1) Manokwari Tense as Shops Vandalized and Police Post Burned
2) Angry mobs set ablaze police stations after recidivist’s death in Manokwari
3) Unesco Names Papua’s ‘Noken’ to Cultural Heritage List
4) Govt to raise budget allocations for Papua
5) Australian Arrested on Accusations of Planning 'Hostile Activities' in Papua
6) Papuan human rights activist calls on Komnas HAM chairman to resign
7) Local KNPB leader arresed and maltreated
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1) Manokwari Tense as Shops Vandalized and Police Post BurnedSP/Robert Isidorus | December 05, 2012
The fatal shooting of an escaped convict by police in West Papua’s provincial capital led a mob to damage several shops and burn a police outpost there on Wednesday, residents said.
Residents said the city was paralyzed after mobs set up road blocks across Manokwari and vandalized several shops. Another protesting group carried a coffin to the Manokwari district police headquarters.
“I am still seeking information on that,” said Papua Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. I Gede Sumerta Jaya when contacted by phone.
The first roadblock was set up on Jalan Yos Sudarso in front of the Swissbell Hotel in Manokwari at 2:00 a.m., according to residents, and similar roadblocks have since been erected at several other locations in town.
Residents said the unrest was sparked by the death of Timotius Ap, a prison escapee who was shot and killed by police officers on Tuesday as they attempted to arrest him in the Maripi Pantai area of South Manokwari. Police said the fugitive was resisting arrest.
Police also confiscated a home-assembled handgun and three bullets, as well as the motorcycle Timotius had been riding.
Unconfirmed reports said the police post at the Sanggeng market in downtown Manokwari was burned to the ground.
The incidents marked just the latest violence against police in the restive Papua region, where a variety of issues related to resource rights, perceived injustices and human rights abuses by security forces have plagued the nation’s easternmost provinces.
Last week, a group of some 50 men attacked and burned down a police post in the Papua district of Lanny Jaya, killing three officers.
Residents said the city was paralyzed after mobs set up road blocks across Manokwari and vandalized several shops. Another protesting group carried a coffin to the Manokwari district police headquarters.
“I am still seeking information on that,” said Papua Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. I Gede Sumerta Jaya when contacted by phone.
The first roadblock was set up on Jalan Yos Sudarso in front of the Swissbell Hotel in Manokwari at 2:00 a.m., according to residents, and similar roadblocks have since been erected at several other locations in town.
Residents said the unrest was sparked by the death of Timotius Ap, a prison escapee who was shot and killed by police officers on Tuesday as they attempted to arrest him in the Maripi Pantai area of South Manokwari. Police said the fugitive was resisting arrest.
Police also confiscated a home-assembled handgun and three bullets, as well as the motorcycle Timotius had been riding.
Unconfirmed reports said the police post at the Sanggeng market in downtown Manokwari was burned to the ground.
The incidents marked just the latest violence against police in the restive Papua region, where a variety of issues related to resource rights, perceived injustices and human rights abuses by security forces have plagued the nation’s easternmost provinces.
Last week, a group of some 50 men attacked and burned down a police post in the Papua district of Lanny Jaya, killing three officers.
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3) Unesco Names Papua’s ‘Noken’ to Cultural Heritage List
Jakarta Globe | December 05, 2012
Unesco has placed noken, a traditional multifunctional woven bag from Papua, on its “List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.”
The listing was made official during a Unesco session in Paris on Tuesday, the UN body said in a statement published on its website.
Noken is a knotted net or woven bag handmade from wood fiber or leaves, by people in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua.
Men and women use it for carrying produce, fish, firewood, babies or small animals, as well as for shopping and storing things in the home. Noken may also be worn, often for traditional festivities, or given as peace offerings.
“The number of people making and using noken is diminishing, however,” Unesco said.
“Factors threatening its survival include lack of awareness, weakening of traditional transmission, decreasing numbers of craftspeople, competition from factory-made bags, problems in easily and quickly obtaining traditional raw materials, and shifts in the cultural values of noken,” it added.
The inclusion of noken on the list, Unesco says, is expected to help mobilize international cooperation and assistance for stakeholders to undertake appropriate safeguarding measures.
Indonesian Deputy Education and Culture Minister Wiendu Nuryanti, who attended the Paris session, said Indonesia first submitted the proposal to put noken on Unesco’s World Heritage list four years ago, and it was revised several times since then.
“Today, at 10:30 a.m. Paris time, noken was acknowledged by Unesco. The Indonesian delegation [attending the session], including from Papua, and all of us Indonesians must thank God and be proud of Papua for this,” Wiendu wrote of the achievement in a text message sent to Indonesian news portal antaranews.com.
“We’ll work together with various parties to increase the selling value of Papua’s noken. For example, we will join hands with Indonesian designers to make noken a material or accessory for their fashion works,” she added.
