1) Australia's evolving position on West Papua
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1) Australia's evolving position on West Papua
2) Papua Police Killing Still a Mystery
3) Security personnel, armed group involved in shootout in Papua
4) About 50 assailants kill three Indonesia police in West Papua
5) West Papuan flag raising in Sydney Friday 30 Nov/Sat 1st Dec
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/world-commentary/australias-evolving-position-on-west-papua/story-e6frg6ux-1226526868765
Australia's evolving position on West Papua
- The Australian
- November 30, 2012
While Australian protests and awareness raising concerts are likely to attract only modest numbers, there are signs that both the Australian public and politicians are becoming increasingly concerned with the human rights situation in the province.
Indeed, while growing public sympathy for Papuan cries for "merdeka", the Bahasa word meaning freedom or independence depending on the translation, is unlikely to translate into any official support for Papuan sovereignty any time soon, there are signs that Australian political leaders are prepared to take a more principled stance on human rights in the province than previously.
To Bob Carr's credit, he is possibly Australia's first foreign minister to directly acknowledge the escalating problems in Papua and call on Indonesia to respect human rights.
Disappointingly though, Carr continues to frame his answers to questions about Papua in terms of the budgetary impacts of "upsetting" Indonesia. Taking a principled stance in defence of basic human rights should not be influenced by budget and trade concerns. He has also unhelpfully attempted to characterise anyone with concerns about the deteriorating human rights situation in Papua as being "pro-independence". (For the record the Human Rights Law Centre does not have a position on the topic of independence; our focus is purely on the promotion and protection of human rights.)
Carr's circumspect approach is contrasted by the forthright, and most welcome, comments made by Attorney General, Nicola Roxon, while in Indonesia recently for a series of meetings on issues of law and justice. Roxon told the ABC that Australia's recognition of Indonesia's sovereignty over Papua would not stop the Government from registering concern about the situation there. She went on to say Australia is firmly committed to making sure that any abuses or alleged abuses by security forces in Papua are properly investigated and punished.
At the other end of the spectrum within Government ranks is Defence Minister Stephen Smith who, when announcing a new defence co-operation agreement with Indonesia, said he has "no concerns" about the human rights situation in Papua.
Smith's "head in the sand" approach is particularly alarming given it came only weeks after the ABC's 7.30 program aired evidence that an Indonesian counter-terrorism unit, which receives extensive training and support from the Australian Federal Police, has been involved in torture and extra-judicial killings in West Papua.
Meanwhile, a 'parliamentary friends of West Papua' group recently established by the Greens, has attracted cross party support. The group's most recent meeting was attended by Labor, Liberal, DLP and independent MPs. This is a positive sign that at least some members of each party recognise that Australia can maintain good diplomatic relations with Indonesia while taking a principled stand and defending human rights at the same time.
During a recent visit to Australia, Indonesia's Vice Minister of Law and Human Rights, Denny Indrayana, told students at Melbourne Law School that freedom of political participation, together with a free and independent media, were two fundamental pillars of democracy.
He is right of course. However, the reality is that Jakarta's commendable democratic reforms of the last decade have not made it to West Papua. Despite the fact that Indonesia ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 2006, human rights are severely curtailed in Papua. Protests are routinely and forcibly shut down. Political activists and bashed, jailed or killed. Papuans do not enjoy many of the basic freedoms that other Indonesians have gained.
Australian politicians can and should be more proactive in encouraging their Indonesian counterparts to ensure human rights are enjoyed throughout the entire Republic.
There is no reason why Carr could not challenge Indonesia's effective media ban and insist that Australian journalists be allowed to travel to and report from West Papua.
Further, a complete review of Australia's relationship with Indonesia's military and security forces is urgently required to ensure we are in no way aiding or abetting human rights abuses, directly or indirectly, through our support of Indonesia's elite counter-terrorism unit, Detachment 88.
And finally, Carr should utilise Australia's unique position in the region, along with our new position on the UN Security Council, to play a leadership role in bringing the world's attention to the problems in West Papua.
For too long Australia supported the pro-military and anti-reform remnants of the Suharto regime. Now we have an opportunity to better align ourselves with the mainstream Indonesian human rights movement that recognises that the problems in West Papua do not have a military solution.
