1) Flag-flying across West Papua planned for 1 July; Police
are ready to respond
2) Ecumenical groups address issues in Indonesia, Papua New
Guinea
3) Churches Report on acts of violence in
May and June 2012. Part I
4) Local
leaders want to divide Papua to save it
--------------------------------------
1) Flag-flying across West Papua
planned for 1 July; Police are ready to respond
Bintang Papua, 26 June 2012
The OPM has announced that it intends to
fly the Morning Star flag on July 1, the anniversary of the creation of the
TPN, the military wing of the OPM. The flag flying across the territory of West
Papua will be accompanied by a fireworks display.
The announcement was made by Lambert
Pekikir, general coordinator of the TPN/OPM from his base, Victoria, on
the border between West Papua and PNG. He said that troops of the TPN are
preparing themselves for the flag-flying which will continue from 1 - 3 July.
The OPM will also read out a statement which says among other things that the
UN must accept responsibility for all the violations that have occurred in West
Papua.
He also said that civilians throughout the
territory, Papuans as well as non-Papuans, are advised to stay at home so
as to avoid any unnecessary things from happening.
In response to the flag-flying plans, the
police force in Papua have announced that they are making preparations for
this, and will do everything possible to ensure that no Morning Star
flags are flown. A spokesman said that Papuans should not play round with the
flag, like children flying kites. The police say that they will take the
persuasive approach and have no intention of using firearms in
anticipation of the flag-flying. Police spokesman, AKBP Yohannes Nugroho
Wicaksono, appealed to those groups who intend to flag the flag not to do so.
The police chief has issued an order for no
flags to be flown but if any flags are nevertheless flown, they will be pulled
down without the use of violence. He also said that in advance of 1 July,
there will be sweepings [of people's homes] and patrols by the
police will be intensified.
[Translated by TAPOL
----------------------------------------------
2) Ecumenical groups address issues in Indonesia, Papua New
Guinea
ENInews
Staff
26 June
2012
(ENInews). Two ecumenical groups --
the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the World Association for Christian
Communication (WACC) -- respectively highlighted initiatives in the Tanah Papua
area of Indonesia and in Papua New Guinea, which shares the Pacific island of
New Guinea.
The WCC
addressed the ongoing human rights crisis as the Papuan people seek greater
self-determination and WACC said it is supporting a communications project to
benefit villagers seeking to protect their river environment from mining
activities.
In Tanah
Papua, WCC General Secretary the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit said that "we urge
an end to the ongoing violence and impunity. We support the call for social and
economic justice through serious dialogue and a concrete political process that
seeks to address root causes of the present problems."
The
Papuan people have been demanding freedom of expression and the right to
self-determination, but their demands have been suppressed by Indonesian
authorities, sometimes violently. During his visit to Tanah Papua from 17 to 20
June, Tveit met with Indonesian and Papuan church leaders, according to a WCC
news release.
Tanah
Papua has a prominent Christian presence, with more than 45 diverse
denominations. The province has remained the focus of tensions between the
authorities and the Papuan people. In February, the WCC's Executive Committee
expressed concern over continuing violence and urged a peaceful
resolution.
"The
Indonesian government must consider the realities of Papuan people and ensure a
secure future for them," said Tveit. While in Tanah Papua, Tveit visited
several churches including WCC member church the Evangelical Christian Church
in Tanah Papua, Protestant Church in Indonesia, Evangelical Church in
Indonesia, Baptist Church in Papua, Christian Church of Holy Word and the Christian
Missionary Alliance.
Tveit
also met with government officials, representatives of non-governmental
organizations, independent movements and interfaith networks for updates on the
Papuan situation. The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Communion
of Churches in Indonesia (CCI). CCI General Chairman the Rev. A. A. Yewangoe
noted that the "cultural and ethnic identity" of the Papuan people
needs to be appreciated in addition to the socio-political situation.
The
Toronto-based WACC announced in late June that it is involved in a project in
Papua New Guinea that will help villagers along the Sepik River identify
communications tools as they assess the effect of a nearby copper-gold mine on
their environment.
