[Kabar-Irian] News: Dec 18 2007

[Admin-Editors Kabar-Irian]

KABAR IRIAN NEWS

Dec 18   2007

TOPICS

* 3,000 illegal immigrants entered Papua New Guinea
* Giant cat-sized rats discovered in Papuan 'lost world'
*  Giant rat species found in Papua forest
*  PM invites Indonesian president to visit PNG
* Film exposes Papua's deforestation
* Faleomavaega Concerned About Papua Security
* US Congressman angry over Indonesia trip restrictions
* News Release: Congressman Eni F. H. Faleomavaega

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http://www.mvariety.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=4142&format=html

Pacific Islands

Tuesday December 18, 2007

3,000 illegal immigrants entered Papua New Guinea

PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) — More than 3,000 people entered Papua New Guinea
illegally through the Daru and Vanimo border ports which are not properly
managed by government agencies, reports Post Courier.

This was the biggest problem that the country faces unless strong laws and
tough measures are taken to stop all these illegal aliens coming into the
country through these border posts.

This warning was from Stephen Raphael, who led an investigation team into
Immigration and Foreign Affairs to Daru and then Vanimo last week.  With
him were the deputy secretaries of Foreign Affairs, Justice and Attorney,
Labor, National Intelligence Organization and Police.

A successful check at the border of Vanimo last week resulted in three
people, two Indonesians and one Filipino (named) being caught and locked
up at Vanimo jail for illegally entering PNG through the border and
conducting business with a foreign logging company operating in that area.

Among this group was a woman who claimed she was the chef/cook but on her
papers she was an insurance broker back in Indonesia.

Further, the team caught red-handed a Vietnamese in Daru who was granted
refugee status by Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare but is now running a
fishing business despite running around with papers showing his refugee
status.

Raphael said the 3,000 is just an estimate of the number of illegal
people, and that there could be more than that.

“One of the biggest problems we are facing is the fact that our borders
are not being looked after well,” Raphael said. “The Government will now
have to address this issue.  “These people that we caught in Vanimo are
now locked up in the Vanimo cells and will wait for their sentences.”

---

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=502798&in_page_id=1811

Giant cat-sized rats discovered in Papuan 'lost world'
By RICHARD SHEARS - More by this author » Last updated at 21:22pm on 17th
December 2007

Comments Comments (3)
When the large furry creature first scuttled into their jungle camp
looking for its supper, the scientists assumed it was a cat.

But after several further visits, when it tamely allowed itself to be
picked up, they realised they were actually holding a giant rat.

The monster rodent was the most spectacular discovery in a remote area of
Indonesia which experts are describing as a "lost world" of
hitherto-unknown animals and plants.

At the other end of the size scale was a pygmy possum thought to be one of
the world's smallest marsupials - creatures which carry their young in a
pouch.

"These are two animals which were totally unknown to science and we're
absolutely thrilled to have discovered them," said one of the explorers
who ventured into the thick jungles of Indonesia's Papua province.

Scroll down for more...

Rats alive! The giant Mallomys rodent from Papua is five times the size of
his British cousins

It was in 2005 that the team first visited the Foja Mountains where, it is
believed, no modern human had ever stepped.

On that first visit, scientists discovered dozens of new plants, birds,
butterflies and frogs. On their second they were excited to find more,
along with the giant rat and the pygmy possums.

"It's comforting to know that there's a place on Earth so isolated that it
remains the absolute realm of wild nature," said Bruce Beehler,
vice-president of the U.S.-based wildlife group Conservation
International.

The giant rat is the biggest known in the world by far and weighs 3lb;
about five times as much as a typical city rat. It is 2ft long, plus tail,
and shows no fear of humans.

As they travelled through the forest, the scientists heard the calls of
birds they could not identify and were convinced there were many more
creatures yet to be discovered. They are planning a third expedition next
year.

Scroll down for more...

Miniature: The pygmy possum from Foja is thought to the world's smallest
marsupial

Foja has been described as wildlife's last frontier, where exotic
creatures live without any threat from mankind, mainly because there are
no roads or tracks and the nearest native villages are scores of miles
away.

