[Kabar-Irian] News: Jan 4-22 2008
Admin-Editors Kabar-Irian
editors at kabar-irian.info
Mon Jan 21 19:20:41 MST 2008
KABAR IRIAN NEWS
Jan 4-22 2008
TOPICS
* Poor English hampers applicants
* Denias Goes to the Oscar!
* Eleven dead in Indonesian Papua landslide: officials
* Risk Briefing Indonesia
* Returning missionary's story (Dutch language only)
* 4,6 million difference between Papuans in PNG and West Papua
* West Papuan women interrogated
* Leatherback turtle's 12,744 mile migration
* More regions, more malaria cases found
* Mob attacks Mimika legislative council building
* Papua less serious on education
* Eleven dead, four missing in Jayapura landslide
* Mimika struggling to empower locals
* Papua landslide victims buried, housing policy to be reviewed
* Morning Star flag ban stands: Suebu
* Human Rights Situation in Papua since 1 December 2007
* UK Government's response to West Papuan political prisoners petition
* Activist denounces Papua Governor over Morning Star ban
* Separatists who won't quit
* Shackling Papuan Intellectuals
* Mimika district government to buy pioneer aircraft
* Freeport denies holding six foreign mountain climbers
* Mimika police detain two tribal chieftains
* Indonesians Jailed For PNG Illegal Border Crossing
* Suharto's_last_erection
* New Guinea’s melting glaciers draw scientists
---
Jakarta Post
Poor English hampers applicants
Archipelago - January 12, 2008
JAYAPURA, Papua: The Australian Development Scholarships (ADS) program
Friday began screening potential scholarship recipients from Papua and
West Papua in Jayapura.
Since the program was launched in 2001, it has prioritized students
from the eastern part of Indonesia, who comprise 30 percent of the
total number of recipients.
"Ironically, each year the number of recipients from Papua is very
small, not due to their academic backgrounds ... but due to
difficulties in (using) the English language," said ADS program leader
David Spiller.
Recipients must gain an IELTS score of at least 5 points, or
equivalent to 500 in the TOEFL.
Each year, the Australian government provides scholarships to 270
students from Indonesia for post-graduate study in Australia. The
program received 4,720 applications this year and processed 540
applicants to sit for interviews.
"We are interviewing 24 students from Papua and West Papua.
Previously, shortlisted applicants had to go to Makassar or Jakarta to
attend the interviews," he said.
Most of the 24 applicants have chosen environmental and forestry
studies. They were interviewed by Professor Janella Allison from
Tasmania University and Roosmalawati Roesman from the office of the
minister for research and technology. -- JP
---
http://journal.marisaduma.net/2008/01/13/denias-goes-to-the-oscar/
Denias Goes to the Oscar!
* Author: Marisa Duma <http://journal.marisaduma.net/>
* Filed under: Advertising and Media
<http://journal.marisaduma.net/category/advertising-and-media/> , Arts
and Culture <http://journal.marisaduma.net/category/arts-and-culture/> ,
Indonesia <http://journal.marisaduma.net/category/indonesia/> ,
International <http://journal.marisaduma.net/category/international/> ,
Tags: Advertising and Media
<http://journal.marisaduma.net/tag/advertising-and-media/> , Arts and
Culture <http://journal.marisaduma.net/tag/arts-and-culture/> ,
Indonesia <http://journal.marisaduma.net/tag/indonesia/> , International
<http://journal.marisaduma.net/tag/international/>
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al.marisaduma.net/2008/01/13/denias-goes-to-the-oscar/&title=Denias%20Go
\ es%20to%20the%20Oscar%21> Sunday
Jan 13,2008
Job well done. One of Indonesia's national movies, Denias: Senandung
di Atas Awan [Link <http://www.deniasmovie.com/> ], has been selected as
the official movie from the country to compete for 80th Academy
Awards' Best Foreign Film Oscar. Thus far, only three Southeast
Asian countries made it to Oscar's Foreign Film nominees: Vietnam,
Thailand, and Indonesia.
Denias Senandung di Atas Awan, subtitled Denias Singing on the Clouds,
is directed by John Rantau <http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_de_Rantau>
, script written by Jeremias Nyangoen, Masree Ruliat, Monty Tiwa, also
John Rantau himself, and starred by Albert Thom Joshua Fakdawer, Ari
Sihasale, Nia Zulkarnaen and Marcella Zalianty. Denias or Janias as the
lead character of the story is a Papuan tribe child on his striving
quest for education, the movie is adapted from his true story.
The movie's main theme, being situated entirely on the vast and
green highlands of Papua <http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papua> , is
regarded as one of the movie's outstanding qualities; coincidentally
it is also capturing PT. Freeport Indonesia establishments on the lands
of Papua, for instance YPJ Kuala Kencana
<http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Kencana> elementary school, the set
used as Denias' school, which is patroned by the mining company. As
a reminder, one of the controversies regarding Papua involves three
killings of American teachers in year 2002; the relationship between
Freeport and Indonesian military officers came under renewed scrutiny in
a report by Global Witness, as told by Kerry B. Collison on his site
[Link
<http://kerrycollison.net/index.php?/archives/376-Freeport-and-Indonesia\
s-Security-Forces-Troubling-New-Questions.html> ]–one of the
movie's protagonist character presents a millitary officer named
Maleo.
John Rantau also directed for Finding Madona, a film capturing HIV
issues in Papua; it has been nominated in several international events
as well, naming Shanghai Film Festival, Singapore Film Festival, and
Russia Film Festival. Prior to Denias' Oscar entry, two of
Indonesia's movie-makers have received international honoraries in
cinematography: Riri Riza's Three Days to Forever, winning London
Movie Festival 2007's for Best Movie, and Wahyu Aditya, awarded as
the International Young Screen Entrepeneur 2007. Another film in our
list of recommendation is Long Road to Heaven [Link
<http://www.kalyanashira.com/longroadtoheaven/english/main.html> ], a
movie portraying the Bali bombing of 2002 from several characters'
points-of-view: Hambali as the terrorists leader, Hannah Cattrelle as an
American tourist and her encounter with Pak Haji Ismail as a Muslim
living in Bali, Tim Dawson as an Australian father of a bombing victim,
Liz Thompson as an Australian journalist and her encounter with Wayan as
the Balinese taxi driver.
Eventhough the movie has been listed amongst the best out of 63
countries planetwide [Link
<http://www.wildaboutmovies.com/2008_oscars/2008Oscars-ForeignFilmNomine\
es-80thAcademyAwards.php> ], Denias Singing on the Clouds hasn't
made it to the Big Five just yet, the official Oscar nominees will be
announced Tuesday, January 22, 2008, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the
Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Nama saya Denias. Mama saya suruh saya sekolah. Karena dia bilang gunung
takut pada anak sekolah.
My name is Denias. My mother told me to go to school. Because she said
the mountains fear the scholars.
– Denias
Denias: Senandung di Atas Awan trailer
<http://www.deniasmovie.com/images/index_new_08.jpg>
Related posts
Denias On Perspektif Baru
<http://lidyawangsa.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/denias-on-perspektif-baru/>
Indonesia's Movie For Oscar?
<http://blog-indonesia.com/gotoblog.php?blogger=5725&site=http://theindo\
nesiandream.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/indonesias-movie-for-oscar/>
Denias Senandung di Atas Awan
<http://blog-indonesia.com/gotoblog.php?blogger=769&site=http%3A%2F%2Faf\
eministblog.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fdenias-senandung-di-atas-awan.htm
\
l>
---
http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Asia/STIStory_196476.html
Jan 15, 2008
Eleven dead in Indonesian Papua landslide: officials
JAKARTA - ELEVEN people have been found dead following a landslide
at a hospital staff housing
complex in eastern Indonesia on Tuesday, bringing to an end the search for
bodies, police and officials
said.
'We have recovered all eleven bodies at about 5pm (4pm Singapore
time),' regional police chief Max
Donald Aer told AFP, adding that a six-month-old baby was among the dead.
Five people, including the baby's mother, were saved and were being
treated at a hospital intensive
care following the slide in the easternmost province of Papua, he said.
A hill behind the housing complex gave way in the early hours of
Tuesday after heavy rains hit the
provincial capital of Jayapura, although the hospital, which was 50 metres
away, was not damaged, he
said.
The state-run Antara news agency reported that heavy rains, which
began on Monday evening, had
caused up to two metres of flooding in some areas of the hilly city,
causing massive traffic congestion.
Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia during the rainy
season, which hits a peak from
December to February.
Earlier this month more than 110 people were killed on Indonesia's
main island of Java following a
series of landslides and flooding. -- AFP
---
http://www.hoovers.com/free/co/news/detail.xhtml?
ID=56078&ArticleID=20080117545.50_039000c479ec4cca&source_type%5B%5D=n
Indonesia risk: Security risk
01/17/2008 05:24:58 PM EST
Risk Briefing Indonesia
COUNTRY BRIEFING
FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT
RISK RATINGS Current Current Previous Previous
 Rating Score Rating Score
Overall assessment C 56 C 56
Security risk C 57 C 57
Note: E=most risky; 100=most risky.
SUMMARY
Security risk is a serious impediment to business operations. The threat
of separatist violence remains,
particularly in Papua. The risk of ethnic and religious conflicts is also
high, but these tend to be
contained within certain regions. Of more concern to foreign investors is
the terrorist threat; the
bombings in Bali in October 2002 and October 2005, the Hotel Marriott in
Jakarta in August 2003 and
the Australian embassy in September 2004 were specifically aimed at
foreign targets. The incidence of
violent crime is fairly high. A peace accord was signed with the
separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
in August 2005 and orderly local elections completed in December 2006,
however, a high incidence of
crime in the region and ongoing divisions between the central and local
governments could undermine
stability.
