1) PNG MP plays down Indonesia-PNG extradition treaty

1) PNG MP plays down Indonesia-PNG extradition treaty
2) German Ambassador Unsatisfied with Papua Government’s Answers on Investment
3) British Ambassador to Promote Cooperation with Papua Province
4) McCain: US Should Fund Indonesian Military to Face China Challenges

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http://www.fbc.com.fj/world/29876/png-mp-plays-down-indonesia-png-extradition-treaty
1) PNG MP plays down Indonesia-PNG extradition treaty
06:00 Yesterday


The MP for Sinesine-Yongomul, Kerenga Kua.
Taken from/By: BBC News
Report by: BBC News
A Papua New Guinea MP says there’s no reason for West Papuan refugees to fear for their safety after the country ratified an extradition treaty with Indonesia.
The attorney general, Ano Pala, says the treaty is important as criminals have been using the porous border between the two countries for smuggling and other illegal activities.
However, some MPs warned that Indonesia might use the treaty to target some of the thousands of refugees from West Papua.
One of those MPs is former attorney general Kerenga Kua, but he says parliament agreed to add a mechanism to protect them.
“Those provisions have been written into the treaty to exclude the application of the treaty to people who are seeking political asylum in Papua New Guinea and to make it clear that the treaty only applies to criminals who have broken the laws of one country and are escaping into the other.”

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http://tabloidjubi.com/en/2015/05/28/german-ambassador-unsatisfied-with-papua-governments-answers-on-investment/

2) German Ambassador Unsatisfied with Papua Government’s Answers on Investment

Jayapura, Jubi – Visiting German ambassador Georg Witschel said he was not satisfied with the Papua government’s response to questions about investment and land.

Witschel held talks with assistant III of Papua, Rosina Upessy during the visit to Jayapura this week.

He was accompanied by a number of investors, business people and officials from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Germany.
“We asked several questions, but they weren’t answered well. We understood that she herself who received us while governor, governor deputy and regional secretary were not here. So many of our questions were not answered,” Witschel told reporters.
He said the visit was aimed at looking at the possibility of cooperation to invest in energy, forest protection, conservation and environmental issues.
“There is an investor from Germany that invested about more than 10 million euros in West Papua. Yet when we are looking for information to attract investors for Germany here, we did not get enough information. So it is hard to get prospective investors to come to Papua, “he said.
He then hoped when visiting the Jayapura city government and Jayapura regency government, it can get more accurate information.
“It’s the first time to visit Papua. Unfortunately there was lack preparation. Though we have sent a letter one month ago. Regrettably, all questions were not answered satisfactorily, “he explained.
Meanwhile, Assistant III of Public Affairs Rosina Upessy said the land often becomes a bottleneck.
“All of the land in Papua is the property of the State and if the investor used Hak Guna Usaha (HGU) and when the contract is nearly complete, it must return to the State,” Rosina Upessy added.
German delegation also asked about licensing that often becomes a hinderence. However, the Government of Papua Province guarantee that there is one- door service to get permission.
“One-door service is one of effective ways to get permission to invest in Papua,” he said. (Alexander Loen/ Tina)

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http://tabloidjubi.com/en/2015/05/28/british-ambassador-to-promote-cooperation-with-papua-province/
3) British Ambassador to Promote Cooperation with Papua Province

Jayapura, Jubi – British ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik visited Papua to promote various programs in the field of environment, education and development.

Malik was welcomed by assistant I of provincial government Doren Wakerkwa and the head of the Planning Agency Muhammad Musa’ad, and head of Public Relations and Protocol FX Mote, in Jayapura this week.
“This is my first visit to Papua. My country has been cooperating with the Indonesian government, including the government of Papua since 2012. The cooperation is in environmental field because Papua’s forests are the lungs of the world, ” Malik said.
He added the meeting was about how to establish cooperation with the Papua government, report the results and evaluation of the progress of the three year – program as well as the tools on how to protect forests and the environment in Papua.

Since 2012, British government has been providing a tool to protect forests and oversee the layout in Papua, called SIMATARU.
“We have created a tool to oversee Papua spatial called SIMTARU. This tool is a map of the entire region of Papua that can be accessed by government and general public. Through the tool we will know which area can be allowed for development and which areas are protected or can not be used for development, “he explained.
He added that this tool is very important to implement for the future spatial development of Papua. The tool can reduce poverty, and can prevent environmental damage.

“This tool has been used for three years and in the meeting I have explained some of the results that have been achieved, and what steps will be taken in the future,” he said. (Alexander Loen/ Tina)

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http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/mccain-us-fund-indonesian-military-face-china-challenges/

4) McCain: US Should Fund Indonesian Military to Face China Challenges
By David Brunnstrom on 10:39 am May 30, 2015
Category Featured, Front Page, News
Tags: Indonesian Military TNI, military, south china sea dispute, US foreign policy

Washington. A leading US senator has proposed that the United States provide hundreds of millions of dollars to help train and equip the armed forces of Southeast Asian countries faced with Chinese territorial challenges, including Indonesia.

Republican Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the proposal in an amendment to the 2016 US Defense Authorization Act expected to be passed later this year, titled the South China Sea Initiative.

It allows for the provision of up to $425 million over five years to countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam for “equipment, supplies, training and small-scale military construction.”

The amendment was approved by the Armed Services Committee on May 14 by a vote of 22 to four — indicating strong bipartisan support. It still needs to be approved by the full Senate and the House of Representatives, which will vote on the overall bill later in the year.

McCain’s proposal comes at a time of heightened tension in the South China Sea, where China has been increasingly assertive in pushing its claims to territory contested with several Southeast Asia states.

On Friday, the United States said China had placed mobile artillery systems on a reclaimed island in the South China Sea, a development that McCain called “disturbing and escalatory.”

McCain, who was taken prisoner during the Vietnam War and held for five and a half year, told a news conference in Ho Chi Minh City the United States needed to “take certain measures which will be a disincentive to China to continue these kinds of activities.”

Washington has expressed concern about the scale and scope of Chinese land reclamation in the South China Sea. It says Chinese dredging work has added some 2,000 acres to five outposts in the resource-rich Spratly islands, including 1,500 acres this year alone.

The United States has deployed more military resources to the Asia-Pacific as part of a strategic rebalance to the region and has been working to strengthen the defense capabilities of countries there and to encourage a more unified approach to dealing with China.

Some members of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including US ally the Philippines and fellow claimant Vietnam, have been vocal critics of Chinese actions in the South China Sea, but the group as a whole has been divided on the issue and reluctant to intervene.

Reuters