[Kabar-Irian] News: Jan 30 - Feb 06 2008
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KABAR IRIAN NEWS
Jan 30 - Feb 6 2008
TOPICS
* Small plane hits several people on landing in Papua, killing one
* Plane skids off runway in Indonesian Papua, kills one
* Local Bodies Reject Split
* Villager shot dead by military patrol
* Rights report slams RI over threats in Papua, idle reforms
* West Papua Report February 2008
* Human Rights for West Papua
* Papua to hold Lake Sentani Festival in July
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=20080130213931&irec=3
Small plane hits several people on landing in Papua, killing one
JAKARTA (AP): A small plane hit several people after skidding off the
runway Wednesday in Papua
province, killing one person and injuring two, officials and witnesses said.
One of 15 people on board the Twin Otter propeller aircraft was slightly
hurt, while a man on the ground
was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, said Stefanus Yudi, a witness.
Airport head Sudarmadji said one person in a crowd was killed when the
plane plowed into it.
It was not immediately clear what caused the accident at the Sugapa
Airport in the Paniai district,
Sudarmadji said. (**)
---
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-31672520080130
Plane skids off runway in Indonesian Papua, kills one
Wed Jan 30, 2008 2:58pm IST
JAKARTA (Reuters) - A twin-engined propeller plane skidded off the runway
and hit three people while
landing in Indonesia's Papua province on Wednesday, killing one of them
and injuring the other two,
Antara news agency said.
None of 15 passengers on the Twin Otter propeller plane was injured in the
accident at a small airport in
Paniai district, Indonesia state agency Antara said.
It was not clear what caused the accident, the head of the nearby Nabire
airport told the news agency.
Jungle-clad Papua relies heavily on air transport owing to limited road
networks.
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnation.asp?fileid=20080205.G03&irec=2
Local Bodies Reject Split
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura
The Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) and the Papuan Legislative Council
(DPRP) have rejected a
proposal by the House of Representatives (DPR) to divide Papua into four
provinces.
DPRP deputy chairman Paskalis Kosay said over the weekend that both the
MRP and DPRP were
stepping up their opposition to the plan to divide the two Papua provinces
into four provinces because
the decision was not in line with Article 76 of Law No. 21/2001 on special
autonomy for Papua which
requires a recommendation from the MRP.
"The MRP and the DPRP discussed this matter with local administration
bodies. They hope that the local
administration will help them convince the DPR to postpone its initiative
to divide Papua into four
provinces," Paskalis said.
The MRP and DPRP plan to write a formal letter stating their opposition to
the House draft law on Papua
which would split Papua into four provinces, he said.
MRP deputy chairman Frans Wospakrik said that the House's draft was based
purely on political
considerations.
"The DPR has to maintain its initiative rights. Legislation must evolve
through the democratic principles
which form the basis of law. It must not be a process of simply securing
political interests. I hope that all
institutions will act consistently with the law that exists in this
country," Frans said.
He said that based on Article 76 of the 2001 law on special autonomy, the
MRP must first collect
information from local communities to determine what they want. This
ensures that new legislation is in
line with cultural conditions of affected areas.
"Just look at what is happening," said Frans. "We had yet to plan formal
discussion on this matter, but
the central DPR has already established the draft law on splitting Papua
into four provinces. Of course,
we absolutely reject the draft law, we have not been consulted."
Neles Tebay, a lecturer at Fajar Timur Institute of Theological Philosophy
in Jayapura expressed a
similar view. He said the split would widen the gap between indigenous
Papuans and migrants.
Dividing Papua into four provinces, Neles said, would provide more jobs in
economic and governmental
sectors, but this would also attract more people from outside Papua
seeking employment.
"Unfortunately, migrants tend to get the best jobs in strategic sectors,
while the Papuans remain in low-
level positions," said Neles. "I am sure that all strategic positions in
the governmental sector will be filled
by skilled workers who are not Papuans. The positions, of course, will be
filled by migrants. The split will
only advantage migrants, not indigenous Papuans."
He said this would cause more conflict in Papua.
