Saturday, September 30, 2017

Statement from Benny Wenda on the West Papuan People’s Petition

Fro ULMWP webpage
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Statement from Benny Wenda on the West Papuan People’s Petition
The West Papuan people’s petition is no hoax: it is the voice of our people – signed by the majority of West Papuans  
The real hoax is Indonesia’s justification for its occupation of West Papua 
This week I delivered a petition signed by the majority of West Papuans to the United Nations, calling on the UN to act over human rights abuses in West Papua and to carry out its 1962 commitment to ensure West Papuans have the opportunity freely to exercise their right to self-determination.
This petition is more than just paper. These signatures are the bones and blood of my people who have been killed and who have suffered; and who continue to suffer and die under Indonesian occupation. This petition was presented with tears in my eyes and hope in my heart as I handed over the spirit of my people, people who have struggled and died in a neglected genocide for over 50 years, for the world to finally hear their voice.  
I personally delivered the 1.8 million voices of my people to a senior representative at the UN, in the presence of my fellow United Liberation Movement for West Papua leader Rex Rumakiek and my lawyer who advises the movement. I have also communicated it to the Secretariat of the Decolonisation Committee and the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) of the General Assembly, with a request that the UN review the situation of West Papua. 
Suggestions by Indonesian officials that the petition is a hoax or that it was not delivered to the UN are baseless and part of the continuing smokescreen of disinformation aimed at denying the West Papuan people their inalienable rights. 
Since I received the names and signatures into my possession, I have felt a great responsibility and an honour. The Petition is an unprecedented effort of mass mobilisation by my people, conducted and delivered to me at great personal risk – under threat of violence, arrest and torture. I have carried it with me on every journey I have made since I received it, including to UK parliament, to the UN in Geneva and in New York. I have shown it to everyone I have met, including political leaders, friends, and UN delegates.  
This was my responsibility and I will never let my people down. The petition is the democratic voice of the West Papuan people and we will not be silenced or denied our rights. 
The West Papuan Peoples Petition is an unprecedented democratic act demonstrating the will of my people for self-determination. It was signed by 1,804,421 people: 1,708,167 indigenous West Papuans and 96,254 Indonesian settlers. The number of indigenous signatories represents an estimated 70.88% of the indigenous population of West Papua according to the latest independent research.   
This shows to the world what would have happened in 1969 if we had been given the free and fair vote promised to us by the UN and to which we are entitled to under international law.  
West Papua would have been the first independent Melanesian state – before Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Kanaky/New Caledonia. 
Instead, West Papua was taken off the Non-Self Governing Territories list, placed under UN administration and then Indonesian administration with the stated requirement that we would be given a free and fair vote for self-determination.  Indonesia knew it had obligations to us and to the international community to give us a vote where all Papuans would have a say.  
Instead, Indonesia hand-picked 1,026 people and forced them to vote under threat of violence – and then told the world that my people had voted to join Indonesia. This is the real hoax. 
The West Papuan People’s Petition shows the true will of my people and proves the words of former UN Under Secretary-General, Chakravaarthi V. Narasimhan, about the 1969 vote: 
It was just a whitewash. The mood at the United Nations was to get rid of this problem as quickly as possible … Nobody gave a thought to the fact that there were a million people there who had their fundamental human rights trampled. 
The Petition serves to remind the UN of this legacy, its cost to the lives of my people, and of their sacred duty under the UN Charter to bring West Papua to self-government and independence. It proves that, had we been given the vote we were entitled to, we would be celebrating over 50 years of independence instead of decades of Indonesian occupation and oppression. 
As expected, Indonesia will do anything and everything to try to discredit the People’s Petition, discredit myself and other West Papuan leaders, and discredit the West Papuan people themselves.  
Indonesia claims our Petition is a hoax, but their actions to try to prevent the signatures from being collected only underlines its authenticity: West Papuans were arrested and tortured for signing this Petition and Yanto Awerkion remains in jail, charged with treason, for organising a gathering in support of it.  
As we grow in strength, Indonesian efforts to crush the West Papuan people will intensify. I implore all West Papuans and our supporters not to let rumour and sabotage weaken, deflect or neutralise this unprecedented democratic appeal to the United Nations. We must stay united. 
Our road to freedom is long. We invite all governments and people around the world to join us and stand up for truth and justice in our struggle to end colonial Indonesian colonial rule in our land. We, the people of West Papua are fully confident that one day we will finally be free.  
With the West Papuan People’s Petition, we the people of West Papua appeal to the United Nations and to the world to see our aspirations for the future. We call upon the UN to support our fundamental right to self-determination that was illegitimately and unlawfully taken by Indonesia in 1969. Let the will of the West Papuan people finally be tested under the scrutiny of the world through a genuine act of self-determination for all West Papuan people; an Internationally Supervised Vote. 
Benny Wenda
West Papuan Independence Leader
Spokesperson for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP)
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1) Soldier dismissed for blasphemy


