Wednesday, February 19, 2014

1) Lenient Papua Police Officer Sentence Triggers Outrage in Indonesia



1) Lenient Papua Police Officer Sentence Triggers Outrage in Indonesia
2) 2014 Pacific Islands Forum date set for late July
3) Report of a Visit to PT Dongin Prabhawa’s Plantation at Mam.
4) I glanced at the two breaker Pospol Brought to Puncak Jaya Police


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1) Lenient Papua Police Officer Sentence Triggers Outrage in Indonesia


Condemnation has erupted at the decision by a court in West Papua province to hand down a two-year sentence to a police officer for illegal logging, despite strong evidence that he may have laundered up to Rp 1.5 trillion ($127 million) in funds obtained from smuggling fuel and exporting a protected timber species.
The short sentence handed to Labora Sitorus, a low-ranking member of the Papua Police who could have faced up to 20 years under the charges brought by prosecutors, was a clear indication that something was covered up during the trial, said Dian Adriawan, a criminal law expert at Jakarta’s Trisakti University.
He questioned the decision by the court in the town of Sorong, West Papua, on Monday to acquitLabora of the most serious charge under the nation’s 2010 Anti-Money-Laundering Law.
“If he had been convicted of Article 3 of the 2010 law [on laundering criminal proceeds], then the court would also have had to convict him of the connected charge under Article 5,” Dian said.
A money laundering conviction which would have obliged the court to publicly name the recipients of the criminal proceeds, which allegedly include high-ranking police officers, he said.
Labora was instead found guilty on one count under the 1999 Forestry Law. Prosecutors had also indicted him under the 2002 Oil and Gas Law for alleged fuel smuggling, but he was acquitted of that charge.
Had the court found him guilty on all three charges, he could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and fined up to Rp 10 billion.
Labora’s case electrified the nation last year when the National Police confirmed findings by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), the government’s anti-money-laundering watchdog, that up to Rp 1.5 trillion in suspicious funds had passed through the low-ranking officer’s bank accounts between 2007 and 2012.
Police also seized a boat carrying 400,000 liters of subsidized fuel, allegedly smuggled into Papua to be sold at a markup, registered in Labora’s name. More than 100 containers of the rare tropical hardwood merbau found at Surabaya’s port and destined for China were also traced back to the officer.
Merbau, a highly valued timber, is prohibited for export in its rough-sawn form.
At the time of Labora’s arrest, expectations were high that the ensuing investigation would net the higher-ranking officers who were widely believed to have taken kickbacks for allowing the illegal operations to run for years.
However, no other suspects from the police force were named, and the two-year sentence handed down on Monday only confirmed that local authorities were trying to shield senior officers, Dian said.
“I believe there’s a cover-up. They’ve got the proof of the crime, so it’s very bizarre why they haven’t traced where the proceeds went,” he said.
He added it was inconceivable that a lone officer like Labora would have been able to operate schemes of this scale for years without help from higher-ups.
Indonesia Police Watch deplored the court’s failure to name the 33 high-ranking police officers believed to have taken a cut of Labora’s operations.
“It’s a shame that the various testimonies and evidence presented at the trial were not considered by the panel of judges,” IPW chair Neta S. Pane said. “From here it’s pretty apparent that the police are covering up for their members who received money from Labora, and that they are being protected by the force and will never be prosecuted.”
The Papua Prosecutors Office said it would immediately file an appeal with the West Papua High Court.
“A two-year sentence is far below the prosecutors’ request of 15 years,” said E.S. Maruli Hutagalung, head of the prosecutors office. “Clearly it’s not commensurate with our demand, so we’re filing an appeal.”
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2) 2014 Pacific Islands Forum date set for late July

Updated at 2:45 pm on 18 February 2014
The 2014 Pacific Islands Forum leaders' summit is to be held in Palau from July the 29th until August the 1st.
It will be the 45th summit for the organisation, which held its first meeting in Wellington in 1972.
The small island states leaders' summit will begin proceedings, followed by the Forum proper and then the Post Forum Dialogue.
Senior officials' of the member states will hold preparatory meetings in Suva at the beginning of July.

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3) Report of a Visit to PT Dongin Prabhawa’s Plantation at Mam.

