[Kabar-Irian] News: Sept 18-26 2007
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KABAR IRIAN NEWS
Sep 18-26
TOPICS
* NCD governor seeks to stop PNG eviction of Papuan squatters
* Raja Ampat Reloaded: Part 1
* Raja Ampat Reloaded – Part 2
* Raja Ampat Reloaded – Part 3
* Enabling the Indonesian Military
* PNG's Eight Mile settlers fight eviction
* Papua settlers face eviction from PNG homes
* Indonesia : Papuan Genocide - terror targets Church.
* Stable and peaceful, if improvements occur
* Australia remains to recognize Papua as part of Indonesia
* Papuan refugees want to be deported from PNG
* Evicted Papuans camp out near UN refugee office
* Drug use fueling HIV in S. Sulawesi
* Papuan refugees demand new home
* Parish priest claims elite army commandos stalking him
* International co-operation needed to save Papuan rainforests,
says Indonesia
* Freeport mine owners asked to set up smelting project in Timika
* PT Freeport asked to set up smelting, refining venture in Papua
* Papuan fishermen rescued after 20 days at sea
* Hundreds demonstrate at the Bupati's office, worried about
poisoned food
* Messet is only a sympathiser, says Thaha Al Hamid of the PDP
* HRD Pastor threatened with death by Army
* Papua Komnas HAM chair terrorised
- ---
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=35219
Radio New Zealand International
The Voice of New Zealand, Broadcasting to the Pacific
Te Reo Irirangi O Aotearoa, O Te Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa
NCD governor seeks to stop PNG eviction of Papuan squatters
Posted at 05:22 on 19 September, 2007 UTC
The governor of the National Capital District in Papua New Guinea,
Powes Parkop, is calling on the government to step in to stop the
eviction of about 500 Papuans who
have been squatting on land outside of Port Moresby.
The landowner, former MP Sir Pita Lus, has indicated the Papuans
will be evicted today.
Mr Parkop, who was a human rights lawyer before entering Parliament
in the last election and who has previously represented the
Papuans, says they have nowhere else
to go.
He says he will talk with the Lands Minister, Puka Temu, today.
“To see if he can intervene. He can intervene now to stop the
eviction because all the land in the city that has been granted to
different people is under lease to the State.
So the State is the ultimate owner and they can stop the eviction
if they want. So I am seeing the Lands Minister today to see if he
can intervene to stop it.”
Powes Parkop
- ---
http://www.finsonline.com/blog/fins/20070915/raja-ampat-reloaded-
part-1.html
Raja Ampat Reloaded: Part 1
Andrea and Antonella Ferrari recently returned from a trip to Raja
Ampat. Read their heartfelt account of their journey to this
amazing destination.
Lying on my back, floating on the surface in a lazy current, I feel
the warmth of the tropical sun on my face, bright sunlight creating
an orange glow through my closed
eyelids. I open them at the loud cackle of a passing Eclectus
parrot, just in time to glimpse a flash of red and blue fly
overhead, a splash of colour against the deep blue sky
and towering, silent clouds.
The water is warm and jade green, a few floating dead leaves
tickling my feet here and there, the glint of reef fish below me. I
slowly propel myself toward the middle of the
lagoon, still lying on my back. The only audible sounds are the
buzz of an occasional mosquito and the faint splash made by an
archerfish squirting a jet of water toward a
small bug on a branch.
Around and above me, I can see limestone cliffs rising toward the
sky, eroded into abstract shapes by thousands of years of tropical
rainfall, draped in white roots, twisted
vines and precariously balanced forest trees. Huge ferns and clumps
of orchids hang everywhere, with a big swallowtail butterfly slowly
flapping in the warm humid air.
Sitting under the canvas roof in the boat, a few metres away,
Antonella smiles dreamily, points her camera at me and clicks away.
I close my eyes again, absorbing the
sun’s warmth, submerging my ears just enough to listen to the
distant clicks and snaps of the coral reef extending a few feet
below me. Yes, this is heaven for me.
Welcome to the Passage. Welcome to Raja Ampat.
The Passage — a five-meter deep, river-like sea fjord, snaking
inside the forest, the tree canopies often closing above it,
strange purple sponges and gigantic orange
seafans almost reaching the surface, the sea and the sky above
mirroring each other, mixing, inextricably blending into each
other. A mystical place, rich in silent grottoes,
underwater passages, submerged tunnels leading to still seawater
pools hidden inside the forest, sun rays slanting down into the
green darkness like light shining through
multicoloured cathedral windows. The Passage is unique, and yet
only one of many wonderful dive sites found in Raja Ampat. Many,
many others dot the area, close and
not so close to peaceful Kri Island.
Mike’s Point, the most beautiful of them all and one of the most
scenic dive spots on Earth, a living multi-layered tapestry of pink
and orange gorgonians.
Sardines, an underwater promontory jutting out into the open sea
where all the action is — raging currents, gigantic schools of
fish, lurking wobbegongs waiting among the
corals.
Cape Kri, a dive site with an incredibly diverse collection of fish
species, rivalling in technicoloured spectacle Sipadan’s dropoff
and Palau’s Blue Corner.
Myos Kon, an underwater wonderland of lurking carpet sharks, pygmy
seahorses and schooling yellow-lined snappers.
Chicken Reef, a coral slope of a thousand untouched shapes and
sizes, crowded with enormous schools of fish.
Manta Point, a cleaning station where one can dive with up to
twenty gigantic mantas, each approaching three meters in wingspan.
Melissa’s Garden, by the island of Fam, a submerged psychedelic
panorama of mushroom-shaped limestone islets draped in red
gorgonians and bright purple soft corals.
There are fish — small fish, large fish — everywhere. Schools of
fish, fish in the hundreds, by the thousands — jacks, surgeonfish,
batfish, snappers, basslets,
barracudas, emperors, giant bumphead parrotfish, spanish mackerels,
rainbow runners — they’re all here. Even sharks, despite the
widespread local fishing pressure, put
in an appearance — large, camouflaged wobbegong carpet sharks are
everywhere, and so are the “walking” Hemiscyllium coral catsharks,
and swiftly swimming blacktips,
and even the grey reefs, which had been absent two years ago, now
make their presence felt, often buzzing divers on the reef top.
In a world where shark sightings are going down in many locations,
it’s incredibly rewarding being able to report that here, shark
sightings are actually increasing. Might
this mean that actual numbers of these beautiful, endangered
predators are rising in Raja Ampat? True, shark fishing takes place
in the general area, but it is a fact that, at
least in the proximity of Kri, blacktip and grey reef sharks seem
to have found a sanctuary.
The coral landscape does not show signs of diver damage yet, and
coral bleaching is almost unheard of in these waters. Indeed, on
this, our second visit to these distant
shores (see www.reefwonders.net for a trip report on the previous
one), the spectacular diving and marine life of Raja Ampat seem to
us even more extraordinary than in
the past. Oh, and of course, we have to add that most everything
can be found at shallow depth, with most diving taking place in the
five- to twenty-metre range, and with the
majority of dive sites less than 10 minutes away from Sorido’s or
Kri’s wooden piers.
…to be continued
- ---
http://www.finsonline.com/blog/fins/20070919/raja-ampat-reloaded-
%E2%80%93-part-2.html
Raja Ampat Reloaded – Part 2
Raja AmpatThis is part two of a report from the Ferraris on their
recent trip to Raja Ampat. See part one here.
It’s obvious that the presence of Max Ammer’s tourist operations
(traditional, long-standing Kri Eco Resort and the more luxurious
and recently completed Sorido Bay
Resort) is actually making a difference regarding conservation.