Papua has 104 million acres of tropical rainforest and some of the richest
biodiversity in the world. But it is under threat from illegal logging and
clearing for palm oil plantations.

---

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/12/17/earat117.xml

 Giant rat species found in Papua forest

By Nick Squires in Sydney
Last Updated: 12:01pm GMT 17/12/2007

A giant rat and a pygmy possum, both believed to be new to science, have
been found in an ecological 'lost world' hidden in the pristine cloud
forests of New Guinea.

Dr Ucok holds this 1.4 kg giant rat that is probably a new species
The 1.4 kg giant rat that is probably a new species

The huge rat - about five times as large as a sewer rat - had no fear of
people and regularly wandered into a camp set up by scientists in the
remote region of Papua, the Indonesian half of the island of New Guinea.

In contrast, the Cercartetus possum was shy and ranks as one of the
world's smallest marsupials.

Both creatures were found by scientists from the US-based group
Conservation International and the Indonesian Institute of Science, which
led an expedition to the Foja mountains of eastern Papua in June.

It is extremely rare to discover new species of mammal, particularly one
as large as the Mallomys rat.
advertisement

"The giant rat is about five times the size of a typical city rat," said
Kristofer Helgen, a scientist with the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington.

"With no fear of humans, it apparently came into the camp several times
during the trip."

A 2005 expedition to the same stretch of jungle - dubbed by Conservation
International as a "Lost World" because of its remoteness and biological
richness - found dozens of exotic new species of plants and insects.

On this most recent trip, the scientists also recorded the mating displays
of several little-known birds for the first time, including the
golden-fronted bowerbird and the black sicklebill bird of paradise.

They also observed a "lost" bird of paradise, Berlepsch's six-wired bird
of paradise, last seen by outsiders in the 19th century.

The expedition was accompanied by a National Geographic photographer and a
camera crew from the American network CBS.

A probable new species of pygmy possum (top) and the Ornate fruit-dove
A probable new species of pygmy possum (top) and the Ornate fruit-dove

"It's comforting to know that there is a place on earth so isolated that
it remains the absolute realm of wild nature," said Conservation
International's vice-president, Bruce Beehler, who led the expedition.

"We were pleased to see that this little piece of Eden remains as pristine
and enchanting as it was when we first visited."

The Foja Wilderness is part of the great Mamberamo Basin, the largest
untouched tropical forest in the Asia Pacific region.

The province of Papua - not to be confused with neighbouring Papua New
Guinea - boasts more than 100 million acres of tropical forest and some of
the richest bio-diversity in the world.

The Indonesian government has declared the region a National Wildlife
Sanctuary, but surrounding areas are under threat from clearing for palm
oil plantations as well as rampant illegal logging.

The scientists plan another expedition to the area in late 2008 or 2009,
when they expect to discover more species of mammals, frogs and
butterflies.

---

http://www.thenational.com.pg/121707/Nation%2011.htm

PM invites Indonesian president to visit PNG

INDONESIAN President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has thanked Prime Minister
Sir Michael Somare for the invitation to visit PNG towards the middle of
2008.

President Yudhoyono expressed his intention to visit PNG during a
bilateral meeting held with Sir Michael in Bali during the United Nations
conference on climate change last week.
Sir Michael said he was pleased that both countries, sharing a common
border, were able to maintain friendly and peaceful relations that allowed
for continual dialogue to take place over the past 30 years.
Sir Michael congratulated Mr Yudhoyono on his initiative on the Coral
Triangle Initiative that complements PNG’s rainforest nations’ initiative
all aimed at reducing the effects of climate change.
Sir Michael honoured the commitment made at the last Pacific Island Forum
meeting in Tonga and raised the issue of Papua province with president
Yudhoyono.

President Yudhoyono assured Sir Michael that Indonesia had not only
granted autonomy to Papua province but had also increased its budget to a
level where the per capita income of the province was greater than other
provinces of Indonesia.
Both leaders wanted to capitalise on the friendly and peaceful relations
to improve exchanges in trade and investment.

