2) West Papua
Indigenous People|06 July 1998- Recalling The Biak Massacre
3) 230 Papuans circumcised to curb HIV/AIDS
4) South Sorong Regency Prepares Two Acres of Land for
Military Headquarters
5) MRP Decree Indicates Burden of Conflict
6) Court Rejects Ex-Papua Governor’s Pretrial Motion
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1) Nafuki welcomes PM’s stand on West Papua
Posted: Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:00 am
The Chairman says he is happy with the progress gained on West Papua now with its Observer Status to MSG. “This is a positive achievement for West Papua and I am happy with it because it means that the next step is going to be a possibility of full membership to MSG,” the Chairman says.
On the question of whether or not Vanuatu voted in favour of West Papua becoming a full member of MSG, the Chairman says he personally approached Prime Minister Sato Kilman over the dilemma.
“I was happy when the Prime Minister assured me that Vanuatu’s support for West Papua has not changed, that it was important to have Indonesia at arm’s length in order to be able to dialogue with them over the future of West Papua,” he says.
“While there are West Papuans who want their freedom from Indonesia, there are also some West Papuans who support Indonesia so the West Papua Associate Membership represents those Melanesians who support Indonesia.”
But the Chairman says there won’t be any Indonesian faces in the MSG.
“The Prime Minister says there are proper channels along which to approach the Indonesians about the situation of West Papua because the country is under their control. They also have a powerful military force to support what they believe in,” he says.
However the Chairman has reiterated that the majority of the participants that attended the All West Papua Conference in Port Vila last December travelled to Port Vila from within West Papua.
The Chairman says to be exact, about 40 representatives came direct from West Papua while about 10 representatives arrived from other countries.
The West Papuans living abroad could not return to their homeland for fear of being killed by the Indonesian military. Even so, they continue to remain the mouthpiece on the international stage for their people in West Papua.
West Papua Freedom Global Campaigner Benny Wenda who lives in London and Octavianus Mote, ULMWP Secretary General who lives in Washington are two of those people. Both men attended the historic summit in Port Vila last December.
The Chairman says it is important to correct the misinformation from the MSG Summit in Honiara that the West Papua Summit that was held in Port Vila last December represented West Papuan exiles.
“This statement is simply not true because my committee and I screened all the names to know where each one of them came from so it was misleading to say the least, that they came from other countries,” the Chairman says.
From December 1-6 of last year, the Malvatumauri National Council of Chiefs dared to host the first ever all West Papua Summit, which brought together senior representatives of all the West Papua Freedom Factions operating within West Papua as well as their international representatives.
The Summit began by successfully organising a reconciliation ceremony at Saralana to create a Melanesian environment to convince the different factions to put aside their historical differences and stand united under the United Liberation Movement of West Papua to apply on behalf of their people in West Papua, for full membership of MSG.
The application was made in line with a direction from the MSG Executive that was issued in Port Moresby earlier last year.
The Chairman says, the ULMWP applied for full membership to the MSG and to grant them “observer Status” is already allowing the people of West Papua one leg inside the Melanesian Sub Regional Organisation.
The Chairman says the WPUC has yet to meet to analyse the decision of the MSG Summit in Honiara.
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2) West Papua Indigenous People|06 July 1998- Recalling The Biak Massacre
On 6 July 1998, took place a horrifying incident that I wish to remind us all after 17 years. In Indonesia’s conflict zone, West Papuans were demonstrating for independence on the island of Biak. And they were attacked in a coordinated mechanism by the Indonesian military and police. The Biak Massacre is widely known in anecdotal terms in West Papua as being a really severe event but it’s not acknowledged officially at all – certainly not by the Indonesian government.
“The West Papuans in Biak were asserting their right to self-determination after more than three decades of Indonesian military occupation of West Papua. The slaughter began with a dawn raid on a peaceful encampment by the town’s water tower as many of the protesters slept or prayed. After the shooting stopped, the dead, dying, and wounded were loaded onto trucks and driven to the nearby naval base. Surviving Papuans were tortured and then loaded aboard Indonesian naval vessels and dumped into the ocean. Women were raped aboard the ships. Many of the victims had their hands bound or were stabbed before being thrown into the sea. Bodies of the victims washed up on Biak’s shores during the following weeks.”
