Australia West Papua
Association (Sydney)
PO Box 28, Spit Junction, NSW 2088
Summary
of events in West Papua for January -5 Feb. 2015
On the 1 January two policemen and a security officer at Freeport-McMoRan were killed. Second Brig. Riyan Hariansah and First Brig. Muhammad Andriad, both aged 22, and a 33-year-old security
guard Suko Miartono were found dead shortly after carrying out a patrol in
Utikini, Tembagapura. The bodies were found after a
group of policemen conducting a routine patrol found their car near the bridge
at Utikini Village or Mile-68 in the Tembagapura area. The attackers had
removed rifles and ammunition from the victims. Over a thousand security force members were
deployed to find the armed group led by Ayub Waker who they believed to be
responsible for the fatal shootings. In all 13 members of the armed group were
arrested. Eleven on the 7 January and two in the previous days. During the sweeps to find those
responsible the security forces arrested up to 116 people living in the
region. They were taken by bus from Mile 32 Tembagapura to the Timika Police.
After a day at the police station 49 women and children were freed by police
while 77 men were detained. During the sweep by the security forces houses were
burned and some of those arrested beaten. The Papuan police confirmed the arrests but claim
only 13 people had been detained by the joint police and military team.
Jubi reported that Pastor Jhon Djonga said that the deployment of
security force to chase the group led by Ayub Worker at Utikini Village caused resentment
among the local residents towards the security forces. “The Papua Police Chief, please do
not act like that. Now the people of Papua, whether live in the forest or city,
the OPM or civilians, they are annoyed with the Police, there is no sympathy
towards the Police,” Pastor Djonga said on the phone in Jayapura on Sunday
(11/1). A report in Jubi on the 26 January gave another
slant on the killings that occurred on the 1 January. Jubi reported that contrary to the information that
had been submitted by the police, local residents and activists said the
killing of the two members of the Papua Police Mobile Brigade originated from
the liquor business. The report
said security officers from various units in December 2014 until the beginning of
January supplied alcohol to Freeport employees. According to the report the killings were the result of a
quarrel between citizens and the suppliers. Whatever the reason behind the
killings, the results was the police deployed thousands of troops in sweeps to
find those responsible for the killing of the two Brimob members. As a result
of the sweeps a number of residents were wounded, dozens of people arrested,
homes burned, farm animals killed and residents
fled from their villages into the woods.
Houses in Bini villages, burnt down by the Indonesian military. They have returned 3 times to burn down houses in Bini (Freewestpapua.org)
Kondisi Kampung Banti paska penyisiran oleh aparat keamanan. Sbagian warga Utikini yang mendulang di sekitar lokasi ini ditahan polisi dan yang lainnya mengungsi ke Paniai, Puncak dan Puncak Jaya – IST (Jubi.com 26 Jan)
Also near
Utikini village, the Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Yotje Mende said a joint
security team of National Police and Indonesian Military personnel had removed
about 1000 miners working in illegal gold mining operations along the Kabul
river and sent back to their homes. The Jakarta Post (14/1) reported that the Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Yotje Mende
said “As many as 51 security posts have been set
up in illegal gold mining areas along the Kabul river basin so that they will
not return. This is for the sake of their own safety because the areas are
prone to landslides,” He went on to say that illegal gold miners in
Utikini village had become an extortion target for armed civilian groups. “The
illegal gold miners were not aware that they had become financial sources for
the armed civilian groups, which had regularly visited them and asked them to
give money and food,” said Mende. “This was why we decided to remove the
illegal gold miners, hoping that this would cut the chain of money and food for
the armed civilian groups in the area,” and "We've repatriate about 1,000 miners in
order to avoid casualties due to the current security forces still continue to
chase to catch the armed groups that kill and take the guns belonged to members
of Brimob," said Inspector General of Police Yotje Mende in Jayapura,
Friday (16/1).