Local fishing communities seem to be accepting Max’s strict views
on conservation, and the income his business is providing to many
Papuans is clearly convincing them
that protecting nature is a good investment. In fact, the whole of
Raja Ampat is being taken very seriously by conservationists
worldwide and by the Indonesian government.
Max recently wrote us announcing that:
Raja Ampat“The Raja Ampat Regency Government in West Papua,
Indonesia has announced the launch of an annual tag system for
visitors to their newly declared network
of 7 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The annual plastic tag,
modified from the successful Bunaken Marine Park tag, will be valid
for 13 months from the 1st of each
calendar year and will cost Rp500,000 (US$55) for international
visitors and Rp250,000 (US$22) for Indonesian citizens. 70% of the
funds will be managed by a multi-
stakeholder team for conservation and community development
programs. 30% of the fund will go to the Tourism Department for
tourism development. The local government
engaged the assistance of three major International NGOs -
Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy and WWF - to
help define the most valuable areas of Raja
Ampat for protection. Currently they are helping to develop
management plans with the local communities and enforcement
agencies appropriate for each area. The Coral
Reef Alliance assisted with the development and socialization of
the tag system with the diving community. Raja Ampat has been found
to have the highest biodiversity of
fish and corals within the Coral Triangle. All visitors to Raja
Ampat will need to pay this fee. We will collect payment at our two
resorts (Sorido Bay & Kri Eco) on behalf of
Conservation International and the local government”.
Raja Ampat is in the news – it’s a hot destination, the place you
cannot miss visiting. For those who do not know yet, this is a
large area at the tip of Vogelskop (or Bird’s
Head) peninsula at the western tip of the island of Papua New
Guinea, which is itself equally split in the middle into two
separate nations: independent Papua New Guinea to
the East, and West Papua, a province of Indonesia once known as
Irian Jaya, in the West. .
Raja Ampat
Raja Ampat itself comprises about 600 limestone islands and islets,
the majority of which are unpopulated and shrouded in virgin
lowland forest, often with impenetrable,
thick, blue-water mangrove belts surrounding them.
Raja Ampat
The karst nature of the rock - covered by an incredibly thin layer
of fertile soil originating from decaying organic matter - is
responsible for the very dry nature of the place,
with abundant seasonal rainfall disappearing almost immediately
into the crevices of the rocky substrate. Fresh water is at a
premium, and at the same time its scarcity is a
blessing in disguise, as it makes development of most islands
impossible.
Max Ammer’s Kri Eco Resort and Sorido Bay Resort on Kri island
currently are the only land-based operations. A few liveaboards
also show up in the area, but by all
accounts, this is a real frontier (the last one?) where ordinary
maintenance is still challenging, costs of living are still very
high (everything has to be brought in by boat) and
where professional underwater photographers and marine life
scientists from all over the world are busy congregating.
Drop in at beautiful, well-appointed Sorido Bay Resort, and you
might bump into people like David Doubilet, Gerry Allen, Stephen
Wong & Takako Uno or any number of
other well known people from the marine community!
Raja Ampat
This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 at 11:54
pm and is filed under Destinations.
- ---
http://www.finsonline.com/blog/fins/20070925/raja-ampat-reloaded-
%E2%80%93-part-3.html
Raja Ampat Reloaded – Part 3
RajaAmpatThis is the third and final installment from the Ferraris
about their recent adventure in Raja Ampat.
Seriously, as a dive travel destination goes, Raja Ampat has few
equals in the world – spectacular marine life (all sorts of stuff
including carpet sharks, mantas, dolphins,
rare and exceptionally colourful flasher wrasses and even four
different species of pygmy seahorses – bargibanti, denise and two
undescribed ones, possibly pontohi and
colemani), incredibly scenic topside views, unique land wildlife
(sulphur-crested cockatoos, Eclectus parrots, cassowaries, cuscus –
a cuddly, small, tree-dwelling
marsupial - and two birds of paradise!), colourful, spirited and
very friendly local people, and finally, a good all-year round
tropical climate.
Occasionally, currents can be extremely strong and visibility less
than optimal, but these are (however bothersome to underwater
photographers) guarantees of a healthy,
vital environment. No wonder all who can afford it are flocking
there (well, flocking might be a big word – Raja Ampat currently
gets less than 500 visitors a year), even if it’s
a long, tortuous and occasionally unpredictable route: from Manado
onward, you are advised to expect sudden flight cancellations and
the like. But it’s all part of the game –
after all, Raja Ampat wouldn’t be the same without the unexpected,
would it?
RajaAmpat RajaAmpat
The Place and What to Expect
Raja Ampat (meaning “The Four Kings”) refers to four large jungle-
clad islands (Batanta, Waigeo, Misool and Salawati) which are part
of a 600-island-and-islet archipelago
west of the Vogelskop or Bird’s Head Peninsula in West Papua,
formerly known as Irian Jaya (this is the half of Papua New Guinea
politically belonging to Indonesia
today).
Culturally and historically rather similar to the Malukus (or
Moluccas), the islands of Raja Ampat were ruled in the 15th century
by the Sultanate of Tidore, originating from
Halmahera in the Malukus, and offer today unsurpassed topside
scenic beauty, crystal-clear water and an unbelievable richness of
marine life. The region can be easily
reached with a short turboprop or jet flight by local airlines from
Manado to Sorong, the harbour town from which transfer boats leave
to Kri Eco Resort and Sorido Bay
Resort.
RajaAmpat
English is spoken almost everywhere. All necessary documents,
flight reconfirmations and travel permits are obtained for
visiting divers by the local staff of Papua Diving in
Sorong and handed to you in Manado – remember however, flight
delays and cancellations are always possible due to a variety of
reasons, so be prepared for occasional
hassles. When in Manado, consider staying overnight at Tasik Ria.
Besides their beautiful swimming pool, they’ve now got a lovely new
spa offering free jet-lag massages!
While camera and video facilities in Kri Eco Resort are rather
basic, Sorido Bay Resort is exceptionally well-geared toward
professional photographers and videographers,
offering communal freshwater rinse tubs on the jetty, Apple
computer stations in a dedicated air-conditioned camera room by the
library and recharging power banks in
every bungalow. Bali-built fibreglass dive boats are very
comfortable, sturdy and fast, being equipped with oxygen and a very
welcome canvas roof. Nitrox is available in
both Sorido and Kri. Electricity is 220V, available 24 hours a day.
Cerebral malaria is present in the area – especially if you go for
land excursions in the forest – so always remember to obtain
recently updated, reliable medical information
and don’t underestimate the danger posed by this deadly mosquito-
borne illness. When we go there, we take our Malarone pills
regularly and never have a problem. Be
advised that given the owner’s religious beliefs – Max Ammer is a
Seventh Day Adventist – Saturdays are strictly observed holidays
with no guided diving until 7:00pm.
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane!
Raja Ampat offers exceptional opportunities for bird watching and
WWII wreck hunting, two activities which can often become as
obsessively absorbing as diving itself.
Spectacular bird species encountered in the area include the common
sulphur-crested cockatoo, the large flightless cassowary, huge sea
eagles, shockingly colourful
Eclectus parrots and naturally the incredible Wilson’s and red bird
of paradise (Paradisea rubra), endemic to Waigeo and Batanta and
reliably sighted if trekking with the
local guides to a few protected sites in the forest (but be warned
– you’ll have to wake up at 4:00am on Saturday morning!).
If wrecks are your cup of tea instead, you’ll go nuts over the
incredibly well-preserved P-47D Thunderbolt “Razorback” lying on
its back in 20 metres of water off the Wai
island reef. This US Air Force single-engine fighter-bomber was one
of seven (“Tubby Flight” of 311th Fighter Squadron) which took off
from Noemfoor Island on a
bombing and strafing mission to Ambon Harbor and subsequently
ditched in the area on 21 October 1944 after having run out of fuel.
