[Kabar-Irian] Irian News - 3/21/06 (Part 1 of 3)

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The Australian
Papuans upbeat on bid to gain asylum
Sian Powell,, Jakarta correspondent
March 20, 2006

A Group of Papuans seeking asylum in Australia have told their rebel
leader the bid is likely to be successful, allowing them to push the
remote and conflict-racked Indonesian province into the international
spotlight.

Potentially the worst blight on Indonesian-Australian relations since East
Timor, the claim for asylum by the 43 Papuans has been met with angry
Indonesian denials of persecution in the resource-rich province.

The determinations are due next month and Indonesia has already demanded
the asylum-seekers' return.

Yet experts believe the Papuans, being held in a refugee centre on
Christmas Island, have a good chance of winning asylum from the
independent assessors in Australia's Immigration Department.

"He (asylum-seekers' leader Herman Wanggai) has contacted me twice," said
Papuan National Authority law and politics director Edison Waromi from
Papua, saying the most recent contact was three weeks ago.

"He knows that from their screening the Australian Government will accept
them."

Mr Waromi said he appointed Mr Wanggai to lead the asylum-seekers'
five-day canoe voyage from Indonesia to Australia in January, in a bid to
force Australia into conceding the dangers of life in the conflict-racked
province. The 25m outrigger canoe carried a banner: "Save West Papua
people souls from genocide, intimidation and terrorist from military
government of Indonesia. We West Papua need freedom, peace, love and
justice in our home."

Arrested together in 2002 for raising an independence flag, Mr Waromi and
Mr Wanggai were found guilty of "rebellion" and each sentenced to two
years in prison. Since their release in 2004 they have been active in the
independence struggle.

The Papuan National Authority -- born from the separatist Free Papua
Movement (OPM) -- has struggled to raise the question of Papua's
independence, a struggle which has met with rejection on most fronts,
including Australia.

"This is part of the Papuan National Authority's international agenda," Mr
Waromi said.

"The asylum-seekers are intended to attract international attention. From
the day of Papua's integration until today, it is militaristic."

Although President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said the asylum-seekers
would not be persecuted if they returned to Papua, many believe he does
not have a firm enough grip on the military to make any guarantees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
Headline News
March 16, 2006
Police make arrests for Papua hotel attack
Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura

Mimika Police on Wednesday arrested 15 people for an attack on the
Sheraton Timika Hotel in Timika, Papua, on Tuesday, and are searching for
five more suspects.

The 15 people arrested were among a group of protesters who have blocked
off one of the roads leading to the Freeport gold mine in Timika for the
last several days to protest the American mining giant's activities in the
province.

During the arrests, two police officers suffered arrow wounds when the
suspects attacked them with traditional weapons.

Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Kartono S. told The Jakarta Post on
Wednesday the police officers were attacked as they attempted to arrest 20
people suspected of involvement in the hotel attack.

He said police fired warning shots after they came under attack and were
able to arrest 15 of the suspects, with the remaining five suspects
managing to flee.

"Currently the checkpoint (on the road to the mine) is clear, there are no
more residents there and the police are on guard," he said.

He said the 15 suspects were arrested for the attack on the hotel and the
possession of dangerous weapons. "They're currently being questioned at
Mimika Police Headquarters," Kartono said.

The two wounded police officers are being treated at Mitra Community
Hospital in Timika.

Hospital deputy director Antonius Darmono said the two officers were
admitted about two hours apart with arrow wounds.

Darmono told AFP one of the officers underwent emergency surgery to remove
an arrow from his chest.

Those responsible for the attack on the Sheraton smashed up four buses and
set a car alight. They were expressing their anger over the operations of
Freeport. The hotel's guests, including members of the Papua provincial
council and the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP), had to be evacuated.

The attack forced the councillors and MRP members to cancel a visit to the
Freeport mine to gather information ahead of a planned special session on
March 22 to decide Papua's stance on Freeport's operations in the
province.

"It's likely there will be no special session because we have no
information to discuss because we didn't get to the mine," councillor
Abdul Hakim told the Post in Jayapura.