---
The Jakarta Post
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Villager shot dead by military patrol
JAYAPURA, Papua: A Papuan villager was shot and killed by
soldiers on a routine military patrol in Wamena on Thursday.
Chief of the Puncak Jaya Police, Adj. Sr. Comr. Kris Rihulay,
said here Friday that Omenggan Wonda was shot by a soldier from
the 756th Infantry Battalion in Wamena after he emerged from a
house carrying a machete.
The officer said the victim was inside a house with about 16
other young people.
He said the patrolling soldiers went to investigate the
gathering, ordering those inside the house to open the windows.
When they refused the order, soldiers fired three warning shots.
"We don't know what the young villagers were doing in the house
and we have sent two officers to investigate the case," he said.
The spokesman for the Cendrawasih Military Command in Papua, Lt.
Col. Imam Santosa, said the soldier who fired the fatal shots
would be prosecuted in a military court if the shooting was
found to have violated military procedure.
The spokesman asked residents to remain calm and give the
authorities time to conduct a thorough investigation of the
shooting. --JP
---
Jakarta Post.com
1/2/08
Rights report slams RI over threats in Papua, idle reforms
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Threats and intimidation against rights defenders increased in
Papua and West Papua provinces in 2007 while efforts at military
reform stalled, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday in its
global report on human rights.
It praised the revocation of the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission and the criminalizing of public expressions of hatred
toward the government, as well as efforts toward accountability for
the murder of rights icon Munir Said Thalib.
"Some progress was made in addressing the human rights crimes of
the (former president) Soeharto era," said the HRW's World Report
2008.
It considered the revocation of the Truth Commission a move ahead
in abolishing impunity since the commission would have been able to
grant amnesty to those responsible for past crimes.
National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) chairman Ifdhal Kasim
said the report underlined Jakarta's half-hearted human rights
protection despite various legally binding instruments.
"The fact that we still talk about the unresolved cases of the
(1989) Talangsari incident, the military operations in Papua and
Aceh or the 1965 coup shows we have been running to a standstill.
"Many rights cases that the commission has brought to the
prosecutor's office are gathering dust in their office," he said.
The report also says that peaceful political activists in Papua and
West Papua continued to be classified as separatists, facing arrest
and criminal conviction, while excessive and often brutal force was
still used by the government against civilians.
Ifdhal said the current government was still clinging to the ways
of past administrations to isolate the eastern-most, resource-rich
Papua region.
Foreign journalists need approval to enter the region, while
international rights officials have been denied entry.
The report cited a May 2007 incident in East Java when 13 Marines
shot and killed four civilians over a land dispute. It said this
incident exemplified continuing human rights violations associated
with the involvement of security forces in private business.
Freedom of religion, meanwhile, was rated low with the report
referring to incidents of radical elements forcibly closing
minority places of worship with little response from local
authorities.
On child domestic and migrant workers, the report said poorly
monitored labor recruiters often deceived workers about their jobs
abroad and returning migrant workers were diverted to a separate
terminal and subjected to extortion.
A current draft law that would mandate an eight-hour work day, a
weekly day of rest and an annual holiday, it added, carried no
sanctions against employers or recruiting agencies that violate its
provisions.
The annual report is the 18th compiled by the group, founded in
1978 as Helsinki Watch's Europe and Central Asia divisions. It
summarizes the human rights situation in more than 75 countries.
---
West Papua Report February 2008
This is the 45th in a series of monthly reports that focus on
developments affecting Papuans This series is produced by the
non-profit West Papua Advocacy Team (WPAT) drawing on media
accounts, other NGO assessments and analysis and reporting from
sources within West Papua. This report is co-published by the
East Timor and Indonesian Action Network (ETAN) Back issues are
posted online at http://etan.org/issues/wpapua/default.htm
Questions regarding this report can be addressed to Edmund
McWilliams at edmcw@msn.com.
Summary:
* Suharto's legacy lives on in the daily suffering of Papuans.
* President Yudhoyono salutes Suharto for his brutal role in
annexing West Papua.