The plane is in perfect shape with only a nicked propeller blade
and all dashboard instruments and wing armament intact – a moving
and fascinating testimony to the young
pilots, both American and Japanese, who flew, fought and died above
the sea in this area during the Second World War.
Literally hundreds of other occasionally well-preserved wrecks –
boats, tanks, airplanes - can be seen in the region, but most
require special trips: Max however is a wreck
aficionado (WWII relics were in fact the main reason he relocated
from his native Holland to Raja Ampat almost twenty years ago) and
will be happy to show you his
collection of incredible photographs and artifacts – including
rusty but still live bullets, airplane maintenance hatches, bomb-
aiming devices and even a couple of hefty
Browning machine guns!
- ---
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=44&ItemID=1381
4
Enabling the Indonesian Military
by Conn Hallinan
September 19, 2007
Foreign Policy in Focus
July 18, 2007 -- This is a tale about politics, influence, money
and murder. It began more than 40 years ago with a bloodletting so
massive that no one quite knows how
many people died. Half a million? A million? Through four decades,
the story of the relationship between the United States and the
Indonesian military has left a trail of
misery and terror. Last month it claimed four peasants, one of them
a 27-year-old mother. Unless Congress puts the brakes on the Bush
administration's plans to increase
aid and training for the Indonesian army, there will be innumerable
victims in the future as well.
Speaking alongside Indonesia's defense minister in Singapore last
month, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the White House
intends "to deepen the strategic
partnership" between the two countries.
Given what that partnership has led to over the past four decades,
it a profoundly disturbing statement.
The Back-Story
The Washington-Jakarta narrative begins in 1965 when the Tentara
Nasional Indonesia (TNI) -- the Indonesian Army -- massacred as
many as a million Indonesian leftists
in a bloodletting in which the United States was a partner.
According to the U.S. National Security Archives, the United States
not only encouraged the annihilation of
Indonesia's left, it actually fingered individuals for the military
death squads.
When Suharto, the dictator who took over after the 1965 massacres,
decided to invade the former Portuguese colony of East Timor in
1975, the Ford administration gave
him a green light. Out of a population of 600,000 to 700,000, the
invasion killed between 83,000 and 182,000, according to the
Commission of Reception, Truth, and
Reconciliation. "As a permanent member of the Security Council and
superpower," the Commission found, "the U.S. consented to the
invasion and allowed Indonesia to
use its military equipment in the knowledge that this violated U.S.
law and would be used to suppress the right of self-determination."
The United States was not alone in abetting the invasion.
Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam "encouraged" the invasion,
according to the Jakarta Post. Japan,
Indonesia's leading source of aid and trade, stayed on the
sidelines. France and Britain increased trade and aid in the
invasion's aftermath, and in an effort to protect
Indonesia's Catholics, the Vatican remained silent. Later, when the
Suharto dictatorship short-circuited a 1969 UN plebiscite on the
future of West Papua, neither the
United States nor its allies raised a protest.
A Dismal Record
Through six U.S. presidents -- Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Bush,
and Clinton -- the TNI had carte blanche to brutally suppress
autonomy movements and murder human
rights activists in Aceh, Papua, and East Timor. According to the
U.S. Department of Defense, the Justice Department, and the State
Department, the TNI also engaged in
violence and oppression against women, threats to civil liberties,
child exploitation, religious persecution, and judicial and prison
abuse.
After more than 30 years of either encouraging or turning a blind
eye to the savagery of the TNI, the Clinton administration and the
UN finally intervened to stop the
rampage unleashed on the Timorese when they had the effrontery to
vote for independence in 1999. However, before the force of mostly
Australian troops could land, TNI
- -sponsored and led militias killed some 1,500 people, destroyed 70%
of East Timor's infrastructure, and deported 250,000 Timorese to
Indonesian West Timor.
Indonesia has refused to hand over any of the TNI officers
currently charged for crimes against humanity for leading the 1999
pogrom or taking part in the brutal
suppression of East Timor from 1975 to 1999. Indeed, many have been
reassigned to places like West Papua, where Indonesia is attempting
to crush a low-level
independence insurgency. Col. Burhanuddin Siagian, indicted for
crimes against humanity for his actions in East Timor, was recently
appointed a sub-regional military
commander in Papua.
"It is shocking that a government supposedly committed to military
reform and fighting impunity would appoint an indicted officer to a
sensitive senior post in Papua," Paula
Makabory, spokesperson for the Institute for Human Rights Study &
Advocacy-West Papua told the Australian Broadcasting Company. A
coalition of human rights
organizations is demanding that Indonesian President Susilo
Yudhoyono withdraw the appointment and suspend Siagian from duty.
Friends in High Places
Starting in 2001, Indonesia began a multi-million dollar lobbying
campaign -- abetted by the White House -- to lift the ban on
military aid to Indonesia. A leading force in that
campaign is Paul Wolfowitz, disgraced former head of the World Bank
and ambassador to Indonesia from 1986 to 1989.
The lobbying worked, and sanctions were gradually relaxed. Military
aid more than doubled from 2001 to 2004. In 2005, saying that "a
reformed and effective Indonesian
military is in the interest of everyone in the region," Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice lifted the last restrictions on military
aid. Part of the "reforms" Rice referred to
require the TNI to divest itself of its vast economic network,
which accounts for 70-75% of the military's funding. The TNI runs
corporations, mining operations, and
cooperatives.
Although a 2004 law indeed requires the TNI to divest itself of its
holdings by 2009, a loophole allows the military to keep
"foundations" and "cooperatives." According to
Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono, 1494 out of the TNI's 1500
businesses are "foundations' or "cooperatives."
"The core problem with addressing impunity [of TNI commanders] is
that the civilian government has no control over the military while
they do not control their finances,"
Human Rights Watch researcher Charmain Mohamed told Radio
Australia, "and on this key issue Yudhoyono has clearly failed."
Resistance
While the military continues to resist efforts to reform, anger at
the TNI's penchant for violence is growing. In late May, Indonesian
Marines opened fire on East Java
demonstrators, killing four people and wounding several others,
including a four-year-old child whose mother was among the dead.
The protestors claimed that the TNI was
illegally seizing land.
The shootings have angered some important political figures. Djoko
Susilo, who sits on the powerful Defense Committee, accused the
military of using "weapons, bought
with money from the state budget to kill their own brothers," and
the important Islamic Crescent Star Party denounced the killings.
Abdurrahman Wahid, a former president
and the leader of the National Awakening Party, says his
organization intends to file civil suits against the Navy. The
Missing Person and Victims of Violence organization is
petitioning the government to move the case from military to
civilian courts.
The TNI's track record has also angered some in the U.S. Congress.
Representatives Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) are
currently leading a campaign to cut
the Bush administration's proposed aid package because of Jakarta's
failure to prosecute human rights violations. But the Bush
administration has been lining up allies to
contain China. And there is more than 40 years of U.S. cooperation
or acquiescence to the brutality of the Indonesian military. Such a
blood relationship is hard to sever.
- ----------
Conn Hallinan is a Foreign Policy In Focus (www.fpif.org) columnist
- ---
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2036710.htm
PNG's Eight Mile settlers fight eviction
Last Updated 18/09/2007, 15:35:07
More than 500 settlers from Indonesia 's Papua province who are
living at the Eight Mile Settlement outside the Port Moresby have
appealed to the government to prevent
their eviction.
Benny Augus, vice-chairman of the West Papua community in Port
Moresby, told The National newspaper the land owner planned to
evict them, but they had nowhere to
go.
Former Maprik MP, Sir Pita Lus, owns the land. He is alleged to
have written to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Immigration
giving a 14-day notice for the settlers to
move out of his land. The 14 days notice expires Tuesday.