Eleven councillors and 18 MRP members staying at the hotel were on a
five-day working visit to Freeport's mines in Tembagapura and Timika in
Mimika regency. The trip was to gather information following widespread
protests demanding the closure of Freeport's mines over allegations of
environmental damage and complaints that the company's operations failed
to benefit Papuans.

"We went to Freeport to gather data following protests demanding
Freeport's closure ... but we didn't get there because people blocked the
road and attacked the Sheraton hotel where we were staying," Abdul said.

In Jayapura, members of the Papua's People Fighting Front, led by Arnold
Omba, blocked a road outside Cendrawasih University in Abepura, demanding
Freeport's closure and the withdrawal of soldiers deployed to secure the
mine.

The protest, which began at noon, completely blocked off the street,
causing long traffic jams. The only vehicles allowed to pass were
ambulances, and that only after protesters checked to determine whether
the vehicles were carrying sick people.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
Headline News
March 18, 2006
Police sweep for suspects in Jayapura
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

Police launched Friday a major operation for suspects in the killing of
four security personnel, arresting 57 people after raiding student
boardinghouses in Jayapura and setting up roadblocks along the route to
Abepura.

The three policemen and an Air Force officer died Thursday in clashes with
protesters demanding the closure of the world's largest gold and copper
mine run by PT Freeport Indonesia.

Three people were hurt in the roadblock checks, including a 10-year-old
girl who was hit by a stray bullet in the back. The girl was admitted to
the Abepura Hospital where two other people -- Ratna and Soleha -- were
treated for similar wounds.

Police also raided Nayak boardinghouse, which is home to students from
Wamena.

Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Kartono Wangsadisastra said 57 people had
been arrested for suspected involvement in the clashes, in which around
1,000 rock-throwing protesters faced off with police near Cendrawasih
State University.

"We will never stop hunting for these people who have created havoc and
murdered our officers," he said as quoted by Agence France-Presse.

There are fears the violence could foment greater unrest in the isolated
province, located 3,000 kilometers from Jakarta, where Jakarta has
grappled with a sporadic separatist conflict for decades.

The huge Timika gold and copper mine run by U.S. giant Freeport-McMoRan
has come to symbolize local grievances with Jakarta, and U.S.-based Human
Rights Watch has demanded an independent investigation into the latest
bloodshed.

Kartono said the situation in the town had largely returned to normal and
police were patrolling the streets unarmed, although residents reported
the situation was tense and many areas were deserted.

Indonesian Military chief Air Marshal Djoko Suyanto, National Police chief
Gen. Sutanto and Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security
Affairs Widodo A.S. held talks in Jayapura on Friday with community
leaders in the mainly Christian region to ease tensions.

The leaders were asked to give sermons calling for peace, but Jayapura
Bishop Msgr. Leo Laba Ladjar in turn asked the police not to take
excessive actions against the protesters.

"We demanded that the police officers be able to show self-restraint. It's
better for us to assign respective authoritative institutions to legally
handle the case to see those to blame," he said.

Restraint was crucial to avoid the violence from spreading, Laba Ladjar
said, adding that Thursday's incident was evidence of the frustration of
Papuans about unresolved issues.

"There are many problems in Papua. The demonstration against Freeport
constituted an explosion of the many grave problems which have never been
fully resolved," he said.

In Jakarta, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam
announced seven men had been declared suspects in the violence.

Two of the suspects are still at large, while the names of two others have
yet to be disclosed by the local police.

The remaining three suspects were all men the police recognized as leaders
in the recent demonstrations against Freeport. Police identified them as
the chief of Cendrawasih State University's senate, Yan Mandenas; the head
of the Street Parliament Organization, Cosmol Yuan, and the leader of the
West Papua Referendum Front, Selpius Bobii.

Responding to the demands for the closure of the Freeport mine, Defense
Minister Juwono Sudarsono said its operations were in accordance with
procedures although its community development program needed reviewing.