2) West Papua: Forgotten Victims of Indonesian Oppression Take Case for Freedom to World Stage
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1) Soldier dismissed for blasphemy
Nethy Dharma Somba The Jakarta Post
Jayapura, Papua | Sat, September 30, 2017 | 08:44 am
A soldier serving in Papua was dismissed from the Indonesian Military (TNI) and sentenced to 2.5 years in prison after being found guilty of blasphemy.
The Jayapura Military Court found Second Sgt. Bangun Ahmad Kasmawan guilty on Thursday.
“The defendant violated article 156a of the Criminal Code on religious blasphemy,” said presiding judge Col. James Vandersloot of the Corps of Military Law and Justice.
Bangun was sentenced for burning several copies of the Bible in May. Bangun, who was assigned to guard the border between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, was cleaning the house of the 172 Military Resort chief (Kasrem) at a housing complex in Padangbulan, Abepura, Jayapura. 
He burned a box of books and other items stored in a shed without checking the contents first. As he burned the books, a resident took a picture and uploaded it to social media, sparking an uproar. Residents then staged a protest that ended in violence. (rin)
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2) West Papua: Forgotten Victims of Indonesian Oppression Take Case for Freedom to World Stage
The ongoing struggle for independence in Indonesian-controlled West Papua continues, as the people fight back against five decades of brutality, terror and genocide. This was brought to light when a petition with the signatures of 1.8 million West Papuans — more than 70 percent of population — was presented to the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization. The petition, banned in the provinces of Papua and West Papua by the Indonesia government, demands a free vote for independence from the Southeast Asian nation, and the appointment of a U.N. official to investigate claims of human rights abuses by the Indonesian security forces. Benny Wenda, the West Papuan independence leader living in exile in the United Kingdom, presented the petition to the international body in New York on Tuesday..............


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Friday, September 29, 2017

1) Vanuatu PM rejects Kilman foreign policy advice


2) Indonesia, Fiji agree to set up defense cooperation
3) Worse West Papua human rights, ‘shrinking space’, says new report
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1) Vanuatu PM rejects Kilman foreign policy advice
4:58 pm today 
Vanuatu's Prime Minister Charlot Salwai has described criticism of his government's foreign policy by his predecessor Sato Kilman as misleading.
In comments to RNZ International this week, Mr Kilman suggested that the government was not being consistent with its foreign policy.
Vanuatu governments have long been vocal globally on the issues of human rights abuses in Indonesia's Papua region and the West Papuan self-determination cause.
But according to Mr Kilman, who is currently an opposition MP, Vanuatu was not taking the same stands with similar issues in other parts of the world.
In response, Mr Salwai said his government had always been consistent in supporting decolonisation of what he calls "countries who are still colonised by other countries".
The prime minister mentions New Caledonia, Bougainville and Western Sahara as examples.
Mr Salwai says his government's policy on Papua was advanced with widespread support of ni-Vanuatu, because the country felt it couldn't turn a blind eye to human rights violations in Papua.
According to him, customary chiefs, church leaders, woman leaders and the wider grassroots community were strongly behind the government on the issue of West Papua.
It was only in Mr Kilman's time as prime minister that the Vanuatu government stand on West Papua changed significantly, with closer ties being sought with Jakarta.