Sir Michael assured President Yudhoyono that the PNG government would work
on increasing the level of trade between the two countries by fully
utilising the bilateral trade agreement signed in September 2000 and the
exchange rate facility to strengthen and expand trade relations.
Border trade between Sandaun province in PNG and Papua province in
Indonesia has steadily increased but more is required to further develop
links both in terms of roads and shipping in the area.

---

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20071217.E03&irec=2


Film exposes Papua's deforestation

Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua



Papua holds one of the largest areas of forest in the Asia Pacific region.
It is also both a home and the grounds for a livelihood for some of the
world's most culturally diverse indigenous peoples.

Yet Papua's forest and people have been facing severe threats from
exploitative and unsustainable legal and illegal logging and there are
plans for millions of hectares oil palm plantations.

For a long time, the threats to Papua's forest and people have never been
told to the world because of the central government's policy of banning
foreign journalists from visiting the Papua province.

Despite the government's policy, the world can today watch Papua's
deforestation and the impact this has via secret filmings.

A unique film compilation on Papua's deforestation was launched in the
last week of November 2007, by the London-based Environmental
Investigation Agency (EIA), which investigates and exposes environmental
and wildlife crimes, and the Jakarta-based Non-Governmental Organization
(NGO) Telapak.

The film contains four stories about deforestation and its impacts in
Papua's regencies of Fak-fak, Sorong, Manokwari, Bintuni and Mappi.

The film reveals previously unseen stories of timber, oil palm and
agarwood companies and horizontal conflicts. It shows environmental damage
and the loss of traditional land rights and livelihoods.

In some cases these problems are linked to intimidation and deception
against the indigenous Papuans.

The five short films, launched under the collective banner "Save the
People and Forests of Papua", were entirely conceived, shot and edited by
NGO filmmakers from Papua working in collaboration with local communities
adversely affected by destructive logging and oil palm plantations.

You can see the damage being done to Papua's rainforests -- which the
indigenous Papuans rely on almost entirely for food and shelter -- through
uncontrolled logging and palm oil plantations.

The Papuans traditional way of life is being threatened by the wholesale
destruction of their forests.

Much of the wildlife, including pigs, deer and birds which the indigenous
Papuans from the Mooi tribe rely on for food, have been driven out by
deforestation and oil palm plantations.

Another film shot in Manokwari regency tells how the indigenous Papuans
were deceived for the state-sponsored palm oil plantations.

Tribal leaders were brought by the government to Medan in Sumatra in 1982
to learn about palm oil plantations.

The film, then, shows the loss of the locals' rights to the ancestral land
and the destruction of their forests due to palm oil plantations.

Promises that palm oil would sustain them for generations fail to
materialize and the plantations fall into neglect as they become
unprofitable.

And the tribal leaders are now regretting their involvement with palm oil
plantations.

The indigenous Papuans give their testimonies through the film on how
their rivers have been polluted by undiluted palm oil from factories, and
it shows how they develop rashes when they wash in it.

But the films also convey a message of hope. It shows growing efforts by
Papuan civil society groups and local communities to genuinely participate
in decisions concerning utilization of their ancient forests.

The native Papuans would like to play a vital role in avoiding further
loss of the forest.

Learning from Papua's deforestation, as revealed through the films, the
government should produce more environmentally friendly policies to
preserve the rainforest within the territory of Indonesia.

Ordinary Indonesians could also learn something from the film -- they
might understand the importance of preserving their rainforests, see the
terrible impacts of deforestation, and realize other social and cultural
problems generated by the presence and activities of the timber and oil
palm industries.

The impact of deforestation in Papua is directly endured not only by
Papuans but everybody on earth thorough the increase of global warming.

A global action, then, should be taken toward preserving Papua's
rainforest. But this action must also address the problem of poverty in
the western half of the island of New Guinea.

The international community needs to support any policy and actions taken
by the governor and the local people to save Papua's forest and people.

The writer is a lecturer at the Fajar Timur School of Philosophy and
Theology in Abepura, Papua.

---

http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2007/12/18/faleomavaega-concerned-about-papua-security

Faleomavaega Concerned About Papua Security
By Pacific Magazine
Tuesday: December 18, 2007

American Samoa Congressman Faleomavaega has written to the Indonesian
President expressing his disappointment over a recent trip to Papua, and
saying until he can visit Papua properly, he can’t advocate support for
the Special Autonomy Law in Congress.