"Freeport is not like what was demanded by pak (Mr.) Amien Rais because it
has professionally conducted four requirements -- environmental impact
analysis, mining, taxation and technical capability," he was quoted as
saying by Antara newswire, referring to comments of the former speaker of
the People's Consultative Assembly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
National News
March 19, 2006
Police in Papua must 'calm down'
The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Jakarta

Heeding public pressure, the National Police moved Sunday to stop
retaliatory measures by ordering its Mobile Brigade (Brimob) in Papua to
return to their barracks in Jayapura.

In a bid to restore security and order following Thursday's anti-Freeport
demonstration that turned deadly, two companies, about 200 new officers,
were sent in to Jayapura on Sunday, National Police Spokesman Brig. Gen.
Anton Bachrul Alam said.

National Police Chief Gen. Sutanto has also replaced Papua's Mobile
Brigade Commander, Snr. Comsr. Tatang Hermawan with Snr. Cmsr. Roby
Kaligis.

The National Police reportedly have faulted Tatang for failing to follow
the appropriate procedures that could have prevented the loss of life
during Thursday's clash.

Meanwhile as of Sunday 12 were named suspects after police questioned
around 60 people. One suspect was Selphius Bobbi, the secretary of the
West Papua Referendum Front, police said.

Anton said that the Brimob return order was aimed at allowing police
officers involved in quelling the unrest to "calm down and recuperate" in
their barracks.

His statement came amid public concern over reports that police officers
had launched a major security operation to conduct random raids in search
of people involved in the rioting, which claimed the lives of four
security personnel -- three Brimob officers and one Air Force officer.

Police officers have reportedly resorted to harsh measures to vent their
anger over the death of their colleagues. A 10-year-old girl was injured,
reportedly by a stray bullet, and a student boardinghouse was raided.

The Association of Indonesian Television Journalists (IJTI) also reported
Saturday that four reporters from RCTI, TV7 and AnTV had been beaten up by
officers separately on Friday.

Endi Muhammad Saputra of RCTI, Gogor Pambudi and Dominicus Aryo of TV7
were stopped on their way from Sentani Airport to Jayapura by Brimob
soldiers. IJTI said the reporters were beaten with rifle butts and had
their cameras and laptop computers destroyed.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono welcomed the National Police plan to
rotate out many of the men affected directly by the rioting.

"I support the police chief's plans to bring back normalcy and I
understand how members of the Mobile Brigade feel about the deaths of
their colleagues," he said.

Three policemen and an Air Force officer were bludgeoned or stabbed to
death in the clashes. Reports said another man died Friday from his
injuries sustained during the riot.

Police spokesman Sr. Comr Kartono said Selphius, one of the suspects,
would be charged under Article 160 on provocation against security
officers, while the other 11 under Article 170 on aggravated assault
against the officers. Other charges include the destruction of public
property, he said.

Three "co-conspirators" are still at large, Kartono said.

Thursday's slayings highlighted the simmering anger among many Papuans
over the massive gold mine -- which they say brings no benefit to the
local community -- and for the Indonesian security forces tasked to quell
a separatist movement.

Jayapura on Saturday was still tense, however many residents have resumed
their daily activities after staying at home Thursday and Friday. Shops
and supermarkets in the Abepura section of town, where the riots took
place, had also been opened. Traffic resumed and police seemed to have
stopped their search for suspects.

The Papua People's Assembly (MRP) issued an announcement, appealing the
entire community against being easily provoked to resort to excessive
actions that tended to hurt the public.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Police Attack Papua Residents
-- Days after a mob killed four officers, forces in east Indonesia stop
cars and beat occupants.
>From the Associated Press
March, 19 2006

Jayapura, Indonesia — Paramilitary police in Papua pulled people from cars
Saturday and beat them, an official said, two days after a mob bludgeoned
to death four security officers during protests to demand the closure of a
U.S.-owned gold mine in eastern Indonesia.

The mob rampage Thursday that left three police officers and an air force
officer dead began when security forces fired tear gas and charged
protesters with batons in Jayapura, provincial capital of Papua.