The listing was made official during a Unesco session in Paris on Tuesday, the UN body said in a statement published on its website.
Noken is a knotted net or woven bag handmade from wood fiber or leaves, by people in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua.
Men and women use it for carrying produce, fish, firewood, babies or small animals, as well as for shopping and storing things in the home. Noken may also be worn, often for traditional festivities, or given as peace offerings.
“The number of people making and using noken is diminishing, however,” Unesco said.
“Factors threatening its survival include lack of awareness, weakening of traditional transmission, decreasing numbers of craftspeople, competition from factory-made bags, problems in easily and quickly obtaining traditional raw materials, and shifts in the cultural values of noken,” it added.
The inclusion of noken on the list, Unesco says, is expected to help mobilize international cooperation and assistance for stakeholders to undertake appropriate safeguarding measures.
Indonesian Deputy Education and Culture Minister Wiendu Nuryanti, who attended the Paris session, said Indonesia first submitted the proposal to put noken on Unesco’s World Heritage list four years ago, and it was revised several times since then.
“Today, at 10:30 a.m. Paris time, noken was acknowledged by Unesco. The Indonesian delegation [attending the session], including from Papua, and all of us Indonesians must thank God and be proud of Papua for this,” Wiendu wrote of the achievement in a text message sent to Indonesian news portal antaranews.com.
“We’ll work together with various parties to increase the selling value of Papua’s noken. For example, we will join hands with Indonesian designers to make noken a material or accessory for their fashion works,” she added.
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4) Govt to raise budget allocations for Papua
Wed, December 5 2012 22:57 | 71 Views
Wed, December 5 2012 22:57 | 71 Views
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government will raise the amount of general allocation funds for mountainous districts in Indonesia`s eastern-most province of Papau next year, a presidential aide said.
"The government will always make an effort to lower the high cost of living in Papua`s hinterland by building new roads, strengthening an integrated transportation system, introducing an incentive system and applying a proper budget design," Velix Wangga, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s special aide for regional development and autonomy, said here on Wednesday.
Velix said budget allocations for educational, health, and economic sectors and basic infrastructure in the districts will also be raised.
Under the 2013 state budget, special autonomy funds for Papua and West Papua have been set at Rp4.3 trillion and Rp1.8 trillion respectively, he said.
"The government will also raise extra funds for development of infrastructure facilities in Papua and West Papua by Rp1 trillion each. The President wants the budget allocations to be used for activities badly needed by the local people," he said.
He noted that in the past five years both provinces have made significant progress as reflected by rising human development index, improving life expectancy rate, and declining unemployment rate.
Papua`s and West Papua`s poverty rate also declined to 31.11 percent and 28.20 percent respectively from 36 percent previously, he said.
"Although at national level the two provinces have the highest poverty rate, they have made significant progress during the past five years," he said.
Velix said in the next two years President Yudhoyono will strengthen the foundation of the Papua provincial government by consolidating special autonomy for the province.
"Special autonomy is a win-win solution agreed upon by the people of Papua and the government. Elsewhere in the world special autonomy is a solution to any conflict," he said. (*)
Jayapura: The co-ordinator and pro-independence human rights activist. Sebby Sambom, in a statement published in Bintang Papua, called on the chairman of Komnas HAM, the National Human Rights Commission, Oto Nur Abdullah to resign
This came in response to a statement by Nur Abdullah which, according to Sebby Sambom, appeared to legitimise military operations in Papua.
'In response to the comment by the chairman of the Komnas HAM, as published in the mass media on 28 November with regard to military sweepings in the district of Lanny Jaya , we pro-independence activists call on the chairman of Komnas HAM to resign.'
Sambom said that the statement appeared to legitimise the military operations being waged by the Indonesian military, either directly or indirectly, against the indigenous Papuan people in Pitriver and the highlands region of central Papua.
According to Sebby Sambom and his colleagues, the statement made by the Komnas HAM chairman was dangerous and would be detrimental to the indigenous people in Papua.
This is why, he said, we make the following demand. 'The chairman of Komnas HAM should clarify the statement he made that the events in Lanny Jaya cannot be described as human rights violations.'
He said that the statement fails to take account of international humanitarian law.
He went on to say that if the chairman of Komnas HAM fails to resign, Komnas HAM should issue an official statement calling on TNI/Polri, the Indonesian army and police, to end their military activities and withdraw from the highlands in central Papua.
'It is a great pity that the chairman of Komnas HAM fails to understand that there are regulations regarding the waging of war and he fails to appreciate that his statement could be used as a 'weapon' by the security forces. We greatly regret this,' said Sambom
[Translated by TAPOL]
"The government will always make an effort to lower the high cost of living in Papua`s hinterland by building new roads, strengthening an integrated transportation system, introducing an incentive system and applying a proper budget design," Velix Wangga, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s special aide for regional development and autonomy, said here on Wednesday.
