1) Freeport
Indonesia Cuts Output By About 60 Pct: Union Official
2)
Obituary: A passion for peace in Papua
3)
Ministry maps out 184 social conflict-prone regions
4) LOCAL
GOVERNMENT HAS NOT SUPPORTED THE LOCAL SEAWEED INDUSTRY IN YAPEN ISLANDS
5) CROPS
DAMAGED, SABON PEOPLE FACE STARVATION
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http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/freeport-indonesia-cuts-output-by-about-60-pct-union-official/
1) Freeport Indonesia Cuts Output By About 60 Pct: Union Official
Jakarta. US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold has cut production at its Indonesian copper and gold mine by around 60 percent, a union official told Reuters on Tuesday, two months after halting exports over a dispute with the government on a new export tax.
Freeport and fellow US miner Newmont have refused to pay an escalating export tax introduced on Jan. 12 as part of package of new mining rules aimed at forcing miners to build smelters and process raw materials in Indonesia.
“Although Freeport Indonesia has cut their production by around 60 percent, Freeport management has not yet announced any layoffs so far,” Papua-based Freeport union official Virgo Solossa said by telephone.
“They are still waiting for a government decision on an export tax relaxation.”
Freeport, who late last month said it may need to declare force majeure on copper concentrate sales at the world’s fifth largest copper mine, could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday.
Reuters
Freeport and fellow US miner Newmont have refused to pay an escalating export tax introduced on Jan. 12 as part of package of new mining rules aimed at forcing miners to build smelters and process raw materials in Indonesia.
“Although Freeport Indonesia has cut their production by around 60 percent, Freeport management has not yet announced any layoffs so far,” Papua-based Freeport union official Virgo Solossa said by telephone.
“They are still waiting for a government decision on an export tax relaxation.”
Freeport, who late last month said it may need to declare force majeure on copper concentrate sales at the world’s fifth largest copper mine, could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday.
Reuters
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2) Obituary: A passion for peace in Papua
Sidney Jones, Contributor, Jakarta | People | Tue, March 11 2014, 12:37 PM
When it came to peace in Papua, Muridan Widjojo was passionate and dispassionate at the same time. He lobbied for dialogue as if his life depended on it.
At the same time, the scholar in him knew that a successful campaign had to be based on thorough analysis, practical ideas and long hours building allies and coalition partners.
He was a master of all three. The problem was that Papua needed more time than cancer allowed him.
Muridan died from complications from throat cancer at Mitra Keluarga Hospital in Depok, West Java, on Friday. He was 46.
There was another problem, too. Muridan was Javanese, born in Surabaya, yet working in Papua where anti-migrant sentiment in the activist community runs high.
Unbridled in-migration from elsewhere in Indonesia has made many Papuans fear that they are becoming a minority in their own land and that this is part of a deliberate government strategy to weaken support for independence.
Muridan turned his non-Papuan status into a strength. He got non-Papuan audiences in Jakarta, from members of the House of Representatives to senior bureaucrats, to understand that past policies were not working, and that the government in Jakarta needed to address not only economic development but political problems and historical injustices as well.
He was adamant that marginalization of indigenous Papuans had to end, but he also understood that any long-term solution in Papua required a modus vivendi between Papuans and non-Papuans. He was deeply committed to Papuan empowerment but not at the price of racial exclusivism that would deny rights to non-Melanesians.
More than anything, he wanted Papuans and government officials to talk and listen to one another. The 2009 “Papua Road Map” that he and his LIPI colleagues produced showed what the substance of that conversation could be.
The next step was to get a group together that could speak on behalf of as a broad a spectrum of Papuan civil society as possible — thus the Papua Peace Network, led by Rev. Neles Tebay, was born. It is thanks in part to Muridan that the word “dialog” in relation to Papua is no longer taboo.
There have been setbacks on the way to overcoming decades of distrust and hostility between Jakarta and Papua, but one of Muridan’s most endearing qualities was his optimism.
Like any visionary, he believed that good ideas would eventually bear fruit. He knew that that addressing the complex set of issues we call the “Papuan conflict” was never going to be easy, but he was not discouraged by losing a few battles any more than he was discouraged by an aggressive throat cancer that he held at bay for a while but which eventually consumed him.