Protesters say the community has seen little benefit from the billions of
dollars earned by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., based in New
Orleans.

Police have arrested 12 people on charges of murder, assault and
destruction of property, said spokesman Col. Kartono Wangsadisastra, who
pledged to investigate the incidents involving paramilitary police.

The killing of the four security officers underscored the hatred many
Papuans feel for Indonesian soldiers and police. A decades-long separatist
rebellion in the remote province has left more than 100,000 dead, many of
them civilians who suffered mistreatment, starvation and other
consequences of the war.

On Saturday, paramilitary police were deployed in the streets, guarding a
road that connects Jayapura to the airport.

Shooting into the air, the security police pulled people out of their
cars, kicking and beating them.

"We are investigating the incidents and some officers are being
questioned," said Wangsadisastra.

He said two journalists were among those attacked, and the paramilitary
officers involved were apparently distraught about the deaths of their
comrades.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned that people trying to manipulate
anger over the mine to win support for independence would not succeed and
that the easternmost province would remain part of Indonesia.

Freeport defends its operation in Papua, saying it pays millions of
dollars in taxes each year and funds scores of local projects.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Headline News
March 18, 2006
Rights activists urge restraint in Papua
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An alliance of NGOs has condemned Thursday's violence in Jayapura, Papua,
but demanded the authorities not exact reprisals for the killing of three
policemen and an Air Force officer.

"This has to be handled according to the law and proportionally without
the police demanding vengeance," said Commission for Missing Persons and
Victims of Violence (Kontras) coordinator Usman Hamid.

"We urge everyone to act reasonably by not doing things which are unwanted
by all," he added, amid concerns of an escalation of violence due to
hostility between the public and the security forces.

The NGOs abhorred the actions of security personnel, who conducted sweeps
of civilian areas Thursday night to apprehend individuals suspected of
being involved in the incident near Cendrawasih State University.

They alleged the police acted indiscriminately in apprehending suspects,
and intimidated college students from the central highland areas of
Jayapura, Abepura and Sentani.

"If the police don't obey the law, how will the people feel the need to
obey the law?" said Center for Democracy and Human Rights (Demos)
executive director Asmara Nababan.

Past incidents show that retaliation by security personnel in Papua,
including after the 2000 attack on a police station in Abepura in which
two policemen and a civilian died, exacerbated the situation and led to
human rights violations.

The NGOs also demanded that the military commander and the police chief
immediately intervene by withdrawing security personnel members with
strong emotional ties with the victims.

To restore order and peace in the area, the NGOs demanded that talks also
involve religious and community figures, due to the sociocultural
background of the populace.

Nababan implored the police to never forget the presumption of innocence.

The NGOs blamed the incident on the lack of communication between the
central government and the Papuan people, saying Jakarta must reopen and
intensify dialog with the Papuan people in order to obtain their opinions.

"How come the government can communicate with Aceh, but not with Papua?"
said Nababan. "The Papua situation is already like a bundle of dry grass,
which will take only a single match to set it ablaze."

The National Commission on Human Rights also urged the Jayapura
authorities to immediately apprehend those responsible for the incident
without resorting to excessive force, which would lead to further human
rights violations in Papua.

"This is because the Papuans have had to suppress their suffering for such
a long time due to the government's policies," said Human Rights Watch
Group coordinator Rafendi Jamin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Press Statement
18th March 2006
Port Vila, Vanuatu
Dr. Otto Ondawame, International Spokesperson of the OPM condemns the
violence in West Papua.

Dr. Ondawame announced today that the OPM office in Port Vila, Vanuatu has
called upon the Melanesian Spearhead Group (Vanuatu, Fiji, Papuan New
Guinea, Solomon Island, Kanaky) and the international community to take
notice of yesterday’s violence in West Papua.

He drew attention to the ongoing atrocities occurring in West Papua, which
have been, and are continuing to be, completely ignored by the Melanesian
Spearhead Group and the International community as whole.

“How long do our cries go unheard?”

