1) Soldier gets 12 years for murder in Papua

1) Soldier gets 12 years for murder in Papua 2) Papua governor vows to improve Otsus implementation 3) Constitutional Court rejects losing candidates’ lawsuits 4) Cott Oil and Gas studying Papua petroleum play 5) Quake rocks Papua ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/03/13/soldier-gets-12-years-murder-papua.html 1) Soldier gets 12 years for murder in Papua The Jakarta Post | The Archipelago | Wed, March 13 2013, 9:29 AM A- A A+ Paper Edition | Page: 8 The Jayapura Military Court sentenced First Sergeant Irfan to 12 years in prison on Monday for killing his lover Frederika Metalmety, who was six months pregnant. The verdict was read by Jayapura Military Court presiding judge Let. Col. Priyo Mustiko. The defendant was also dismissed from his unit. The verdict was lighter than the 15 years sought by military prosecutors. Mitigating factors included the defendant admitting his guilt, an apology issued to the victim’s family, the defendants’ age and his clean criminal history. Irfan said he would consider whether or not to file for an appeal, and the judges gave him a week to consider the matter. If he fails to respond within the period, it is regarded that he has accepted the ruling. The family of the victim did not accept the ruling, deeming it unfair. The victim’s aunt Rum Metarmey said that based on the autopsy result obtained from the Boven Digul Hospital on Nov. 21, the victim was six months pregnant when she was killed. “We have sent a letter to the Cenderawasih Provincial Military Command to thoroughly investigate the case. The defendant has not only killed a mother but also the fetus inside her,” said Rum. --------------------------------------------- http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/03/13/papua-governor-vows-improve-otsus-implementation.html 2) Papua governor vows to improve Otsus implementation Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Papua | Archipelago | Wed, March 13 2013, 4:39 PM A- A A+ Newly elected Papua Governor Lukas Enembe has vowed to improve the implementation of Papua’s Special Autonomy (Otsus) Law No. 21/2001. He said improvements were necessary as many Papuans continued to complain about the lack of benefits.  “My first priority is to handle the obstacles. I have informed the President about this,” Lukas, former Puncak Jaya regent, said. Many Papuan activists and students staged a mass rally to protest the lack of prosperity 12 years since the Special Autonomy Law was introduced. Papua's Provinicial Legislative Council (DPRD) councilor Thomas Songgonauw said he expected Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi to install Lukas so that the Papua administration would have a definitive governor.  “The Papua people have been waiting for a governor for two years,” Thomas said. Thomas said the gubernatorial election results had been supported by the Constitutional Court, which ruled in favor of the Papua General Elections Commission (KPUD) declaration that Lukas Enembe and his running mate, Klemen Tinal, had been elected governor and deputy governor, respectively, for the 2013-2018 period. Previously, the five defeated candidate pairs filed suits with the Constitutional Court, questioning the result of the KPUD’s plenary meeting that found in favor of Lukas and Klemen. Chairman of the Fellowship of Papuan Churches, Reverend Lipiyus Biniluk, has asked every Papuan to stop bickering about the election and focus on how to build a better Papua.   ''Forget all the differences. Let’s build a better future for Papua,'' he said. (ian/dic) ---------------------------------------------------------- http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/03/13/constitutional-court-rejects-losing-candidates-lawsuits.html 3) Constitutional Court rejects losing candidates’ lawsuits Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura | Archipelago | Wed, March 13 2013, 9:15 AM A- A A+ Paper Edition | Page: 8 The Constitutional Court has rejected a lawsuit filed by five Papua gubernatorial candidate pairs against the Papua General Elections Commission (KPUD) regarding the recent Papua election, in which Lukas Enembe and Klemen Tinal were declared the victors. The five candidate pairs are Noak Nawipa and John Wop; Habel Melkias Suwae and Yop Kogoya; MR Kambu and Blasius Adolf Pakage; Wellinton Wenda and Weynand Watori; and Alex Hesegem and Marthen Kayoi. The decision was read out by Constitutional Court Chief Justice Mahfud MD, with eight other justices in attendance, at the court in Jakarta on Monday. The five plaintiffs submitted three separate lawsuits, all of which alleged election fraud. The plaintiffs said the fixed voters’ list had been inflated to favor a particular candidate pair, but it was revealed in court that the voters’ list used by the KPUD to determine the number of eligible voters in Papua was based on a census conducted by the Papua Population and Transmigration Office. Regarding their complaint that the so-called noken system was undemocratic as a tribal chief could represent voters in his group when voting for a candidate, the Constitutional Court ruled that it was not a violation because the system was part of Papuan culture, especially in La Pago and Mee Pago cultural areas that encompass the region of Pegunungan Tengah. Following the court’s ruling, KPU Papua head Benny Sweni said he would immediately hold a plenary meeting to determine the winners of the 2013 Papua gubernatorial election and the outcome would be submitted to the Papua Legislative Council (DPRD). The DPRD would then hold a plenary session to endorse the winners and submit the final decision to the Home Ministry to schedule the inauguration. “We hope the swearing-in ceremony can be held immediately after that; the sooner the better, hopefully within this month,” said Benny. On Feb. 14, the KPUD announced Lukas-Klemen, commonly abbreviated to “Lukmen”, as the elected Papua governor and deputy governor at a plenary meeting in Jayapura. Lukas and Klemen, who were nominated by a coalition led by the Democratic Party, won 1.19 million votes, 52 percent of the total 2.71 million votes, followed by Habel Melkias and Suwae-Yop Kogoya, who obtained 415,382 votes or 18 percent of the vote. Less than a week after the announcement, all five defeated pairs of candidates filed suits with the Constitutional Court on Feb. 19 to challenge the KPUD’s declaration of Lukas and Klemen as governor- and deputy governor-elect, respectively. Local elections in Papua, where US-based miner Freeport McMoran operates the world’s largest integrated gold concession, have regularly been the catalysts for conflicts ignited by losing candidates, while protracted disputes between local leaders contribute to the slow pace of development in the province. The Papua gubernatorial election had in fact been postponed for two years due to a dispute between the DPRD and the KPUD over the authority to organize the election. According to Special Provincial Regulation (Perdasus) No. 6/2011, the DPRD is tasked with the authority to organize election stages from registration and candidate verification to hearing candidates’ missions and visions, while the KPUD oversees election campaigning and determines the winners. In 2011, Perdasus No. 6/2011 was submitted to the Constitutional Court for litigation and in September 2012, the court ruled that the Papua election process be returned to the KPUD. Subsequently, the Papua gubernatorial election was organized on Jan. 29, 2013. “Finally after two years, Papua has a governor and deputy governor, marking an end to the election process,” DPRD Deputy Speaker Junus Wonda said. ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.menafn.com/menafn/1093618159/Cott-Oil-and-Gas-studying-Papua-petroleum-play 4) Cott Oil and Gas studying Papua petroleum play MENAFN - ProactiveInvestors - Australia - 13/03/2013