The best way to honor Muridan and everything he stood for is to continue his work for peace through dialogue. Understanding Papua in as much depth as possible is a prerequisite.
In Jakarta, every presidential candidate should go back and read the Papua Road Map. Many of the basic problems — political violence, lack of accountability for human rights violations, failed development and marginalization — have not changed, even if the context is even more complex than it was five years ago.
The candidates should make sure that they are familiar with the latest draft of otsus plus, the proposed “reconstruction” of special autonomy that the current government has committed to trying to push through parliament before President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono leaves office.
And, if elected, they should be prepared to undertake a review of Papua policy with a review toward formulating a new approach that is derived at least in part from consultations with different cross-sections of the Papuan public.
Muridan Widjojo, with his ever-present quirky cap and that unquenchable optimism, has become the icon of peace for me as much as our beloved Munir became the icon of human rights.
He was a wonderful Indonesian, a good friend, and the best of human beings. The best way to honor his memory is to not just talk about solving conflict, but do it.
At the same time, the scholar in him knew that a successful campaign had to be based on thorough analysis, practical ideas and long hours building allies and coalition partners.
He was a master of all three. The problem was that Papua needed more time than cancer allowed him.
Muridan died from complications from throat cancer at Mitra Keluarga Hospital in Depok, West Java, on Friday. He was 46.
There was another problem, too. Muridan was Javanese, born in Surabaya, yet working in Papua where anti-migrant sentiment in the activist community runs high.
Unbridled in-migration from elsewhere in Indonesia has made many Papuans fear that they are becoming a minority in their own land and that this is part of a deliberate government strategy to weaken support for independence.
Muridan turned his non-Papuan status into a strength. He got non-Papuan audiences in Jakarta, from members of the House of Representatives to senior bureaucrats, to understand that past policies were not working, and that the government in Jakarta needed to address not only economic development but political problems and historical injustices as well.
He was adamant that marginalization of indigenous Papuans had to end, but he also understood that any long-term solution in Papua required a modus vivendi between Papuans and non-Papuans. He was deeply committed to Papuan empowerment but not at the price of racial exclusivism that would deny rights to non-Melanesians.
More than anything, he wanted Papuans and government officials to talk and listen to one another. The 2009 “Papua Road Map” that he and his LIPI colleagues produced showed what the substance of that conversation could be.
The next step was to get a group together that could speak on behalf of as a broad a spectrum of Papuan civil society as possible — thus the Papua Peace Network, led by Rev. Neles Tebay, was born. It is thanks in part to Muridan that the word “dialog” in relation to Papua is no longer taboo.
There have been setbacks on the way to overcoming decades of distrust and hostility between Jakarta and Papua, but one of Muridan’s most endearing qualities was his optimism.
Like any visionary, he believed that good ideas would eventually bear fruit. He knew that that addressing the complex set of issues we call the “Papuan conflict” was never going to be easy, but he was not discouraged by losing a few battles any more than he was discouraged by an aggressive throat cancer that he held at bay for a while but which eventually consumed him.
The best way to honor Muridan and everything he stood for is to continue his work for peace through dialogue. Understanding Papua in as much depth as possible is a prerequisite.
In Jakarta, every presidential candidate should go back and read the Papua Road Map. Many of the basic problems — political violence, lack of accountability for human rights violations, failed development and marginalization — have not changed, even if the context is even more complex than it was five years ago.
The candidates should make sure that they are familiar with the latest draft of otsus plus, the proposed “reconstruction” of special autonomy that the current government has committed to trying to push through parliament before President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono leaves office.
And, if elected, they should be prepared to undertake a review of Papua policy with a review toward formulating a new approach that is derived at least in part from consultations with different cross-sections of the Papuan public.
Muridan Widjojo, with his ever-present quirky cap and that unquenchable optimism, has become the icon of peace for me as much as our beloved Munir became the icon of human rights.
He was a wonderful Indonesian, a good friend, and the best of human beings. The best way to honor his memory is to not just talk about solving conflict, but do it.
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3) Ministry maps out 184 social conflict-prone regions
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Archipelago | Tue, March 11 2014, 12:13 PM
The Social Affairs Ministry has mapped out 184 regions that are categorized as prone to conflicts related to social issues, particularly due to their poor economic conditions.