Faleomavaega arranged his trip to coincide with the UN climate change
conference in Bali, and “in support of President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono’s efforts to implement the provisions of the Special Autonomy
Law that was approved by the government of Indonesia since 2001.”


Faleomavaega says instead of the five day visit he expected to Biak and
Manokwari in Papua and the capital Jayapura, he was told on arrival that
he would only spend two hours, and wouldn’t be permitted to visit the
capitol.

“Having already been denied entry in July of this year and having
accommodated your request to postpone my August visit to the last week of
November,” Faleomavaega said to President SBY, “I was deeply disappointed
that upon my arrival I was again denied entry into Jayapura and that my
time was reduced from 5 days to only two hours of actual meetings with the
leaders and people of Biak and Manokwari due to supposedly security
concerns.  Such a decision on the part of your government begs the
question, if all is well throughout the provinces of Papua and West Papua,
why is security a problem at all?”

“In Biak, I met with Governor Barnabas Suebu and other legislators,
traditional and religious leaders selected by the government.  During the
course of our meeting, a highly respected traditional leader, Chief Tom
Beanal, was detained by the military, as was Mr. Willie Mandowen.  My
staff had to go to the gate of the government guesthouse to request that
they be allowed entry to our meeting with Governor Suebu.

“Papuans who had gathered in the streets in Biak were denied the
opportunity to meet with us, and US Ambassador Cameron Hume and I had to
force our way through a military barricade just to meet with the Papuan
people who had to walk several miles from the airport and wait in the hot
sun because Indonesian military forces (TNI) barred them from meeting with
Ambassador Hume and me.”

Faleomavaega says he found the “overpowering” military presence that
shadowed his visit deeply disturbing.

He says in Manokwari the military presence was even worse, and he and the
U.S. Ambassador were taken in a car without escort in an attempt to
deceive Papuans who were gathered in the streets waiting for their
arrival.

“In no uncertain terms, I was told by the TNI military leaders that
Ambassador Hume and I were not welcome in Manokwari.”

“While I felt no danger whatsoever from the Papuans who were unarmed and
only wanted to meet with us, I was very uncomfortable that the TNI
military was so bent on not allowing even a conversation to take place. 
It was my hope and understanding that I would be able to meet with the
people and leaders of both provinces but, when I saw how heavily armed
that the TNI military was, I knew that the military had no intention of
honoring the commitment that President SBY and I had made in Jakarta in
July of this year.”

Faleomavaega asks whether President SBY is still committed to working
together to implement the Special Autonomy Law.

”As long as the TNI military forces of Indonesia continue to deny Members
of Congress real access to the provinces of Papua and West Papua,
especially Jayapura, it will be difficult for me to support the goals of
Special Autonomy when clearly the Papuans in these two provinces are still
being intimidated, harassed and abused by the TNI.”

He says until he can meet properly with Papuans and visit Jayapura, he
can’t in good conscience inform my colleagues in Congress that progress is
being made to implement the Special Autonomy Law.”

“I do commend President SBY for his efforts to implement the Special
Autonomy Law which is supposed to ensure the civil rights and liberties of
the Papuan people and, at this time, I still believe we can work together
in cooperation with Freeport Mining, USAID, OPIC, and the traditional,
religious, and political leaders of both provinces to strengthen the
Special Autonomy Law.  But, whether or not we move forward is entirely up
to President SBY and those who control the activities of Indonesia’s TNI
military forces.”

---

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2122091.htm

US Congressman angry over Indonesia trip restrictions

Last Updated 18/12/2007, 17:34:11



American Samoa's Congressman has officially lodged a complaint with
Indonesia about the way he was treated during a recent visit to
Indoneisa's Papua province.

Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin, was allowed to visit the province for three days
earlier this month, after being denied permission to do so last July.

He's been a long-term critic of Indonesian rule over the mainly Melanesian
western half of New Guinea.

He says his movements were severely restricted and he wasn't allowed to
visit the provincial capital, Jayapura.