Tom Clarke is a spokesperson for the Human Rights Law Centre. (www.hrlc.org.au) He is on twitter: @TomHRLC
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2) Papua Police Killing Still a Mystery
Jayapura/Biak/Kupang. The bodies of three officers killed during an attack on a police post in Papua’s Lanny Jaya district on Tuesday were sent to their hometowns on Wednesday as police continue searching for answers in the case.
The body of First Brig. Jefri Rumkorem was buried by his family in Jayapura, the provincial capital, while that of First Brig. Daniel Makuker was flown from Jayapura Airport to his hometown in Biak Island in Papua’s Biak Numfor district.
The body of Second Insp. Rolfi Takubessy, the head of the Pirime police post that was attacked and burned down by unknown perpetrators, was flown to Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara.
Large numbers of mourners turned out in all three locations. In Jayapura, hundreds of people attended Jefri’s burial, while in Biak, police said they wanted to bury Daniel with full police honors in the local heroes’s cemetery, but were still in talks with the family about their plans.
In Kupang, members of Rolfi’s family said they first saw the news about his death on the Internet, and only after repeated calls to the Papua Police did they receive confirmation about the incident.
Albinus Takubessy, the victim’s younger brother, said Rolfi last spoke to the family on Sunday. He said he been transferred to the Pirime post four weeks earlier, and had left his wife and four children behind in Jayawijaya, the Lanny Jaya capital.
The three men were killed during an attack by around 50 people on their remote police post on Tuesday morning.
Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian, the provincial police chief, said on Tuesday that the attackers hacked the officers to death before setting the police post on fire.
A fourth officer, First Brig. M. Gosali, managed to flee to the neighboring Tiom police post and returned with nine other officers. In the ensuing fight, two of the attackers were killed, while the rest fled into the nearby forest with four handguns stolen from the Pirime police post.
Police have still not been able to identify the attackers or their motive, but say they suspect the Free Papua Organization (OPM), a separatist group. However, Goliat Tabuni, the commander of the local OPM branch, has denied his group’s involvement in the attack.
The incident comes just days before the OPM marks the 49th anniversary of its founding this Saturday.SP/Robert Isidorus, Banjir Ambarita & SP/Yoseph Kelen | November 29, 2012
The body of First Brig. Jefri Rumkorem was buried by his family in Jayapura, the provincial capital, while that of First Brig. Daniel Makuker was flown from Jayapura Airport to his hometown in Biak Island in Papua’s Biak Numfor district.
The body of Second Insp. Rolfi Takubessy, the head of the Pirime police post that was attacked and burned down by unknown perpetrators, was flown to Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara.
Large numbers of mourners turned out in all three locations. In Jayapura, hundreds of people attended Jefri’s burial, while in Biak, police said they wanted to bury Daniel with full police honors in the local heroes’s cemetery, but were still in talks with the family about their plans.
In Kupang, members of Rolfi’s family said they first saw the news about his death on the Internet, and only after repeated calls to the Papua Police did they receive confirmation about the incident.
Albinus Takubessy, the victim’s younger brother, said Rolfi last spoke to the family on Sunday. He said he been transferred to the Pirime post four weeks earlier, and had left his wife and four children behind in Jayawijaya, the Lanny Jaya capital.
The three men were killed during an attack by around 50 people on their remote police post on Tuesday morning.
Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian, the provincial police chief, said on Tuesday that the attackers hacked the officers to death before setting the police post on fire.
A fourth officer, First Brig. M. Gosali, managed to flee to the neighboring Tiom police post and returned with nine other officers. In the ensuing fight, two of the attackers were killed, while the rest fled into the nearby forest with four handguns stolen from the Pirime police post.
Police have still not been able to identify the attackers or their motive, but say they suspect the Free Papua Organization (OPM), a separatist group. However, Goliat Tabuni, the commander of the local OPM branch, has denied his group’s involvement in the attack.
The incident comes just days before the OPM marks the 49th anniversary of its founding this Saturday.SP/Robert Isidorus, Banjir Ambarita & SP/Yoseph Kelen | November 29, 2012
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