"Their economies are lagging behind other regions. However, there are a few regions whose economies have progressed well, but the social interactions among community groups are so poor that even trivial issues can trigger conflicts," Sapto Waluyo, an expert at the ministry, said on Monday as quoted by Antara news agency.
He noted that six of areas most prone to social conflicts are Papua, West Java, Jakarta, North Sumatra, Central Sulawesi and Central Java.
In 2013, 24 social conflicts were recorded in Papua, West Java 24, Jakarta 18, North Sumatra 10, Central Java 10 and Central Sulawesi 10.
"In the election year of 2014, tensions can be high. Therefore, the Social Affairs Ministry is launching a social harmony program in 50 regions considered prone to social conflicts and in 30 regions to strengthen local wisdom," he said.
The social harmony program is expected to prevent social conflicts from erupting.
"Indeed, we need to promote peace across Indonesia, particularly among the younger generation," he added.
Before the legislative and presidential elections scheduled on April 9 and July 9, 2014, respectively, the government has put emphasis on security during balloting.
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4) LOCAL GOVERNMENT HAS NOT SUPPORTED THE LOCAL SEAWEED INDUSTRY IN YAPEN ISLANDS
Jayapura, 10/3 (Jubi) – The potential benefits of seaweed in Yapen Islands that has becoming an income resource of the local community has got less support from the local government.
“Surrounding by the sea, the local community has developed a home industry of seaweed. Unfortunately, they have not support from the local government,” said DPR Papua’s legislator, Erwin Reinaldi Kbarek to tabloidjubi.com on Monday (10/3).
He further said, local people was not capable selling the seaweed for the large quantity therefore they were unwilling to improve their productions. “People are just planting and harvesting the seaweeds in the small scale as the selling price of raw seaweed is cheap,” he said. Therefore, he said the local government should pay attention to this potency.
“Department of Fishery should help people improving their skills of seaweed’s cultivation, while the Department of Industry and Cooperation is focusing in the marketing sector. Both local and provincial governments must support the local community to develop the seaweed home industry ” he said.
“Department of Fishery should help people improving their skills of seaweed’s cultivation, while the Department of Industry and Cooperation is focusing in the marketing sector. Both local and provincial governments must support the local community to develop the seaweed home industry ” he said.
Earlier, a resident of Yapen Island, Simon Wanggai said he has cultivated seaweed since few years ago as the additional income source for his family.
“I am a fisherman, catching fishes is what I do at the first place. After returning from the sea and selling my catches to the Market in Serui, I will help my wife to take care of our seaweed cultivation,” he said.(Jubi/Arjuna/rom)
“I am a fisherman, catching fishes is what I do at the first place. After returning from the sea and selling my catches to the Market in Serui, I will help my wife to take care of our seaweed cultivation,” he said.(Jubi/Arjuna/rom)
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5) CROPS DAMAGED, SABON PEOPLE FACE STARVATION
Merauke, 10/3 ( Jubi ) – Residents of Sabon village in Merauke regency are facing a possible famine after their tuber and banana crops were damaged by sea water.
Sabon village head Petrus Buniawi said sea water entered villagers’ farms at a height of approximately one meter.
“The houses are safe because they are generally stilt houses,”he told tabloidjubi.com at Pangkat hall in Kelapa Lima, Merauke, Papua on Monday (10/3) .
“The houses are safe because they are generally stilt houses,”he told tabloidjubi.com at Pangkat hall in Kelapa Lima, Merauke, Papua on Monday (10/3) .
However, Buniawi said, crops such as tubers , vegetables and bananas which were ready for harvest were destroyed.
“Frankly , the people just let it go and are not able to do much. We hope that the government can help us ,” Buniawi said.
“Frankly , the people just let it go and are not able to do much. We hope that the government can help us ,” Buniawi said.
A member of the Merauke Representatives Council , Dominikus Ulukyanan such the incident in Sabon happened almost every year and the government must come up with the right solution to prevent similar disasters in the future.
Merauke regent, Romanus Mbaraka said the government has distributed aid including 60 tons of rice and other basic necessities to Waan district for the last few weeks.
“I have received the report and instructed officials to deliver assistance so the people can have their daily meals” said Romanus. ( Jubi / Frans L Kobun/ Tina )
“I have received the report and instructed officials to deliver assistance so the people can have their daily meals” said Romanus. ( Jubi / Frans L Kobun/ Tina )
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