Mr Augus said the settlers have pleaded unsuccessfully with Sir
Pita to reconsider his decision and not evict them.
- ---
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=35211
Radio New Zealand International
The Voice of New Zealand, Broadcasting to the Pacific
Te Reo Irirangi O Aotearoa, O Te Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa
Papua settlers face eviction from PNG homes
Posted at 22:53 on 18 September, 2007 UTC
More than 500 settlers from Indonesia’s Papua province living at
the 8-Mile Settlement outside Papua New Guinea’s capital are likely
to be evicted today by the owner of the
land.
The owner, former Maprik MP Sir Pita Lus, is believed to have
written to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Immigration giving
14-days notice for the settlers to move off
his land.
The 14 days notice expires today.
Benny Augus, vice-chairman of the West Papua community in Port
Moresby says the settlers have nowhere to go if evicted.
He says the settlers have pleaded unsuccessfully with Sir Pita to
reconsider his decision to evict them.
- ---
http://www.spcm.org/Journal/spip.php?breve1618
Indonesia : Papuan Genocide - terror targets Church.
jeudi 20 septembre 2007
Indonesia : Papuan Genocide - terror targets Church.
* pray for God to intervene on behalf of his people in Papua.
By Elizabeth Kendal
Ones Keiya (31) was found dying beside a road in Nabire, West
Papua, on the evening of 23 July 2007. He died in hospital hours
later from injuries that included deep
lacerations to his head, hands and feet as well as a smashed skull.
Keiya was a local indigenous Papuan farmer and member of the
Maranatha Kingmi Protestant Church.
On 7 August, Matius Bunai (29), a youth worker with the Kingmi
church, was also found dead with injuries the same as Keiya’s. He
had been ambushed the night before on
his way home from a church meeting. A church worker says the police
are refusing to investigate the killings which the Papuan community
is certain were committed by
Indonesian security forces.
Indonesia has closed West Papua to the outside world and murdered
its nationalist leaders. Security is controlled by known abusers of
human rights and killers such as
Colonel Burhanuddin Siagian, indicted for crimes against humanity
in East Timor. In the midst of this dangerous, volatile and
repressive environment, courageous church
leaders risk their lives and use their networks and international
connections to keep getting news of the Papuan genocide out to the
world.
Rev Sofian Socratez Yoman is President of the Fellowship of West
Papuan Baptist Churches. He is a courageous, outspoken critic of
Indonesia’s genocidal policies and
human rights abuses in the province. On Sunday evening 29 July, a
group of Indonesian police, soldiers and intelligence officers
harassed and threatened him at gunpoint
outside the Baptist Church service in Jayapura. Paula Makabory of
the Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights warns, ’My
organisation is very concerned about
Sofian Yoman’s personal safety.’ According to Yoman, Indonesian
military intelligence has infiltrated the church and is working to
subvert and divide it. West Papua News
and Information reports that on Sunday morning 2 September,
Indonesian military, police and intelligence agents distributed
leaflets throughout Jayapura picturing and
defaming Sofian Yoman and Agus Alue-Aluay, Chairman of the Papuan
People’s Council (Majelis Rakyat Papua MRP).
Since granting Special Autonomy to Papua in 2001 the Indonesian
authorities have increased their repression and terrorisation of
Papuans. The Indonesian military (TNI)
frequently provoke clashes and fake incidents which they then cite
to justify killings, massacres and ethnic cleansing. The Freeport
killings at Timika in 2002 are one such
example. Rev Ishak Onawame and two of his church workers, Esau
Onawame and Yarius Kiwak are amongst seven Papuans languishing in
Cipinang Prison, Jakarta, after
being betrayed by the FBI (USA) and framed by the Indonesian courts
to cover up TNI involvement in the killings (thus protecting
Indonesian, TNI and US interests). The
TNI has proposed that a third infantry division be sent to the
province to monitor separatists and patrol borders. Furthermore,
the Javanese Muslim immigrant population
increases by some 5000 weekly.
The Papuan genocide is essentially about greed, corruption and
exploitation of Papuan resources. However, it is also about Islamic
imperialism and Javanese Muslim
religious and racial hatred of the predominantly Christian
indigenous Papuans. Whilst the Papuan genocide is being perpetrated
by Indonesian hands, Western democratic
’Christian’ governments that promote liberty and rights are
complicit. Though they once facilitated the evangelisation of the
Papuans (one of the great mission stories of the
20th century) they are now by their silence supporting the Papuans’
annihilation, as economic and geo-strategic interests are deemed
more important than human life or
moral integrity.
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR GOD TO :
* protect and strengthen Rev Sofian Yoman, amplifying his voice
not only to the ears of the world, but to its conscience.
* provide justice for Rev Ishak Onawame, Esau Onawame and
Yarius Kiwak in Cipinang Prison, Jakarata ; may they be
strengthened spiritually and physically and be
enabled to be a blessing to others, even in the midst of trial.
* intervene for his people in West Papua, thwarting the
projected genocide so that his Church and its gospel message may
thrive and bring blessing and God be glorified
as the faithful deliverer of his people.
’The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He
saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to
intervene ; so his own arm worked
salvation for him . . . From the west, men will fear the name of
the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his
glory.’ (From Isaiah 59:15b-19 NIV)
© Assist News Service
- ---
Stable and peaceful, if improvements occur
Jusuf Wanandi
I was not a supporter of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) during the
presidential election campaign, because I thought that he would not
be
a decisive leader. However, now I have to admit, that while not a
perfect and decisive leader, he has shown more willingness to bite
the
bullet on many crucial issues, albeit after a lot of pressure,
advise
and deliberation.
Before making a prognosis for the year 2006, I first want to
evaluate
SBY's first year as President. Despite severe challenges, such as
the
tsunami, the high prices of world oil, and now the possibility of an
avian flu pandemic that could threaten his presidency, he has
achieved
some real solid achievements, mainly in the political field.
He has achieved peace for Aceh, after almost 30 years of strife and
rebellion. Despite some misgivings from some factions in the House
of
Representatives, he has persevered and peace has now been achieved
for
the most part. The tsunami has assisted him in changing public
opinion
in Aceh on the empathy from and support from other Indonesians for
the
plight of the province. He has fully supported what his vice
president, Jusuf Kalla, has initiated on Aceh.
He has also laid down the necessary prerequisites for solving the
Papua problem, by establishing the Papuan People's Council, which is
responsible on behalf of the Papuans to lay down the basic policies
in
that province. He also postponed the local elections in the
controversial West Irian Province established by President Megawati
Soekarnoputri.
Obviously, more needs to be done in Papua, especially to institute
better governance and to undertake more investment for the human
resource development of the locals in the form of education and
health. The revenues accruing to this province should be sufficient
to
do that adequately. In addition, the best among the bureaucracy
should
be sent there to work with the locals to develop the province.
Despite its explosive political sensitivity, President SBY has made
the decision to increase fuel prices by more than double, albeit a
little bit late, to reach 80 percent of the international market
prices. This was a brave act, but was necessary, since the subsidies
could amount to 40 percent of the state budget.
He also has changed the Army chief of staff and National Police
(Polri) chief without a hitch. They are willing to play a more
positive role on such political issues as Aceh and Papua. He is also
very popular among the internationally community, especially in the
West, because he can relate to them very well, and is always open to
them.
However, President SBY also has his deficiencies and lacunae.
First, is by being overly cautious.
Second, is the lack of experienced advisors that he can really
trust.
Third, is his weak "rainbow" Cabinet, because he needs the support
from other political parties. Since Kalla has taken over the
leadership of the biggest party, Golkar, such support has become
less
urgent.
