Friday, March 8, 2013

1) TNI Soldier Faces 15-Year Sentence for Shooting a Priest


1) TNI Soldier Faces 15-Year Sentence for Shooting a Priest
2) Central goveernment is allowing the violence in Papua to continue
3) Papua is getting international attention because the situation is being dramatised
4) Answers and questions from MP’s to the Dutch minister of FA for your information


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1) TNI Soldier Faces 15-Year Sentence for Shooting a Priest

Friday, 08 March, 2013 | 00:23 WIB
TEMPO InteractiveJayapura:Military Court III-19 in Jayapura, Papua, on Thursday, March 7, charged member of Military Command 1711/Bovendigul, Irfan, with 15 years in prison and dismissal from the army. Irfan was indicted for shooting Rev. Frederika Metalmety on November 21, 2012, in Bovendigul.

During the trial military prosecutor Maj. LKH Yuli Wibowo said that testimonies from seven witnesses pointed that First Soldier Irfan was guilty of violating Article 338 of the Criminal Code. Furthermore, a forensics reports from Bovendigul Regional Hospital showed two gunshots wounds on the victim’s body and bruises on the head.

Prosecutor Yuli Wibowo during the trial pleaded to the panel of judges to find Irfan guilty of manslaughter based on Article 338.

CUNDING LEVI
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2) Central goveernment is allowing the violence in Papua to continue
Bintang Papua, 7 March 2013

Jayapura:

[Illustration at the top of the item is a photo of Socratez Sofyan Yoman and Rev. Benny Giay

Speaking at a press conference in Jayapura, the chairman of the Alliance of Baptists Churches in Papua, Socratez Sofyan Yoman, said he was concerned about the fact that the central government is doing nothing to stop  all the acts of violence that  continue to occur  in the Land of Papua, leading to the loss of many lives among the indigenous Papuan people for political reasons.'

'These acts of violence have been occurring since 2004 and are continuing to the present day, which means that the situation is never peaceful. This is not the fault of the regional government or the legislative bodies but is because it is the central government which is allowing the violence to continue in Papua.'

Socratez Yoman, accompanied by Rev Benny Giay, was speaking at a press conference held at the bookshop 'Sofyan Ninom', to launch his latest book.

He went on the say that the provincial government or regional administrations are powerless because the situation is subject to remote control from the central government which is simply allowing all this violence to occur and this must not be allowed to continue.'

'I wish to state that there will be no end to this violence until the central government takes measures  to restore peace  by humane efforts and without perpetrated acts of violence. This violence is continuing to take a heavy toll in Papuan lives,' he said.

He spoke about recent acts of  violence in Sinak, district of Puncak Jaya  and in Tingginambut in the district of Puncak Jaya. 'Is it true that the perpetraters are members of the TPN/OPM or  groups led by Goliat Tabuni, or not? What is urgent, he said, is that all this violence must stop in the Land of Papua, from Sorong to Merauke. 'These things have been happening since 2004 and nothing has been done to find the culprits . It is surely time for the central government to take a humane  and peaceful approach to the  problems of the Papuan people,' he said.

Widespread availability of  weapons poses threat to all civilians

The chairman of the Synod of the  KINGMI Church, Rev Benny Giay, said that the chief of police in Papua must conduct thorough investigations to find out who it is who is selling firearms in Papua, particularly in the mountainous interior. He said that he raised this issue with the chief of police, Tito Kaarnavian at a meeting in the office of the Synod on 3 March. 'You should arrest anyone who is selling weapons,' he told the chief of police.'

He said he was concerned about the availability of firearms and ammunition, particularly in the mountainous area because these weapons had been used to shoot civilians a few days earlier  in the Puncak Highlands, in Tinggnambut and in Sinak.

This is a serious matter for  church leaders because people are now feeling very afraid  and think that anyone can own a firearm and ammunition.which is the cause of all the instability in Papua.

According to Rev. Giay, weapons are being used in land disputes as well as in disagreements between neighbours which shows how wide is the impact of all these weapons which is maintaining a situation of instability in Papua. 'When for example  an indigenous Papuan shoots one of the newcomers to Papua, it is then alleged that the OPM was responsible.What we think is so important is that the people responsible for these actions should be taken into custody.'

He said that the need to deal with people who are responsible for all these shootings was mentioned a while ago when Bekto was the chief of police. He said at the time that he would deal with all the shooting incidents as well as dealing with those people who are bringing weapons into Papua, but to this day, nothing has been done. The widespread circulation of weapons and ammunition is what has led to the shooting of indigenous Papuans as well as other civilians.The authorities say that there needs to be an increase in the number of police  or army command posts in Papua but he doubts whether that will make any difference because the police have not carried the crucial work of investigating who it is who is bringing in all these weapons and who is responsible for the widespread availability of firearms and ammunition.

Rev Benny Giay recalled the words of the president, SBY, some time ago when he said at a meeting of the Church Leadeship Forum that he would take measures to resolve the problems in Papua by taking a humanitarian approach. 'If the chief of police is not able to carry this out, he should say so.'

'We said at the time that  this was precisely what we also wanted, but the fact is that there is no sign that what SBY said is happening  while acts of violence simply go on occurring. On that occasion too, SBY said that there were two main groups in Papua,, those who want to take the humanitarian approach and those who commit acts of violence.

Rev Giay said that there appears to be another group of people, a third party which persists in taking the path of violence. This means that there are people in Jakarta who want the violence in Papua to continue.'In other words, it means that there are state institutions or other groups who what to continue along the path of violence.'