He made special reference to yesterday’s violence in the West Papua’s
capital Port Numbay (Jayapura) where up to four members of Indonesia’s
security forces were killed in a clash with West Papuan students.

“Yesterday’s violence that caused unnecessary death of four members of
Indonesian armed forces and wounded innocent people of West Papua will not
solve the ongoing problem in West Papua, rather, it will be provoke the
situation and prolong the conflict with serious consequences. We do not
want that the history of East Timor in the post-referendum repeats again
in West Papua in the absence of our ignorance.”

“OPM strongly condemns any form of violence because violence will never
solve the conflict. In democratic spirit, we must use the existing
international institutions to solve this immediate conflict. We call upon
the Government of Indonesia to find an appropriate peaceful channels to
end this violence and future possibility escalation of new violence”,
stated Dr. Ondawame.
Surely the central government of Indonesia must be realistic and wise
enough to map out the reasons behind the recent demonstrations occurring
in the major urban cities – Port Numbay, Timika and Jakarta, and their
demand for closing down Freeport Mine.

As long as the Government of Indonesia does not take the appropriate steps
to dialogue with the leadership of OPM, the conflict will likely continue.
“Upon good faith we urge the Government of Indonesia with the assistance
of a international mediator to open dialogue with our leadership.”

The issue of West Papua is not an internal matter for the Government of
Indonesia to resolve given the historical evidence that clearly questions
Indonesia’s claim of sovereignty over West Papua. We have to remind the
international community in which West Papua came under Indonesian control.

“The root cause of the ongoing conflict has been the violation of the
fundamental human rights including the rights to self-determination and
independence during what was known as “Act of Free Choice in 1969” --
1,025 West Papuan elders were coerced and manipulated into voting
unanimously on behalf of some one million West Papuans for inclusion in
Indonesia. This Act of “No Choice” has been regarded in the international
community as a fraudulent tactic that was used by Indonesia’s military
regime to annex West Papua”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indonesian police detain 11 more after Papua clashes
18 Mar 2006 07:06:00 GMT
Jakarta, March 18 (Reuters)

Indonesian authorities have detained another 11 people in Papua province
after three policemen and a soldier died in clashes with protesters
demanding closure of a giant U.S.-run mine, police said on Saturday.

Fifty-seven people had already been detained after Thursday's violence in
the provincial capital, Jayapura, on the northeastern shore of Papua,
about 3,500 km (2,200 miles) from Jakarta.

The clashes sparked fears of more protests against U.S. firm
Freeport-McMoran Cooper & Gold Inc, which runs the mine.

Tensions have been running high in the area in recent days and, on Friday,
police fired shots into the air as they patrolled the city. Three people
were hurt in the incident.

Last month mine operations were halted for four days before protesters,
mostly illegal miners, left the site near the town of Timika, about 500 km
(300 miles) southwest of Jayapura.

The mine has been operating normally this week.

"The number of people detained has increased from 57 to 68," Papua police
spokesman Kartono Wangsadisastra said on Saturday.

"Our team is still searching for those responsible for the criminal
activities ... We have found the perpetrators' identities and formed an
investigating team to hunt for them."

He said 10 people had been declared suspects, but gave no details.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has rejected demands for the immediate
closure of the mining operation, the country's largest taxpayer, but said
he would assign ministers to examine social grievances related to the
mine.

There have been sporadic protests, both in Papua and Jakarta, since the
February shutdown. Issues range from illegal miners seeking access to the
mine area to the demands for closure of the mine, believed to have the
world's third-largest copper reserves and one of the biggest gold
deposits.

Illegal miners often enter mining areas in Indonesia, a sprawling
archipelago with huge deposits of such metals as copper, gold and tin.

The Freeport operation has been a frequent source of controversy over its
environmental impact, the share of revenue going to Papuans, and the
legality of payments to Indonesian security forces who help guard the
site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Antara
Mar 18 22:34
Police declare 12 people suspects in Abepura incident

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - Twelve out of 67 people police have been
questioning in connection with Thursday’s violent anti-Freeport
demonstration in Abepura that took the lives of three police officers and
an air force man have been declared suspects in the case, police said.