His weakest point is obviously the economy, because he has not been
able to solve the problems of unemployment and underemployment,
which
are critical to his performance legitimacy, but also are a
prerequisites for Indonesia's stability and peace. About 40 million
Indonesians have remained underemployed for the last eight years and
it has stretched the patience of the people.
To overcome this, SBY has to get more foreign direct investment
(FDI),
which is not coming because of the deficiencies he has shown above,
plus the unresolved problems of corruption. The people, local
administrations and civil society groups have exposed many
corruption
cases, but many have not been handled satisfactorily for lack of
political will.
The problem of public security is a major issue because of repeated
acts of terrorism. President SBY is now willing to take some real
actions against terror, supported fully for the first time, by
mainstream Muslims, who now see the danger that Islamic teachings
can
be misused to support terrorist acts. The threat of terrorism cannot
be overcome simply by military means.
On top of these issues there is the problem of taxation, and the new
finance minister may be able to better tackle it. Labor relations
should be improved, and the costs of compensation and minimum wages
are just too high for Indonesia to be able to compete against her
neighbors such as Vietnam and India.
The prospects for 2006 depend on the answers to some of the residual
issues that SBY has not been able to give during the first year of
his
presidency. The Cabinet reshuffle has been too limited, although the
appointment of Boediono and Sri Mulyani as coordinating economic
minister and finance minister, respectively, is an excellent choice
and is a real plus for his Cabinet. The problem is with manpower and
labor, which are now handled by somebody very inexperienced.
Manpower
is an important portfolio. The existing labor regulations will not
help in attracting new investments.
President Susilo's action against corruption have to be more
consistent to make a real impact. Several steps have been taken but
the government lacks a consistent and effective anti-corruption
policy. His new stronger policies against terrorism are welcomed,
and
the support from moderate Muslims is crucial. He yet has to improve
the intelligence services, and should not simply rely on the
military
to counter terrorism.
There are crucial issues to get FDI to come back to Indonesia.
Changing Cabinet ministers can help but improvements in policies and
the business environment are most important. The high inflation
following the dramatic rise in fuel prices last October has
increased
the vulnerability of the little people. If the economy is not
improving soon, there could be a major political impact. The people
have been patient for many years, but will not be so indefinitely,
and
as happened in 1965 and 1998, anything can then change the people's
behavior, leading to upheavals that can lead to a serious political
crisis.
On foreign policy, the year 2006 could further consolidate SBY's
contribution and achievements in Indonesia's foreign policy. A lot
has
been said about expectations for ASEAN to take the driver's seat in
the process toward East Asian community building. This will only
happen if ASEAN gets her act together, and for that to happen
Indonesia's leadership is crucial.
President SBY is the one that can do this, because he is
intellectually well equipped, and he has a real interest in foreign
policy. This will also help him to bring back foreign investment to
Indonesia.
In conclusion, it can be said that politically, the year 2006 can be
stable and peaceful if some real improvement can happen on the
economic front, especially in regard to employment. The economic
challenge facing the SBY government remains severe, and there is a
litany of problems to make a failure possible.
The good news is that the duet of the president and vice president
is
still much intact. They complement each other so well and they do
need
each other to succeed, despite the rumors to the contrary.
Furthermore, the majority in the House is now supporting the
government.
The writer is a Co-founder and Vice Chairman of the Board of
Trustees
as well as a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS), Jakarta.
- ---
http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2007/9/25/australia-remains-to-
recognize-papua-as-part-of-indonesia/
National
09/25/07 12:46
Australia remains to recognize Papua as part of Indonesia
Jayapura (ANTARA News) - Australia remains to recognize Papua as an
integral part of the Unitary State of Indonesia, furthermore, the
United Nations has also
recognized the province since May 1, 1963, an Indonesian envoy has
said.
Indonesian Ambassador to Australia Hamzah Thayeb made the remark
here Tuesday after a meeting between Chief of the Trikora military
command Maj. Gen. Zamroni
and 30 diplomats from the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry.
"On many occasions, the Australian government always asserts that
Papua is part of Indonesia," the ambassador said.
Australia`s stance on its recognition has also been incorporated in
Lombok Treaty, the Australia-Indonesia agreement on the framework
for security cooperation which was
signed by Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda and his
Australian counterpart Alexander Downer last year.
On the bilateral cooperation between Australia and Indonesia,
Thayeb said the two countries have long established cooperation in
various sectors including security,
economy, forest conservation and human resource development.
He said it was imperative that Indonesia and Australia as neighbors
seek ways to create better cooperation on different development
sectors.
The Indonesian diplomats visited Papua to see the overall
development conditions in many fields including economy, socio-
culture, security and social order.
During their stay in Papua, the diplomats also had the occasion to
meet Governor Barnabas Suebu and other local officials besides
visiting gold and copper mining sites
which are managed by PT Freeport Indonesia in Mimika district. (*)
Copyright © 2007 ANTARA
- ---
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/25/2043328.htm?section=world
Papuan refugees want to be deported from PNG
By PNG correspondent Steve Marshall
Posted Tue Sep 25, 2007 10:22pm AEST
About 50 Papuan refugees have staged a rally outside the United
Nations refugee agency's (UNHCR) office in Papua New Guinea's
capital Port Moresby after they were
evicted from borrowed land.
Some of the group are former political prisoners and resistance
army fighters who took part in Papua's struggle for independence
from Indonesia.
The Papuans say they cannot return home for fear of persecution.
The PNG Government says it is trying to find new land, but the
Papuans say they no longer want to stay in PNG.
Spokesman Samuel Ingammer says they will camp outside the UNHCR
office until a third country is found for them.
"We've been asking [the] PNG Government for a piece of land where
we can go and stay," he said.
"But until now, none of this has been given to us. We want
deportations - straightforward. We don't want any other land."
The UNHCR head office in Canberra says a representative will meet
with the group tomorrow.
- ---
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22474591-
5012752,00.html
Evicted Papuans camp out near UN refugee office
Article from: Herald Sun
September 25, 2007 12:00am
PAPUANS who fled Indonesia more than 20 years ago have camped
outside the UN refugee office in Port Moresby demanding haven in a
third country.
Their settlement on the capital's outskirts, where they have
squatted since 1987, is earmarked for a housing development.
Police raided at the weekend to hack down banana plants as a
warning that they must leave.
About 90 men, women and children were camped outside the High
Commissioner for Refugees' office.
Group spokesman Freddy Waromi said they would ask for deportation:
"We are evicted by the Government without recognising its
obligation to the UN refugee convention
to protect us as refugees in this country."
He and many others fled Papua in the '80s to avoid persecution by
Indonesian authorities as Melanesian Papuans agitated for
independence. Some were now keen to
negotiate a return to Indonesian Papua.
- - AAP
- ---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20070925.A0
3&irec=2
Drug use fueling HIV in S. Sulawesi
Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar
South Sulawesi has the sixth highest HIV/AIDS rate in Indonesia,
the National AIDS Commission (KPA) announced Monday.
While the province is still ranked below Jakarta, with 27,670 cases
and Papua, with 22,210, it is feared that the widespread use of
intravenous drugs in the province could
see it soon lead the country in HIV/AIDS cases.
KPA head Nafsiah Mboi told the fourth annual regional congress on
the AIDS Eradication Acceleration Program in Makassar that the
Health Ministry had estimated the
number of HIV/AIDS cases in South Sulawesi had reached 7,610.
The congress is being attended by 23 regencies and municipalities
from six provinces in the eastern part of Indonesia -- South
Sulawesi, West Kalimantan, Maluku, West
Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara and Papua.
She said that HIV/AIDS cases were detected more quickly in South
Sulawesi because the disease is usually spread through the use of
drugs, while in Papua, sexual
intercourse is more likely to be the cause, leading to a longer
incubation period for the disease.