* Indonesian Government study calls West Papua among the most
"backward" despite years of Jakarta "development," signaling the
failure of "special autonomy." The Word Bank study notes 40 percent
of Papuans live on less than 50 US cents per day.
* Plans to further divide the Papuan homeland absent required
consent of the Papuan people.
* A prominent Papuan notes the latest in a pattern of restriction
of freedom of speech in West Papua.
* Papuan Governor Suebu searches for symbol to replace Papuan
"Morning Star."
* UK Government calls for a dialogue between the Jakarta and the
Papuan people.
* Jakarta Post reveals extraordinary poverty in areas adjacent to
the famously rich Freeport McMoran copper and gold mine in West
Papua.
--------------------
Suharto's Legacy Lives on in West Papua
The passing of Dictator General Suharto has prompted a torrent of
commentary, much of it focused on the fact that he escaped earthly
justice for his vast human rights crimes and corruption.
Carmel Budiardjo, founder of TAPOL and herself a prisoner under
Suharto, took special note of his crimes in West Papua, writing:
"It was under Suharto that Indonesia compelled the people of West
Papua by force of arms to become a part of the Republic of
Indonesia, following the fraudulent Act of Free Choice in 1969.
Since then, the West Papuan people have suffered from massive human
rights abuses, helpless to halt the unbridled plunder of their
natural resources. While the West Papuan people live in abject
poverty, the Indonesian state has reaped huge benefits from
revenues, royalties and taxes from foreign enterprises such as
Freeport which was granted a concession by Suharto to extract
copper and gold in 1967, and it will soon start profiting massively
from British Petroleum, now renamed Beyond Petroleum, as it starts
to exploit West Papua's natural gas."
The Suharto legacy lives on most clearly in West Papua. Behind a
screen of restricted access and travel that obscures ongoing abuse
from international scrutiny Indonesian security forces continue to
kidnap, torture and kill. Moreover, as in the past throughout the
archipelago, the corrupt military continues to godfather corrupt
logging and other illegal operations that devastate the Papuan
environment. And like Suharto, those military and civilian
officials who perpetrated such crimes and who currently abuse human
rights continue to evade accountability.
In a letter to U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron R. Hume, ETAN
and WPAT strongly criticized his failure to acknowledge Suharto's
human rights crimes. "It is his military which continues to repress
civilian populations in West Papua and elsewhere. And it is his
military which the current U.S. administration plans to continue to
train and arm," they wrote. (see
http://www.etan.org/news/2008/01hume.htm)
*Yudhoyono Salutes Suharto's Brutal Subjugation of West Papua
Indonesian President Yudhoyono, in a January 28 eulogy for deceased
General Suharto, praised the dictator for the brutal military
operation in Papua which killed thousands.
The current president commended Suharto for leading Operation
Mandala, the military operation in the early 1960's that repressed
popular opposition among Papuans to their forced annexation by
Indonesia. SBY said in part: "In 1962, he led the forces which
bravely struggled for West Irian (Papua)."
U.S. Embassy documents at the time (since declassified and
released) acknowledged U.S. awareness of Indonesian forces' human
rights abuses and Indonesian violation of the terms under which it
was given a UN mandate to administer West Papua. The documents also
reveal the U.S. decision to ignore the Indonesian
actions.
The U.S. had determined to block Dutch plans to give the colonial
areas in the western half of New Guinea independence, in preference
for a course that would acquiesce to Indonesian demands that
control of the vast, resource rich area fall to Jakarta.
Following a blatantly fraudulent 1969 act of self-determination
(described the Indonesian in Orwellian language as the "Act of Free
Choice") the US quietly aided Suharto's military in its brutal
repression of Papuan protest, inter alia, providing the military
with US A-10 Broncos which were used, as in East Timor, to attack
villages. Human rights observers claim scores of thousands of
Papuans died.
Yudhoyono's decision to highlight this aspect of Suharto's long,
brutal reign appears intended to remind Papuans and the
international community that West Papua, annexed and subdued by the
Indonesian military at great human cost among Papuans, will remain
under Jakarta's control.
see Suharto: A Declassified Documentary Obit from the National
Security Archive
(http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB242/index.htm )
*Indonesian Government Admits Extensive Lack of Development in West
Papua, and Implicitly Failure of "Special Autonomy" Policies
West Papua is one of Indonesia's most impoverished provinces, with
40 per cent of the 2.5 million people living on less than 50 US
cents a day, according to the World Bank.