"All of the suspects will be detained at the Jayapura Police
Headquarters," Papua Police Chief Inspector Gen. Tommy Yacobus told the
press here Saturday.

In addition to the four fatalities, some 10 policemen and six civilians
were injured in the clash between security personnel and demonstrators
demanding the closure of the operations of giant US-based gold and copper
company PT Freeport Indonesia in Timika, Papua.

On Thursday, police declared five suspects after interrogating 27 people.

Yacobus said the suspects consisted of students and people with other
occupations and police might pick up more people for questioning.

Among the 12 suspects, Selfinus Bobii, secretary general of the West Papua
Public Referendum Front (FPPPB) was the main suspect in the case.

Meanwhile, activities at Cendrawasih University in front of which the
clash occurred, have returned to normal.

Freeport has been operating in the province based on a work contract with
the Indonesian government since 1967.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Antara
Mar 18 22:17
President again calls on people to exercise restraint

Ambon (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono again called on
all parties here on Saturday to exercise restraint to avoid new problems
following a violent incident in Papua.

"In times like these all parties are expected to be able to exercise
restraint and field commanders should lead more effectively to avoid
unwanted incidents," he said at the Pattimura airport before leaving for
Jakarta.

He made the statement in reply to a press question about the attacks by
policemen on journalists covering the clash between protesters and
security personnel in Abepura, Papua, on last Thursday.

He said efforts were being made to settle the case, adding that the police
had held meetings with media leaders on connection with the incident.

"The meeting was held to find a settlement of the case including replacing
equipment that was damaged in the incident," he said.

He said he supported the national police chief’s move to conduct
consolidation and rotation for units in Papua.

"We understand the feeling of members of the Mobile Brigade following the
deaths of their fellows in the incident and the rotation is expected to be
able to create a better atmosphere and to avoid possible provocations." he
said.

With the measure he hoped all people including journalists could carry out
their activities normally again.

He said the situation in Abepura was improving and remained under
supervision of security personnel.

Several journalists were attacked by Mobile Brigade members while they
were covering the clash between anti-Freeport demonstrators and security
personnel in Abepura on Thursday that claimed the lives of three policemen
and an airforce member.

Two TV7 reporters namely Pambudi and Dominicus Arya and RCTI journalist
Andy were wounded in the attack. ANTV cameraman Mahendra was punched and
all the reporters’ cameras were wrecked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Antara
Mar 20 15:14
Journalists denounce use of violence by security personnel

Bandung, W Java (ANTARA News) - Some 100 journalists staged a peaceful
rally outside the West Java Provincial Legislative Assembly (DPRD)
building here on Monday to denounce the use of violence by security
personnel against journalists in Abepura, Papua, recently.

The journalists, who claim to be members of the Bandung Journalists
Solidarity (SWB) carried a number of posters urging security personnel not
to use violence against anybody.

"Anyway security personnel must be professional in performing their duties
anywhere, anytime. Don’t commit violence against anybody including
journalist because the act of violence is extremely embarrassing and
brings about nothing," SWB chief Sulhan Safii said.

He said the police must investigate any of its personnel who had used
violence against journalists covering the bloody clash between security
personnel and protesters demanding the closure of Freeport, a giant US-run
mine in Abepura, Papua, last Thursday.

Three policemen and a soldier were killed and a dozens of police officers
and civilians were injured in the incident.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TIME Asia Magazine
Ready To Explode
-- The causes of recent violence in Indonesia's remote Papua go beyond the
province's contentious gold mine
By Simon Elegant
Monday, Mar. 20, 2006

Last week, rallies to demand the closure of a gold and copper mine run by
U.S.-based Freeport-McMoRan in Indonesia's Papua province turned violent,
leaving three policemen and one air force officer dead. But the real
surprise is that violence didn't break out sooner. Papuans have long seen
the mine as a symbol of Jakarta's unequal share of the proceeds from the
province's natural resources—and the roots of their resentment go even
deeper. The remote province, whose inhabitants are ethnically distinct
from the rest of the country, was forcibly taken over by Indonesia in 1963
and remains bedeviled by corruption, secessionist warfare and some of
Indonesia's worst rates of HIV/AIDS and poverty. "Years of integration
with Indonesia hasn't brought much improvement in the locals' quality of
life, while their resources continue to be exhausted," says J. Kristiadi,
a political analyst at the Jakarta-based Center for Strategic and
International Studies.