The
project, which includes a campaign on www.globalgiving.org,
is intended to help indigenous people living in 50 small villages who
"have been fighting to have their voices heard by the government and the
management of a new mine," according to a WACC news release.
The mine
is a joint venture with the Switzerland-based mining company Xstrata plc (which
owns an 81.8 per cent share), Highlands Frieda Ltd. and OMRD Frieda Co.
Ltd.
WACC
said the villagers rely heavily on the Sepik River for water, food and
transportation and they are worried about sedimentation of the water and heavy
metal pollution from mining operations.
The
Sepik Wetlands Management Initiative (SWMI), a local wetlands management and
community development organization, found an increase in silt in the river
after test drilling, WACC reported. "The people anticipate environmental,
social and cultural disruptions," said Jerry Wana, chairman of SWMI,
according to WACC.
"Communities
need to be able to communicate their concerns and voice them to the rest of the
world," said the Rev. Akuila Yabaki, President of WACC Pacific.
Yabaki
said that marginalized groups, like the villagers in Middle Sepik River,
benefit from learning strategies to communicate the impacts of such mining
projects with stakeholders such as the government and mining companies. He said
that by learning about communication rights, communities in the Pacific can
collaborate with partners across the globe facing the same issues.
WACC's
General Secretary, the Rev. Karin Achtelstetter, said the project merits
support because "these villagers face issues that are not uncommon in
other countries in the Pacific and across the globe."
-----------------------------------------
From Tapol
3) Churches Report on acts of violence
in May and June 2012. Part I
[First section only of a nine-page report]
Violence, shootings and incidents by OTK
(unknown persons) have become a daily event in Papua during the past three
weeks. So-called petrus (mysterious killings) continue to occur, while the
perpetrators have been identified in only a few of the cases. The following
chronological reports are about incidents that occurred in May-June 2012
with analysis by the KPKC, the Catholic Pedagogy and Catechism Centre.
A. Mysterious shooting
incidents and Violence against the civilian population during May.
1. 15 May shooting in
Degeuwo.
At
5.30 am, Selpius Kegepe, Lukas Tobeeta, Amos Kegepe and Yulianus Wagepa left
the G 99 location for Location 45, for a game of billiards. Melkianus
Kegepe followed suit.as they went on their journey to Location 45, Degeuwo.
At
6am they arrived at the billiards hall where they met a woman called Ibu Ona.
They told her that they wanted to play a game of billiards and asked her for
some balls. She said she couldn't give them the balls until they had paid. The
men said that they would pay later, but she refused to give them any balls. The
men then went to a cupboard where the balls were kept, took out some balls and
began to play. Melianus Kegepe arrived later and stood by the door. At
this point, Ibu Ona phoned the commander of the Brimob post at Kilo 99, not far
from Kilo 45 location.. As they were playing billiards, Ibu Ona turned
off the lights, so that they were playing billiards in the dark.
The men asked her why she had turned off the lights, when they had said
that they would be paying.. As they were arguing, some Brimob troops appeared.
The commander of the troops arrived and
went straight to the billiards hall. One of them pulled out a pistol and
shot Melianus Kegepe, chief of the Muda Clan.,in the side, with the bullet
coming out on the other side. He died on the spot, as he was standing by the
door of the billiard hall. The Brimob troops then started shooting the four youths
in the hall, and hit Amos Kegepe. The first two shots seriously injured his
left leg while the third shot hit him in the calf of his right leg. He was
rushed to Nabire hopsital. Yulianus was shot in the back and the bullet is
still in his body. Selpius Kegepe was hit in three places, in the right
arm and then in the chest and then hit in the right waist. Lukas
Tobeta was shot in the stomach and was rushed to hospital.
The victims:
Melianus Kegepe, was 23 years old,
Protestant, with two wives. He died instantaneously, standing by the door of
the billiard hall.
Four men were seriously injured.
Selvius Kegepe, 22 years, Protestant,
bachelor. Leg seriously injured. Hit in three places of his body, and is now in
Nabire Hospital.
Amos Kegepe, 22 years, Protestant,
bachelor, shot twice, hit in the waist. Is now in hospital.