A January 3 Cendrawasih Pos article (translated by Tapol) reports
that according to an Indonesian Government study West Papua is
among the most "backward" of Indonesian provinces The report notes
that conditions in some parts of West Papua have deteriorated over
the past three years. The admission is stark evidence that the
Indonesian Governments "Special Autonomy" approach to West Papua
has failed.
Excerpts of the Cendrawasih Pos report follows:
The State Department for Backward Regions yesterday released its
evaluation regarding 199 backward regions. During the three years
of the SBY-Kalla government, only 28 regions have been lifted out
of the condition of backwardness. Conditions in eastern Indonesia
are particularly bad.
There are five stages of backwardness: extremely backward, very
backward, backward, rather backward and no longer backward.
"The term extremely backward means that no infrastructure
development has taken place, there has been no economic
development, the health situation is very poor indeed and education
facilities are very inadequate," said Lukman Edy. All the regions
classified as being in the worst category are in eastern Indonesia,
primarily in Papua and Maluku. They include Paniai, Puncak Jaya,
Yahukimo, Asmat, Star Mountains, Mamasa, and Alor. When the
backwardness classification was first drawn up, nine regions were
included in the 'extremely backward' category but three years
later, two more regions have been added, Maluku Tenggara Barat and
Tolikara.
Within West Papua several regions, including Merauke, conditions
have worsened over the period measured.
*Indonesian Central Government Pursues Further Illegal Division of
Papuan Homeland
A January 24 Jakarta Post article reports that the Indonesian
Regional Representatives Council (DPD) on January 22 unanimously
endorsed an initiative to create eight new provinces and 13 new
regencies (districts). The proposal includes four new Papuan
provinces. The Papuan people have not been consulted about this
division of their land as required by the Special Autonomy Law of
2002.
Timing for the project is unclear. President Yudhoyono supports the
plan but has urged that action be delayed a few months. "We need to
formulate a master plan, including determining the exact timeframe
to allow the formation of new regions, also by synchronizing with
the schedule of the 2009 general election," he explained. DPD
(Parliament) chairman Ginanjar Kartasasmita favors a longer delay,
urging that new provinces and regencies should not be established
before the 2009 election was completed. He added that results of an
ongoing evaluation of several newly formed regions had revealed
that some regions had failed to improve their conditions.
Septer Manufandu, the executive secretary of the Cooperation Forum
of Non-Governmental Organizations, told the Post that the Papuan
people did not need new provinces but rather better public
services. He said the Special Autonomy measure of 2002 had not
improved public services despite the huge funds channeled to the
natural resources-rich province "About 90 percent of the special
autonomy fund has gone to the bureaucracy, which means Papua does
not need new provinces but access to basic services. Regional
division will only create little kings who only seek money," he
said. To improve public services, Papua needs new districts and
subdistricts, Septer added.
The January 26 South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that The
Reverend Socrates Sofyan Yoman, general chairman of the West Papuan
Baptist Church, called the move to split Papua further a
divide-and-rule tactic by Jakarta. "There is no rationale behind
it. The only aim is to divide Papuans and gain favours with some of
the local elite," he said. He added: "Dividing Papua will not bring
prosperity. It will bring more problems and corruption. What we
need is an honest and balanced discussion with Jakarta on how to
solve Papua's problems."
The SCMP reported further that the decision to create more
provinces was also widely criticised by observers in Jakarta. In an
assessment report, Concord Review, a risk-assessment firm, said:
"It flies in the face of reason and will do little more than
accentuate primordial politics in the country."
Calls for division of the Papuan homeland is not unprecedented The
central government divided the Papuan homeland in 2003 without
approval from the Papua People's Council as mandated by the 2002
law on Special Autonomy for the province. The most recent proposal
for new provinces in Papua has never received
the council's endorsement either. The Indonesian Supreme Court
declared formation of the provinces illegal, in clear violation of
the special autonomy law, but in a contradictory move declared the
new provinces a fait accompli.