SCENARIOS
Armed conflict compromises personal and corporate security (Low risk)
There remains the risk of an escalation in inter-ethnic strife,
particularly in Central Sulawesi, where
there have been a number of attacks in regions with a roughly equal
balance between Christians and
Muslims. There has been progress on resolving the separatist conflict in
Aceh, with a peace treaty
signed in August 2005. A law on governance in Aceh was passed in July 2006
and local elections took
place peacefully in December 2006, but unrest could be reignited as the
international aid that was
provided in the wake of the end-2005 Indian Ocean tsunami begins to dry
up. Tensions have been rising
in Papua since late 2005. There have been repeated demonstrations against
the US-owned Grasberg
mine, attracting both Papuan nationalists and separatists. The military
has been increasing presence in
the region. This could fuel separatist sentiment in the local population,
which tends to see the military as
a threat to their security rather than a protector. With the exception of
Papua, there have been few
instances of attacks on foreigners or foreign installations in the
inter-ethnic, inter-religious or separatist
conflicts. Historically, foreign companies planning to invest in these
areas came to some, often very
expensive, arrangement with the police or Indonesian military for
security, but the government is now
trying to curtail such deals. It is advisable for companies, particularly
in affected regions, to either have
their own security force or at least operate exceedingly high levels of
protection of assets and personnel.
Hostility towards foreigners and foreign-owned enterprises increases (Low
risk)
Nationalist sentiment was very strong in the late 1990s. Anti-western
sentiment was particularly strong as
a result of resentment over East Timor's independence and the economic
decline suffered after the
financial crisis in 1997--which was often blamed on the developed
world-dominated global financial
system. The US-led war against terrorism, the invasion of Iraq in early
2003 and the US stance on the
Israeli/Palestinian conflict fed this resentment. Indonesia is 90% Muslim
and, although traditionally a
moderate form of Islam is practised, the combination of nationalism and
Islamic solidarity raises the
possibility of more overt anti-western activity. There was also
particularly strong opposition to the sale of
state or distressed assets to foreigners. However, there are signs that
the situation is improving.
Nationalistic rhetoric was not a feature of the 2004 parliamentary and
presidential elections. Indeed, the
president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who studied for some years in the US,
made a point of making
his maiden speech in both Bahasa Indonesian and English. Foreign companies
are still advised to
maintain a relatively low profile and make efforts to accommodate the
cultural and religious practices of
their labour force.
Terrorist activity by hard-line Islamist groups increases (Moderate risk)
The bombing of tourist spots in Bali in October 2002 represented the first
outright attack on foreign
individuals in IndonesiaÂ's recent history. The bombings were carried out
by the region-wide terrorist
group, Jemaah Islamiah (JI), whose aim is to create a South-east Asian
Islamic state including parts of
southern Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia. Further attacks have
taken place on a roughly annual
basis since then. In August 2003 a suicide bomber attacked the JW Marriott
hotel in central Jakarta
resulting in the loss of ten lives and about 150 injured people. In
September 2004 a suicide bomb
outside the Australian embassy resulted in the death of nine people with
over 100 people injured, and a
second attack on Bali in October 2005 led to 23 deaths and over 100 people
injured. Although JI's
operations have been greatly disrupted by counter-terrorist measures
(since 2002 the police have
arrested more than 150 members of the organisation and 2006 passed without
a major attack) there
remains the risk of further violence; a number of key JI figures remain at
large and the organisation is
likely to be recruiting further. Hardline Islamist groups also direct
terrorist attacks at the local population.
JI targeted local Christian communities in the late 1990s, before
switching to foreign targets. Other
radical groups continue with these tactics. In May 2005 a terrorist bomb
attack in eastern Sulawesi,
which killed 21 people and wounded over 60, appeared to be an attempt to
re-ignite tensions between
the Muslim and Christian communities in that area. There was no major
attack in 2006, which could be a
sign that the government's counter-terrorist operations have been
successful, but the threat still
undoubtedly remains. Foreign companies operating in Indonesia should be
aware of the ever-present
terrorist threat and should operate enhanced security arrangements.
BACKGROUND
(Updated: October 9th, 2007)
Armed Conflict
Communal violence claimed thousands of lives in the unstable years that
followed the end of the
Soeharto era. The violence was confined to areas with delicate religious
and ethnic balances, such as
the Moluccas, Central Sulawesi and Central Kalimantan. Peace accords
signed in all of these areas in
2000-02 have succeeded in restoring relative calm, although the Poso
region of Central Sulawesi
remains volatile and highly tense.
Solving the conflict in Aceh proved more of a challenge. The collapse of
the December 2002 peace
accord led to the imposition of martial law in the province in May 2003. A
military assault was
simultaneously launched on the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) guerrillas.
Martial law was replaced by
"civil emergency status" in May 2004, but this had little impact on
security policy in the province.
However, the tsunami disaster at the end of 2004 cast a new perspective
over the conflict, and the
government and GAM began negotiations under foreign mediation. A peace
agreement signed in
Helsinki, Finland, in August 2005, has led to disarmament and a scaling
back of the military presence in
the province. Legislation translating the peace accord into Indonesian law
has passed through the House
of Representatives (DPR). GAM has disbanded, renounced its goal of
independence in exchange for
concessions on autonomy, and its former members participated in democratic
local politics in the
province.
In the extreme east of the country, a broad cross-section of native
Papuans support independence by
peaceful means, but the Free Papua Organisation (OPM), which is fighting
for independence, is poorly
armed and badly organised. Discontent with Indonesian rule has been
inflamed by alleged human rights
abuses by the military, and by the plunder of the province's natural
resources. The partition of Papua
into two provincesÂ-Papua and West Papua (formerly West Irian Jaya)Â-has
also caused resentment.
A perceived disregard for the terms of special autonomy granted to the
province in 2001, and continued
anger at the exploitation of Papua's natural wealth, led to heightened
tensions in early 2006, with several
members of the security forces killed in clashes with demonstrators.
Terrorism
Hardline Islamist terrorist groups resurfaced in Indonesia after the fall
of Soeharto. These groups initially
targeted Indonesia's Christian communities, but in recent years they have
turned their attention to
Western targets. Jemaah Islamiah (JI), a terrorist organisation seeking to
establish a South-east Asian
Islamic state, was responsible for the October 2002 and 2005 Bali
bombings, as well as for attacks on
the JW Marriott hotel in the capital, Jakarta, in 2003, and on the
Australian embassy in 2004.
After a slow start the Indonesian government has conducted an effective
campaign against JI, arresting
close to 300 operatives since the 2002 Bali attack, including most of the
organisation's top leadership.
Close co-operation with other South-east Asian security forces and the US
and Australian counter-
terrorist services, together with tough new anti-terrorism legislation and
better intelligence, has also
served to impair JI's operational capacity. The organisation nevertheless
remains present in Indonesia,
and the release of many militants and sympathisers jailed in the immediate
aftermath of the 2002 Bali
bombings, as well as continued evidence that the group is actively
plotting further attacks, has led to
fears of a resurgence in its activities.
Civil Unrest
Mass demonstrations became a feature of the early years of Indonesian
democracy, but have waned
with the return of political stability. The student movementÂ-which drove
the reformasi, or reform,
movement of the late 1990sÂ-has lost its ideological focus. The
government's success in raising fuel
prices in March and October 2005 demonstrates just how far mass protests
have slipped from the
political landscape in recent years. Rioting sparked by fuel price
increases led to the fall of Soeharto in
1998, and the government of Megawati Soekarnoputri backed away from an
attempt to raise fuel prices
in the face of widespread public opposition in 2003. In contrast, protests
following the much larger 2005
price increases did not come close to reaching critical mass.
Street Crime
Violent crime has been on the rise in recent years, but does not pose a
serious threat to foreign
business interests. Likewise, organised crime is seldom a threat to
foreign business, although it thrives
in the Indonesian underworld. Kidnapping has not traditionally affected
foreigners, but separatist fighters
in Papua have occasionally kidnapped non-Indonesians, and Islamic
militants are now known to have
considered this as a tactic. Extortion in the conventional sense does not
affect foreign business in
Indonesia. However, government officials typically demand illegal payment
for permits, licences and
other privileges, and the army or police often require additional payments
for security arrangements.
Copyright © 2008 Economist Intelligence Unit
---
Auteur: B.Th.W. Kaisiëpo Ms.
Datum: 17-01-2008 16:27
Allereerst betuig ik mijn OPRECHTE medeleven met de Fam. van Beek met het
verlies van hun zoon en
broertje Merijn.Zowel Ds. van Beek als de Papoea's zijn beiden
slachtoffers van mismanagement(failliet)
van de Zending.
De film is eenzijdig en beledigend voor mijn volk.
Graag zou ik inhoudelijk commentaar geven als de filmmaker/E.O. mijn
herhaaldelijk verzoek inwilligen
om als Papoea samen met zendelingen om de tafel zitten om naar een
oplossing te zoeken voor de
impasse waarin de Gereformeerd Vrijgemaake Zending verkeert.
Sinds 5 februari 1855 kwamen de 1e zendelingen Ottow en Geisler in
Mansinam met het evangelie.
In 1956 werd de zelfstandige Evangelische Christelijke Kerk gevestigd met
steun van Hervormden en
Gereformeerden uit Nederland.
Waarom moest er een Gereformeerd Vrijgemaakte Kerk met alle geweld in het
Zuiden van Nieuw Guinea
(Rooms Katholiek)missie gebied komen. Hebben de Marinds om gevraagd ?
Mogen de Papoea's niet van slag zijn als een pater na omscholing in Kampen
als dominee zieltjes kwam
winnen voor de Vrijgemaakte Kerk ? De Papoea moet nu met alle geweld tot
de Islam bekeerd worden.
Eerst overal moskeeën neerzetten en omdat er moskeeën zijn komen de
Mohammedanen.
Op dit moment zijn er 300.000,-militairen en Jihad strijders in West
Papoea bezig om geleidelijk de
Papoea christen UIT TE ROEIEN.
