2) Indonesia sends aid to  Vanuatu

3) Govt aims for 4 million  transmigrants in five years 

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http://www.pngloop.com/2015/04/04/governor-angry-west-papua-genocide/

1) Governor angry at West Papua ‘genocide’

Noel Pascoe Apr 4, 2015

Shouting ‘Papua Merdeka’  after merging their groups: (from left) Governor Juffa, Kenn Mondiai ( Partners with Melanesia ), Jeff Bomay of Free West Papua Protection of Human Rights, ex-governor of Sandaun Province John Tekwie and David Dom of PNG Union of Free West Papua.

Oro Governor Garyi Juffa says recent killings in West Papua were more signs of the “ongoing genocide’’ occurring under Indonesian command.

He told a crowd of 500 to 600 supporters at a rally in Port Moresby yesterday that the reported killings were not of foreigners but of “our sisters and brothers’’.

Let us not talk of this “imaginary border’’ drawn up by colonial powers, he said, the people of West Papua were from the same piece of land and same origins as the people of PNG.

He cited news of recent killings by Indonesian soldiers of a West Papuan man who was raising funds for storm stricken Vanuatu, and three boys under the age of 18 who were jailed for protesting against the killing of another boy.

Mr Juffa  described the killings as “inhumane’’, and being like the Nazi holocaust.

He says the PNG government should take a bold stand in mapping out this issue and bringing it to international attention.

He encouraged fellow Papua New Guineans to rise up and demand freedom for their fellow Melanesian brothers and sisters who have suffered brutal killings and harassment at the hands of the Indonesian military.

He pointed to the fuss over a visa for West Papuan leader Benny Wenda, who was detained and then made to leave PNG for failing to have proper travel documents.

Mr Juffa says he believes the government should be lenient towards West Papuans and grant them exclusive travelling rights to and from PNG, considering that PNG and Indonesia share one land mass.

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http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/04/04/indonesia-sends-aid-vanuatu.html

2) Indonesia sends aid to  Vanuatu

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | World | Sat, April 04 2015, 7:01 PM -Indonesia has sent US$2 million worth of humanitarian aid to Vanuatu, which was devastated and economically crippled by a massive tropical cyclone that hit the Pacific island nation in March.

Foreign Minister Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi dispatched on Saturday two cargo aircraft from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten. Marsudi was accompanied by National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) chief Syamsul Maarif and a number of members of House of Representatives' Commission VIII overseeing social affairs.

The two aircraft - a Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330-300 with a capacity of 35 tons and a Cardig Air Boeing 737 with a capacity of 15 tons -- would fly to the Vanuatuan capital of Port Villa, a statement from the Foreign Ministry said.

BNPB deputy for emergency response, Tri Budiarto, said that the $2 million aid consisted of $450,000 in cash and a variety of aid packages: 1,000 packages of food supplies, 6,000 packages of nutrition supplements and food, 6,000 packages of ready-to-eat food, 2,000 packages of biscuits, 149 carts of baby food, 333 carts of pregnancy food, 500 packages of children’s clothing, 7,500 blankets, 26 carts of solar cells and 200 family tents.

The aid will be handed over to Vanuatu climate change minister James Bule by Najib Riphat Kesoema, the Indonesian Ambassador to Australia, who is also accredited to Vanuatu.

A special team of 19 experts will also be sent to the nation of fewer than 300,000 residents to help the reconstruction and survivor-rehabilitation processes.

The team consists of personnel from the Office of the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Health Ministry, the Social Affairs Ministry, the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), the Papua Provincial Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the West Papua BPBD and Disaster Management Rapid Response Unit.

The Foreign Ministry added that Indonesia’s experience in handling natural disasters, such as the reconstruction and rehabilitation processes in Aceh after the 2004 tsunami, would be of great assistance for Vanuatu.

“The aid will also be a symbol of Indonesian commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Vanuatu in terms of disaster mitigation,” the ministry said in the statement.

Cyclone Pam devastated Vanuatu in March, causing 11 deaths and extensive damage to the country’s infrastructure, including the severance of communication between the archipelago’s islands. (dyl/nvn)(+++)

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http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/04/04/govt-aims-4-million-transmigrants-five-years.html

3) Govt aims for 4 million  transmigrants in five years 

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National | Sat, April 04 2015, 10:52 PM -

Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Marwan Jafar is targeting the placement of four million transmigrants in five years to bolster employment opportunities and create new villages in Indonesia.

Marwan said that the target was feasible as it had helped the establishment of two new autonomous areas in North Kalimantan and West Sulawesi provinces.

“The government hopes governors and regents of areas that have the potential for absorbing transmigrants take proactive steps to encourage people to move there,” Marwan said on Saturday as quoted by Antara news agency.

He added that any promotional efforts made by regional administrations would be strategic as the transmigration program had been on a downward trend since the end of the Soeharto dictatorship.

Despite this, Marwan said that public interest in transmigration was still high, in line with the increasing difficulty of obtaining access to farmland. Regional administrations, he went on, must also give support to transmigrants by preparing suitable land.

“The transmigration program in several disadvantaged regions and border areas can help improve the health and electricity infrastructure as well as improve education and access to clean water,” he added.(dyl/nvn)(+++)