
He says the last letter from Mr Howard, which arrived on Saturday, says
Papua would best be served by its economic, social and political
development as part of the Republic of Indonesia.
In the letter, Mr Howard has also welcomed Indonesia's commitment to
implement all international obligations and conventions to eradicate
terrorism.
---
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=47363
NEWSLINE
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Indonesia, Australia make up after Papua asylum row
BATAM - Reuters
Australia assured Indonesia on Monday it had no wish to be a staging
point for separatists from Papua province, the leaders of both
countries said after a meeting to mend strained ties. Bilateral
relations soured after Canberra granted temporary visas three months
ago to 42 asylum seekers from Papua who sailed to Australia and accused
Indonesia of conducting genocide in their homeland, a claim Jakarta
denies. Indonesian officials said Australia's decision to grant asylum
undermined Jakarta's sovereignty over Papua and gave credence to the
separatist movement in that jungle-clad area. "We do not wish to see
separatist movements arise in any part of Indonesia. We believe Papua's
future lies as part of the Indonesian republic," Australian Prime
Minister John Howard said after talks with President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono. "My government does not wish to see Australia used as a
staging post to support or encourage separatist movements," he told a
news conference after the summit on Indonesia's Batam Island near
Singapore.
KABAR IRIAN ("Irian News") www.kabar-irian.com
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