A total of 12,110 people are believed to be intravenous drug users
in South Sulawesi.
"The most rapid spread of HIV/AIDS is caused by the use of injected
drugs due to the widespread sharing of needles. The incubation
period from HIV to AIDS is quicker,
at only two years, while the incubation period from sexual
intercourse can reach 10 years," said Nafsiah.
She said that most of the province's drug users were youths and
high school students, while a large number of housewives, expectant
mothers and even infants were also
found to be infected.
Nafsiah said the government should focus on AIDS prevention in
South Sulawesi. "The situation in South Sulawesi is alarming and
needs special attention," she said.
Nafsiah added that one way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS was
educating and raising awareness across the community.
She also urged the police and drug enforcement commission to arrest
drug dealers as well as users.
However, head of the Makassar KPA Andi Herry Iskandar, who is also
Makassar vice mayor, said the increasing number of HIV/AIDS cases
in Makassar was due to the
higher level of public awareness of the disease. He added that more
people were willing to get tested at an earlier stage.
"The growing number of cases is not due to the wider spread of
HIV/AIDS, but a higher level of awareness about HIV/AIDS. People
are more willing to get tested earlier at
hospitals or community health centers," said Herry.
As of June this year, 1,560 HIV/AIDS cases have been detected in
South Sulawesi, 1,390 of them in Makassar.
Jayapura Vice Mayor Sudjarwo said HIV/AIDS eradication campaigns in
Papua usually involved community, religious and cultural figures
due to their influence in the daily
lives of people.
Deputy regent of Belu regency in East Nusa Tenggara, Gregorius Mau,
said one of the elements of society which must be approached are
traditional circumcisers, due to
the practice in Belu that if a man has been circumcised, he must
then have sex with a number of women to heal the wound.
"The custom can spread HIV/AIDS. We must educate traditional
circumcisers in Belu to discourage the practice. They must know
that it is wrong, and that it can cause
infections," said Gregorius.
The meeting is expected to establish action plans to fight AIDS in
every region, in order that the spread of HIV/AIDS can be minimized
and those with it can be detected
and treated.
- ---
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1377319
Papuan refugees demand new home
Sep 24, 2007 11:52 AM
Papuan refugees who fled Indonesia more than 20 years ago have
camped with their families outside the United Nations refugee
office in Port Moresby demanding haven
in a third country.
Their protest was prompted by their impending eviction from 8 Mile
settlement on the Papua New Guinea capital's outskirts, where the
refugee group has lived since
squatting there in 1987.
On Saturday, police raided the settlement to hack down banana
plants as a warning to residents they must leave their homes or
face forced eviction.
On Monday morning about 90 men, women and children were camped with
their belongings outside the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) office with another
120 expected to arrive later.
Group spokesman Freddy Waromi said they would ask UNHCR officials
to arrange deportation for them to a third country.
Their eviction from their homes meant they had nowhere to stay and
no alternative had been offered by authorities, he said.
"We are evicted from 8 Mile by the government without recognising
its obligation to the UN refugee convention to protect us as
refugees in this country."
Waromi said residents at 8 Mile were divided and some had elected
to stay, including those keen to negotiate a return to Indonesian
Papua.
He said he and many others fled Papua in the 1980s to avoid
persecution by Indonesian authorities as Melanesian Papuans
agitated for independence.
The land at 8 Mile was acquired in 1991 by politician Peter Lus who
granted the settlers a grace period to stay on.
Lus, a former PNG cabinet minister, now wants to bring developers
in to build a residential estate.
Waromi said the city's new governor, Powes Parkop, talked to 8 Mile
leaders on the weekend, telling them he would speak to Lands
Minister and Deputy Prime Minister
Puka Temu to find a solution.
- ---
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=254
83
UCAN: Parish priest claims elite army commandos stalking him
9/25/2007
UCANews (www.ucanews.com)
JAYAPURA, Indonesia (UCAN) – A Papua military commander says elite
soldiers are not threatening or following a parish priest, but the
pastor disagrees.
Advertisement
Father John Djonga maintains that elite commandos have been closely
spying on him since late July when he passed local people's safety
concerns to the governor of
Papua province.
In the latest incident on Sept. 17, he told UCA News that a man
climbed down the backyard wall of Condios House, a diocesan clergy
guesthouse. As the well-built man
entered the house in Abepura, just south of Jayapura, he asked a
seminarian, "Is Father Djonga here?" The intruder quickly climbed
back over the wall when told the pastor
of St. Mikael Church in Waris was not there.
But the priest did visit there earlier, on his way to the
provincial capital of Jayapura, 3,700 kilometers (about 2,300
miles) east of Jakarta, to bring food back to Waris. The
village in Keerom district lies along the border with Papua New
Guinea.
Father Djonga said the threatening behavior began "just after the
July 23-24 visit of Governor Barnabas Suebu to Arso, Keerom
district's capital."
During that dialogue, he told Suebu that Keerom residents are
constantly fearful. Whenever they encounter elite Kopassus
commandos, the priest reported, they are asked
if they keep the separatist Bintang Kejora (morning star) flag or a
gun, or have met Father Djonga. Kopassus is a local abbreviation
for Komando Pasukan Khusus (special
commando force).
"I'm being chased, so I informed Papua Police Chief Max Donald Aer
about the threats and asked for protection," the priest continued.
Father Neles Tebay, vicar general of
Jayapura Diocese, accompanied Father Djonga to see Aer.
The police chief sent them to Papua Military Commander Major
General Zamroni, but when they failed to meet him, they visited the
local Jayapura military commander,
Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Haris Napoleon. UCA News was present at
the meeting.
Father Tebay informed Napoleon: "Kopassus have threatened Father
John's life. Please make this stop, for the security of Father John
and all people at the border."
Villagers feel voiceless, the priest said, "so they entrust their
voice to religious leaders" to urge leaders of TNI (Tentara
Nasional Indonesia, Indonesian national military) to
replace the current Kopassus border guards. "All components of
Papua society want Papua as a zone of peace," he insisted, urging
the army not to intimidate villagers.
According to Father Djonga, Kopassus dislikes his presence because
he is quick to point out people's restlessness due to the
commandos' intimidation. They ask people,
both in the forest and in the village: "What's your name?" "Where
do you stay?" "Are you a newcomer?" "Do you know anyone who is
keeping a gun?" "Do you know who
is keeping a Bintang Kejora flag?"
Father Djonga, born on Flores Island on Nov. 4, 1959, also spoke of
what he was told on Aug. 22 by a reporter for Buletin Suara
Perempuan Papua (Papua women's voice
bulletin) who had had an encounter with a Kopassus commander.
Quoting the reporter, Father Djonga said the commander told the
journalist a "God's servant" in Waris, a newcomer, is a betrayer,
and "such a man must be buried 700
meters under (the ground)." The priest believes he is the one about
whom the commander was speaking, "because obviously I am God's
servant and I am the only non-
native newcomer in Waris."
He also recalled that Kopassus on Sept. 9 stopped a car
transporting chocolate and asked the driver: "Do these chocolates
belong to Father Djonga?" Lambert, the owner
of the sweets, claimed them as his own, but a captain told a
medical military post doctor on Sept. 16 that Father Djonga is
involved in chocolate smuggling and illegal
logging.
Jayapura city's military commander, Colonel Burhanuddin Siagian,
told UCA News he had solved the problem Aug. 30 while talking with
Father Djonga in Waris. During that
dialogue, Siagian said, social, religious and tribal leaders asked
questions and expressed their opinions about TNI border forces.
Siagian acknowledged that local people want to live in peace
without fear and promised action against soldiers who intimidate
them. He also encouraged residents of Waris
to report soldiers who threaten them, because "we do not want them
fleeing to another country due to intimidation."