Link and photos at
https://awasmifee.potager.org/?p=779

Report of a Visit to PT Dongin Prabhawa’s Plantation at Mam.

A recent visit to Mam to monitor the latest developments around PT Dongin Prabhawa’s oil palm plantation near the south bank of the Digoel River in Merauke has revealed several concerns, from irregularities in the logging plan and ill-treatment of workers to human rights abuses.
PT Dongin Prabhawa is a subsidiary of the Korindo Group, which has several other oil palm and forestry businesses along the Digoel River.
The monitoring by JPIC MSC Indonesia revealed that PT Dongin Prabhawa had been clearing the forest and taking the wood on barges to Korindo’s plywood factory upriver in Asiki. An employee working as logging coordinator claimed that there were some irregularities in the work – the company was supposed to only log the areas assigned in its 2012 annual work plan during 2013, but actually logged the areas in the 2013 work plan as well. Although logging was not currently taking place at the time of the visit, logs were piled up in several places, including three log piles at the port. In other parts of the concession oil palm had already been planted.
The presence of police and military in the area were giving cause for concern. It was reported that on the 12th December 2013, two policemen from the Okaba police station who were assigned as security for PT Dongin Prabhawa at Mam, confiscated liquor from three local vendors after a search. The three local people were ordered to report regularly to the police station, but the police officers resold the alcohol to local customary landowners, also getting drunk with them.
Gambling with dice also takes place around the PT Dongin Prabhawa plantation and two police officers are involved in this. Addiction to gambling and alcohol often causes serious social problems in indigenous communities and so it is highly irresponsible of the police to promote such practices, and make money from them.
The Indonesian Army and Navy are stationed at Bade, a 30 minute speedboat ride away across the river. As has previously been reported, several young men, who may have been drinking, have recently been arrested and beaten up by the military in this area.
Another case of abuse by the military was reported on 13th February. It was claimed that the previous day a company employee originally from the Kei islands in South-East Maluku, was arrested in PT Dongin Prabhawa’s Division Two and tortured by a member of the Army.
There was also evidence of a worrying disregard for worker’s health and safety. Workers stationed at Division Two are drinking water from holes dug by diggers. The workers have complained about this. What is worse, chemical fertilizers are being used close to these water sources.
During the last three months (December to February) PT Dongin Prabhawa had not given either contracted nor casual workers the foodstuffs they were entitled to.
Some photos of the area are shown below, taken in January/ February 2014. All photos courtesy JPIC MSC Indonesia.
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A google translate of article in Majalah selangkah. Be-aware google translate can be a bit erratic.
Original bahasa link at
4) I glanced at the two breaker Pospol Brought to Puncak Jaya Police
Thursday, February 20, 2014 21:52 Read: 158 Comments : 0
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Illustration of a firearm . Photo : wartakota.com

Jayapura , STEP MAGAZINE - The process of investigation in the disappearance of 8 guns I glanced at the Police Station , Puncak Jaya regency , Papua , Saturday, January 8, 2014 , continues. Two of the perpetrators have been brought to the Papua Police in Jayapura .

Director General of Criminal Investigation and the Papua Police , Dwi Riyanto told reporters on Wednesday ( 19/02/2014 ) , said , " The two actors with the initials WK and YT Puncak Jaya district police have taken to police headquarters for further processing . "

WK , said Dwi , was arrested by police on February 15, 2014 . At that time he said , there was no resistance from WK . Likewise when YT catch in front of the office of regent of Puncak Jaya when the distribution of subsidized rice , Sunday ( 19/01/2014 ) .

Reportedly , the police are still hunting five men suspected of carrying weapons of Pospol 8 I looked at .

Weapons were seized , said Dwi Riyanto , none have returned . Data from police , the perpetrators seized eight weapons of various types, including 5 shoots SS1 , Moser 3 shoots , plus 215 rounds of ammunition .

Recognition of the two actors , added Dwi , guns and bullets in Pospol I glanced captured along with five others who are still pursued by the police. He said he is still searching , whether the actions of the actors on the orders of Goliath Tabuni or its own initiative , including 8 under where the shoots .

Reported majalahselangkah.com , the TPN / OPM post- deprivation weapon states will not return . ( Syo / MS )
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