Congressman Faleomavaega says he'll continue to stand up for the rights of
the people of West Papua despite his treatment by Indonesian officials

"For the past 50 years their Indonesian government, and especially the
military, have done abslutely nothing for the people of West Papua," he
said.

"That being the case [they] may as well give them theri independence if
this is how they are treated."

---

From:  ETAN <fbp at igc.org>

Date:  Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:58:44 +0900

News Release

Congressman Eni F. H. Faleomavaega

Territory of American Samoa

U.S. House of Representatives

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: December 17, 2007

Washington, D.C. -- FALEOMAVAEGA DISAPPOINTED WITH HIS VISIT TO
            BIAK AND MANOKWARI PAPUA, INDONESIA

In his letter dated December 13, 2007, Congressman Faleomavaega wrote
to His Excellency Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic
of Indonesia expressing his serious concerns about his recent trip to
the towns of Biak and Manokwari, in Papua, Indonesia on November 27, 2007.

"As you know, I originally wanted to visit Papua during my visit to
Indonesia in July of this year but your government was unable to
allow me to travel at that time due to security concerns,"
Faleomavaega said in his letter to President SBY. "In August, I again
requested an opportunity to visit Papua and your government proposed
alternative dates to coincide with your invitation for me to also
attend the UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Bali beginning
on December 3, 2007."

In good faith, Faleomavaega planned his trip to coincide with the UN
conference in Bali in support of President SBY's efforts to implement
the provisions of the Special Autonomy Law that was approved by the
government of Indonesia since 2001. It was Faleomavaega's
understanding that he would visit the towns of Biak and Manokwari in
Papua, and, most importantly, the capital of Papua which is Jayapura.

However, while enroute to Jakarta, Faleomavaega received word that
the Indonesian government would allow him to spend only 3 days in the
provinces of Papua and West Papua. Upon his arrival on November 25,
2007, Faleomavaega was then informed that he would be able to spend
only two hours and that he would not be allowed to visit Jayapura.

"Having already been denied entry in July of this year and having
accommodated your request to postpone my August visit to the last
week of November," Faleomavaega said to President SBY, "I was deeply
disappointed that upon my arrival I was again denied entry into
Jayapura and that my time was reduced from 5 days to only two hours
of actual meetings with the leaders and people of Biak and Manokwari
due to supposedly security concerns. Such a decision on the part of
your government begs the question, if all is well throughout the
provinces of Papua and West Papua, why is security a problem at all?"

"Given that President SBY and I had an understanding that I would
support his efforts to implement the Special Autonomy Law based on
the understanding that this is what the traditional, religious and
political leaders of the Papuan people want at this time,"
Faleomavaega said, "it is difficult for me to understand why at every
turn I have been denied entry to Jayapura and that my time in Papua
and West Papua was reduced from 5 days to two hours. In truth, with
the exception of the two days I spent with Freeport officials in
Timika, I spent all of two hours in Biak and only 10 minutes on the
ground in Manokwari."

"In Biak, I met with Governor Barnabas Suebu and other legislators,
traditional and religious leaders selected by the government. During
the course of our meeting, a highly respected traditional leader,
Chief Tom Beanal, was detained by the military, as was Mr. Willie
Mandowen. My staff had to go to the gate of the government guesthouse
to request that they be allowed entry to our meeting with Governor
Suebu. Papuans who had gathered in the streets in Biak were denied
the opportunity to meet with us, and US Ambassador Cameron Hume and I
had to force our way through a military barricade just to meet with
the Papuan people who had to walk several miles from the airport and
wait in the hot sun because Indonesian military forces (TNI) barred
them from meeting with Ambassador Hume and me."

"During our meeting in the streets with the Papuan people, which the
TNI military limited to less than 5 minutes, I publicly thanked
President SBY for allowing me to visit Biak. However, though I did
not publicly mention it, I was deeply disturbed by the overpowering
military presence, which I felt was completely unnecessary," Faleomavaega
said.

"In Manokwari, the military presence was even worse. Prior to my
arrival in Manokwari, I was told that I would be meeting with the
Governor only to learn upon my arrival at the airport that the
Governor was in China. Nonetheless, Ambassador Hume and I were put in
a car, without any escort and with only a single traffic police unit
in front. While we do not require special privileges, we were very
aware that our delegation was not given the necessary escort because
the TNI was intent on deceiving the Papuans who had gathered on the
streets waiting for us."