ASEAN human rights advocate and Executive Director of North South Initiative, Malaysian based Ngo, Adrian Pereira said, “The Biak Incident represents one of the many gross violation of human rights in West Papua. It is only right that Jokowi allow international NGOs to enter West Papua to conduct fact findings and people’s tribunals on such violation to ensure the state supported perpetrators are taken to task.”
No government of Indonesia has acknowledged the massacre or held the perpetrators accountable. The government continues to discourage investigation of this and other human rights crimes in West Papua by limiting access to the territory by foreign journalists, independent researchers, as well as UN and other international officials.
Watch the video testimony of Mr.Octavianus Mote, human rights advocate, journalist from the West Papua’s Me tribe. At the time of the incident, he was the bureau chief of Kompas daily in Papua and West Papua. Eyewitness of the facts occurred in Biak, he played a role of mediator between the Indonesian Government and the 100 Papuan leaders.
Fleeing an assassination attempt, he now lives in the United States where he was granted asylum and continues his important work for West Papua independence.
Justice delayed is justice denied, 17 years passed on and there is no real closure on the Biak incident. The Human Lens is actively campaigning with ASEAN lobby for bringing readers the on-ground stories from West Papua. Moreover, we feel that the chilling silence of the international community on these violations is equally disturbing as without a limelight on West Papua, the violations are bound to continue.
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3) 230 Papuans circumcised to curb HIV/AIDS
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura | Headlines | Tue, July 07 2015, 5:01 PM -
The Papua AIDS Eradication Commission (KPAD) has overseen the circumcision of 230 Papuans using PrePex devices, a painless procedure provided by the US-based Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), at Dok II Jayapura Hospital.“Of the 253 people who applied for circumcision, 230 had it done. Of the rest, 20 could not proceed because of previously existing penile inserts while the other three had their rings released early due to discomfort,” Papua KPAD secretary Constant Karma said in Jayapura on Monday.
Karma, who was also among those having the circumcision done, said that the circumcisions were expected to help control the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Circumcision, he said, prevented men from contracting many venereal diseases, which were considered a stepping stone in the spread of HIV/AIDS.
“By lowering the amount of venereal disease, it is expected that the spread of HIV/AIDS will also be slowed,” Karma said.
He added that the skin on the tip of the penis was where different germs causing venereal diseases might be nesting.
Earlier, Karma, a former deputy governor of Papua, revealed that the total number of people infected with AIDS in the province had reached around 19,000 since the virus was first detected in Merauke in 1992.
The device, consisting of an elastic ring that gets placed on a male’s genitals for seven days, has been considered practical and easy to use and can provide a non-surgical, medical means to carry out adult male circumcisions.
The modern devices were brought into Papua and West Papua by CHAI and were first used in Indonesia and a number of African countries.
The PrePex method is used for men of 15 years of age and older. Before being circumcised, the patients underwent counseling to avoid shock after having the rings attached to their genitals.
Charles, one of the participants, said that he could still carry out daily functions after having the rings installed. Although, he said, he felt pain each morning.
“The pain came when my penis was erect but it disappeared with the erection also,” said Charles, adding that during erection the rings exerted more pressure, thus causing pain.
Charles also said that two days after the rings were attached, the skin on the tip of his penis began to blacken and on the third day it became septic and odorous.
On the seventh day, he said, the skin had dried and was then cut off and the rings were released.
Meanwhile, HIV/AIDS counselor Siti Soltief of the Dok II Jayapura Hospital said that after the rings were released, the men were not allowed to have sex within the following six weeks, to allow the cut skin to heal completely.
“All the circumcision participants have been informed of this and they have all understood and agreed to abide by it,” Siti said.