Following the latest clashes, Indonesia's army chief and other senior
officials traveled to Jayapura last Friday to talk with local leaders.
There's much at stake: the Freeport facility, the world's largest gold
mine, is the single largest contributor to Indonesia's coffers, paying
roughly $1 billion in taxes last year.

University of Indonesia sociologist Thamrin Amal Tomagola says Jakarta's
recent truce with rebels in formerly restive Aceh province has inspired
Papuans to take to the streets in hopes of securing similar concessions.
Indeed, maintaining the status quo in Papua might no longer be an option.
"Jakarta must change the way it handles Papua and listen to people's
complaints," says Thamrin. "Otherwise the violence will continue and get
worse every time it breaks out."
-- Reported by Zamira Loebis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Papua killings underscore obstacles to peace in Indonesia region
Saturday March 18, 2006
Jayapura, Indonesia (AP)

Deadly protests in Papua in the past week underscore obstacles to peace in
the eastern Indonesian province, where anger is mounting over brutal
security forces and a massive gold mine run by U.S. giant Freeport.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono successfully negotiated a truce with
separatists in Aceh, on the west side of the sprawling Indonesian
archipelago, but analysts and church leaders caution that a similar deal
in Papua would be more tricky.

"It's sounding increasingly desperate over there,'' said Australian
academic Damien Kingsbury, who advised Aceh rebels over their deal with
the government.

"You also have to take into account that the military is digging in its
heels in Papua. After the end of the Aceh war, it's the site of its last
fiefdom.''

Rock-throwing protesters demanding the closure of Freeport-McMoRan's huge
Papua gold mine clashed with police Thursday in the provincial capital,
Jayapura.

Three police and an air force officer were bludgeoned to death in the
ensuing melee.

A poorly armed separatist movement has brewed in Papua, Indonesia's
easternmost province, since Jakarta occupied it in the 1960s.

About 100,000 Papuans are reported to have died due to the conflict,
either killed in military crackdowns or by disease and starvation.

Allegations of abuse are hard to confirm.

The government bans foreign journalists from visiting the remote, mostly
forest-covered province on the western side of New Guinea island.

"The anti-Freeport protests are to do with the stomach, and are purely the
spark for a series of problems faced by the people over a long time,''
said Jayapura Bishop Leo Laba Ladjar, calling for calm after the killings.

New Orleans-based Freeport defends its Papua operations, saying it pays
millions of dollars (euros) in taxes each year and funds scores of local
projects near the mine, said to be the world's largest.

But the mine in the province's highlands has long been seen as symbol of
the central government's allegedly unfair distribution of assets.

Papua is rich in natural resources, including gold, but remains
Indonesia's poorest province.

Freeport's practice of paying security forces to guard its facility has
also angered rights activists.

"We hear that rich companies operate in the this province, but life is
getting more difficult for me,'' said Magedelana Aninam, as she sold a
meager selection of vegetables in Jayapura's market.

"I have been through this difficult time, and all I want is a life that
makes me not tired.''

Yudhoyono has said he wants to use in Papua the same blueprint that
brought peace last year to tsunami-ravaged Aceh province, but analysts
point out that Papua's rebel movement is more fragmented, making
negotiations harder.

Some fear attacks by vengeful troops in coming days could further
destabilize the area.

"My real fear is that there will be revenge acts,'' said Dewi Fortuna
Anwar, deputy chairman for social sciences and humanities at the
Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

"That has happened in the past. That could be very bloody and lead to more
serious problems.''
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