The new proposed Papuan provinces include:Central Papua; South
Papua; Southwest Papua and West Papua The proposal also includes
new Papuan regencies (districts): Arfak Mountains; Grime Nawa and
South Manokwari.
*Book Banning in West Papua
The January 18 Jakarta Post carried an op-ed by prominent Papuan
and religious figure Neles Tebay regarding the "shackling" of
Papuan intellectuals in which he notes the most recent banning of a
book by a Papuan author. Here is a synopsis of his commentary:
Indonesian citizens have found space to exercise their rights and
duties without fear, pressure and intimidation from the state.
Indigenous Papuans, for their part, have taken advantage of the
democratic atmosphere to express their opinions by writing books on
some aspects of Papua.
However, the central government has not always regarded the new
developments as good news. Instead of being proud to see Papuans,
who were once illiterate and relied on oral tradition to tell their
stories, expressing their ideas in written form, the government
considers the exercise of Papuans' intellectual creativity
something suspicious if not dangerous.
Many books on Papua, particularly those authored by indigenous
Papuans, are censored under certain criteria set by the government
or are banned entirely.
The latest book to be outlawed by the government is Tenggelamnya
Rumpun Melanesia: Pertarungan Politik NKRI di Papua Barat (The
Sinking of the Melanesian Race: The Unitary State of Indonesia's
Political Struggle in West Papua), written by young author Papuan
Sendius Wonda, and published by Deiyai, a Jayapura-based publishing
house
According to the chief of Jayapura prosecutor's office, Sri Agung
Putra, Wonda's 247-page book contains some elements that "discredit
the government", "disturb public order", and "endanger national
unity".
Wonda's work is the second book on Papua on which the government
has slapped a ban, after Peristiwa penculikan dan pembunuhan Theys
H Eluay 10 November 2001 (The Abduction and Assassination of Theys
H Eluay on November 10, 2001) by Benny Giay, a Papuan
anthropologist, in 2002.
However, everyone knows the Attorney General's Office has never
clearly explained how the books endanger national unity, discredit
the government, or disrupt public order.
By banning Papuan books based on unclear criteria, the central
government shows its undemocratic face, despite its persistent
self-promotion as a champion of democracy.
After decades nothing has changed in the way the government ignores
Papuans' freedom of expression and their intellectual freedom. It
remains restrictive in determining which books are appropriate or
not for Papuans to read.
*Papuan Governor Seeks New Papuan Symbol to Replace "Morning Star"
The January 11 Cenderawasih Pos reported that West Papua Governor
Barnabas Suebu announced on January 17 that the province would
uphold a newly issued government regulation that bans the use of
separatist attributes as regional symbols, a move in line with the
province's status as part of the unitary state of Indonesia. The
decision focuses on the "Morning Star" which has both cultural and
political implication for Papuans. A number of Papuans, including
Filep Karma and Yusuf Pakage, recognized by Amnesty International
and others as prisoners of conscience, are jailed specifically for
their employment of this symbol during peaceful protests.
According to the Cenderawasih Pos, the West Papua government and
legislature will discuss "a more suitable regional symbol than the
Morning Star." The current central government has associated the
Morning Star with those fighting for West Papua independence.
Previous Indonesian Governments, including that of
Abdurrahman Wahid, had permitted display of the Morning Star flag,
so long as it was presented in conjunction with the Indonesian
national flag.