Christen Nederland laat zich ringeloren door de Islam. Turkije,Marokko en
Somalië zijn geen ex-koloniën
van Nederland.
Nederland wil de wereld tonen hoe tolerant en menslievend ze zijn, maar
tegenover mensen
(rijksgenoten) uit hun voormalige koloniën is Nederland HYPOKRIET, LAF en
OOSTINDISCH DOOF.
Waarom zwijgen mijn Gereformeerde en Hervormde broeders/zusters in Kabinet
Balkenende over
MENSENRECHTEN schendingen in West Papoea?
Waarom zet Nederland de kwestie West Papoea niet op de agenda van de
Alg.Verg.van de Verenigde
Naties om een einde te maken aan 46 jaar ONDERDRUKKING?
De filmmakers hadden zich beter moeten oriënteren en interesseren in de
situatie waarin de Papoea's
zich bevinden.
Alles werd/wordt over hun bepaald door INDRINGERS.
Zolang er geen afdoende antwoorden komen op deze vragen, beschuldig ik
Christen Nederland (zowel
Kerk als Overheid) van WILLENS EN WETENS medeplichtig zijn aan de
ondergang van Land en Volk
van West Papoea/Melanesië.
Immers, wie zwijgt stemt toe !!!!!
Mede namens mijn onderdrukte volk wens ik u allen een Gezegend en Gezond
2008 toe.
B.Th.W. Kaisiëpo Ms.
Secretaris Kobe Oser / Eenheid
------------------------------
Auteur: Gerrit J. van Enk
Datum: 18-01-2008 01:29
Graag wil ik hier een paar dingen zeggen naar aanleiding van het bericht
van B.Th.W.Kaisiëpo Ms.
1.Zijn reactie is heftig, en dat kan ik me indenken na het zien van de
documentaire Missionary Go
Home. Want ook ik meen dat aan de mensen van Papua absoluut geen recht
gedaan wordt in het
verhaal rondom het verdriet van de zendelingenfamilie.
2.Al de tijd dat de gereformeerde zending op Papua gewerkt heeft, is
getracht de mensen in het gebied
te ondersteunen en toe te rusten met het oog op een christelijke manier
van omgaan met de benarde
politieke omstandigheden onder het regime van Jakarta. Daarbij heeft de
zending volgens mijn eigen
waarneming wel steeds in acht genomen dat zij gast is in een vreemd land,
en dat zij ook afhankelijk was
van de policy van de Dinas Imigrasi van de RI. Er is goed overwogen dat
een andere aanpak
schadelijker zou zijn voor de mensen in het gebied dan de nu gekozen
aanpak: ondersteunen en
toerusten. Overigens is het goed te vermelden dat één van de eerste
zendelingen voortijds het land heeft
moeten verlaten, omdat hij zich wel kras opstelde ten aanzien van de
Indonesische politiek.
3. De Marind hebben de zending inderdaad niet uitgenodigd. Pas in de jaren
80 is op initiatief van de
eigen mensen van (toen nog) Irian Jaya een zelfstandige gereformeerde kerk
gesticht in Merauke.
Destijds (eind jaren 50) is door de gereformeerden gekozen voor een
werkgebied ver ten noorden van
Tanah-Merah, onder de noordelijke Muyu, Mandobo, Wambon, Wanggom,
Tsawkambo, Kombai, Citak
en Korowai. In dat gebied was de RK missie op dat moment niet actief, en
voor zover ik weet is deze
keuze in goed overleg met het bisdom Merauke gemaakt. In de (korte)
periode dat ik het consulentschap
voor die gemeente waarnam, ben ik met plezier op bezoek geweest in het
kantoor van de bisschop, en
herinner ik mij een gastvrij onthaal plus een onvergetelijk gesprek met
toen al hoogbejaarde Pater en
begaafde antropoloog Jan Boelaars. Ook van collega's hoorde ik telkens dat
de contacten met de Paters
uitstekend waren.
4. Het verhaal van de RK missionaris die later voor de gereformeerde
zending is gaan werken ligt een
stuk ingewikkelder. Dat verhaal is door hemzelf verteld in het prachtige
boek 'Vreemd vliegt de
paradijsvogel'.
5. Persoonlijk ben ik het van harte eens met de heer Kaisiëpo dat de
Nederlandse overheid, zeker nu er
zoveel christenen deel uitmaken van het kabinet, veel meer zou moeten en
kunnen doen om de zaak van
de Papua's op de politieke (wereld)agenda te zetten.
6. Maar ik ga niet mee in de uitroep van de heer Kaisiëpo waarin hij met
het uitblijven van een krachtig
politiek geluid de christelijke kerken in Nederland in de beklaagdenbank
zet. Ik zou willen verwijzen naar
de vele christenen die o.a. via de Stichting Door de Eeuwen Trouw
voortdurend in de weer zijn om ook
de zaak van de Papua's continue voor het voetlicht te halen, en waar dat
mogelijk is te protesteren tegen
het beleid van de Republik Indonesia.
7. Ik hoop dat de heer Kaisiëpo van mij wil aannemen dat heel veel mensen
uit de kerken waar ik bij
hoor erg veel van het volk van Papua houden. Reken erop dat in onze kerken
zeer regelmatig voor dat
volk wordt gebeden. Ik denk ook dat we veel meer voor hen zouden willen
doen, als we daarvoor de
mogelijkheden kregen. Tetapi kita punya tangan agak pendek, Saudara!
Hopelijk zal God zelf ooit meer
ruimte geven voor betere tijden.
Met een vriendelijke groet,
Gerrit J.van Enk
----------------------------------
Auteur: B.Th.W.Kaisiepo Ms
Datum: 18-01-2008 20:28
Geachte heer Gerrit J. van Enk,
Allereerst mijn dank voor uw repliek.
Het is niet mijn bedoeling om te shockeren.
U krijgt de ongezouten mening van een Papua organisatie Kobe Oser /
Eenheid (zonder subsidie en
bevoogding door de Nederlanders) die opkomt voor het Zelfbeschikkingsrecht
van West
Papoea/Melanesia.
Eigen meester, niemands knecht.
Bergerak sendiri lebih baik dari pada disuruh / di soggok.
Als antwoord op punt 6. van uw reactie het volgende :
a. Stichting Door de Eeuwen Trouw gebasseerd op het wapen van de V.O.C,was in
de jaren 50 opgericht om op te komen voor voor het Zelfbeschikkingsrecht van
de Republiek der Zuid Molukken.
b. Stichting door de Eeuwen Trouw kwam ook op voor de onderdrukte volkeren in
Litauwen en Letland.
c. Na de New York Agreement van 15 augustus 1962, waarbij Nederland de
Administratie van Nederlands Nieuw Guinea overdroeg aan de UNTEA,
. bemoeide de STDDET met het Zelfbeschikkingsrecht van de Papoeas.
Door interne ruzies (typisch belanda) splitste ds. Ritzema Bos zich af en
richtte Comité Zelfbeschikking Nieuw Guinea op.
Later kwam er weer een afscheiding van de Gereformeerd Vrijgemaakte
aanhang en richtte men de huidige HAPIN op.(Eimert van Middelkoop -Minister
van Defensie- was lid van het Comité van aanbeveling).
Door deze verdeel-en heers politiek worden veel Papua's "monddood"
gemaakt,om op te komen voor de
echte belangen-Het Zelfbeschikkingsrecht-van hun volk in West
Papoea/Melanesia.
Immers "wiens brood men eet, diens taal men spreekt".
Mijn eis om een krachtige politieke statement van de Kerken in Nederland is
gebaseerd op de rol van kerkleiders als Prof.Dr. Verkuyl en consorten
(Zending van Oegstgeest) die via
een oproep in 1956 van de Synode van de Hervormde Kerk dat "het beste voor
de Papoea's is het
gebied over te dragen aan de Republiek Indonesia."
Op 5 februari 2005 bij het vieren van 150 jaar zending in Nieuw Guinea heb
ik Kerk in Aktie geschreven
om de synodale dwaling (schrijven van 1956 ) te herroepen aangezien 43
jaar na dato de gevolgen
dessastreus zijn voor Land en Volk van West Papoea.
Kerk en Aktie weigert om deze Herderlijkschrijven te herroepen.
Zolang de Kerken deze standpunt handhaven, blijf ik ze
MEDEVERANTWOORDELIJK stellen voor de
wandaden gepleegd door Indonesia in West Papoea. Ik kan de BARBAREN niet
kwalijk nemen, maar
wel DE MEDE CHRISTENEN DIE DE PAPOEAS DE RUG TOEKEERT.
Als voorbeeld verwijs ik naar de oproep van Bisschop Desmond Tutu van Zuid
Afrika aan Secretaris
Generaal Kofi Anan (VN),om het Zelfbeschikkingsrecht van de Papoea's te
respecteren en alsnog in de
gelegenheid te stellen om hun Zelfbeschikkingsrecht te spreken.
Ook het Amerikaanse Congress onder aanvoering van de heren Donald Payne en
Eni Faleomavaega
ijveren zich voor het lot van de Papoea's (mede om de beoordelingsfout van
de Administratie Kennedy in
de jaren 60 te herstellen) Ik verwijs u naar het artikel van Drs. Aad
Kamsteeg met Congressman Eni
Faleomavaega in Nederlands Dagblad van 21 maart 2006. met als titel
"Houding tegenover Papoea's
Hypocriet"
Zowel de Nederlandse Kerken en Overheid blijven de Papoea's manipuleren
door ze zwaar te
subsidiëren om met non issues (praten over peace zone,milieu , goed
bestuur, repatriatie,cultureel
erfgoed ) bezig te houden als afleidings manouvre om hun ONWIL betreft de
nakoming van de beloftes
(Het Zelfbeschikkingsrecht vervat in de New York Agreement) aan het volk
van West Papoea/Melanesia
te verdoezelen.
Met recht Land van dominees en handelaren.