- - - -
Republished by Catholic Online with permission of the Union of
Catholic Asian News (UCA News), the world's largest Asian church
news agency (www.ucanews.com).
- ---
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=35287
Radio New Zealand International
The Voice of New Zealand, Broadcasting to the Pacific
Te Reo Irirangi O Aotearoa, O Te Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa
International co-operation needed to save Papuan rainforests, says
Indonesia
Posted at 18:29 on 23 September, 2007 UTC
Indonesia’s government says the best chances of saving Papua’s
tropical rainforests increasingly rest with co-operation among the
international community.
Indonesia plans to join with Papua New Guinea and at least 9 other
developing countries with tropical forests in a coalition to fight
climate change.
Other countries on board are Brazil, Cameroon, Costa Rica,
Columbia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Malaysia, Mexico
and Peru.
The coalition aims to press wealthy nations to pour money into
offsetting the impacts of global warming.
The Minister for the Environment, Rachmat Witoelar, says their
coalition campaign ties in with efforts to mitigate illegal logging
of the Papua region’s native forests.
“There is a large area of rainforest and a lot of it is
destroyed. But we’re trying to stop the destruction and we hope
that the Europeans, the Americans and, I don’t know,
maybe the New Zealanders - they buy the furniture coming from here
(Papuan forests) - I hope they stop buying these things and then
maybe they can stop selling it.”
The Minister for the Environment, Rachmat Witoelar, says the
coalition will be officially launched next April
- ---
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=35330
Radio New Zealand International
The Voice of New Zealand, Broadcasting to the Pacific
Te Reo Irirangi O Aotearoa, O Te Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa
Freeport mine owners asked to set up smelting project in Timika
Posted at 22:26 on 24 September, 2007 UTC
Papua’s Provincial Legislative Council has asked giant copper and
gold mining company Freeport to set up a smelting and refining
project for waste products from its
mining operations in Timika.
The Jakarta Post quotes a councillor, Jan Ayomi, saying such a
smelting company is very important for a less-developed province
like Papua as it can create more jobs
and improve the local people’s welfare.
He says that by opening a venture, Freeport Indonesia - a
subsidiary to giant gold and copper mining and exploration company
Freeport McMoran - would be able to utilise
its waste products to make feedstock for cement industries.
Mr Ayomi says it would not only contribute to the country’s foreign
exchange earnings by exporting its products but also create many
job opportunities for the local
population.
- ---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=2007092116203
6&irec=0
PT Freeport asked to set up smelting, refining venture in Papua
JAYAPURA (Antara): Papua's Provincial Legislative Council has asked
giant copper and gold mining company PT Freeport Indonesia to set
up a venture locally to handle
the smelting and refining of waste products from its mining
operations in the Tembagapura area in Mimika district, a spokesman
said.
"Such a smelting company is very important for a less-developed
province like Papua as it can create more jobs and improve the
local people's welfare," Jan Ayomi, a
commission's chairman at the council said Friday.
By opening a venture, PT Freeport Indonesia - a subsidiary to giant
gold and copper mining and exploration company Freeport McMoran --
would be able to utilize its waste
products to make feedstock for cement industries, he said.
It would not only contribute to the country's foreign exchange
earnings by exporting its products but also create many job
opportunities for the local population, Ayomi said.
A similar smelting company already existed in Gresik, East Java, he
added.
The idea of asking PT Freeport Indonesia to open a company smelting
and refining mining wastes from its Tembagapura mining operations
emerged after some members
of the council visited PT Smelting in Gresik recently.
Papua's council had also urged PT Freeport Indonesia to revise its
work contract and move its Indonesian head office (from Jakarta) to
Jayapura, the Papua's provincial
capital.
PT Freeport Indonesia operates in two segments: mining and
exploration as well as smelting and refining.
A Wright report said the company's mining and exploration segment
includes copper and gold mining operations located in the highlands
of the Sudirman Mountain Range
in Papua or formerly known as Irian Jaya.
The smelting and refining segment includes Atlantic Copper's
operations in Spain and PT Freeport Indonesia's equity investment
in PT Smelting in Gresik.
The group smelts and refines copper concentrates in Spain and
markets the refined copper products, through its wholly owned
subsidiary, Atlantic Copper SA. (**)
- ---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=2007092216272
6&irec=2
Papuan fishermen rescued after 20 days at sea
AMBON (Antara): Three fisherman stranded for 20 days were rescued
Saturday in Maluku's Seram Sea by warship the KRI Cenderawasih-533,
the Navy has announced.
The fishermen were evacuated to the Navy's Ambon naval base in
Halong village, the ship's commander Major Baharuddin Anwar said
Saturday.
The three men, identified as Abidin, Roi and Udin Rumatu, underwent
intensive medical treatment at the naval base's hospital and would
be sent home to Fak-Fak, Papua,
after their recovery, he said.
The Papuan fishermen's ordeal began after the engine of their boat
broke down on Sept. 1. The men were forced to survive by eating
flying fish eggs and drinking seawater
after their food supplies ran out.
- ---
Cenderawasih Pos 25 September 2007
[Comment: While reports about food poisoning in Papua continue to
circulate, this article provides no evidence that the matter is
being
properly dealt with. In the absence of independent observers, it is
difficult to assess the extent of the problem.]
Hundreds demonstrate at the Bupati's office, worried about poisoned
food
Reports about the poisoning of food have become more widespread in
the
district of Jayawijaya. On Monday, 24/9, hundreds of people from
different
sections of the community conducted a peaceful demonstration
outside the
office of the Bupati (district chief) urging the government
authorities to
respond to reports about food that has been poisoned.
'We ask the local government to take action in response to several
incidents which have cause great anxiety.' [The nature of these
incidents
is not explained.]
In a speech at the event, one of the demonstrators, Yan Matuan
called on
the authorities to examine all the basic foodstuffs which are
thought to be
out of date but which are still being sold in the markets. 'They
should be
tested in a laboratory,' he said. The demonstrators, while calling
for the
matter to be investigated by the UN or UNESCO, said it was a matter
of
regret that the local authorities had done nothing despite the fact
that
many people had fallen victim from eating the food. [It is not clear
whether this means that people have fallen ill or have died] They
also said
that those responsible for supplying and distributing the food
should be
taken into custody.
However, in response, the First Assistant to the Secretary of the
district
of the Jayawijaya, Drs Thomas Ameng, who was present together with
other
local administration officials said that samples of food and drink
had
been checked by the appropriate bodies and no poison had been
discovered.
The district official alleged that stories of poisoning were being
deliberately spread in order to cause division within the community.
Military and police officials who were also present said they would
help
the local government to safeguard stability.
According to the report, on receiving these assurances, the crowd
dispersed.
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon CR7 8HW, UK.
tel +44 (0)20 8771 2904 fax +44 (0)20 8653 0322
tapol@gn.apc.org http://tapol.gn.apc.org
- ---
Messet is only a sympathiser, says Thaha Al Hamid of the PDP
At the weekend, it was reported that Nicholas M. Messet, who
described
himself as the foreign minister of the OPM when Theys Eluay was the
chairman of the PDP, met Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla and
informed
him of his wish to return to Indonesia and become an Indonesian
citizen.
Messet has for many years been living in exile in Sweden.
According to Cendrawasih Post (24 September 2007) in an article
titled
'He's only a sympathiser', Thaha Al Hamid, the secretary general of
the PDP
(Papuan Presidium Council) said in response to this report that the
news
did not worry him. Asked about Messet's claim to be the foreign
minister of
the OPM, Thaha said that there was no such thing as a minister of
foreign
affairs.
The PDP is an organisation of struggle , with a chairman, a deputy
chairman
and a secretary general and some people appointed as moderators.