Velix said budget allocations for educational, health, and economic sectors and basic infrastructure in the districts will also be raised.
Under the 2013 state budget, special autonomy funds for Papua and West Papua have been set at Rp4.3 trillion and Rp1.8 trillion respectively, he said.
"The government will also raise extra funds for development of infrastructure facilities in Papua and West Papua by Rp1 trillion each. The President wants the budget allocations to be used for activities badly needed by the local people," he said.
He noted that in the past five years both provinces have made significant progress as reflected by rising human development index, improving life expectancy rate, and declining unemployment rate.
Papua`s and West Papua`s poverty rate also declined to 31.11 percent and 28.20 percent respectively from 36 percent previously, he said.
"Although at national level the two provinces have the highest poverty rate, they have made significant progress during the past five years," he said.
Velix said in the next two years President Yudhoyono will strengthen the foundation of the Papua provincial government by consolidating special autonomy for the province.
"Special autonomy is a win-win solution agreed upon by the people of Papua and the government. Elsewhere in the world special autonomy is a solution to any conflict," he said. (*)
Editor: Heru
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5) Australian Arrested on Accusations of Planning 'Hostile Activities' in Papua
Jakarta Globe | December 05, 2012
Jakarta Globe | December 05, 2012
The Australian Federal Police and Australian media said on Wednesday that the former had arrested a man accused of intending to enter Papua to engage in “hostile activities” there.
The 45-year-old disability pensioner from Victoria state, Gerard Michael Little, attended a court hearing in Brisbane on Wednesday, at which the Australian Associated Press reported that prosecutors described a plan to fly to Papua New Guinea before making his way to the restive eastern province.
Prosecutors said he admitted to making comments on Facebook that indicated his intent to do so, according to APP, having allegedly trained for incursion into foreign states in the Ukraine.
“When your honor considers those comments, those admitted comments clearly evidence an intention on his part to leave Australia and travel to West Papua and engage in violence, relying on the training he undertook ... in the Ukraine,” prosecutor Williams said, as quoted by AAP.
Prior to the hearing, a press release issued by Australian authorities said Little was charged with “foreign incursion offenses following a joint Australian Federal Police [AFP] and Victoria Police investigation, with assistance provided by Queensland Police Service.”
“It will be alleged in court that the man traveled overseas to participate in training to assist in the participation of hostile activity offshore,” the statement continued.
The hearing came after authorities conducted searches on Tuesday of multiple locations in two Australian states.
“Six search warrants were executed yesterday [Dec. 4, 2012] in the Victorian suburbs of Caulfield South, Caulfield, East Bentleigh and Tynong North by the AFP and Victoria Police,” AFP said. “Two search warrants were also conducted in Toowoomba, Queensland.”
AAP reported that the Papua New Guinea-bound suspect was arrested on Tuesday night at Brisbane International Airport
It was not clear on Wednesday whether Little had made contact with anyone in Papua, which has seen a low-level separatist insurgency waged for decades. Entry into the province is restricted by the Indonesian government, with foreign journalists among those whose access is severely limited.
Little’s lawyer suggested his client was acting on an invitation, AAP reported.
“The crux of it is whether or not he was lawfully entering West Papua to provide services on invitation,” his lawyer was quoted by AAP as saying. “There is a big difference between entering a community on a mercenary basis, uninvited, like someone in a Hollywood movie, and someone lawfully invited to attend.”
Australian media reported that Little was denied bail on Wednesday due to flight risk, with his case scheduled to resume on Jan. 18. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if found guilty.
The 45-year-old disability pensioner from Victoria state, Gerard Michael Little, attended a court hearing in Brisbane on Wednesday, at which the Australian Associated Press reported that prosecutors described a plan to fly to Papua New Guinea before making his way to the restive eastern province.
Prosecutors said he admitted to making comments on Facebook that indicated his intent to do so, according to APP, having allegedly trained for incursion into foreign states in the Ukraine.
“When your honor considers those comments, those admitted comments clearly evidence an intention on his part to leave Australia and travel to West Papua and engage in violence, relying on the training he undertook ... in the Ukraine,” prosecutor Williams said, as quoted by AAP.
Prior to the hearing, a press release issued by Australian authorities said Little was charged with “foreign incursion offenses following a joint Australian Federal Police [AFP] and Victoria Police investigation, with assistance provided by Queensland Police Service.”
“It will be alleged in court that the man traveled overseas to participate in training to assist in the participation of hostile activity offshore,” the statement continued.
The hearing came after authorities conducted searches on Tuesday of multiple locations in two Australian states.
“Six search warrants were executed yesterday [Dec. 4, 2012] in the Victorian suburbs of Caulfield South, Caulfield, East Bentleigh and Tynong North by the AFP and Victoria Police,” AFP said. “Two search warrants were also conducted in Toowoomba, Queensland.”