"As reported by others, we were driven along Trikora Road, the main
road from Manokwari to Rendani Airport, then along Sujarwo
Condronegoro Road, in the direction of Reremi Road and along Palapa
Road (which is very badly damaged, full of potholes and very narrow),
then along Merapi Road to Merdeka Road and then on to Siliwangi Road
to arrive at the office of the Governor of the Province of West
Papua. We were keenly aware that although we were guests of the
Indonesian government, TNI drove us through round about routes where
acts of sabotage could easily have occurred."

"Arriving at the office of the Governor who was in China, and after
meeting for less than 10 minutes with the Vice Governor, I was told
that due to weather and security concerns, I would need to depart
immediately. In no uncertain terms, I was told by the TNI military
leaders that Ambassador Hume and I were not welcome in Manokwari."

"In the TNI 's haste to get us out of Manokwari," Faleomavaega
continued, "Ambassador Hume and I were separated and placed in
different vehicles. We were again driven along the back roads of
Manokwari with no clear indication where we were headed, without any
escort, and not one single official of the West Papua government
accompanied us back to the airport, meaning we were placed in
unfavorable circumstances. While I felt no danger whatsoever from the
Papuans who were unarmed and only wanted to meet with us, I was very
uncomfortable that the TNI military was so bent on not allowing even
a conversation to take place. It was my hope and understanding that I
would be able to meet with the people and leaders of both provinces
but, when I saw how heavily armed that the TNI military was, I knew
that the military had no intention of honoring the commitment that
President SBY and I had made in Jakarta in July of this year."

"As I arrived in front of the lobby at the Rendani airport, I was
able to briefly walk through the crowd at which time the Papuans
handed me a petition and put a Manokwari necklace around my neck. I
was also given a stuffed Cenderawasih bird as I made my way to the
plane. While there was some concern that the Papuans wanted to block
the runway in order to meet with us, due to inclement weather our
delegation had to board the aircraft quickly."

"From the window of the plane, I saw pushing and shoving between the
heavily armed military and the unarmed Papuans. Banners were also
raised. Whether or not anyone was hurt or arrested, I do not know but
I have requested that the Indonesian government provide me with
assurances that no arrests were made and that no one was harmed. I
have also asked President SBY if he is still committed to working
together to implement the Special Autonomy Law. As I have explained
to him, I will support the Special Autonomy Law and work in the US
Congress to make sure the Indonesian government is given every
opportunity to make good on its promises to the Papuan people based
on the understanding that this is also the consensus of the
traditional, religious and political leaders of both provinces."

"However, as long as the TNI military forces of Indonesia continue to
deny Members of Congress real access to the provinces of Papua and
West Papua, especially Jayapura, it will be difficult for me to
support the goals of Special Autonomy when clearly the Papuans in
these two provinces are still being intimidated, harassed and abused
by the TNI. Likewise, I do not consider two hours in Biak and 10
minutes in Manokwari as access. Until I am allowed to visit Jayapura,
as I have been promised, and until I am allowed to meet with the
people of Papua, as President SBY and I agreed, I cannot in good
conscience inform my colleagues in Congress that progress is being
made to implement the Special Autonomy Law which has mostly remained
dormant since 2001 and, since for the past 60 years, until President
SBY's leadership, the government of Indonesia has done absolutely
nothing to help the Papuan people who only want to be treated humanely."

"I do commend President SBY for his efforts to implement the Special
Autonomy Law which is supposed to ensure the civil rights and
liberties of the Papuan people and, at this time, I still believe we
can work together in cooperation with Freeport Mining, USAID, OPIC,
and the traditional, religious, and political leaders of both
provinces to strengthen the Special Autonomy Law. But, whether or not
we move forward is entirely up to President SBY and those who control
the activities of Indonesia's TNI military forces."

"While I appreciate the constraints President SBY is under, I remain
hopeful that we can overcome these obstacles and establish a more
stable environment that is mutually beneficial for Jakarta and the
Papuan people," Faleomavaega concluded.