There has
been a lot of attention on West Papua in the Indonesian media recently. An
editorial in the Jakarta Globe (23 Jan.), reflecting on the violence in West Papua
states in relation to the OPM
“For one
thing, we have long been made to believe it is the Free Papua Organization, or
OPM, that threatens the area and its people, but we wonder just how many they
number and why thousands of security officers have failed to deal with them
after years hunting them down. Our guess is that the unrest is deliberately
perpetuated because it benefits the ruling elites in Papua and Jakarta”. Also
in relation to the OPM, A member of the Papua Legislative Council’s Commission
I, Ruben Magay, said (Jubi 2 Feb.) the Free Papua Movement is not using
violence anymore but diplomacy to express their political aspirations. “So the
Free Papua Movement has ceased the fire. Now their level is upgraded. They
might have used violence in the past, but not anymore,” Magay said on Saturday
(31/1). He said a group called by the security force as the Armed Criminal
Group (KKB), Armed Civilian Group (KSB) or separatists are not the Free Papua
Movement, but they are a group groomed by certain parties for their own
interests.
“Groups called KKB, KSB and so on have economic motives. This
damages Papuans, but it all will be uncovered,” he said.
ULMWP submits application to MSG
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua
(ULMWP), has submitted their application for membership in the Melanesian
Spearhead Group (MSG) in Port Vila, Vanuatu. During a historic ceremony on
the steps of the MSG Secretariat, ULMWP Secretary General Octovanius Mote on
behalf of the three main resistance groups, formally handed the application to
the MSG’s Director General, Peter Forau.
The ULMWP has now lodged both an application
for full membership, as well as a Constitution to guide the newly unified
Papuan resistance as it continues its diplomatic push for self determination.
Full release at
http://majalahselangkah.com (5 Feb)
Papua province
to Establish Relations With Pacific Countries
tabloidjubi.com Feb
5th, 2015
Jayapura, Jubi –
Papua province is seeking to strengthen relations with some Melanesian
countries in the pacific region this year. “The
provincial government has conducted exploratory cooperation with countries in
the Pacific region and it is based on cultural relations,” head of the Border
and International Relations of Papua, Suzana Wanggai told reporters in Jayapura
Papua on Sunday (01/02/2015).
“We’ve got the permission of the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, and we also had communication with the Indonesian ambassador
to the Philippines as the ambassador of the Philippines is still in charge of
dealing with the Republic of Palau,” she said.
She said if there were no agreements of
Indonesian maritime boundary with neighboring countries, it may cause problems
of mutual claims, in particular the management and utilization of fishery
resources. However, the central government will see this relations as a part of
cultural relations between each countries and not as political. “This can be
beneficial for those who would like to work in various countries in the Pacific
region,” she said. Earlier, Ahmad Subadri said this aspirations would be
addressed at a meeting of members and the relevant ministries.
“Our aspiration is to be heard we continue to
center for follow-up,” Ahmad Subadri said during a meeting, the government of
Papua Province with team of committee I DPD RI on Thursday (29/1) . (Alexander Loen/ Tina)
Freeport
Freeport has come under a lot of criticism in
the past month over its proposed commitment to developing a copper smelter. Freeport
Indonesia, a subsidiary of US-based giant miner Freeport-McMoRan Inc., is
required to build a copper smelter in the country as a consequence of the 2009
Mining Law that requires mining firms to process and refine their minerals in
domestic facilities.
Lawsuit
The Jakarta Globe (2 Feb) reported that four
activists from ProDem, an activist group, filed a citizen lawsuit against
President Joko Widodo and Freeport Indonesia, the local unit of US mining giant
Freeport-McMoRan, at the Central Jakarta district Court on Monday for allegedly
failing to comply with the 2009 Mining Law’s requirement on domestic smelting. The
lawsuit includes a demand that could disrupt Freeport Indonesia’s production
process for at least two months.
People Lawyers Union, or SPR, acted as the
counsel for the four plaintiffs, namely Arief Poyuono, Kisman Latumakulita,
Iwan Sumule and Haris Rusly. ProDem is a network of activists from
organizations that advocate for democracy around Indonesia. Arief, who is also
the chairman of the State-owned Enterprises Labor Union, said they want the
court to “cancel Freeport Indonesia’s permit extension to export concentrate
for six months and its contract extension.”