(MENAFN - ProactiveInvestors - Australia) Cott Oil and Gas (ASX: CMT) has established a study group consortium to evaluate an area of interest in southeast Papua, Indonesia. The company will have a 25% interest in the consortium and contribute 25% of the costs of the study. On completion of the study, which is expected by the end of the third quarter of 2013, the company have an option to acquire a 25% interest in the rights of a Joint Study Agreement in the area. This will give the consortium the right to gather and evaluate data relating to the petroleum potential of the study area as well as the right of first refusal over a production sharing contract covering a portion of the area. The area in southeast Papua is believed to contain an unexplored extension of highly prospective oil and gas geology from Papua New Guinea, where Cott holds three petroleum prospecting licences. It also appears to hold significant migration trends and oil and gas signposts as well as being a large acreage area with potential to host multi trillion cubic feet of gas or billion barrels of oil.

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http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/87747/quake-rocks-papua

5) Quake rocks Papua

Wed, March 13 2013 11:45 | 94 Views

Bandarlampung (ANTARA News) - The Meteorology and Geophysics office in Kotabumi, Lampung, recorded an earthquake rocking area northwest of Yalimo in Papua with a magnitude of 5.1 on the Richter Scale on Wednesday morning, but no report of casualty. 

The quake hit at 06.53 local time with epicenter in the sea at a depth of 66 kilometers, 104 kilometers Northwest of Yalimo, or 170 km west of Jayapura Papua and 3,618 km northeast of Jakarta.

Head of the meteorology office in Kotabumi Yuharman gave no information about possible casualty and damage to property saying only the quake would cause no tsunami.
(Uu.AS/H-ASG/O001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH