2) Political Statement About Decolonisation At FestPac Was Necessary
3) Golfer Fraction Rejects Refugees Settlement in Papua
4) Papua Forum Discusses Transportation Issues
5) Accelerating Papua Development, Government Plans Papua Development Authority
6) Several Injured in Cessna Aircraft Landing Incident in Papua
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1) KNPB Rallies Shouldn’t Be Restricted, says Councillor
13 June 2016
Jayapura, Jubi – Chairman of Hanura Fraction of Papua Legislative Council Yan Permenas Mandenas urged Police to not restrict and stop the West Papua National Committee from staging rallies despite its support for an independent Papua.
He said Papua Legislative Council is the house of people and is a place for people to voice their aspirations, regardless their background or affiliations, as long as it is legal.
“I think the Police shouldn’t keep blocking the West Papua National Committee in doing a rally. The Central Government shouldn’t always underestimate them. Especially in Papua Parliament’s Office, anyone can express their aspirations. It is the house of people, as long as not against the rule,” said Mandenas on last weekend.
He said the Police should be wise to read the situation on the ground. Giving permission to do a rally at the Papua Parliament Office, for example, is better than let them do it on the street because it would disturb the people’s activities. Let the councilors meet them and manage their aspiration, give it a political, development, social and legal review before pass it to related stakeholders.
“KNPB shouldn’t do a rally on the street; it seems there is no room for aspirations. Let them go to the parliament office. It’s a support from Hanura Fraction; we do not take any symbols against to the Constitution. Even it’s related to the aspirations for independence, they must express their voice in here,” he said.
Separately, the councilor from the Commission I of the Papua Legislative Council for Government, Political, Legal and Human Rights Affairs, Laurenzus Kadepa said the parliament does not discriminate anyone because it opens to all aspirations of any groups. But the Police seem to discriminate people in providing the permit for demonstration.
“It is not about politic, but justice in the space of democracy. Whatever is their ideology, do not restrict them in expressing their aspirations,” said Kadepa, politician from NasDem Party who is also the member of Hanura Fraction of Papua Legislative Council.
According to him, the Police was deliberately allowing the certain groups to express their aspiration though they do not have the permit. But on the other hand, the certain groups such as KNPB is restricted, being stopped and give limited space to express their aspirations. (*)
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2) Political Statement About Decolonisation At FestPac Was Necessary
13 June 2016
By Kisha Borja-Quichocho-Calvo
DURING the closing ceremony for the 12th Festival of Pacific Arts, or FestPac, a few Chamoru activists came together to make a political statement. We sacrificed four of our official FestPac wraps and made banners with the following words on them: “Decolonize Oceania” and “Free Guåhan.” And when it was time for the Guåhan delegation to parade onto the main platform, we walked around the Paseo Stadium with these banners.
Why did we take such an action?
It must be understood that this action was necessary for a number of reasons.
First, it was necessary to demonstrate that FestPac is not just an event which highlights the beautiful cultural facets of our Pacific communities — songs, dances, chants, poetry, artwork, food, navigation. It is also an event which should remind us of the historical and political struggles of our peoples, of the social and political unrest in our Pacific Island nations (such as in the Marianas, West Papua, Hawai’i, Kanaky/New Caledonia) and the beauty in our ability to survive hundreds of years of colonialism.
Second, the action was necessary to show that we stand in solidarity with other Pacific islanders’ resistance movements.
Finally, this action was necessary to express the Chamoru situation. Guåhan remains a U.S. colony and Chamorus here have yet to vote for our political status. This is a very big deal, and others throughout the region and around the world need to know about it, and how there is a community of people who stand against the status quo.
And while there seemed to be mixed reactions toward our action (several of our mañaina or elders chanted “Biba Chamoru,” blew their kulo’ shells, and held up our island’s flag; others seemed confused; some even thought that that FestPac was not the appropriate venue for the action), it was an action that made a very clear, very bold statement: We recognize the struggles of our sisters and brothers throughout Oceania, including their movements against different colonial powers, movements regarding climate change and movements against violence toward Pacific islanders.
We stand in solidarity with the Kanaka Maoli, Kanak, Marshallese, i-Kiribati and West Papuans. We stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the region who are fighting to keep their cultures thriving, especially in places where they are the minority.
Further, we wanted to inform our local, regional and international communities of the struggle for political self-determination for the Chamoru people of Guåhan, how we have yet to exercise our rights as an indigenous people and how there is a strong movement to politically decolonize and liberate our indigenous community. As the oldest colony in Oceania, it is very important that this message be made known.
The FestPac closing ceremony could not have been a more perfect event to take action and make a political statement. FestPac is not solely a cultural event; it is very much a political event. After all, if it weren’t for the many political movements that occurred throughout the region — with indigenous languages and traditional practices, movements which were rooted in culture — then perhaps major changes in the region would not have been made.
We must stop thinking that we live in an island paradise, a utopia of peace and harmony. Because there is nothing peaceful about our indigenous peoples living on colonies, where we can’t make decisions for ourselves. There is nothing harmonious about being unable to control or even negotiate what the U.S./France/Chile/Taiwan wants to do with our lands. There is nothing utopic about the rejection of our right to decolonize ourselves.
The action that we took at the FestPac closing ceremony was necessary to make a statement, not just for Guåhan, but for the entire Pacific region. The world was watching us that night; hopefully, they heard our message, too. (*)
The author is a resident of Mangilao, Guam
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3) Golfer Fraction Rejects Refugees Settlement in Papua
11 June 2016
Jayapura, Jubi – The Golkar faction at the Papua Legislative Council rejected a decision by the Batam Immigration Office tto relocate some refugees and asylum-seekers from Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia and Afganistan to Papua due to a shortage of shelters.
Golkar faction Chairman Ignasius W Mimin said the group rejected the plan because Papua is not a ‘trash basket’ or shelters for undocumented people and that Batam Immigration Office should not randomly move those immigrants to Papua.
“While the Indonesian citizens who come to Papua would be limited. Now Papuan stakeholders are struggling to protect the indigenous Papuans by restricting the migrants from other Indonesian regions. So how could we accept foreign citizens? Papua doesn’t need them. The goal is not clear,” Mimin told Jubi on Friday (10/6/2016).
He also question why should the refugees and asylum-seekers to be transfered to the Immigration Detention House in Jayapura, Papua instead of to other provinces. He asked Batam Immigration Office to review its plan.
“Do not just send those refugees and asylum-seekers to Papua. Moreover, they are coming from troubled countries and have no clear purpose. Papua is not such a region to accommodate the trouble,” he said.
He said this plan should be coordinated first with the Papua Provincial Government, not only included the Jayapura Immigration Office. He worried this would raise a new problem in Papua.
Some refugees and asylum-seekers from several countries such as Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia and Afghanistan are planning to be moved in Papua due to the shelters in Batam have been overloaded.
Batam Immigration Office Chief Agus Widjaja said currently there are 351 refugees and asylum-seekers in Batam. They are now staying at Sekupang Immigration Detention House and a hotel in Nagoya area. In the near future, some of them were scheduled to be transferred to Jayapura.
“58 refugees are now staying at Sekupang Immigration Detention House, while the rest is in Nagoya. The unmarried occupants in Nagoya will be replaced to Jayapura,” he said.
He further said they run out the proper shelters for refugees in Batam. Sekupang Immigration Detention House only has a capacity for 72 people. If they were accommodated in the hotel, there would be not a control facility such as at the Detention House. They are free to come-and-go from the hotel and go around Batam. (Arjuna Pademme/rom)
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4) Papua Forum Discusses Transportation Issues
11 June 2016
Wamena, Jubi – Officials from transportation offices throughout Papua Province held a technical coordination meeting to try to find solutions to problems facing the sector.
Papua Governor Lukas Enembe in a speech read by Jayawijaya Regional Secretary Yohanes Walilo in Wamena, Friday (10/6/2016) said this meeting should be used as a way to to share and result in a strategic decision to resolve the transportation issues in Papua.
It is also to find solutions regarding to the difficulty access of transportation to some areas in Papua that cause the increase of price. Development of transportation infrastructure in remote areas is including the development and improvement of services as well as pioneering services delivery to coastal areas, water transportation and pioneering flight to remote areas.
“This forum should create solutions to eliminate isolated areas in Papua,” he said.
The opening of isolated areas is expected to support the growth and services of another sectors as well as to support the regional development.
Jayawijaya Reginal Secretary Yohanes Walilo to reporter said this forum was expected to provide supports to some areas that are still strungling with the transportation access.
“For example, in Wamena we still depend on air transportation and there are some regencies that could not be accessed by land transportation. Therefore through this forum, it is expected that we can make the same perception on transportation development in the future,” said Walilo.
He admitted the level of expensiveness in the Papua highland area has yet to be resolved. Therefore the road construction is expected to reduce the price of goods. “We hope this forum could raise a collective agreement about ticketing price that quite expensive for the people, especially before the feast,” he said. (Islami Adisubrata/rom)
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5) Accelerating Papua Development, Government Plans Papua Development Authority
10 June 2016
Jakarta, Jubi – Despite the failure of the Papua and Papua Barat Development Acceleration Unit, the Indonesian government is planning to form another development institution in Papua called the Papua Development Authority (PDA).
PDA would have special authority and flexibility in both the management system and implementation of activities for accelerating the development through the synchronization of sectoral development and territorial customary, and by considering the political aspect and the weakness of program management ‘machine’ in the Central Government.
“Its tasks include planning and creating budget policies, delegation, implementation, and controlling,” Rd. Siliwanti, MPIA, Director of BAPPENAS, told Jubi at Training Center of the State Ministry Office in Jakarta, Thursday (9/6/2016).
Its steering committee would consist of the president, several ministers and the governors of Papua and Papua Barat. The Steering Committee would be assigned to build a political development consensus between the Central Government and Provincial Government of Papua and Papua Barat; to provide general guidance and public policy; and to provide guidance on the implementation and control of development policy; as well as to provide guidance, policy and control over budget management.
Besides to PDA, the Government is considering three alternatives, said Siliwanti. “There is also a plan to form an institution called Coordination and Strategic Management Agency, that would be under the Ministry of Political, Legal and Security Affairs in order to optimize the performance of ministries or institutions at the central level,” said Siliwanti.
Of the four alternatives, according to her, based on review by BAPPENAS team, only PDA has a chance to be well implemented. “It’s only the government’s idea. Inputs from any stakeholders are still opened. So far, we are up to the stage of discussion, dialogue. No decision yet,” said Siliwanti.
She also added this idea has been also discussed with the provincial government of Papua and Papua Barat through Regional Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA) of both provinces.
Further she said the institution would not only concern to development problems, but also to solve the human rights violation and security problems in Papua. However these ideas need to be discussed separately.
“It is such idea, but it needs to be discussed separately. For example, there is input from Ms. Adriana Elisabeth from LIPI (Indonesian Science Institute) that the institution should only focus on the problems related to the development, but it needs to make synergy and coordination with other institutions working on the human rights and security resolution,” said Siliwanti. (Victor Mambor/rom)
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6) Several Injured in Cessna Aircraft Landing Incident in Papua
By : Robert Isidorus | on 12:06 PM June 14, 2016
Jakarta. Several people were injured in a landing incident involving a Cessna 208B aircraft at Nop Goliat Airstrip in Yahukimo, Papua, on Tuesday morning (14/06).
The aircraft – belonging to local air carrier Associated Mission Aviation – failed to smoothly land in the airport’s runway and hit a residential area near the airport at 7.58 a.m. local time.
“When the airplane was about to land, it hit the residence area. Following the incident, two passengers, pilot and residents were injured,” Associated Mission Aviation director Djarot Soetanto said.
According to the latest communication with pilot Brian Potingger, the machine of aircraft was burned during the flight, said Djarot.
The passengers have been rushed to the hospital for further treatment.
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