The Jakarta Post (3 Feb.) reported that the
Indonesian House of Representatives was also pushing the government to make
Freeport establish its smelter in Papua, increasing concerns over whether the
company will be able to complete development by 2017 when a full ban on ore
exports will be implemented. The House’s leaders brought up the Papua smelter
issue during a meeting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Monday. The
House’s deputy speaker, Agus Hermanto, claimed that the President had agreed
that Freeport Indonesia should build its smelter close to its mine in Papua
instead of following its plan to build in Gresik, East Java. “I say many
problems will arise if the smelter is built in Gresik,” Agus said after the
meeting, without elaborating.
Uncertainty
shrouds talks on Freeport
Raras Cahyafitri, The Jakarta Post February
02 2015AM
The government has not decided on the future
of PT Freeport Indonesia’s operations, although it understands investors need
certainty. In July last year, the government and Freeport signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) in which both sides agreed to complete the
draft of an amendment to the miner’s contract of work (CoW) within six months,
or January 2015. However, they failed to meet the January deadline and
eventually agreed to extend it another six months. Despite the deadline extension,
whether Freeport will continue operations in the country remains unclear.
Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of US-based Freeport McMoran Inc., will see
its contract expire in 2021 — around six years from now. The company has been trying
to secure a contract extension so that it can ensure the payback period for its
massive investment in the development of underground mining and a mandatory
copper smelter in Indonesia. However, under existing law, any request for a
contract extension can only be made two years before expiry, which in the case
of Freeport will be in 2019. “We have to change views, particularly concerning
worries over whether Freeport Indonesia closes for operation. We have no fear.
Even the President and Vice President have stronger views; if there is no deal,
let them go. That’s a political position,” Energy and Mineral Resources
Minister Sudirman Said said at a hearing with the House of Representatives
recently.
“Reality in the field, however, shows that
Freeport Indonesia is a big institution and contributes both directly and
indirectly to local income. There are also thousands workers, making this a
tough issue,” he added. Sudirman emphasized that through its MoU with Freeport,
the government was seeking more benefits from the operation of the giant miner
in the country, particularly contribution to industrial development in the
Papua area, where company’s main operations is located.
Freeport
Indonesia, which has been operating the world’s largest gold mine Grasberg
since the early 1970s, is seeking a maximum operation extension of 20 years
until 2041. Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) head Franky Sibarani suggested
the government not extend Freeport Indonesia’s operations. “We should thank
Freeport Indonesia for developing the Grasberg mine. However, time has passed a
long and operations should have been handed over,” Franky, who was inaugurated
as BKPM head last November, said last Friday. He argued the country has the
means to develop the mine, particularly through state-owned diversified miner
PT Aneka Tambang (Antam), which also operates gold mines in the country.
BKPM is involved in the renegotiations of a
number of mineral and coal CoWs in the country. Considering that a number of
mining firms have been operating in the country for years and aim to make use
more of natural resources, the government, through the 2009 Mining Law, aims to
adjust a number of mineral and coal CoWs in the country, including the one
involving Freeport Indonesia. The adjustment covers six main issues, namely
royalty increases, reduction of mining-area size, continuity of operations
under a mining license instead of a contract, obligation to give added value to
mining products, divestment and the obligation to use local goods and services.
Last year, when the government forced
Freeport Indonesia to principally agree on adjustments to its CoW despite
future operations uncertainty, the primary MoU stated that the government would
not unreasonably withhold or delay the continuation of its operations if the
company met all of its commitments, including the establishment of a copper
smelter in the country.
The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s
director general for mineral and coal, R. Sukhyar, said the primary MoU
remained valid and became the basis for the extended MoU last January. Details
of agreements will be followed up in the amendment to the CoW.