Ter verduidelijking verwijs ik u o.a. naar het boek van dr.Kees Lagerberg
"Schuldig Zwijgen".
Voor wat betreft uw excuus : Tetapi kita punya tangan agak pandek""luid
een Nederlands gezegde
WAAR EEN WIL IS, IS EEN WEG .
Uw goede intenties zijn belangrijk en daarvoor bijvoorbaat mijn dank.
Wat de toekomst brengen moge,mij geleidt des Heren hand
Moedig sla ik dus de ogen naar het onbekende land
Leer mij volgen zonder vragen, Vader wat Gij doet is goed
Leer mij slechts het heden dragen met een rustig kalme moed
Jamewero jabe women kakero ,Imbo jan ke jan bajo, jana ke jana bajo,
jamarisen jores re manggun aja./
Ik weiger langer slaaf te zijn . Al lijd ik armoe en ontberingen, ik wil
een vrij mens zijn.
Ora et Labora
Setia Djudjur Mesra
B.Th.W.Kaisiëpo Ms.
Sekretaris Kobe Oser / Eenheid
---
From: "" <p3_8980 at koteka.net>
To: <admin at irja.org>
Reply-To: <p3_8980 at koteka.net>
Subject: 4,6 million difference between Papuans in PNG and West Papua
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:01:32 -0800
Greetings,
The usual figure of 100,000 to 300,000 dead and disappeared Papuans in
West Papua generally quoted
by international media, ngos and human-rights organisations is actually
incorrect and is far short of the
true figures.
There are 5,8 million Papuans in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and only 1,2
million Papuans in West
Papua ie western New Guinea/Irian Jaya. That is a huge difference of 4,6
million Papuans.
Let that figure of 4,6 million shortfall in numbers sink in for a moment.
4,6 million is the difference in Papuan numbers between independent Papua
New Guinea and
Indonesian-occupied West Papua.
In the face of the deafening silence from the so-called "international
community", all Papuans can make
a difference through Swadeshi as devised by the esteemed David Chan.
For the 4,6 million Papuans who should be in West Papua, and all Papuans
in West Papua, as well as
PNG and throughout Melanesia.
http://www.koteka.net
---
West Papuan women interrogated
for making "Morning Star" bags
15th January 2008
JAYAPURA: Two West Papuan women, Yohana Pekei & Nelly Pigome, who make West
Papua bags with the Morning Star symbol on the bag have been interrogated by
the Indonesian Police and Intelligence agency (BIN).
The Police came first to their house asking "Who made this bag?"
The two women replied to the police that they were making the bags to sell
to help support their family. After that the police left.
Then two Indonesian intelligence agents came to the house.
They asked the two women the same question about who made the bag with the
Morning Star symbol. The two women replied again that they make them and
then asked the intelligence agents why they were asking this question.
Then the two intelligence agents told the woman that they must come with
them to the Police Station for questioning and that they must sign a
statement that they will not make any more Morning Stars bag for selling to
other people.
The two women refused to sign this statement. They were released but
ordered to return to the Police Station on Thursday 17th January.
They are now asking: "Why are we Papuans not free to sell, free to make our
bags, free to walk, free to speak, free to shop, free to garden? Why are we
not free to do anything like other human beings?"
We got this message from West Papua today via text massage
Benny Wenda
Leader of the West Papuan Independence Movement-UK
& Chairman of DeMMaK, the Koteka Tribal Assembly
Telephone: +44(0)7766 875009
Email: bwenda at infopapua.org
www.freewestpapua.org <http://www.freewestpapua.org/>
---
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/01/22/eaturtle122.xml
Leatherback turtle's 12,744 mile migration
By Paul Eccleston
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 22/01/2008
A turtle has set a new record for the longest recorded migration journey
through the ocean.
# Leatherback turtle numbers plummet
# Warmer seas bring rare turtles to Britain
The tagged female leatherback turtle crossed the Pacific from west to East
and then part of the way
back again.
Leatherback sea turtles: One travelled nearly 13,000 miles
Leatherback sea turtles: One migrated nearly 13,000 miles from Indonesia
to the US
It was tracked by satellite for 647 days and covered at least 12,774 miles
before the signal was lost.
The turtle's epic journey took it from Jamursba-Medi beach in Papua,
Indonesia where it was first
recorded nesting, to Oregon on the Pacific northwest coast of America.
Of vertebrates that travel through the ocean, the leatherback's journey
was the longest ever recorded.
The leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) is the most widely distributed
marine reptile on the planet and
is found in warm open seas across the world including the Pacific, Indian
and Atlantic oceans.
But they have also been seen in freezing waters off Argentina, southern
Chile, and Tasmania as well as
the subarctic northern latitudes off Alaska, Nova Scotia, and the North Sea.
They are massive creatures and can span nine feet weight from the tip of
one front flipper to the tip of
the other and can weigh 1200lbs.
Adults migrate from their temperate feeding and foraging areas to tropical
breeding grounds and tagging
is gradually unlocking some of the secrets of their migration paths.
advertisement
Click to learn more...
Work by the US's National Marine Fisheries Service, at the Southwest
Fisheries Science Center, with
international partners in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon
Islands has revealed that
leatherbacks living in the North Pacific, including waters near the U.S.
west coast, are part of the
western Pacific breeding population.
Details of the turtle's odyssey were given in the State of the World's Sea
Turtles (SWOT) magazine at
the 28th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation, being
held in Loreto, Baja
California Sur, Mexico.
Scott Benson, one of the scientists involved in the research, said:
"Understanding sea turtles' and other
marine animals' movements in this way is critical to ensuring their
protection. Ocean-going animals often
pass through multiple nations' territories and international waters as
they migrate, making their survival
the responsibility of not just one nation but many."
Roderic B Mast, chief editor of SWOT, as well as a vice president of
Conservation International and co
-chair of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group, said: "SWOT Report is
all about providing a global
perspective of sea turtles to encourage international protection of these
ancient, endangered animals.
This one leatherback's migration provides a perfect example of how marine
conservation strategies must
be as global as the ocean life we are trying to safeguard."
Scientific research has shown that nesting turtles from the western
Pacific, which is the last sizable
nesting population remaining in the Pacific, migrate through areas in the
Philippines, South China Sea,
and Japan, into the Southern Hemisphere. The species has become endangered
in the Pacific and has
led to work on an internationally coordinated conservation strategy.
*The longest measured annual migration of any animal, terrestrial or
marine, is the sooty shearwater
(Puffinus griseus) of 40,000 miles between New Zealand and the North Pacific.
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20080121.H01
More regions, more malaria cases found
National News - January 21, 2008
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The creation of new administrative regions has helped the government
uncover more cases of malaria
infection in the country, an official said.
Malaria sub-division head at the Health Ministry Rita Kusriastuti told a
seminar here Sunday malaria
infected an estimated 2.5 million to 3 million people in 2007, up from 1.8
million the previous year.
"The formation of health agencies in the new regions has allowed us to
reach outlying areas and
discover malaria infection there," she said.
Papua remains the province most vulnerable to the disease, she said,
adding that migration had also
contributed to the increase in cases.
Experts have found malaria transmission often occurs in newly settled
areas, especially in tropical forest
areas. Major environmental transformation occurs during occupation,
fostering the proliferation of
mosquito breeding sites and resulting in major malaria outbreaks.
Worse, migrants most likely lack immunity to the disease, as well as
accurate knowledge of the
transmission process.
Migrating people are especially susceptible to malaria if they move from
arid or high-altitude areas which
are malaria-free to irrigated or low-altitude malaria-infected areas.
Physical and psychological stress of
adjustment to new environments also reduces resistance to infection.
Health experts have said climate change is helping the virus spread
because warmer temperatures allow
mosquito-borne diseases to expand into areas that were previously too cold
for breeding.
Warmer weather can also shorten mosquito life cycles, potentially doubling
the number of insects born
in a given period, said Erna Tresnaningsih, director of animal-borne
diseases at the Health Ministry.
"We'll have more mosquitoes that need a shorter time to mature and will
immediately seek the blood they
need to breed," she was quoted as saying by AP.
To prevent infection, travelers are advised to take anti-malaria pills
before leaving for vulnerable areas,
Rita said, adding that such measures were necessary even for trips of just
a day or two.
Rita said the government had provided enough stock of malaria drugs, but
unfortunately the distribution
was inefficient and wasteful.
"Thousand of malaria drugs have piled up in warehouses and then expired,"
she said.
She said Indonesia should emulate China in developing traditional
medicines as alternative drugs to deal
with the disease.
Separately, the United Nations warned that a severe achy-joint fever
spreading in Asia via mosquitoes
could easily reach more countries in the region and potentially take hold
in Europe and the United
States.
The fever, called chikungunya, is ravaging parts of Indonesia, sickening
people with rashes, vomiting,
headaches and joint pain so intense it is often too painful for victims to
sit or stand.
"It's enormously disruptive ... the outbreaks are very abrupt and
intense," Michael Nathan, a mosquito-
borne-disease expert at the WHO in Geneva, told AP.
"Lots and lots of people are seeking help all at the same time and
services struggle to cope with that."
(rff)
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20080119.G03
Mob attacks Mimika legislative council building
Archipelago - January 19, 2008
Markus Makur, The Jakarta Post, Timika
A group of people brandishing sharp weapons and stones attacked the Mimika
regency legislature office
Friday, causing damages to the building.
They pelted stones at the building after threatening several councillors
with axes and machetes and
forcing them and legislature staff to leave the compound.
Mimika Police chief Adj. Comr. G.C. Mansnembra said before the attack
someone made a telephone
call to say a group of people would hold a rally at the legislative office.
Mansnembra added the attack was likely related to the verification
announcement by the local General
Elections Commission on Jan. 17 and the numerical order of candidates
vying in the regency election.
"We will investigate the attack and threat according to existing law. We
will also reinforce troops
securing the building and provide escorts for each councillor from the
Mimika Police precinct," he said.