*UK Government Supports Papuan-Indonesian Government Dialogue
In response to a petition to the UK Government regarding repression
of human rights, including political freedom in West Papua, the
British Government noted, in passing that it supported a key,
longstanding appeal by Papuans that the Indonesian Government
engage with Papuan political and civic leaders in a serious
dialogue
The UK Government's January statement read in part: "The Government
believes that the best way to resolve the issues in Papua is
through peaceful dialogue between Papuan groups and the Indonesian
government. The Government are in contact with Papuan activist
groups in the UK, and encourage dialogue between them and the
Government of Indonesia"
Papuans, recalling the effective involvement of international
monitors in advancing the cause of peace and political rights
through political dialogue between the central government and
Acehnese leaders, have urged that any dialogue regarding West Papua
similarly be supported by international mediation
*Great Poverty and Great Wealth In Freeport's Realm
A January 16 Jakarta Post report claims that various government and
non-governmental agencies have 2008 plans to address the extensive
poverty of the Mimika Baru district located adjacent to the vast
Freeport gold and copper mining concession While the plans are
encouraging, the profound poverty among the Amungme
and Kamoro people in the districts 80 villages reveals the decades
of neglect by both Freeport and the Indonesian government for those
form whose lands vast riches have been taken.
The Jakarta Post's Markus Makur makes the point powerfully: "With
its vast gold and mining resources, the world may look at Mimika
regency in Papua as rich, but the indigenous people who live there
don't see it that way. Outside of the infrastructure supporting the
operations of PT Freeport Indonesia's massive mining operation and
development concentrated in Mimika Baru district and Timika City,
little progress of any sort can be seen in the regency, home to
some of Papua's least rich. They live in huts made of palm fronds,
have no paved roads or public transport and schools are small and
far between, not to mention the dearth of health facilities. The
indigenous Amungme and Kamoro people from mountain villages and
other remote areas of the regency are among the poorest. They have
no jobs They eke out a subsistence living scavenging for gold among
PT Freeport Indonesia tailings
This account describes conditions a WPAT team member observed over
a decade ago in villages 20 minutes by helicopter from the Freeport
operated airport in Timika - indicating no improvement in
conditions over the past decade.
---
http://www.buzzine.com/contentengine/publish/buzzine/news/article_3052.html
Human Rights for West Papua
Santa Barbara Film Fest :
My greatest hope is that the world will recognize Papua and support
the Papuan people
Filmmaker Craig Harris and exiled journalist Octovianus Mote
Freeport-McMoRan Corp is destroying the Papuan rain-forest
Richard Elfman
Editor In Chief
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
West Papua: Free to Choose
I just saw a no-budget short film at the SBIFF, a documentary about
the human rights struggle in West Papua (formerly western New
Guinea--now annexed by Indonesia). The story was so damned
compelling that it kicked this writer's butt enough to start writing
Congressmen--as well as writing YOU, my dear Buzzine readers (and
please read this article if nothing else).
When New Guinea (the world's second-largest island--located north of
Australia) gained its independence from the Dutch, neighboring
Indonesia moved right in with a classic "screw the natives" land
grab. The other villain is American-based mega-mining company, the
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Corporation, which, in collusion with
oppressive military police, operates a humongous land-stripping and
utterly polluting cash machine, with barely pennies going to the
very people whose land they ruin. It's obscene.
Filmmaker Craig Harris, a carpenter by trade and passionate human
rights activist, keeps the candle burning with this
film-in-progress, as he is attempting to go back to West Papua and
film some more. Helping him and the subject of our following
interview is Octovianus Mote, Papuan human rights activist,
respected journalist in his homeland, and visiting fellow at Cornell
and Yale Universities, who now lives in exile in the USA--supporting
his family with odd jobs at gas stations and delivering pizza, while
trying to finish a book to promote social justice for his people.
Richard Elfman: Tell us a little about your background.
Octovianus Mote: I am a journalist and activist from (West) Papua,
Indonesia, now residing in the United States. In 1998, I was
appointed by the government of Indonesia as a mediator in the
national dialogue on Papua between representatives of West Papuan
people and the Indonesian government. Following a meeting with West
Papuans and the president of Indonesia in 1999, I was blacklisted
and denied the right to travel outside Indonesia. Nevertheless, I
came to the United States and have held appointments as a visiting
fellow at Cornell and Yale Universities.
RE: Can you give us a brief history of the situation in West Papua?