Although Mr Kilman said he still believed the right thing to do was to keep communication lines open with Indonesia, he has been criticised himself for undermining Vanuatu's foreign policy on West Papua because of this.
Mr Salwai said that the issue of West Papuan independence could not be separated from violation of human rights. He said the violation of human rights was happening in West Papua as a response to the struggle for independence.
That Mr Kilman's criticism of the current Vanuatu government came in the same week that Mr Salwai attended the UN general Assembly in New York where he made a another call for international action on Papua was not lost on the prime minister.
Accoring to Mr Salwai, the opposition had been simultaneously trying to muster numbers to move a motion of confidence against him, with Mr Kilman the likely alternative choice for prime minister.
The attempt was unsuccessful as Mr Salwai currently enjoys strong support within the parliament.
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2) Indonesia, Fiji agree to set up defense cooperation
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-29 15:21:01|Editor: ying
JAKARTA, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Defense ministries of Indonesia and Fiji on Friday reached an agreement on defense cooperation, bringing the bilateral ties to a higher strategic level, an Indonesian minister said here.
Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu and his counterpart from Fiji Ratu Inoke Kubuabola witnessed the signing of the agreement at the Indonesian defense ministry after their meeting.
"This shows the advancement of defense ties of the two nations heading to a more-strategic level," said Ryamizard after the signing.
The cooperation included exchanges of military intelligence, collaboration on weapon industry, shifting of defense technology and others, he said.
On the same occasion, Fiji's defense minister said his country considers Indonesia as a partner particularly in relation with the security in the Pacific region.
Indonesia has long faced insurgency of Free Papua Movement known as OPM in Papua province of easternmost of the country. The rebels have sought to have an independent state of Papua.
The rebels have targeted companies' workers, civilians, and soldiers in conducting their mission.
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3) Worse West Papua human rights, ‘shrinking space’, says new report
By  - 
  
West Papua has experienced a “significant aggravation” of the human rights situation in the past two years compared to previous years, says a new report from more than 40 faith-based and civil rights organisations.
“Reports by local human rights defenders describe an alarming shrinking of democratic space,” says the report.
“Although Indonesian President Joko Widodo pushed economic development and granted clemency to five long-term political prisoners, the police strictly limited even the most peaceful dissident political activities.”
The report says that Indigenous Papuans – particularly women – “continued to have a high risk of becoming victims of human rights violations.”
It adds that “racist attitudes toward West Papuans among the police and military, insufficient legal protection, the lack of proper law enforcement, inconsistent policy implementation and corruptive practices among government officials contributed to the impunity of security forces.”
Local journalists in West Papua also continued to face “intimidation and obstruction” from the security forces.
This is the fifth report of the International Coalition for Papua (ICP) covering events from January 2015 until December 2016.
Human rights analysis
More than 40 organisations in West Papua, Jakarta, and worldwide have brought their analysis on the human rights and conflict situation in West Papua together.
The executive summary of the 218-pages report explains how several human rights standards have deteriorated over the last two years.
The report is compiled by the International Coalition for Papua (ICP) and the German Westpapua-Netzwerk (WPN). The executive summary says:
“The years 2015 and 2016 were characterised by a significant aggravation of the human rights situation in West Papua compared to previous years. The term West Papua refers to the Indonesian easternmost provinces of ‘Papua’ and ‘Papua Barat’. Reports by local human rights defenders describe an alarming shrinking of democratic space.
“Although Indonesian President Joko Widodo pushed economic development and granted clemency to five long-term political prisoners, the police strictly limited even the most peaceful dissident political activities.
“Indigenous Papuans, particularly women, continued to have a high risk of becoming victims of human rights violations. Racist attitudes toward West Papuans among the police and military, insufficient legal protection, the lack of proper law enforcement, inconsistent policy implementation and corruptive practices amongst government officials contributed to the impunity of security forces.
“Government critics and activists faced legal prosecution with varying charges. Using a charge of treason (‘makar’) remained common against non-violent offenders.
Increasing ‘incitement’ charges
“West Papuan political activists also faced an increasing number of charges incitement or violence despite the non-violence of protest and almost all activism.
“The deterioration of the political and civil rights situation in West Papua during the past two years was most obvious in the sheer number of political arrests.
“Those arrests drastically increased to 1083 in 2015, and then quadrupled in 2016 to 5361 arrests, in tandem with growing political protest for self-determination.
“Almost all of the arrests came during peaceful protest in support of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP). In addition, the Indonesian government and the regional police in West Papua increasingly restricted the right to freedom of opinion and expression using official statements (Makhlumat) issued by the Papuan Regional Police in 2016.
“Local journalists in West Papua faced continued intimidation and obstruction from the security forces. In comparison to previous years, the number of reported cases against local journalists has slightly decreased throughout the reporting period 2015 and 2016.
“President Joko Widodo’s promise in May 2015, to make West Papua freely accessible to foreign journalists and international observers was not implemented. Foreign journalists were in an increasing number of cases prevented from entering West Papua or when permitted to enter, they faced obstruction, surveillance, intimidation and physical violence.
“International human rights organisations and humanitarian organisations such as the Inter­national Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) remained banned from freely accessing West Papua.
Threatened, obstructed
“Human rights defenders in West Papua had to work under fear of being monitored, threatened and obstructed by the security forces. The killing of well-known human rights defender Joberth Jitmau, marked the sad highlight of attacks against human rights defenders during these two years.
“The police termed Jitmau’s killing a traffic accident and did not conduct a criminal investigation. Jitmau’s case was a representative example of the widespread impunity in West Papua.
“Only in rare instances were security forces prosecuted in public or military trials. Two of the three cases of prosecution resulted in considerably low sentences for the perpetrators in view of the severity of the criminal offences.
“Security force members also continued to use torture and ill-treatment as a common response to political protest or incidents of alleged disturbance of public order. Extra-judicial killings occurred particularly often as an act of revenge or retaliation for violent acts or other non-violent interactions with members of the security forces.
“The situation with regard to economic, social and cultural rights in West Papua was stagnant. The quality of education in West Papua remained considerably low, due to poor management of the education system, inadequate competencies, high absence rates amongst teachers, and inadequate funding. (Less than 1 percent of Papua Province’s annual budget goes to education.)
“There is still no culturally appropriate curriculum in place, which is capable of improving the educational situation of indigenous Papuan children and of preserving local cultures.
“Health care and education remained in a devas­tating condition, far below the national average, despite the large amount of special autonomy funds that flow to the two administrative provinces Papua and Papua Barat.
Strong imbalance
“There is a strong imbalance in the fulfillment of minimum standards in terms of health, education, food and labor rights between the urban areas and the remote inland areas of West Papua.
“Indigenous Papuans, who mostly reside outside the urban centres, suffer the most of this imbalance. Both Papuan provinces are amongst the regions with the highest prevalence rate for HIV/AIDS infections and child mortality of any ‘Indonesian province’, while the quality of health services is alarmingly low.
“Insufficient equipment in rural health care institutions and a lack of adequate health monitoring and response mechanisms remained strikingly evident. These shortcomings were highlighted when a pertussis epidemic broke out in the remote highland regency of Nduga, killing least 51 children and three adults within a span of three months in late 2015. Malnutrition enabled the rapid spread of the epidemic.
“The case also mirrors the government’s growing challenge to guarantee indigenous Papuans right to food. Palm oil plantations and other agri­cultural mega-projects have led to the destruction of local food sources, livestock and access to clean drinking water.
“Cases of domestic violence are often settled in non-legal ways, which fail to bring justice for the victims and lack a deterrent effect for perpetrators. Women living with HIV/AIDS are particularly often facing discrimination and stigmatization.
“The very existence of West Papuans is threatened by the uncontrolled migration from other parts of Indonesia. This particularly applies to the urban centers where they have largely become a marginalised minority facing strong economic competition.
“In most rural areas, where indigenous Papuans are still the majority, government-promoted large-scale natural resource exploitation projects attract migrants and continue to cause severe environmental degra­dation as well as the destruction of live­ stock of indigenous communities.
“Govern­ment institutions continued to facilitate the interests of private Indonesian and foreign companies. This practice negatively impacts indigenous people’s right to their ancestral lands and resources as well as their right to determine their development.
“Resource extraction often means clearing large forest areas and polluting of water resources, thereby forcing indigenous communities to change their very way of life. Destruction of forests and hunting grounds as a life source puts an additional burden on women, in particular.”
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Thursday, September 28, 2017

1) West Papua Chairman thanks Prime Minister

1) West Papua Chairman thanks Prime Minister

 2) Media Release: West Papua Action Auckland

3) Rockin’ for West Papua events taking over Australia this October

4) West Papuans demand vote on independence

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1) West Papua Chairman thanks Prime Minister

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                                          Overjoyed Chairman Nafuki shows how he feels among roses


An overjoyed Chairman of West Papua Association and Reconciliation Committee, Pastor Alan Nafuki has chosen to pose with beautiful rose flowers because he says his heart is filled with joy, now that the Prime Minister has told the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week, that the people of West Papua have their right to self -determination.
The Chairman is speaking on behalf of the chiefs, men, women’s organisations and young people’s organisations and children, to thank the Head of Government for his unweaving stand to address the global body against what Indonesia is reported to be doing to the Melanesian people of West Papua. “I wish to thank the Government and all civil societies on behalf of my Committee, for supporting West Papua 100% to achieve self-determination from Indonesia”, he says.
“I congratulate the Prime Minister for your efforts to make Vanuatu well known all over the world in the same spirit as uttered by the late Father Walter Lini, that Vanuatu would not be completely free until all the remaining colonies in the Pacific are free”, he says.

“I also wish to thank Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manase Sogavare for taking an equally strong stand in support of the people of West Papua to be free from Indonesian rule. Thank you to Tuvalu the smallest country in the Pacific and Tonga for supporting our international call to the world to hear us and recognise our call for the people of West Papua to achieve self-determination at the earliest opportunity”.
He says the momentum is building up towards a new international dawn for the people of West Papua. At the beginning, it was just Vanuatu and more recently the Solomons joined the stand to tell the world that West Papua must be free. “Now I am so happy to note that even countries of the African Union and European Union are in the process of joining our ranks to unite with one voice for the people of West Papua to be set free from colonialism”, he adds.
In reply, the Government of Indonesia maintains that West Papua is an internal issue for Indonesia to deal with while Melanesian countries have their own problems in their respective corners to deal with.
But Chairman Nafuki says now Jakarta knows that the pressure is on. “Indonesia can turn to the left or to the right but there is no way out. Vanuatu has already outmaneuvered Indonesia in many meetings”, he maintains.
“Our consistent call for West Papua to be set free goes on because the bird is free and flying still until it perches at its destination. Lest we forget that the bird’s next is safe here in Vanuatu.
“My Committee and I were filled with joy when Vanuatu’s special envoy on West Papua, MP Johnny Koanapo assured us that West Papua’s Case no longer belongs to the Pacific because it has now become a global issue. Praise God”.
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 2) Media Release: West Papua Action Auckland says the new Government must respond to the historic West Papuan plea for self-determination support at the UN.

West Papua Action Auckland
Box 68419
Wellesley St
28 September 2017
 
Media Release: West Papua Action Auckland says the new Government must respond to the historic West Papuan plea for self-determination support at the UN.
 
West Papua presents the yet- to- be- formed Government with an urgent challenge  to its regional diplomacy. The West Papuan people have just presented the United Nations with a massive petition calling for a genuine self-determination referendum.
 
‘ This is a historic and courageous initiative. We believe the new Government must now take an unequivocal stand in support of self-determination and join its efforts to the 8 Pacific nations already supporting West Papua at the UN.  The 1.8 million signatures (representing some 70% of the indigenous population)had to be gathered  clandestinely  and the organisers took great risks. Despite the arrest of at least one organiser, they  succeeded in gathering the support of people across the territory, an amazing feat of determination and resourcefulness.’ 
 
The bound petition has just been presented to the UN Decolonisation Committee, by ULMWP * Spokespeson Benny Wenda, and was hailed by the Solomons Prime Minister Sogavare as  ‘effectively a vote to demand self-determination.’
 
For more than fifty years the people of West Papua have been struggling to end Indonesian military rule over their territory. They were cruelly denied the right to self-determination in the 1960s when western nations, including New Zealand, gave their assent to a 1962 handover agreement in which the indigenous people had no say. The phony plebiscite that followed in 1969 was carried out under extreme duress,  as the participants (only about one tenth of 1 % of the population) ‘voted’ under threat of death. The loss of life from the conflict coupled with destruction  of the environment and grossly inadequate health services amounts to a slow genocide. 
 
In the lead up to the election West Papua Action canvassed the views of the political parties.  National said it recognises ‘the territorial integrity of Indonesia’ which ‘by definition precludes any recognition of self-determination’.  Labour told us it would ‘review’ the policy if it becomes the Government: ‘with a view to exploring a greater degree of autonomy for the people of West Papua in line with the wishes of the people.’  The Greens affirmed their ongoing support for the rights of the West Papuan people to self-determination which has been their policy since 2000. 
 
However, in May 2017 a cross-party group, including  National, Labour, and Green MPs signed the International Parliamentarians Declaration for a Free West Papua.
 
‘Regardless of which parties form the new Government – the case is clear the West Papuan people will never cease struggling for their right to self-determination, and New Zealand must stop being on the wrong side of history.  The new Government can expect pressure from a growing West Papua support lobby activists.’
 
For further information:  Maire Leadbeater  09-815-9000 or 0274436957
*United Liberation Movement for West Papua
The political party statements are available on request.
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3) Rockin’ for West Papua events taking over Australia this October

/ SOSEFINA FUAMOLI
R4WP-2017-Global-Peace-Concerts-logo.jpg-644x411.png

GATHERING TO MAKE SOME PASSIONATE NOISE IN RALLYING AROUND THE PEOPLES OF WEST PAPUA, MULTIPLE SHOWS AROUND AUSTRALIA ARE KICKING OFF – IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER GLOBAL EVENTS – FROM OCTOBER 6TH – 8TH. IN ITS SECOND YEAR IN 2017, THE ROCKIN’ FOR WEST PAPUA GLOBAL CONCERTS HAVE BEEN MASSIVE, WITH EVENTS TAKING PLACES ACROSS AUSTRALIA AND ABROAD IN SOUTH AFRICA, ENGLAND, NEW ZEALAND AND SPAIN.
 With over 100 artists taking part, these concerts are going to be unmissable. With West Papua still enduring horrific living conditions, constantly living in fear, it is unacceptable that such issues aren’t being given due exposure in mainstream press in Australia, given our close proximity to West Papua itself.
To find out more about recent developments surrounding the historic ULMWP Petition that was submitted to the UN General Assembly this month, check out this Guardian article here. The petition itself received signatures from 1.8 million people after it was smuggled from village to village in West Papua, with the majority coming from indigenous West Papuans who risked their lives to sign the petition calling for vote on self-determination.
Of course, much more work needs to happen for conditions to change, but in the concerts Rockin’ for West Papua have been hosting right around the world, more awareness is being raised and the good vibes for peace are being spread importantly, at a time when we could use it the most.
Check the details of the Australian concerts out below and follow Rockin’ for West Papua online here for updates. All money raised will be going towards the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.


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4) West Papuans demand vote on independence
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A petition banned by the Indonesian government, but bearing the signatures of 1.8 million West Papuans – more than 70 percent of the contested province’s population – has been presented to the United Nations, with a demand for a free vote on independence.
Exiled West Papuan independence campaigner Benny Wenda presented the bound petition to the UN’s decolonization committee, the body that monitors the progress of former colonies – known as non-self-governing territories – towards independence.
The petition was banned in the provinces of Papua and West Papua by the Indonesian government, and blocked online across the country, so petition sheets had to be “smuggled from one end of Papua to the other,” Wenda told the Guardian from New York.
Independence campaigners have been jailed and allegedly tortured in Papua for opposing the rule of Indonesia, which has controlled Papua (now Papua and West Papua) since 1963. Those signing the petition risked arrest and jail.
“The people have risked their lives, some have been beaten up, some are in prison. In 50 years, we have never done this before, and we had to organize this in secret,” Wenda said.
“People were willing to carry it between villages, to smuggle it from one end of Papua to the other, because this petition is very significant for us in our struggle for freedom.”
The petition asks the UN to appoint a special representative to investigate human rights abuses and “put West Papua back on the decolonization committee agenda and ensure their right to self‐determination … is respected by holding an internationally supervised vote.”
West Papua was formerly on the decolonization committee’s agenda – which monitors progress toward decolonization and independent rule – but was removed in 1963.
Wenda said it felt to him that West Papua’s referendum “had already happened” and that the petition was a manifestation of the people’s desire for independence.
“The people have already chosen, people have signed the petition with their blood and their thumbprint. We are optimistic, confident, that in a few years, we will have progress. This is not just an activist issue; this has gone up to government level, to diplomatic level, up to the United Nations.”
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1) LUKAS ENEMBE’S VOLUNTEERS PAY VISIT TO KOMNAS HAM RI