An editorial
on Freeport from the Jakarta Post (4 Feb.) below
Freeport’s
lack of commitment
The Jakarta Post | Editorial | Wed, February
04 2015
PT Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of
US-based mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Inc., deserves a strong rebuke from the
government and the House of Representatives for its utter lack of commitment to
developing a copper smelter to comply with the 2009 Mining Law. The government
had compromised in early 2014 by lowering the purity levels of copper, nickel,
bauxite and other minerals to fall below those stipulated in the law to allow
them to continue mineral exports after the 2014 deadline for the ban of
unprocessed mineral exports.
The compromise was meant to prevent
substantial worker layoffs and sudden falls in export earnings and state
revenues for the central and regional governments, from royalties and other
taxes. But the export permit, issued during the transition period until
2017 when a total ban will be slapped on unprocessed minerals, is tied to
higher export taxes of 20 to 60 percent, royalty payments and clear timetables
for the development of smelters in the country. So far, Papua-based Freeport
Indonesia, the largest producer of copper and gold in the country, has failed
to show any concrete progress in the development of its US$2.3 billion smelter
project with an annual capacity of two million tons. The company only
reached a memorandum of understanding with state-owned PT Petrokimia Gresik on
its plan to lease an 80-hectare plot of land in Gresik, East Java, for the
plant project.
It is rather impossible for Freeport to
complete the plant within the next three years, as the required feasibility
study has yet to be made and dozens of other permits have yet to be obtained
from the central and local governments. The House was especially irked by
Freeport’s plan to build its smelter in the Petrokimia Gresik industrial
complex in East Java, a corporate action seen as ignoring the interests of the
Papuan people. But Freeport’s plan is understandably more commercially
viable because the smelter project requires at least 600 megawatts of power and
other supporting infrastructure that is unavailable in Papua. Gresik can easily
fulfill those requirements. Petrokimia Gresik can also process sulfuric acid, a
byproduct of the smelter. The government should be forceful in ensuring that
Freeport develops its smelter, but given the tight schedule, the company could
be allowed to go ahead with its original plan to build the smelter in Gresik
but with stricter timetables for each stage of construction and much higher
export tax, as stipulated in the January 2014 regulation.
Freeport-McMoRan has a big stake in Papua as
its Indonesia concession holds 30 billion pounds of proven and probable copper,
29.8 million ounces of gold and 308.5 million ounces of silver. Its mining
operations in Papua have been highly profitable due to low (open pit) mining
costs. Hence, the only alternative for Freeport is pushing ahead with the
smelter project, otherwise it will lose those huge mineral reserves if its
mining license is not renewed after 2021. -
In brief
Areki Wanimbo is still in prision in Wamena
http://www.papuansbehindbars.org/?prisoner_profile=areki-wanimbo-2&lang=en (Papuans Behind Bars)
Although the two French journalists, Valentine
Bourrat and Thomas Dandois were released after serving 2.5 months in prison,
Areki Wanimbo who was arrested with the journalists is still in Wamena prison facing trial for treason under Articles 106
and 110 of the Indonesian Penal Code. He's a teacher
and the Lanny Jaya tribal chief. Other Papuans arrested at the same time were released
without charge.
Two civilians
wounded in Lanny Jaya regency
Burning Equipment in Lanny Jaya February 1st, 2015 (Suarapapua.com)
Two civilians who worked for a private
company PT. Nirvana were shot in Kampung Popome in the Lanny Jaya regency, on
the 29 January. They were evacuated to the hospital in Wamena to receive
treatment. The police said the perpetrators had managed to escape and had also destroyed an excavator by burning it.
Papua-PNG
border rife with smuggling
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Archipelago |
Wed, January 07 2015,
Border areas between Indonesia and Papua New
Guinea (PNG), especially Merauke, Papua, and Daru, PNG, are prone to smuggling,
says a local military commander. Merauke naval base commander Brig. Gen. Buyung
Lalana told Antara news agency on Tuesday that the areas were prone to
smuggling due to limited equipment, such as motorboats. The smugglers, added
Buyung, were mostly Indonesians and smuggled goods from PNG, usually in the
form of marine resources, such as sea cucumbers and fish stomach as well as
marijuana.