OM: Indonesia maintains control over West Papua, using military
might to deny indigenous people human rights and to quell their
demands for self-determination. Since the invasion in 1963, an
estimated 100,000 Papuans have been killed by Indonesian armed
forces and militias:
Papua is rich in natural resources, including natural gas, oil,
minerals, and rainforests. The Indonesian government relies on the
taxes from foreign sponsored extraction industries which are
devastating the environment and that return few or no benefits back
to the Papuan people. The military is directly involved, engaging in
illegal logging and acting as security teams for mining companies.
Papua is now home to the highest concentration of illegal logging
operations in Asia. Widespread logging and mining have a serious
impact on the livelihood and traditions of the Papuan people, who
rely on the land for survival. Traditional land is continually being
cleared, which has created conflict amongst the indigenous people,
foreign companies, and Indonesian security forces.
USA-based freeport McMoRan is operating in the world's largest gold
and copper mine in the mountainous home of the Amungme indigenous
people, who have always opposed their presence. Freeport pays the
Indonesian military $5 million per month to maintain security at the
mine. These armed forces and militia groups regularly use torture,
extra-judicial killings, and forced detention to block Papuans from
protecting their traditional lands and expressing their rights to
self-determination. According to Yale University and University of
Sydney, West Papua is one of ten nations in world that is facing the
possibility of the extinction of its indigenous people if there is
no international intervention.
RE: What happened that caused you to flee West Papua?
OM: My neighbor and close relative, Obeth Badii, was found dead in a
police office. A couple of days earlier, Obeth warned me about some
people looking for me. Military persons had been following me
around--although I was guarded by Papuan people day and night, I no
longer had freedom to work as a journalist.
RE: Is it difficult, living in exile?
OM: On the positive side, for myself and my family, I have security.
My children can go to school without any problems. If I were in
Papua, my family and I would be threatened. Having political asylum
gives me the opportunity to continue in my human rights work, where
I can speak and meet freely. Also, since I have had political
asylum, I have had the privilege of being affiliated with Cornell
and Yale Univeresities, working with important anthropologists and
Indonesian experts. Also, I have greater access to influential
people in the US. For instance, I meet with US Congressional people,
to whom I give data about Papua.
The negative side of having political asylum is that I feel distant
from people, Where in the past, as a journalist, I had close
connections to my people, now I have to, in part, rely on other
people's reports. Furthermore, there's an issue with funding. Back
home, I had no problems with funding my work, because I had a
consistent job as a journalist. I could give full attention to my
work as a journalist and human rights advocate. Additionally, I
cannot finish my work (on the genocide project and my book, as well
as my lobbying activity) because I have to work - e.g., in a gas
station, delivering pizza, and transporting medical specimens. This
takes up a lot of my time, but I have to keep my family fed.
RE: What can people--Americans and others--do to help the situation?
1. Call your representatives (Senate and House) to support this
issue.
2. Lobby the US government to pressure Indonesian government and
military to stop their brutallity in Papua.
3. Lobby US government to bring this case back to UN as part of
moral responsibility.
4. Make this issue into international radar through variety of
media.
My greatest hope is that the world will recognize West Papua and
support the Papuan people so they can live on their land peacefully.
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http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/2/3/papua-to-hold-lake-sentani-festival-in-july/
02/03/08 12:29
Papua to hold Lake Sentani Festival in July
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - The Papua Tourism Office was slated to
hold the Lake Sentani
Festival here on July 16-19 to support the annual Lembah Baliem Festival
in Jayawijaya District in
August, 2008.
"The Lake Sentani Festival will be held as an effort to protect the
culture of the Jayapura District, mainly
in the Sentani Lake area," Head of the Papua Tourism Office Elly Weror
said on Saturday.
The two festivals were designed in such a way to ease tourists wishing to
enjoy the fetivities, Weror said,
adding that the festivals were also intended to prolong their stays in the
province.
Previously, there were only three big cultural festivals, namely the
cultural festival of Lembah Baliem, that
of Asmat and that of Kamoro, he said.
He added the office was likewise trying to realize the Cendrawasih Bay
Festival.
Besides holding the cultural events, he added, the province has been
reorganizing the tourist sites in the
area, including the Holtekam Beach located some 60 kms from Jayapura. (*)
COPYRIGHT © 2008
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