As far as he knows, during the days when Zeth Rumkorem and Nickolas
Tanggahma were living in Senegal as representatives of the OPM,
Nick
Messet was a young man and a supporter. He is well aware that
Messet was
widely acclaimed in the Pacific region as a pilot.
Asked whether the PDP had used Messet for diplomatic work, Thaha
said,
'Yes, indeed, but he never occupied any structural position in the
PDP'.
Messet attended the PDP meeting that was held in 2000 in Port Vila
and
several other meetings in the Pacific.'
As regards Messet's decision to become an Indonesian citizen, Thaha
said
this was nothing unusual. 'As far as I know, he left Papua before
the Act
of Free Choice in 1969 and has been abroad ever since. 'It is quite
normal
for him to ask to become an Indonesian citizen and in fact,' Thaha
said
that Messet had mentioned this when the two men met in 2006.
He recalled the fact that some outstanding basketball players in
the 1980s
who had played for Indonesia and had been born in Indonesia had
tried for
years to get their Indonesian citizenship. He said that about five
years
ago, Messet returned home to Papua but since he was a Swedish
citizen at
the time, he had to go back and forth to PNG and other countries.
Should he become an Indonesian citizen, PDP activities at home or
abroad
will not be affected. 'We respect his decision but regret the fact
that it
has been blown out of all proportion 'The question people should
be asking
is,' he said 'why do Papuans have to flee abroad and settle down
there.'
He said it was quite appropriate for Papuans who are abroad to
want to
come back to their motherland in Papua. 'If we can struggle here in
Papua,
why should we go abroad?'
'Basically, whether one Papuan or a thousand Papuans want to
repatriate,
this will not mean that our problem is solved because
naturalisation and
repatriation are quite normal.'
Thaha also said that according to information he had received
through the
internet and the mass media, Nick Messet, Frans Albert Joku and
Febiola
Ohei were all used by the (Indonesian) government to travel round
Europe on
diplomatic missions to promote Special Autonomy. This campaigning
has not
affected the activities of the PDP, said Thaha.
'Differences of opinion are quite normal. and let us all, each with
our
differences, maintain good communications with each other free from
conflict. It is no secret that for a very long time, there have been
deliberate attempts to set Papuans against each other, eventually
resulting
in splits,' he said.
- ---
HRD Pastor threatened with death by Army
PUBLIC AI Index: ASA 21/011/2007
24 September 2007
UA 248/07 Fear for safety
INDONESIA Johanes Djonga (m), human rights activist, church
pastor
A military commander and his men have reportedly threatened to kill
Pastor
Johanes Djonga for his activism in defence of the human rights of
people in
Papua province. Amnesty International believes his life could be in
danger.
The commander of the Army Special Forces (Kopassus) in Waris
district,
Papua province, Lettu Usman, and the soldiers under his command,
allegedly
threatened to kill Johanes Djonga and bury him in a 700-metre-deep
gorge,
on 22 August. They accused him of making false allegations about the
situation in Waris district to local and international NGOs, and of
being a
provokator (provocateur) who was betraying the Indonesian state. A
Kopassus
military officer has also alleged on 16 September that Johanes
Djonga is
involved in illegal logging and food business. This appears to
arise from
Johanes Djonga's human rights activism: he recently presented a
report to
the governor of Papua and the military commander in the city of
Jayapura,
Colonel Burhanuddin Siagian, criticizing the actions of the
military at the
border between Waris and Papua New Guinea.
On 18 September, Johanes Djonga reported the death threats to the
head of
Papua Police. The police commander explained that if the person
threatening
him was a soldier, there was nothing the police could do to protect
him.
Johanes Djonga then reported the threats to the Chief of Military
Regional
Command in Papua province: he reportedly said he would take action,
but
would sue Johanes Djonga for defamation if his accusations turned
out to be
false.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
There is an active independence movement in Papua province, and the
Indonesian security forces have responded at times with excessive
force,
including extrajudicial executions, torture and arbitrary
detentions. Members of local human rights organisations have been
harassed
and intimidated because of their work, and some have been forced to
leave
the province. Church leaders are among those who have voiced the
concerns
of the local population about human rights violations, and as a
result have
been publicly accused of being linked to the independence movement.
Following her visit to Indonesia in June, the UN's Special
Representative
on Human Rights Defenders, Hina Jilani, stated that human rights
defenders
working in Papua province "continue to face torture, arbitrary
detention
and harassment from the country's police, military and security
forces."
Amnesty International takes no position on the political status of
any
province of Indonesia. However, the organization believes that the
right to
freedom of expression includes the right to peacefully express
political
views, and that this right must be upheld.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as
possible,
in Indonesian or your own language:
- - expressing concern at reports that the Kopassus commander in Waris
district, and his men, have threatened to kill Pastor Johanes
Djonga, and
urging the authorities to take immediate action to protect him, and
order
an investigation;
- - calling on the authorities to ensure that the right to freedom of
expression and assembly is upheld in Papua province, and that local
and
international journalists, humanitarian workers and human rights
defenders
have full, unimpeded and unhindered access to the people of the
province;
- - calling on the authorities to ensure that all members of the
police and
military are made aware of the legitimate role of human rights
defenders
and their responsibility to protect them, as set out in the UN
Declaration
on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of
Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights
and
Fundamental Freedoms.
APPEALS TO:
President
Mr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Istana Merdeka, Jakarta 10110, Indonesia
Fax: + 62 21 345 2685
+ 62 21 526 8726
Salutation: Dear President Yudhoyono
National Police Chief
General Sutanto
Jalan Truno Joyo No. 03
Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Fax: + 62 21 720 7277
Salutation: Dear General Sutanto
and to diplomatic representatives of Indonesia accredited to your
country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International
Secretariat,
or your section office, if sending appeals after 5 November 2007.
Working to protect human rights worldwide
DISCLAIMER
Internet communications are not secure and therefore Amnesty
International
Ltd does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this
message.
If you are not the intended recipient you must not disclose or rely
on the
information in this e-mail. Any views or opinions presented are
solely
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of
Amnesty
International Ltd unless specifically stated. Electronic
communications
including email might be monitored by Amnesty International Ltd. for
operational or business reasons.
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon CR7 8HW, UK.
tel +44 (0)20 8771 2904 fax +44 (0)20 8653 0322
tapol@gn.apc.org http://tapol.gn.apc.org
- ---
=================^==================================
I N D O L E F T - News service > >
=================^==================================
Papua Komnas HAM chair terrorised following UN
rights representative visit
Kompas - September 24, 2007
Jayapura, Kompas -- The residence of the chairperson
of the Papuan Representative office of the National
Human Rights Commission or Komnas HAM, Albert
Rumbekwan, was broken into by unidentified
individuals on Sunday September 23.
Earlier, on Monday last week, a group of
unidentified individuals entered the Kondios Abepura
Public Building claiming they were searching for
Catholic priest Yohanes Djonga Pr. Prior to the
arrival of the individuals, over the last four
months Rumbekwan has been terrorised by death
threats sent by SMS and having his car tailed.
The intimidation began after Rumbekwan met with
United Nations Special Representative for Human
Rights Hina Jilani in June. "Jilani left Papua on
June 10, since June 11 I have experienced various
forms of intimidation", said Rumbekwan.
On Sunday night at around 12.30am there was an
electricity blackout in Jayapura. Rumbekwan placed
two candles in front of his house but they were
extinguished a short time later.
One of Rumbekwan's neighbours, Rio Katmo, who was in
front of his house claims to have seen a person
extinguishing the candles. "Several minutes later,
the candle was lit again", he said. Another
neighbour, Jack Komboy, also said that he had seen a
number of unidentified individuals prowling around
Rumbekwan's house. (row)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
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