“Many Indonesians enter PNG to buy marine
yields from PNG residents as they are lured by the price, which reaches
millions, such as for sea cucumber,” said Buyung. He added that his command was
only able to monitor the traffic of people from Indonesia and PNG if they
reported at the Torasi border crossing manned by a platoon of marines.(***)
Warning over
security on PNG/Indo border
RNZI 29 January 2015
A former Governor of West Sepik province in
Papua New Guinea says both the national government and Australia's need to do
more to help protect PNG's land border with Indonesia. John Tekwie's comment
comes after another reported Indonesian military incursion into PNG, in Bewani,
West Sepik. Indonesian military pursuits of Free West Papua rebels spilling
over into PNG have become common over the years, as have complaints by PNG
citizens living near the porous border about their treatment by the
Indonesians. Mr Tekwie says PNG and Australia need to wake up over the security
situation caused by the continued subjugation of West Papuans by Indonesia.
"And you know, when a man is pushed to the end of a table, what do they
do? They gonna fight back. I think the West Papua issue is boiling up to that
point soon and something is going to happen. And Indonesia is adamant as you
know, that Indonesia will fight to protect and prevent West Papua breaking
away." John Tekwie
Fiji
opposition announces support for West Papua
Updated at 8:13 pm on 17 January 2015
Fiji's opposition parties have rallied
behind the Free West Papua Movement in a move they hope will put pressure on
authorities to act. The Opposition leader, Ro Teimumu Kepa, says the Melanesian
people of West Papua have been terrorised for years and hopes for freedom have
been suppressed. The Fiji Times reports the opposition is hoping authorities
will be pressured to hold the Indonesian government to account for human rights
abuses in the restive province.
40 people
found infected with HIV in Jayapura
Sabtu, 17 January
2015
Jayapura, Papua
(ANTARA News) - At least 40 people were found to have been infected by HIV in
the city of Jayapura, the capital of Papua until November in 2014. Head of the
Reproduction Health Center of Jayapura Toma Heppy said here on Saturday the HIV
carriers are treated only as outpatients with regular control. "But AIDs
carriers have to be sent to the Abepura state hospital for more intensive
treatment," Toma said. He said most of the 40 people known to have been
infected by HIV were women. "There are few men coming for the test,"
he said, adding every month more than 300 people including children coming for
the test. Earlier, the Southeast Sulawesi Health service said the number of the
HIV/AIDs carriers in that province grew in 2014 from the previous year. Head of
the regional health service Asrun Tombili said the number of people infected by
the fatal disease in the province reached 158 in the first 10 months of 2014 as
against only 103 in the whole of 2013. (Uu.H-ASG/F001)
Editorial:
Open Up Papua to The Light of Truth
Papua remains a big mystery to the Indonesian
public. Even Papuans don’t know what exactly happens in their own homeland. For
one thing, we have long been made to believe it is the Free Papua Organization,
or OPM, that threatens the area and its people, but we wonder just how many
they number and why thousands of security officers have failed to deal with
them after years hunting them down. Our guess is that the unrest is
deliberately perpetuated because it benefits the ruling elites in Papua and
Jakarta. Another mystery is what is it the authorities are keeping hidden in Papua
such that the news media, especially the foreign press, is denied a peek. Are
they concealing the mass graves of native Papuans? Or crimes such as illegal
logging and the destruction of the environment? If there are no human rights
violations, environmental destruction or illegal logging taking place there,
then why the fear of opening up? We got a glimpse of what really goes on there
when in 2013 a low-ranking police officer, Labora Sitorus, was linked to Rp 1.5
trillion ($120 million) bank transactions. He was eventually convicted of
illegal logging and fuel smuggling — rackets that could not have been carried
out for years without his superiors being aware or involved. Papua is blessed
with abundant natural resources, but its people have benefited little as a
result. The biggest single taxpayer in Indonesia, Freeport Indonesia, which
operates a copper and gold mine there, has paid $15.2 billion in taxes,
royalties, dividends and other direct payments, and $26.1 billion indirectly,
from 1992 to 2013 — yet Papua remains the poorest region in the republic. It is
high time we draw back the curtain on these mysteries and bring the truth to
light.