Mansnembra said the Mimika Baru police station had detained 20 men.
Head of the session division at the legislature Andarias Nouw expressed
regret over the anarchy, when a
crowd carrying machetes, rocks and iron rods vandalized the interior of
the office.
"We won't be able to work peacefully in the next several days. We don't
know the people who brutally
attacked the office. One of our staffers is still in a shock because
someone threatened her by placing a
machete against her neck," said Nouw.
He added that the mob arrived in two cars -- a blue open-bed truck bearing
a Jakarta license plate and a
dark blue Kijang van with a local license plate.
"They yelled at us to disperse, saying we were holding a fake meeting,"
added Nouw.
They forced councillors and administrative staffers to leave the building.
They also destroyed furniture
and ransacked the administrative office, he said.
The mob also threatened councillor Adam Oka Yoku, who was about to leave
the building for lunch, and
seized the handbag of councillor Anastasia Tekege.
They also threatened administrative staffer Yulita Kudeai with a machete.
Not a single security guard was present during the attack.
A traffic policeman saw the incident when he was passing by. When he tried
to stop them, the attackers
fled in their cars.
Police reacted swiftly to arrest the attackers and were able to catch them
on Jl. Cendrawasih and hold
them at the Miru police station.
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20080119.G06
Papua less serious on education
Archipelago - January 19, 2008
JAYAPURA: A local nongovernmental organization has lambasted the Papua
province government for
allocating only 4.2 percent, or Rp 228 billion, of its 2008 budget to
education.
Executive director of the Institute for Civil Strengthening (ICS) Budi
Setyanto said the government had
breached the constitution and had no sense of the crisis at hand.
Budi said if the government complied with the constitutional imperative
requiring it to allocate 20 percent
of its budget to education, at least Rp one trillion could be used to
improve the quality of education and
training.
He said he was disappointed with the province government's policy of using
almost 58 percent of the
education budget on teaching staff and the bureaucracy.
He called on the government and province legislative council to review the
province's budget and renew
the education vision lest a large number of Papuans, mainly those living
in isolated areas, continued to
be denied access to education and modernity. (--JP)
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20080116.B11
Eleven dead, four missing in Jayapura landslide
National News - January 16, 2008
Angel Flassy, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura
At least eleven people, including two babies, have died and four others
are missing following a landslide
at a housing compound in Jayapura, the capital of Papua, early on Tuesday.
The 11 have been identified as Rudi Serang, 35, Yeremika, 8, Franky
Abidondifu, 27, Filo Awom, 25,
Novelin Marantika, 18, Susan Marantika, 12, Yuli Febari, 26, Merry
Faidiban, 21, six-month-old Gafnel
Faidiban, six-month-old Jefedika Serang and Faidiban, 70.
Five people have been rescued from the landslide and were being treated in
hospital with reported
serious injuries.
Three further people were believed to be missing and rescue workers said
they would continue their
search Wednesday.
Chief of the Jayapura Police precinct Adj. Sr. Comr. Roberth Djoenso said
the 11 bodies were
recovered after rescue workers deployed two unit excavators.
Roberth said search work would continue Wednesday until the four believed
to be missing, including
one baby, were recovered.
He said the landslide occurred after heavy rains hit the city from Friday,
triggering flash flooding at
dawn on Tuesday.
"The floods caused a landslide which hit a hospital-staff housing compound
in the hilly city while most
residents were still sleeping," Roberth said.
Bodies of the 11 victims have been handed to their relatives.
The five rescued were still undergoing intensive treatment at an adjacent
general hospital, Roberth said.
They have been identified as Femi Tolu, Jessica Serang, Nehemia Marantika,
Immanuel Reynhart and
Nazan Abidondifu.
Karel Rumbrawer who witnessed the landslide said he was awakened "by a
heavy downpour with a loud
sound of lightning".
He said he ran from his home as the landslide hit.
Karel lost several relatives in the incident.
The landslide and heavy downpour has also damaged six houses.
The flood swept away two further houses, cars and motorcycles, triggering
heavy congestion in the city.
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20080116.G04
Mimika struggling to empower locals
Archipelago - January 16, 2008
Markus Makur, The Jakarta Post, Timika
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.
Mimika regent Atanasius Allo Rafra said in order to improve conditions
throughout the regency the
administration had allocated funds from the 2008 regional budget so that
each of the regency's 80
villages would receive Rp 100 million (US$11,100) for infrastructure
development.
Besides the administration, help is coming from the People Empowerment
Institute, working to assist the
Kamoro and Amungme tribes who live in 67 undeveloped villages in Mimika.
The organization's executive secretary, John Nakiaya, said each of the 67
villages would get another Rp
100 million from the organization. The organization has already handed
over the funds to the Mimika
regental administration for disbursement.
"The Mimika administration will distribute the funds to all 67 villages
over the region. We hope that all
villages can apply the funds properly in order to gain a better life,"
Nakiaya said.
Nakiaya added that all Amungme and Kamoro villages were poor. "That's why
we are only concerned
with helping those villages, where those two tribes live. We hope that
Papua's indigenous tribes will be
able to survive," he said.
Regent Rafra added that the regental administration had also allocated
funds from its 2008 budget to buy
a plane and a ferry for public transportation in Papua, especially Mimika.
The two vehicles will arrive in
March.
"By providing public transportation, we hope that residents here,
especially those who live in remote
areas, can find easier ways to travel."
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20080117.G04
Papua landslide victims buried, housing policy to be reviewed
Archipelago - January 17, 2008
Angel Flassy, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura
The bodies of nine of 11 landslide victims were buried on Wednesday while
two others were transported
by air to Manado in North Sulawesi for burial.
The nine were buried in a public cemetery following a requiem service at
the Indonesian Christian
Church attended by Papua governor Barnabas Suebu and local government
officials.
The bodies of Rudi Serang, 35, and his eight-year-old son, Jeremika
Serang, were buried in their
hometown of Manado at the request of relatives.
Rescue workers were still searching for 64-year-old Dorince Waren who went
missing in flooding which
inundated the city on Tuesday. Three other people rescued from landslides
were still being treated for
injuries at the general hospital.
Following the burial ceremony, governor Suebu gave a total of Rp 30
million in financial assistance to
families whose relatives were killed in the landslide.
The governor insisted the local government would review the housing policy
in the city and demolish
houses built illegally on hilly areas prone to landslides to avoid such
disasters in the future.
"Authorities will enforce the spatial zone bylaw in the city and all
houses and huts constructed in hilly
areas without any permit will be asked to be demolished and occupiers will
be resettled to safety areas
which the housing policy will be revised for," he said, adding that local
authorities had not issued permits
for housing construction in areas prone to landslides.
The governor also called on the Jayapura municipal administration to
develop new housing areas to the
south of Lake Sentani, south of the city, in anticipation of a population
which may increase to 400,000 in
the next ten years from a current level of 215,000.
"The municipal administration should raise the people's awareness of the
importance to re-green the
Cycloop protected forest to maintain its function as water catchment area
and to prevent landslides and
floods in the future," he said.
The city's current development policy -- envisioning a city of 100,000 --
is the work of Dutch colonial
authorities in the 1950s.
---
Morning Star flag ban stands: Suebu
Cenderawasih Pos
11 January 2008
Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu said Wednesday 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 provincial government and legislature will discuss a more suitable
regional symbol than the Morning Star, which is associated with Free Papua
Movement rebels.
Earlier on Wednesday police arrested two women who were trading souvenirs
carrying Morning Star logo in front of Jayapura telecommunications office.
The two sellers were released after being told of the ban. Later on, a group
of women street vendors rallied at the provincial legislature to protest the
ban.
---
Translation
Slightly abridged
From JPIC/KPKC Synod, GKI
Human Rights Situation in Papua since 1 December 2007
1 December 2007 – 9 January 2008
Police arrest 36 people for flying the Morning Star Flag in Timika
On 1 December the police arrested at least 36 Papuans for flying the
Morning Star flag in Kwamki Lama, district of Mimika Baru. Seven are due to
be charged for the crime of makar (rebellion) at the district court.
Soldier tortures ELSHAM activist in Fakfak.
On 1 December a soldier named Ahmad Heremba, who is from the Babinsa
command in Kramomonggo, 40 kms from Fakfak, is reported to have severely
beaten Elias Kredenggo, 27 years old
Elias explained that on that day he had been asked by his older brother,
Freddy Warpopor, the ELSHAM Fakfak coordinator, to monitor the situation in
Fakfak. As he was returning home in the early evening, he sat down to rest
by the roadside and started to chat with Rita Lefanurip, a primary school
teacher. However, she suddenly stood up and rushed off in the direction of
her grandmother’s house when she saw Ahmad Heremba approaching.. The
soldier chased her to her grandmother’s house. When Elias tried to
approach
the house, he was set upon and severely beaten by the soldier.
While he was trying to protect himself, he fell to the ground in a dizzy
fit from the blows to his head. The soldier yelled: ‘I will kill you for
what you say about 1 December’ as he went on beating Elias.
Fortunately, the soldier used the blunt end of the weapon he was using to
beat Elias so the attack was not fatal. He suffered a 3cm cut on his left
hand, three bruises to the head and swellings on the back. The soldier was
later taken into custody by the army.
Police arrest Yuli Rumbiak
The police in Biak Numfor are still holding Yuli Rumbiak, 54, from
Sumberker, Samofa district, who was arrested for carrying a Morning Star
flag when he was on his way to attend the wedding of his son carrying
maskawin (probably dowry) to the bride’s family on 16 December. Morning
Star flags were flown on the way.
The police forced an ELSHAM activist in Biak to pull down a photograph of
Yuli Rumbiak. Yuli is facing charges under articles 106, 154, 155 for
rebellion.