[Translated by TAPOL]
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3) Papua is getting international attention because the situation is being dramatised
Bintang Papua, 7 March 2013

Michael Manufandu who has served as Indonesian ambassador in Colombia believes that there is growing international attention to everything that is happening in Papua. This is not only in countries that were involved in the process by which Papua was incorporated into Indonesia.He said that all this international attention  is the result of the activities of people who are dramatising the problems in Papua.

'In my opinion, this is because we ourselves like to dramatise the situation there which is what is  drawing international attention to Papua. We should acknowledge the fact that in the early period of Papua's integration into Indonesia, many people were involved. This included Indonesia and The Netherlands and subsequently the United States of America as well as other member states of the United Nations, which became interested in Papua,'  Manufandu told Bintang Papua.

He said that at the present time, world attention to Papua is about human rights, the separatist movement , the demand for independence and other matters.'Some people say that it is because of the occurrence of social conflicts or the emergence of demands, all of which disturbs public order. That is why someone like myself who has served as an Indonesian ambassador has had to spend a lot of time explaining the developments and progress that have occurred in Papua.'

'It is no secret,' he said, 'that Papua is extremely rich in natural resources. The question then becomes how these resources are used for the benefit of the people.

'Essentially, if the people enjoy a good standard of living, they wont make a fuss about anything. Everything will be calm and peaceful.If problems emerge, that is quite normal  but what I regret is that there are people who want to dramatise things. This leads to the idea that Papua is a region of conflict, that people there dont feel comfortable about things, whereas in fact this is nothing extraordinary,' he said.

[Note: The final words have been translated literally but may not be what he actually said. Translator]
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4) Answers and questions from MP’s to the Dutch minister of FA for your information.
Best regards,
Koen J. de Jager
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Translation Pro Papua
From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asia and Oceania Department
Postbox 20061
2500 EB The Hague
To the Chairman of the
House of Representatives
Binnenhof 4
The Hague
Date: March 6, 2013
Our ref. BZ-2013.17440
Contact: 
dao@minbuza.nl

Your ref. 2013Z02692
Subject: Answers to questions of Members of Parliament Van der Staaij (SGP), Voordewind (ChristenUnie), De Roon (PVV), Ten Broeke (VVD) , Maij (PvdA) Van Bommel (SP) and to the Minister of Foreign Affairs about the marginalization of Papuans socially and economically
Herewith I present you the answers to the written questions posed by Members of
Parliament Van der Staaij (SGP-Party), Voordewind (CU-party), De Roon (PVV-party), Ten Broeke (VVD-party), Maij (PvdA-Party) and Van Bommel (SP-Party) concerning the marginalisation of Papuans socially and economically.
These questions were sent on 11 February 2013 by number 2013Z02692.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs
Frans Timmermans
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Written questions from the Members of Parliament Van der Staaij (SGP-Party), Voordewind (CU-party), De Roon (PVV-party), Ten Broeke (VVD-party), Maij (PvdA-Party) and Van Bommel (SP-Party) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs about the marginalization of Papuans both socially and economically.
Question 1.
Have you taken notice of reports stating that Papuans are said to be marginalized in Indonesia during the exploitation of natural resources in their province? 1)
Answer
Yes
Question2.
Is it correct that substantial development programmes are being started in Papua, during which considerable numbers of immigrants are being sent to Papua?
Answer
Regarding food and energy supplies, Indonesia makes development programs, also in the Papua province. Herewith, Indonesia does not conduct transmigration policy. For the development programs in Papua and West-Papua especially non-locals are hired, as they have more capacities and education.
Question 3.
To what extent does the indigenous people benefit from the development programmes mentioned above?
Answer
The development programs are meant for the benefit of the entire population. The Indonesian authorities strive to involve the local population with these programs. Late 2011 a special unit (UP4B) was established in order to speed up economic development. This unit coordinates the social-economic development of Papua.
Question 4.
In which way are private grounds of Papuans being legally protected and how does this legal protection take effect?
Answer
With the Special Autonomy Law for the provinces of Papua and West-Papua the so-called Majelis Rakyat Papua (MRP) was founded. The MRP consists of representatives of indigenous Papuans and monitors the respectation and protection of indigenous culture and customs. When treaties with third parties are made, national and provincial authorities have to consult the MRP whether the rights of indigenous Papuans are at stake. Subsequently the MRP has to agree with such a treaty. In practice, this consultancy obligation is not always lived up to. When land is being transferred the community has to approve and will have to be compensated. The Special Autonomy Law furthermore dictates that local arrangements are made by the provincial authorities in cooperation with the provincial parliament and the MRP for economic activities where natural resources are at stake. So far these local arrangements have not been made. During a recent visit of the Embassy to Papua we urged again for a full implementation of the Special Autonomy Law.
Question 5. Can you indicate how The Netherlands may contribute to an improvement of the situation of Papuans, how can you as a Minister contribute to that and which multilateral means do you have?
Answer
During my visit to Indonesia (February 20-21 last) I spoke to the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs about the situation in Papua. On March 1st I met Bambang Darmono, the chief of the established unit by the Indonesian president, for the accelerated development of Papua. Herewith I emphasized the importance of transparency and I urged for a more liberal admittance of international NGO’s to the area. I also stressed that The Netherlands are willing to contribute to the improvement of the social-economic position of Papuans. Right now, The Netherlands support, among others, a UNICEF development program and a UNDP program aimed at the improvement of the capacity of local governments, so that they are more capable of making their budgets and planning based on the actual needs of the population.
1) Daily newspaper Reformatorisch Dagblad, 4 February 2013

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