Three more
members of armed group arrested in Jayapura
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post,
Jayapura Wed, January 28 2015
Three more members of an armed group led by
Puron Wenda were arrested at a trade center in Jayapura, Papua, on Wednesday. The
three, identified as Rais Wenda, 27, Albert Jikwa, 29, and Fredi Kagoya, 15,
were arrested as they traveled on a minibus in the Papua Trade Center in the
city. Papua Provincial Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rudolf Patrige said the three
were still undergoing an intensive interrogation in connection with their
alleged involvement in recent bloody assaults in Timika and Jayapura.“But the
three are being grilled on their status as witnesses to the incidents,” he
said. The arrest of the three was conducted by the police following the arrest
of two other members of the armed group in Wamena on Saturday.
Patrige denied spreading rumors that an Army
soldier had been arrested for selling guns and ammunition to the armed group. Meanwhile,
Maj. Gen. Fransen G. Siahaan, chief of the Cendrawasih Military Command
overseeing Papua and West Papua, also denied the rumors and said that only the
three members of the armed group were arrested in a joint raid launched by the
police and the military in the province. (rms)(+++)
TNI to
severely punish weapon sellers
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post January 29 2015
The Indonesian Military (TNI) will impose
severe punishments on any of its personnel who try to sell weapons or any other
military equipment to members of the separatist movement in Papua. “Selling
bullets and military weapons are totally forbidden for military personnel. It’s
almost like they want to kill their own comrades. So, if we discover this, the
personnel will be automatically discharged and must be brought before a
military court,” TNI spokesperson Maj. Gen. Fuad Basya told The Jakarta Post in
Jakarta on Thursday. It has been reported that a soldier was arrested for
selling guns and ammunition to members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).
Fuad said the military was very careful in
storing its ammunition and it was impossible for soldiers to simply grab the
bullets from the armory. He assumed the illicit ammunition had been
misappropriated during range training. “Perhaps the soldier uses only 10
bullets during training, but reports having used up more. It is the only
possibility,” he explained. According to Fuad, one soldier has been arrested
and the military police will try to discover whether there are other soldiers
involved in the case. (nfo)(+++)
Air Force to
beef up presence, at air bases near
borders
Extract from Jakarta Post (5 Feb.)
The Indonesian Air Force plans to increase
operations at bases near its borders in an effort to deter threats of
incursion. “We must pay attention to several air bases and put more forces in
those areas so that other countries will not infringe upon our territorial
integrity,” newly installed Air Force chief of staff Chief Marshal Agus
Supriatna announced after a leadership meeting in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Wednesday.
Agus said the Air Force would focus on five
military air bases; the Soewondo military air base in Medan, North Sumatra; the
Ranai military air base in Natuna, Riau Islands; the Tarakan military air base
in Tarakan, East Kalimantan; the El Tari military air base in Kupang, East Nusa
Tenggara; and the Jayapura military air base in Papua.
Opinion pieces/reports/press releases etc.
Papuans
Have Heard Jokowi’s Promises, but Is the President Listening?
Book.
The Incubus of Intervention (Conflicting Indonesia Strategies
of John F. Kennedy and Allen Dulles) Author/Editor: Greg Poulgrain
From mongabay.com (includes
maps/photos)
DFAT reply to
AWPA letter re 8 Dec. killings
AWPA report - West Papua 2014 Year in
Review
PANIAI
SHOOTINGS - MAKE INVESTIGATION FINDINGS PUBLIC AND BRING PERPETRATORS TO
JUSTICE AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC STATEMENT
Papua’s Hidden
Past Haunts Jokowi Presidency
A NEW HOPE FOR PAPUA
Human Rights
Watch World Report 2015
Indonesian country report at http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2015/country-chapters/indonesia?page=1
Full report at http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2015
UN presses
Indonesia on human rights progress report
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