1) Papua OPM Leader Surrenders to Indonesian Military2) Raja Ampat: Yenbekaki Villagers Oppose PT Anugerah Surya Pratama’s Nickel Mine

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http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/papua-opm-leader-surrenders-to-indonesian-military/

1) Papua OPM Leader Surrenders to Indonesian Military

Members of the separatist Free Papua Organization (OPM) appeared in front of media in the jungles of Indonesia’s Papua province on July 25, 2009. (AFP Photo/Banjir Ambarita)

A former Free Papua Organization (OPM) leader and four others pledged their commitment to the Indonesian state as the central government prepared a draft law that would allow the restive province increased autonomy later this month, the Indonesian Military (TNI) said on Tuesday.

Engga Kiwo, the one-time leader of the Lanny Jaya chapter of the OPM, and four other rebels laid down their weapons in a welcoming ceremony conducted by the TNI’s Cenderwasih Command, spokesman Col. Inf. Lismer Luban Siantar said.

“They have been welcomed in an official ceremony [and] have pledge their loyalty to Indonesia in both written and oral [oaths], Lismer said. ”They said they have realized they were in the wrong by staying with the separatist group… [when] the Indonesian government has given special autonomy to Papua.”

The former separatist troops surrendered a cache of guns and ammunition to the military, Lismer said. The rebels’ surrender came as the central government readied the province’s “special autonomy plus” draft law, a program heralded as “development with compassion” by one local leader. The law would allow the provincial administration to reach out to OPM leaders when drafting local policy, Papua governor Lukas Enembe explained in a previous interview.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has expressed interest in quelling long-simmering tensions in Papua before the 2014 election. The president has promised to free all political prisoners in Papuaunder the autonomy plan.

Local leaders hope the new law will be ready by August 16. Yudhoyono plans to visit the province some time this month.

The central government’s plan is a marked departure from previous efforts to silence the region’s decades-long insurgency movement through military force. Separatist forces have waged a war for independence with Indonesian security forces since the former Dutch colony was annexed in 1963 in a vote widely seen as a sham by international monitors.

Human rights groups routinely accuse Indonesian security forces of committing human rights offenses in Papua. Security forces engaged in a province-wide crackdown on independence groups last year, including the controversial death of West Papua National Committee (KNPB) deputy chairman Mako Tabuni in July of 2012. Mako, a leader of the non-violent KNPB, was gunned down on a Jayapura street by Indonesian security forces in what one rights group called a government-sanctioned assassination.

The central government hopes increased autonomy to Papua will help reduce violence in the region. But the province’s governor said it will take more than autonomy to fix the region’s serious problems.

The resource-rich island is home to one of the world’s largest copper and gold mines, but many Papuans live in abject poverty. The central government has poured trillions of rupiah into the region since establishing the first autonomy program in 2001, but poverty rates remain at 31 percent. Alcoholism and HIV transmission remain a serious concern in Papua.

If the government is serious about making headway on Papua’s social issues, national leaders need to listen to wants of the local people, Lukas said.

“So many policies have been implemented, yet they are still not what the Papuans want or hope for,” he said.

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https://awasmifee.potager.org/?p=463

2) Raja Ampat: Yenbekaki Villagers Oppose PT Anugerah Surya Pratama’s Nickel Mine

By ADMIN | Published: AUGUST 6, 2013

Indigenous people in Kampung Yenbekaki, Waigeo Timur district, Raja Ampat, and the group “Solidarity with Yenbekaki” are firmly opposed to PT Anugerah Surya Pratama’s nickel mining operations in Sarembon, Kampung Yenbekaki.

In a press release sent to Majalah Selangkah, Solidarity with Yenbekaki explains the reasons for their opposition. They write in the press release how the people feel that PT ASP’s prescence is unlawful and violates the rights of indigenous people in Kampung Yenbekaki. PT ASP’s activities also pose a grave threat for the beaches of Warebar, a coastal conservation zone where critically endangered leatherback turtles lay their eggs.

The indigenous people of Kampung Yenbekaki are also asking the government to press PT ASP to leave the Yenbekaki area, because it doesn’t fit with Raja Ampat’s vision and objectives as a regency based on marine life.

PT Anugerah Surya Pratama (PT ASP) is a nickel mining company with operations based around Kampung Yenbekaki, Waigeo Timur. The company is currently busy with exploration activities.

Back in 2004, the company had met with the community in Yenbekaki. However, according to Solidarity with Yenbekaki, the company has never reached an agreement with the people of the village. The company has also not fulfilled its obligation to pay attention to local people’s rights – it just moved in and started drilling on three successive occasions.

PT ASP’s surveying first started in 2004, and that first phase ended in 2005. The second phase took place in 2007 and 2008, and the third phase from 2011 to 2013. At no point in this process of taking samples did the company discuss with the community how it would deal with the issue of environmental pollution, or talk about any Environmental Impact Assessment. It’s actions conflict sharply with the wishes of local people, and also the general wish in the area to be a regency known for its marine tourism.

“Guarantees that the company will give compensation to the community remain sweet promises which have never come to fruition,” is one of Solidarity with Yenbekaki’s claims.

The people of Yenbekaki feel that PT ASP’s presence is a threat to an ecosystem which is rich in wildlife, most notably the leatherback turtles on Warebar Beach near Kampung Yenbekaki. It will also make it harder for people find the resources they need for their livelihoods, and so work will become more of a burden for people.

On 1st June 2013, the people of Kampung Yenbekaki took action against the company, blockading their office in the village, to demand that the company immediately stops exploration and drilling activities around Sarembon and Yenbekaki.

“This blockade took place because we believe that PT ASP has absolutely no regard for the rights of indigenous people, doesn’t respect the environment and is endangering the future of communities around the mine by excavating the riches of the Yenbekaki community,” Solidarity with Yenbekaki writes.

Currently, PT ASP has yet to leave the area. As for its waste, of course it keeps on endangering the environment and the Papuan people of Yenbekaki.

by: Topilus B. Tebai

Source: Majalah Selangkah: http://majalahselangkah.com/content/rakyat-yenbekaki-tolak-pt-anugerah-surya-pratama-asp-

[note: For further information a 2011 investigation by the Sydney Morning Herald into PT Anugerah Surya Pratama's activities is highly recommended. That article focussed on PT ASP's two existing mines, on Manuren and Kawe islands, which at that time were exporting nickel ore to Australia to be processed by the Queensland Nickel company which is owned by Clive Palmer, one of Australia's richest citizens. It was not known who owned PT ASP, which is an Indonesian company.The mine at Yenbekaki would be a new venture - the map below gives an indication of the location of Yenbekaki in relation to the two other mines. The article can be read at:http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/chipping-away-at-paradise-20110701-1gv3s.html]

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