Local military commander orders people to work on Sunday
It has been a tradition for Christians in Biak for many generations not to
do any work on Sunday. However, on 16 December as church bells were
ringing, calling people to church, the local Babinsa (village level
military command) ordered the residents to sweep the streets and the area
near their homes. Some residents were very afraid because the order had
come from the military and did what they were told but others simply went
to church. The local priest said this order contravenes the regulations of
the church in Papua and is in conflict with the law on special autonomy.
Prosecutor’s Office confiscates TRM books
The chief of the prosecutor’s office in Papua issued an order for a
sweep
against copies of the book ‘Tenggelamnya Rumpun Melanesia’ (The
Overwhelming of the Melanesians’) written by Sendius Wonda for allegedly
discrediting the Indonesian government and threatening NKRI. Sixty copies
of the book (altogether 37,000 have been printed) have been confiscated so
far. The book outlines the strategy being pursued for the annihilation of
the Melanesian people, and advises the Papuan people to be on the alert
(Pacific Post 18 December 2007)
Racial discrimination in sports
During a soccer match between Persipura Jayapura and Persijap, Central Java
on 20 December, supporters of Persijap shouted racist slogans at the
Persipura team, calling them ‘monkeys’ while the match was
underway.
(Cenderawasih Pos, 21 December)
Police fire on residents in Supyori
On 24 December as Christians were preparing for Christmas, a member of the
police named Rahel from Makassar shot Paulus Kmur, 24, of Sawakar village,
East Supior. The victim is now being treated at Biak hospital.
Chronology in brief
On 23 December Paulus was out drinking with his friends. They got drunk and
started to misbehave. Some families nearby got angry with them and there
was a heated argument. Paulus damaged some lamps that had been strung up
for Christmas, but on the following day, he went back and replaced the
lamps that he had damaged.
However, his older brother reported the incident to the police, expecting
the police to arrest him. Soon after, members of the police came to the
home of the victim, whereupon he fled and managed to escape capture.
On the following day, as the victim was eating, the police turned up, so
the victim jumped out of the window. When the police saw him running away,
they opened fire, hitting him in the waist; a bullet became lodged in his
stomach. He was rushed to the local clinic in a very critical condition.
However, he was handcuffed and placed under police escort.
Later that day, he was given a blood transfusion and his stomach wound was
treated. However, the delay in medical treatment led to local anger because
the victim had already lost a great deal of blood.
At 9pm, he was given an oxygen mask because he was unable to breath and he
had become very weak. He was still in great pain because of the bullet
lodged in his stomach. An hour later he was given another massive blood
transfusion. At present he is still in a critical condition in hospital.
People selling Morning Star take protest to the DPRP
A number of people who have been selling embroidered bands displaying the
Morning Star, most of them women, went to the local assembly, the DPRP, to
protest against a ban on selling souvenirs bearing the Morning Star.
They took this action after two Papuan women, Selly Pigome and Yohana, who
had been selling the souvenirs in front of the Telkom office were taken
away by the police and told that they were not allowed to sell these
things. The two women refused to sign a statement stating that their
activity was illegal.
The provincial police chief, Roberth Djonso said that they had not yet
taken action on the basis of the ban on displaying the Morning Star, as
stipulated in Government Regulation 77, 2007. ‘We’ve taken no
action yet
but are at the moment spreading information that these souvenirs should
not be sold in public places.’
Article 6 of that regulation states that no logos or flags that make use of
flags or logos used by separatist movements may be displayed and orders
people to stop selling or using these things forthwith.
‘We will go on spreading this message for a month, and in February,
legal
action will be taken against those who breach the regulation. Flags
displaying the crescent and sickle of Aceh and the Maluku flag in Maluku
are also banned,’ he said.
KPKC, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation of the Protestant Church of
Papuan GKI-Papua
END
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon CR7 8HW, UK.
tel +44 (0)20 8771 2904 fax +44 (0)20 8653 0322
tapol at gn.apc.org http://tapol.gn.apc.org
---
UK Government's response to West Papuan political prisoners petition on the
Downing Street website
http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page14274.asp
16 January 2008
We received a petition asking:
"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to urge the Indonesian
government to free political prisoners in WEST PAPUA."
Details of Petition:
"HERE ARE THE WORDS OF A POLITICAL PRISONER SENT TO PRISON FOR RAISING THE
WEST PAPUA FLAG. "We are really hurt. We can only cry before God. Democracy
in West Papua is dead and we are being destroyed. We feel strong
discrimination against us and so we hope that other nations who are
concerned about the life of their fellow human beings could pay attention to
us here. We beg the international community to put pressure on Indonesia and
not only to put pressure on Indonesia but also by coming and visiting West
Papua to see the condition we are in here. We want to have full
independence. We do not want to be part of Indonesia. Now we are silent
because we have been deeply terrorised. I am so worried there will be a
massive bloody incident when there is a clash [with the Indonesian military
and police] because our people have kept their suffering inside their heart
for a very long time. It's to avoid bloodshed like this that I do hope that
the Prime Minister and the people of the UK will help us to protect human
rights in West Papua." Yusak Pakage, West Papuan prisoner of conscience,
speaking from Abepura Prison, West Papua, 1st October 2006."
* <http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/freewestpapua> Read the petition signed
by 284 UK residents
* http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/FREEWESTPAPUA/?ref=freewestpapua
*
* <http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/> Petitions home page
*
* http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/
*
Read the Government's response
Flying the Papuan national "Morning Star" flag is illegal under Indonesian
law. Whereas the Special Autonomy law allows for the use of Papuan symbols
and anthems, the local legislation that is required to confirm the chosen
symbols and anthems has not yet been passed.
The UK supports the territorial integrity of Indonesia and does not support
independence for Papua. The Government believe that full implementation of
existing Special Autonomy legislation is the best way to proceed towards a
sustainable resolution to the internal differences and the long-term
stability of Papua.
The Government believe 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.
The Government are aware of allegations of human rights abuses in Papua. The
isolated nature of some areas of Papua makes it difficult to establish a
clear picture of any cases of human rights abuses, but the Government
investigates any credible reports of human rights abuses we receive. Our
Embassy in Jakarta regularly discusses human rights issues, including in
Papua, with the Indonesian government.
---
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=37536
Radio New Zealand International
The Voice of New Zealand, Broadcasting to the Pacific
Te Reo Irirangi O Aotearoa, O Te Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa
Activist denounces Papua Governor over Morning Star ban
Posted at 03:31 on 18 January, 2008 UTC
A London-based Papuan activist has criticised the Governor of Indonesia’s
Papua for upholding a ban
on the Morning Star Flag.
Governor Barnabas Suebu is demanding compliance with a new government
regulation that bans the
use of separatist attributes as regional symbols.
He says the provincial legislature will discuss a more suitable regional
symbol than the Morning Star,
which is associated with Papuan separatists.
In 2005 a man was jailed for 15 years for raising the flag.
And this week, police in Jayapura arrested two women who were trading
souvenirs carrying the Morning
Star logo.
Activist Benny Wenda says this makes a mockery of provisions under Papua’s
Special Autonomy.
“Because Indonesia promised that the Morning Star is like a cultural
symbol, and this is what the
Autonomy package already promised. Then why now have they banned all
people making handbags with
the Morning Star and printing tee-shirts, and any sort of identity and now
the ban. There is not any
freedom in West Papua.”
Benny Wenda
---
From: Richard Samuelson <samoxen at dsl.pipex.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:21:41 +0900
<http://brontophoto.multiply.com/journal/item/7/Separatists_Papuan>
http://brontophoto.multiply.com/journal/item/7/Separatists_Papuan
Separatists who won't quit
Papuan students wearing the colors of banned Morning Star separatists in
Yogyakarta, Java, shout slogans while marking the anniversary of the failed
efforts by Papuan tribal chiefs to declare independence from Dutch colonial
rule in 1961. Indonesia took over West Papua from the Dutch in 1963. A
small, poorly armed separatist movement has battled Indonesian rule ever
since...
---
The Jakarta Post
Friday, January 18, 2008
Op-Ed
Shackling Papuan Intellectuals
Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua
Since the fall of Soeharto's regime, Indonesia has apparently
begun to move toward democracy.
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.
Although there are only a few Papuan authors, it should be
recognized that the publication of such books has encouraged
more Papuans to exercise their freedom of opinion and expression
through writing.
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.
The introduction of the book is written by Rev. Socrates Sofyan
Yoman, the chairperson of the Fellowship of the Baptist Churches
in Papua.
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".
Police seized the book from shelves immediately after the ban
was announced on Dec. 14, and ordered those in possession of the
book to give it up to the prosecutors.
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.
Like Wonda's book, the book on Theys was considered dangerous to
national unity.
Theys was a Papuan pro-independence charismatic leader who
chaired the Papuan Presidium Council, a body formed by the
second Papuan congress in 2000 to lead the peaceful struggle for
the creation of an independent state of West Papua. He was
abducted and assassinated by the Army's Special force.
It seems that the same criteria will be applied by the Attorney
General's Office to screen and ban any books on Papua, more
particularly those written by Papuans, in the future simply by
saying the books contain elements categorized as dangerous to
the Indonesian government and state.
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.
The undemocratic aspect of the government has been and is being
manifested through its inability to face Papuans' dissenting
opinions.
Instead of producing more books to encounter the content of the
banned books, the government has abused its power to stifle
Papuans' intellectual creativity and freedom of opinion and
expression.
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.
The presence of the Indonesian government in Papua, then, is
very suspicious for it seems to exist not to protect the Papuans
in exercising their intellectual creativity but to treat them
cruelly.
The banning of books does not apparently constitute an isolated
action. Rather, it reflects the government's policy of
threatening Papuans' intellectual freedom.
The writer is a lecturer at the Fajar Timur School of Philosophy
and Theology in Abepura, Papua.
---
http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/1/9/mimika-district-government-to-buy-pioneer-aircraft/
National
01/09/08 08:47
Mimika district government to buy pioneer aircraft
Timika, Papua (ANTARA News) - The Mimika district administration is
planning to buy a pioneer aircraft
from Switzerland to conduct flights to and from isolated villages and
coastal areas.
"The aircraft may arrive here next March," Acting Mimika District Chief
Atanasius Allo Rafra told
ANTARA on Tuesday.
"We have contacted the company," he added.
He said the aircraft would be a new one and was expected to be operated
for a long time.
In operating and maintaining the aircraft, the district administration
would cooperate with the local
missionary airline AMA which had years of experience in providing air
services in the region.
He added the administration was also planning to buy a landing craft ship
(LCT) to serve sea routes to
villages in coastal areas to facilitate people living in the area to go to
Timika.
The local administration had allocated Rp20 billion to buy the pioneer
aircraft. (*)
---
http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/1/10/freeport-denies-holding-six-foreign-mountain-climbers/
National
01/10/08 00:31
Freeport denies holding six foreign mountain climbers
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - Copper and gold mining company PT Freeport
Wednesday denied
that it has detained six foreign mountain climbers for intruding into its
working area in the eastern
Indonesian province of Papua.
"We did not detain them. Instead, we helped them on Wednesday by allowing
them to enter our working
area as two of them were ill," the company`s spokesman, Mindo Pangaribuan,
said.
He said Freeport also provided them with medical checkups and transportation.
Reports had it that Freeport detained the six mountain climbers hailing
from Britain, Canada and Ireland
after climbing Cartenz plateau. (*)
Copyright © 2008 ANTARA
---
http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/1/11/mimika-police-detain-two-tribal-chieftains/
National
01/11/08 14:13
Mimika police detain two tribal chieftains
Timika, Papua (ANTARA News) - Police in Mimika, Papua, have detained two
tribal chieftains -- Pius
Waker and Kamanial Waker from Kimbeli District, Tembagapura -- in an
effort to prevent the widening
of a war between two villages.
Mimika Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Godhelp C Mansnembra said
here Thursday the
arrest was necessary to prevent the widening of a tribal war between
residents of Kimbeli and Banti
villages which began in September 2007.
The tribal war had killed nine tribesmen and injured tens of others.
"The two chieftains were arrested on Tuesday (Jan. 8) after being pursued
since Monday. They are now
being detained at the Mimika police office for further legal process,"
Mansnembra said.
Mimika police had also seized a number of weapons including at least 1895
arrows, 378 bows, 12
shotguns, 30 spears, and two axes.
"We were forced to use repressive measures because the number of injured
persons has increased,"
Mansnembra said.
Local authorities and religious leaders have encouraged the conflicting
parties to talk and make peace,
he said.
The situation in the Kimbeli and Banti areas is currently calm. (*)
Copyright © 2008 ANTARA
---
http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/01/19/indonesians-jailed-for-png-illegal-border-crossing
Indonesians Jailed For PNG Illegal Border Crossing
By Alexander Rheeney in Port Moresby
Saturday: January 19, 2008
Two Indonesian university students have been jailed for illegally entering
Papua New Guinea without
proper visas.
The students crossed the Wutung border post at the PNG-Indonesian border
on a motorbike and were
caught by PNG police in Vanimo, the provincial capital of the Sandaun
province.
They recently appeared before the Vanimo district court and were ordered
to each pay a K1000
(US$334) fine after they were found guilty for breaching PNG immigration
laws.
But the duo – who are reportedly enrolled at West Papua’s Cendrawasih
University – could not pay the
fine and were thrown in jail to serve a two months sentence.
Their prosecution ironically coincides with the reported arrest of 12
Chinese nationals in the Highlands
provinces of Simbu and Western Highlands for illegally staying in the
country by a joint police and
Immigration Office task force.
It is understood the Mt Hagen district court has granted bail to two women
in the group but ordered that
the 10 men remain in custody pending the outcome of their trial.
While a Joint Border Committee Agreement governs the two countries’ border
activities, PNG security
agencies have warned that illegally organized smuggling and other illicit
activities have increased along
the 870km land border.
Border issues is expected to be a top agenda for Prime Minister Sir
Michael Somare and Indonesian
president Susilo Bangbang Yudhono when the Indonesian leader makes his
first state visit to PNG in
June.
---
http://insideindonesia.org/content/view/1038/47/
Geoff Mulherin
Suharto's_last_erection.jpg
The monument is in the shape of a big pillar
Geoff Mulherin
Tourists visiting Makassar can hardly miss it. If they don’t see it
towering above the otherwise flat, low-
rise city, Monument Mandala features prominently in every guidebook and
tourist brochure.
Described as a ‘landmark’ of the city, and as the place to get ‘the
highest view without a helicopter’, the
monument has been a major attraction for all sorts of reasons. Located
centrally in Jalan Jenderal
Sudirman, the monument itself is surrounded by a broad, open-air
entertainment area that forms a hub
of political, cultural and social performances in the city. From student
protests, New Years eve disco
parties and annual ‘Battle of the Bands’ music competitions – through to
the start and finish for the 2007
‘Rally of Indonesia’ car race – people are drawn to the monument. Many
others come just for the
history, and the view.
Perhaps predictably, seeing the ‘highest view without a helicopter’ is not
always straight forward. To
begin with, the only way to reach the top of the monument is via a small,
airless lift that feels like it pre-
dated the Dutch arrival in the archipelago. And this lift is powered by
southern Sulawesi’s sometimes
unreliable power supply. When I visited in late 2005 it took me three
visits to reach the top of the tower.
The first two coincided with blackouts, which were common at the time.
But the trip is worth it. Quite apart from the view, the visitor comes
face to face with a wonderful artifact
of the nationalist ideology promoted by the authoritarian New Order regime
(1966-98) and its helmsman,
former President Suharto. A visit provides a window to Suharto and the New
Order’s version of the
national project.
Identity tourism
Tourists travelling to Jakarta, whether foreign or Indonesian, will almost
certainly visit at least one of the
well known national monuments, statues or museums. Sukarno constructed his
fair share of these, and
while it remained incomplete at the time of his demise, he was responsible
for the most famous – the
National Monument or ‘Monas’.
A key feature of the National Monument is the series of dioramas that tell
the official ‘story’ of Indonesia.
Visitors to the monument absorb the story in the quiet, almost reverential
expanse that coveys an aura of
truth and reliability.
Like Sukarno, Suharto and his New Order regime understood the importance
of official narratives of
national history. Museums and monuments – sites for national parades and
ceremonies, and for school
group and tourist visits – provide an ideal means to tell the official
story of the nation. And so throughout
much of the New Order, under the guidance of the Armed Forces History
Centre, museums and
monuments were established to narrate the New Order’s version of the nation.
Between the mid-1960s and the 1993 opening of the Museum of Communist
Treachery, Jakarta was the
site of choice for much of this New Order ‘nationalist urbanism’. But just
as things were coming to a
close there, the decision was made to erect a new monument – modeled on
the National Monument – in
what was then Ujung Pandang, now Makassar.
The ‘liberation’ of West Irian
The construction of Monument Mandala began in 1994, and it was opened on
19 December 1995 – the
anniversary of Sukarno’s famous Trikora speech. The monument’s main
purpose was to tell the story of
the ‘liberation’ of West Irian – now Papua – in the context of the broader
struggle for Indonesian
independence.
Around the circumference of the base of the monument is a series of
reliefs that tell the nationalist story
of Indonesia through scenes of key moments in that history. In most
respects these reliefs are very
similar to other accounts of the nationalist story portrayed elsewhere.
Perhaps the only difference is the
obvious presence of a Papuan face or two in the scenes of the Indonesian
nationalist struggle.
Museums and monuments
provide an ideal means to tell the official
story of the nation
Inside the base of the monument there are two floors each with 12
dioramas. The lower highlights
moments of opposition to Dutch rule by the people of Sulawesi, while the
higher tells the particular story
of Papua’s liberation. Not surprisingly, key aspects of the New Order
nationalist narrative are evident.
To begin with, both floors of dioramas have a decidedly military flavour
to them. The broad sweep of
historical moments covered in the lower level focuses almost exclusively
on armed opposition to
European occupation. Likewise, the collection of dioramas dealing with the
liberation of West Irian is
also slanted heavily towards the role of the military – and Suharto in
particular – in the ‘reunification’ of
the nation. In other words, the uncritical visitor to the Mandala Monument
will come away with a strong
message that the overthrow of Eurpoean domination, including in West
Irian, was largely due to the
military, and that the military and its leaders provide the ‘safe hands’
needed to keep the country
together.
‘Monument to Pak Harto’
Suharto_doll.jpg
Waiting for you as you exit the lift
Geoff Mulherin
However this message about the military is also overlaid with a more
specific one, about Suharto
himself. As the national news magazine Gatra headlined at the time of the
monument’s opening, the
purpose of the monument was to commemorate the president.
At the start of 1962 President Sukarno appointed Suharto as the Commander
of Operation Mandala –
the military operation designed to threaten the Dutch into surrendering
control of West Irian. The
Mandala Monument is built on the site of Suharto’s headquarters of the
time, and, not surprisingly, he
was invited to officially open the monument.
Suharto did, in fact, lead Operation Mandala until the territory was
handed to Indonesian administration
on 1 May 1963. Of course, the actual effectiveness of the military
campaign, and its contribution to the
final diplomatic solution that saw Indonesia gain control of West Irian,
are open to question. But such
questions are not asked in the official narrative. Rather, the narrative
portrayed in the monument does
the opposite.
To begin with, despite Indonesia’s claim to centuries-old unity with
Papua, the series of dioramas on the
second floor focuses heavily just on 1962, when Suharto was involved.
Beginning only in 1955 with
scenes concerning the establishment of a province of West Irian in 1955 in
Maluku, and the
establishment of the National Front for the Liberation of West Irian in
1958, the diorama series then
turns to the Trikora command, and the inauguration of Suharto as Mandala
Commander. This is followed
by several scenes of military activities under Suharto’s command,
culminating in the transfer of the
territory – first to interim UN control in August 1962, and then to
Indonesia on 1 May 1963. The famous
(or infamous) Act of Free Choice of 1969, when carefully selected Papuan
representatives voted in
favour of integration into Indonesia, is almost an afterthought, shown to
highlight Indonesia’s status as a
law-abiding nation rather than having anything substantive to do with West
Irian’s place inside or outside
the country.
Suharto’s connection with the successful campaign for West Irian is then
further reinforced to the
dedicated tourist who wants to see ’the best view of Makassar without a
helicopter.’ As you emerge from
the lift to the top of the tower, you find yourself in the middle of a
mock-up of Suharto’s Mandala
headquaters, and confronted by a life-sized figure sitting at the
general’s desk, commanding the troops
on a battle map of the campaign. None-too-subtly the visitor is being
asked: without Suharto, would West
Irian ever have been liberated? Would Indonesia be united?
Fall of New Order
So how have the New Order’s messages at the monument fared since Suharto’s
downfall in 1998?
Surprisingly well it seems. At a personal level, Suharto has taken some
hits to his reputation. When
tourists visit the top of the monument photos of the military campaign
surround them on the walls. Yet
there are some curious gaps in the collection. When I asked my tour guides
they told me that, soon
after Suharto’s resignation, student protestors came and took down photos
with Suharto in them. But that
was a while ago, and Suharto’s headquarters still has a commanding
presence at the top of the
monument, and Suharto remains a main player in the dioramas downstairs.
And there was no doubt
what my tour guides thought: things were better under Suharto.
‘
the visitor is being asked - without Suharto, would Indonesia be
united?’
But more importantly, the underlying nationalist story of the monument
remains as alive as always. It is a
story consistent with that told in other official histories, in school
text books, and in much of the media
across Indonesia. It is a message that the visitor will still absorb in
passing, even if their only reason for
coming to the monument is to attend a rock concert. Papua is part of
Indonesia, and gained its
independence from Dutch colonial oppression when liberated by fellow
Indonesians in 1962. Indonesian
independence and unity is not a gift, but is something that had to be
worked for and won. ii
Geoff Mulherin (gmulherin at lawfoundation.net.au) is undertaking research
into Papua’s place within the
development of Indonesian nationalist narratives.
---
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22526716/
New Guinea’s melting glaciers draw scientists
Experts to study ice cores for El Niño, manmade warming impacts
IMAGE: NEW GUINEA GLACIERS
This photo taken by Australian scientist Ian Allison on a January 1973
expedition shows a view of the
North Wall Firn, one of the Mount Jaya glaciers in the Indonesian half of
New Guinea. The rare tropical
ice masses are shrinking. U.S. glaciologist Lonnie Thompson plans an
expedition there to drill for ice
cores and clues to climate change.
View related photos
Ian Allison / via AP
PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea - For 5,000 years, great tongues of ice
have spread over the 3-
mile-high slopes of Puncak Jaya, in the remotest reaches of this remote
tropical island. Now those
glaciers are melting, and Lonnie Thompson must get there before they're gone.
To the American glaciologist, the ancient ice is a vanishing "archive" of
the story of El Niño, the
equatorial phenomenon driving much of the world's climate.
More than that, the little-explored glaciers are a last unknown for a
mountaineering scientist who for
three decades has circled the planet pioneering the deep-drilling of ice
cores, both to chronicle the
history of climate and to bear witness to the death of tropical glaciers
from global warming.
Story continues below ↓advertisement
"No one knows how thick these remaining glaciers are," Thompson said of
Puncak Jaya, or Mount
Jaya. "We do know they are disappearing."
The unknowns on this wild, Texas-sized island extend even to the local
climate.
"There are indications of warming," explained Kasis Inape, a senior
government climatologist here. "But
we can't really confidently say the temperature change has been this much
or that much, because the
actual data are lacking."
As a companion project to Thompson's expedition, an international research
team including Inape plans
a first-ever assessment of recent climate change on New Guinea, especially
along the 1,200-mile
mountainous spine of the southwestern Pacific island.
Thompson's quest on Puncak Jaya will be for something deeper in the past.
Factoring El Niño and manmade warming
"We may actually see an El Niño history there," he said by telephone from
his office-laboratory at Ohio
State University. And that history may foretell the future, he and others
believe.
Knowing how past temperature changes affected El Niño, the
atmospheric-oceanic disturbance that roils
the tropics every few years, may help scientists predict how much worse
and more frequent El Niño's
droughts, tempests and floods may grow as the world warms in decades to come.
Such discoveries would be the latest in a Thompson career whose
achievements were recognized by a
National Medal of Science at a White House ceremony last July.
Aided by his wife and collaborator, climatologist Ellen Mosley-Thompson,
Thompson's career began in
the 1970s with climbs to the glacier-draped peaks of the Peruvian Andes,
where his team perfected
advanced drilling techniques. By 2001, he was making headlines with his
discovery that the storied
snows of Kilimanjaro, the east African mountain's glacial cap, might
disappear by 2015.
On some 50 expeditions, often with U.S. National Science Foundation
support, he and colleagues have
braved high winds, frostbite and altitude sickness, survived in ice caves,
crossed treacherous crevasses
with makeshift bridges, and hauled heavy equipment to unlikely heights.
In 2006, at a 20,000-foot-high site in the Tibetan Himalayas, Thompson had
to rely on animal power,
dozens of yaks, to carry ice-core segments on their backs to the valley
below.
An accumulation of four miles of ice cores, including one Himalayan sample
reaching back 750,000
years, now lies in cold storage at the lab in Columbus, Ohio, where the
ice is analyzed layer by layer
through centuries past.
Flecks of dust, falling seasonally, enable glaciologists to count the
years down the ice core's length.
Isotopes of oxygen, in minute air bubbles trapped in the ice, vary with
temperature and so tell
researchers how ancient climate shifted. Other clues — chemicals,
surrounding geology, trapped and
frozen vegetation or insects — tell high-altitude investigators still more.
The 59-year-old Thompson's assault on Puncak Jaya, planned for May-June
2009, will take his crew
into isolated, mist-shrouded highlands seldom visited even by tribes in
the area, across Papua New
Guinea's border in the Indonesian half of this island. In 2006, a
biological expedition to its uncharted
tropical forests reported finding new species of birds, frogs, even a tree
kangaroo.
The last scientific expedition to the glaciers took place in 1973, when
Australian glaciologist Ian Allison
and colleagues trekked seven days through the wilderness past gushing
rivers and groves of tree ferns,
with gear borne by a train of near-naked tribesmen.
"In the fourth or fifth day you see in the distance the sheer limestone
cliffs with the ice on top, and it's
really quite a sight," Allison recalled by phone from Australia.
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Thompson should have an easier time scaling those 10,000-foot cliffs.
The mining company Freeport-McMoRan, operating nearby, has agreed to
airlift his dozen-member
team to Puncak Jaya's heights by helicopter, along with six tons of
equipment — electro-mechanical and
thermal drill systems, radar to gauge ice thickness and map the underlying
rock, winch and cable, boxes
to preserve core segments, high-altitude camping gear and supplies.
Satellite images show melt
They'll find glaciers very different from those Allison saw.
Although ever-present cloud cover complicates satellite surveillance,
meticulous research by Texas A&M
University geographers has determined that the glaciers are shrinking
rapidly.
"We're tracking their demise by satellite images," the university's Andrew
Klein said from College
Station, Texas. "If current retreat rates continue, they will disappear in
a few decades. This is similar to
what's happening to tropical glaciers around the world."
Puncak Jaya's Meren Glacier, one of five ice masses surveyed in the
1972-73 Australian expeditions,
vanished completely sometime between 1994 and 2000, the Texas researchers
report. In two years
alone, between 2000 and 2002, the remaining glaciers lost more than 7
percent of their area.
The researchers estimate that since about 1850, as heat-trapping
industrial emissions accumulated in
the atmosphere, Puncak Jaya's ice has shrunk from covering 7 square miles
to less than one square
mile.
Michael Prentice, an Indiana University paleoclimatologist, or climate
historian, believes temperature
increases in the New Guinea uplands have far exceeded — "really out of
sight" — the 1-degree
Fahrenheit average rise recorded globally in the past century.
With Inape and Australian and Indonesian scientists, Prentice is
organizing the project to collect and
analyze existing climate data, and to deploy or upgrade automatic weather
stations at sites including
Puncak Jaya.
New Guinea lies on the fringe of the Western Pacific Warm Pool, a center
of warm water that generates
El Niño disturbances and influences climate from India's monsoons to the
Amazon's droughts. Because
of that, Prentice said, what the glacier ice tells Thompson about the
region's past will help climatologists
understand what lies ahead.
'Dipstick' for Earth's climate
He likens the Puncak Jaya glaciers to a "dipstick" rising high into the
atmosphere.
"There is no other such record in the wider region, which really stretches
from the eastern Pacific to the
Himalayas," he said. "It's the only record of its kind in what is nearly
half of the tropical zone."
IMAGE: LONNIE AND ELLEN THOMPSON
Kiichiro Sato / AP
Lonnie Thompson and his wife and research partner, Ellen Mosley-Thompson,
stand Dec. 21 in the
"cold room," where ice cores are stored in the -30 degree freezer at Byrd
Polar Research Center at
Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
Puncak Jaya's scientific challenge may be greater than the logistical one.
Because of the melting, the
veteran Allison observed, "it's not going to be an easy core to interpret."
Thompson recognizes that, but puts first things first.
"It's important to get an archive for the future because 20 years from now
our technology will be so
much more advanced, and our ability to read these records will be much
improved," he said.
He recalled that New Guinea's surprising glaciers first attracted him as a
student long ago, when he
found them in a Southern Hemisphere ice atlas. Now, "it's clear from
Andrew Klein's work that these
glaciers are going to disappear."
Getting there soon is key, Thompson said. "Whatever history is still
there, we'll try to get it."
© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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