AAP reported that the Papua New Guinea-bound suspect was arrested on Tuesday night at Brisbane International Airport
It was not clear on Wednesday whether Little had made contact with anyone in Papua, which has seen a low-level separatist insurgency waged for decades. Entry into the province is restricted by the Indonesian government, with foreign journalists among those whose access is severely limited.
Little’s lawyer suggested his client was acting on an invitation, AAP reported.
“The crux of it is whether or not he was lawfully entering West Papua to provide services on invitation,” his lawyer was quoted by AAP as saying. “There is a big difference between entering a community on a mercenary basis, uninvited, like someone in a Hollywood movie, and someone lawfully invited to attend.”
Australian media reported that Little was denied bail on Wednesday due to flight risk, with his case scheduled to resume on Jan. 18. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if found guilty.
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from Tapol
6) Papuan human rights activist calls on Komnas HAM chairman to resign
Bintang Papua, 5 December 2012Jayapura: The co-ordinator and pro-independence human rights activist. Sebby Sambom, in a statement published in Bintang Papua, called on the chairman of Komnas HAM, the National Human Rights Commission, Oto Nur Abdullah to resign
This came in response to a statement by Nur Abdullah which, according to Sebby Sambom, appeared to legitimise military operations in Papua.
'In response to the comment by the chairman of the Komnas HAM, as published in the mass media on 28 November with regard to military sweepings in the district of Lanny Jaya , we pro-independence activists call on the chairman of Komnas HAM to resign.'
Sambom said that the statement appeared to legitimise the military operations being waged by the Indonesian military, either directly or indirectly, against the indigenous Papuan people in Pitriver and the highlands region of central Papua.
According to Sebby Sambom and his colleagues, the statement made by the Komnas HAM chairman was dangerous and would be detrimental to the indigenous people in Papua.
This is why, he said, we make the following demand. 'The chairman of Komnas HAM should clarify the statement he made that the events in Lanny Jaya cannot be described as human rights violations.'
He said that the statement fails to take account of international humanitarian law.
He went on to say that if the chairman of Komnas HAM fails to resign, Komnas HAM should issue an official statement calling on TNI/Polri, the Indonesian army and police, to end their military activities and withdraw from the highlands in central Papua.
'It is a great pity that the chairman of Komnas HAM fails to understand that there are regulations regarding the waging of war and he fails to appreciate that his statement could be used as a 'weapon' by the security forces. We greatly regret this,' said Sambom
[Translated by TAPOL]
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7) Local KNPB leader arresed and maltreated
4 December 2012
Local KNPB activist arrested and maltreated
KNPBNews Another activist of the KNPB (National Committee of West Papua) has been arrested. This time, it was the secretary-general of the Lanny Jaya branch of the KNPB.
Athys Wenda was arrested while sitting in the waiting room of Wamena Airport. He was arrested at 7am on 1 December. He was seized by the police, taken to the police station in Lanny Jaya and maltreated there.
Dules Wamimbo, the chairman of the KNPB in the district of Lanny Jaya, said that Athys was also badly mistreated while in a cell of the local police command in Jayawijaya.
In a short message, Dules said that while being held by the Wamena police, Athys 'was beaten until he was black and blue all over.'
Athys had been trying to peacefully mediate a conflict among the people of Lanny Jaya.
Athys and several of his KNPB colleagues are being closely watched by Densus88. Dules said that when an armed conflict broke out between the TPN (the military wing of the OPM) and the Indonesian military, KNPB activists tried to mediate this conflict but they were treated as if they were the military.
Dules said: ' We very much hope that the police will stop arbitrarily arresting people without clear evidence.'
[Translated by TAPOL]
Local KNPB activist arrested and maltreated
KNPBNews Another activist of the KNPB (National Committee of West Papua) has been arrested. This time, it was the secretary-general of the Lanny Jaya branch of the KNPB.
Athys Wenda was arrested while sitting in the waiting room of Wamena Airport. He was arrested at 7am on 1 December. He was seized by the police, taken to the police station in Lanny Jaya and maltreated there.
Dules Wamimbo, the chairman of the KNPB in the district of Lanny Jaya, said that Athys was also badly mistreated while in a cell of the local police command in Jayawijaya.
In a short message, Dules said that while being held by the Wamena police, Athys 'was beaten until he was black and blue all over.'
Athys had been trying to peacefully mediate a conflict among the people of Lanny Jaya.
Athys and several of his KNPB colleagues are being closely watched by Densus88. Dules said that when an armed conflict broke out between the TPN (the military wing of the OPM) and the Indonesian military, KNPB activists tried to mediate this conflict but they were treated as if they were the military.
Dules said: ' We very much hope that the police will stop arbitrarily arresting people without clear evidence.'
[Translated by TAPOL]
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