Lukas Kegepe, 20 years, Protestant,
bachelor, shot in the stomach.
Yulianus Wagepa, 24 years, Protestant,
bachelor, hit in the back, with the bullet stll n his body.
Analysis
All the gold panning areas in Paniai and
Nabire is located on land occupied by traditional tribes but exploitation
of the gold is controlled by outsiders having paid a pittance for the
land and in some cases, having paid nothing at all because the land is under
the control of the security forces as a result of which the newcomers set up
businesses and get involved in panning the gold, while being obliged to pay the
security forces for their security.
As for Ibu Ona, she has opened the
billiards hall under the protection of the security forces which can only be
used by newcomers. She seems to have been
involved in business for a long time in
Degeuwo. The young people there know her well and call her kakak (older
sister). The youngsters who come there to play became the victims of shooting
by the security forces, who adopt an uncompromising attitude
towards the local inhabitants, and dont even show any respect for the clan
chief, the owner of the land where they must grow food for their upkeep.
These things happen in Degeuwo, killings
and shootings of the local people, whose land is controlled by the
newcomers.None of these cases in Degeuwo has ever been .solved. All that has
happened is rotations of the personnel who are responsible for all the
violence.
[Translated by TAPOL]
--------------------------------------------------
4)
Local leaders want to divide Papua to save it
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura | Headlines |
Wed, 06/27/2012 6:58 AM
Three regions in Papua and one in West Papua are looking to
become new provinces in the hope of reversing sluggish development under former
and current administrations.
The petitioners have urged the Papuan
Consultative Assembly (MRP) to issue a recommendation approving their
formation.
“We have received four proposals to form new provinces in Papua and
the MRP has formed a special committee to study the proposals and determine
whether or not it is feasible for them to split,” MRP special autonomy
committee member Samuel K. Waromi told reporters at his office on Tuesday.
The
four proposed provinces are named South Papua, Central Papua, Teluk Cendrawasih
(Papua) and North West Papua (West Papua), each comprising several regencies
and municipalities.
Since the introduction of regional autonomy over a decade
ago, Indonesia has seen the formation of 205 new autonomous regions — seven
provinces, 164 regencies and 34 municipalities. In total, the country now has
529 autonomous regions: 33 provinces, 398 regencies and 98
municipalities.
The government declared a moratorium in 2009 against the
formation of new regions in light of the fact that the new regions were largely
under-performing in four areas: Good governance, public services,
competitiveness and social welfare.
The declared moratorium, which is expected
to end in December, was also triggered by an ugly conflict over a proposed
province in North Sumatra that led to the death of then North Sumatra
Legislative Council speaker Azis Angkat in 2008.
Despite the moratorium,
proposals for additional regions have continued to be put forward and the House
of Representatives agreed on bills for the creation of 19 new regions (one
province and 18 regencies) in April.
Samuel said people’s desire to create new
provinces was due to gaps in public service, so much so that despite special
autonomy status being granted to Papua, people at the grassroots level had yet
to benefit from the legislation.
He likened the condition to grass roots
becoming so dry that smoke starts to rise from it.
“Will the grass roots
be ignored and left to dry and burn? Grass roots need water to survive and
nourishment to thrive,” he said.
Earlier, in calling for the establishment of
Central Papua province, former Nabire regent AP Youw; former Yapen Waropen
regent Philip Wona; former Jayapura naval base commander Dick Henk Webiser; and
the former head of the Mimika Legislative Council, Andarias Anggaibak, met
interim Papua Governor Syamsul Arief Rivai to request his consent to form
Central Papua province.
“We have prepared a draft to form the province of
Central Papua and we only have to meet two more conditions: Approval by the
governor of Papua as the parent province and approval from the MRP as mandated
in the 2001 Law on Special Autonomy,” said Youw.
“We have minerals but we
remain poor. So, we want to form Central Papua so that public services will
cater to everyone,” Andarias said.
Papua’s caretaker governor said people had
the right to express their aspirations but that the ratification for the
formation of new provinces were the central government’s authority.
“I can
offer no promises in response to their wishes because all decisions belong to the
central government,” Syamsul said.
-----------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.