After Papua, voluntary circumcision using the PrePex device will also be conducted in Wamena, Jayawijaya, Paniai and Manokwari, in West Papua. In Jayawijaya, 220 are reported to have applied for the procedure, in Paniai 110 people and in Manokwari 220. -
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4) South Sorong Regency Prepares Two Acres of Land for Military Headquarters
Sorong, Jubi – The government of South Sorong regency has prepared two hectares of land to build the South Sorong District Military Command Headquarters.
After receiving an official response from Military Command Headquarters, two district military commands (Kodim) in Sorong Raya region will have their status upgraded to regional military command in South Sorong and Waisai, Raja Ampat.
Therefore, South Sorong regency has prepared an area of two hectares more in Moswaren region for the construction of South Sorong District Military Command Headquarters. It was submitted by the South Sorong regent, Otto Ihalauw last week.
He explained, this development is to meet the needs of South Sorong society. Two hectares of land were approved by the customary land owners.
While former commander of Kodim 1704 Lieutenant Colonel (Inf) Roby Suryadi hoped that the development plan in order to ease the burden of Kodim Sorong. “I hope this continues to be guarded and monitored,” he concluded. (Niko MB/Tina)
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5) MRP Decree Indicates Burden of Conflict
Jayapura, Jubi – Both academician of Cenderawasih University Ferry Kareth and Secretarly General of Papua Presidium Council Thaha Alhamid shared common view related to Papua People’s Assembly Decree No.11/2015 that it would risk sparking to communal conflicts.
In dialogue to hear the people’s aspirations held by Papua People’s Assembly and customary/intellectual figures and law practitioners in Jayapura City last week, academician Ferry Kareth explained the Decree No.11/2015 about to recommend the candidates of regional head and deputy head must be indigenous Papuan is a recommendation without engaged legal aspect. If it wasn’t good socialized it could trigger a horizontal conflict among the community that could have high cost impact in next election process.
In line with the decree, Kareth asked the Papua People’s Assembly and Regional Government to encourage the amendment of Special Autonomy Law so the Decree No.11/2015 could be adjusted and have binding and engaged legal power. “If not, the decree would be ignore and as executor, the Election Committee would never use it in the election on next December. Because they will refer to the Regulation No.8/2015 about the election of governor, regent and mayor as the legal basis,” said Kareth.
He added the Papua People’s Assembly obliges to socialize the decree to public to avoid the raising of any conflict.
Meanwhile, the Secretary General of Papua Presidium Council Thaha Al Hamid admitted the decree would be a source of conflict if it’s not set in the proper legal aspect. “I am very concerned that the horizontal conflict would be occurred and I think this decree has enough potential to do so. I also propose the police to immediately review this condition so they could find out the root of many issues that possibly to be raised,” he said.
Papua People’s Assembly member George Awi said he would submitted the result of this meeting to the Chairman of Papua People’s Assembly for making the decree could become a gateway of amendment of the Special Autonomy Law so that indigenous Papuan could be the leader on their own land. “There’s a feedback from the meeting that we would anticipate now is the opinion that we should prevent the occurrence of conflict,” he said. (Sindung Sukoco/rom)
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6) Court Rejects Ex-Papua Governor’s Pretrial Motion
By Jakarta Globe on 06:05 pm Jul 07, 2015
Jakarta. A Jakarta court has rejected the pretrial motion filed by former governor of Papua and graft suspect Barnabas Suebu.
Judge Ganjar Pasaribu told a South Jakarta court on Tuesday that Barnabas could not challenge his status as his case had been investigated by the anti-corruption court.
Barnabas has been named a suspect in a graft case surrounding the 2008 construction of two hydropower plants in Papua. He responded by filing a pretrial motion against the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to challenge the move.
Barnabas and Lamusu Didi, president director of Konsultasi Pembangunan Irian Jaya, the government’s private-sector partner in the project, stand accused of being responsible for state losses worth Rp 9 billion ($700,000).
Last August, the anti-graft body charged Barnabas, Lamusi and Papua’s energy agency head Jannes Johan Karubaba for marking up the budget of the Memberamo River hydropower project in 2009-10.
The three allegeldy siphoned Rp 36 billion from the project’s budget of Rp 56 billion for personal use.
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