Thursday, April 23, 2015

1) Police Disperse KNPB’s Activists in Sentani

2) Jakarta Embassy not Priority: PM Natuman

3) Customary Land Rights Hamper Efforts to End Illegal Logging
4) Police Look for Owner of 12.9 Cubic of Timber
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1) Police Disperse KNPB’s Activists in Sentani
Jayapura, Jubi, Seven armed officers came to the secretariat of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) in Sentani on Friday at around 15:45 Papua time asking the activists to leave, a member of the organization said.
“When we called the police office, the Sentani Municipal Police Chief said you’d better leave the secretariat now because the Mobile Brigade will come to disperse you. I got instruction from the Jayapura Police Chief Sondan R D Siagian to tell you so,” Central KNBP Spokesperson Bazoka Logo told Jubi last week.
According to him, the Sentani Municipal Police Chief came to the secretariat telling both local and central KNPB’s activists to go home.
“I and three other members of central KNPB were forced to leave the secretariat immediately. Besides us, there were also some members of KNPB Sentani. We were intimidated and asked to no longer sit in the secretariat of KNPB Sentani Region,” he said.
The Secretary General of Central KNPB, Ones Suhun via email confirmed to Jubi the Police Chief has instructed his officers to expel and disband the KNPB activists from the Sentani secretariat without any reason. The Sentani Municipal Police Chief said the Jayapura Police Chief wanted those activists to stop their activities to sit together, hold discussion and meeting. So, the Central KNPB would say they are not afraid though the Indonesian Police said it would be disbanded this organization,” Suhun said.
He further said they have no right to disband us except the West Papuan people who established and supported this organization. “The Indonesian Police made a mistake on making statement on KNPB and treating its activists from Sorong to Merauke. The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) would still focus on the ULMWP Socialization for MSG and would not be lost with the action of Indonesian Police,” Suhun said. (Arnold Belau/rom)


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2) Jakarta Embassy not Priority: PM Natuman
Jayapura, Jubi – Prime Minister Joe Natuman said today that while his government valued all its diplomatic relations, including that with Indonesia, any decision to establish a foreign embassy, in any country for that matter, has to be a policy decision of the government of the day.
To clarify Vanuatu’s position in light of what might have been reported in the international media, Tuesday (21/4/2015), Prime Minister Natuman said, “There is no such policy direction at present, as far as this government is concerned. We have more pressing issues to attend to right now as we recover from the aftermath of cyclone Pam
Prime Minister Natuman has called on the Indonesian media not to read too much into comments purportedly made by Vanuatu’s foreign minister regarding the establishment of a Vanuatu Embassy in Indonesia.
“Given our firm position on West Papua and stance against alleged human rights abuses there, Vanuatu will need to weigh all sides of the coin before embarking on any future plans to take its diplomatic relations with Indonesia to the next level,” said PM Natuman.
The prime minister was officially invited to attend the 60th Anniversary of the Asian African Conference and the 10th Anniversary of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership in Jakarta and Bandung. He opted to send his Foreign Minister instead because of the current situation the country is going through and the recovery efforts the government is spearheading with all its stakeholders.
It appears the focus of the conference has been miscued by the foreign media. (*)
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3) Customary Land Rights Hamper Efforts to End Illegal Logging
Jayapura, Jubi, Efforts by authorities to end illegal logging in Papua are being hampered by forest management rights by customary community.
The Papua Police Spokesperson Senior Commissionaire Patrige Renwarin said it wasn’t easy to fight the illegal logging in Papua. He said some regions in Papua provided the authority to the customary community to manage their forest products for their daily needs.
“For instance, they can fell trees for housing or other needs in small quantities. But sometimes they collude with the authorities and some buyers will take advantage. The logs from the customary forests are usually sold to buyers for economic reasons,” Renwarin told Jubi on Tuesday afternoon (21/4/2015).
Further he said the customary people would protest if the police or other authorities seized the logs when selling to the buyers. They would say they did it for the sake of their families. “They said it was to pay their living cost and tuition fees for their children. I think it wouldn’t be a problem if they want to strict with the rule. But at the end this condition would be used by those who want taking benefits from the customary people,” he said.
He further said the Police also must act carefully to process the case of illegal logging while he admitted sometimes certain officers might be involved in this business. “If we have not obtained the A1-information or trusted information, we were not allowed to open the container which suspiciously loading the illegal logs. Because we could take to the pre-court if it wasn’t loaded the logs. Every related stakeholders must sit together to discuss the illegal logging issue in Papua to find the best solution,” he said.
Earlier, the Papua Legislative Council wants to perform the log moratorium in Papua, it would apply both to logs or processing log products. The Papua Legislative Council’s Commission IV Chairman, Boy Markus Dawir said this moratorium is important to ensure the people, businessmen and regional government to mutually get benefits. (Arjuna Pademme/rom)
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4) Police Look for Owner of 12.9 Cubic of Timber

Jayapura, Jubi, Papua Police is still looking for the owner of 12.9 cubic meters of illegal logs seized by the police when three loading trucks crossed over the Tanah Hitam road, Abepura, Jayapura, last week.
“It’s still under the investigation. We’re now tracking who’s the owner. We hope the three truck drivers who have been named as suspects could be honest and reveal those who are involved,” Papua Police Spokesperson Senior Commissionaire Patrige Renwarin said on Tuesday (21/4/2015).
But he worried the suspects would not tell anything because usually they have made an agreement with the related parties and wont tell anything if they were arrested. “Usually they made the certain agreement. For example if the driver was arrested, he wont tell who give him an order with a guarantee his family needs would be fulfilled during he was in jail,” he said.
Related to illegal logging, the Police have seized seven trucks in Koya, Muara Tami Sub-district, Jayapura Municipaly and Unurumguay Sub-district, Jayapura Regency some times ago. The Police have currently completed the P21 form and ready to hand over the case to the Prosecutor Office.
“But the Prosecutor Office keep the evidence to the Papua Police because they have not enough space. To terminate the illegal logging in Papua is not only the Police’s responsibility, but there must be an integrated team who involve all related parties,” he said.
Earlier, the Papua Legislative Council wants to perform the log moratorium in Papua, it would apply both to logs or processing log products. The Papua Legislative Council’s Commission IV Chairman, Boy Markus Dawir said this moratorium is important to ensure the people, businessmen and regional government to mutually get benefits. (Arjuna Pademme/rom)

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