2) FULL FREEDOM OF WEST PAPUA: THE MESSAGE FROM THE STREETS, FOR THE STREETS
3) HESEGEM: WIRANTO ERRONEOUSLY SETTLED HUMAN RIGHTS CASES WITH ‘BAKAR BARU’ CUSTOM
4) Area youth travels to Papua, Indonesia
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1) LUKAS ENEMBE’S VOLUNTEERS PAY VISIT TO KOMNAS HAM RI
Sep 28, 2017
Jayapura, Jubi – A number of Lukas Enembe volunteers, led by Alberto Wanimbo, went to the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission
(Komnas HAM). A group of volunteers who call themselves as Representatives of the Mass Frontiers of Mass Rally in Entire Land of
Papua come to Komnas HAM RI office on Monday (September 25).
The arrival of this group to urge Komnas HAM to convey the government to immediately stop all forms of criminalization to Papua Governor,
Lukas Enembe.
“On the 19th we did a big demonstration in six cities in Papua. The essence of the demo is to ask the government to stop all forms of
criminalization on Lukas Enembe who is the best son of Papua at this time, “said Wanimbo who is the Head of Luke Enembe Volunteer Team
Volume II, after delivering their complaint.
He reiterated that post-meeting between Governor Lukas Enembe and Head of BIN, National Police Chief and North Sumatra Police Chief, Irjenpol
Paulus Waterpauw and Lukas Enembe’s summons as a witness in the case of corruption of scholarship fund, indicate a criminalization effort
on the governor.
“The current criminalization could happen in the future to other Papuan leaders,” Wanimbo added.
He alluded to the evidence that was not strong in the investigation of scholarship fund case.
“But the investigation seems to be forced. This gives the impression there is a political motive in the investigation,” he said.
The arrival of this group to Komnas HAM RI was received by Komnas HAM Commissioner Natalius Pigai. According to Pigai, he has communicated
with National Police Chief Gen. Tito Karnavian. The Police, said Pigai, only perform the duties as law enforcement.
“The case of the alleged corruption is under investigation on collecting evidence and initial information,” explained Pigai.
In fact, he continued, before the big demonstration that occurred on the 19th, the case of Lukas Enembe has been completed in the police.

“The National Police Chief told Komnas HAM that the investigation could be continued or also not. Police are also monitoring the
dynamics that occur in Papua, “said Pigai. (*)
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Sep 28, 2017

2) FULL FREEDOM OF WEST PAPUA: THE MESSAGE FROM THE STREETS, FOR THE STREETS
Melbourne, Jubi – The music video track, Full Freedom, draws parallels between the rise of racial violence in the USA, and violence against West Papuans in Papua.
ARIA nominated producer Airileke & Dizz1 have joined forces again to release a new remix of the song “Full Freedom” through Rize of the Morning Star. Having put out the original track and a video for the song in 2012, the updated release is a Krump mix that includes a sample from Tight Eyez, the creator of Krump himself saying:
“it needs to be addressed; it needs to be acknowledged that this is happening.” Tight Eyez, Creator of Krump

The audio is taken from an interview where he elaborates on Krump as a movement and art form, and his assertion on the importance of raising awareness about the ongoing human rights abuses in West Papua.

The song also contains excerpts from a speech given at the United Nations 20 years ago by Benny Wenda, the exiled Independence leader and spokesperson for The United Liberation Movement for West Papua. Although heavy with campaign messaging from the Free West Papua movement, the new “Skittles & Tea” mix and film clip is named in reference to Trayvon Martin, an unarmed, African American 17 year old who was shot and killed on his way home from the store.
Although unjustified, his shooting was ruled “legal” by a Florida jury.  This remix and video are Rize of the Morning Star’s response to a situation in both the USA and West Papua where police brutality happens with impunity.  In these times we see some Freedom but we still seek Full Freedom. 
“Hip hop has always had that vibe of pushing back against oppression. What I love about Krump is the fact that it is resistance through dance and music – it’s not about a Rapper. It’s more collective than that, its more tribal than that, the raw aggression in Krump is something that Pacific Islanders can relate to”, says Airileke
About the music video
Produced in a collaboration of Rize of the Morning Star teams in Australia and the USA, the video was created to dramatize the ongoing human rights struggle in West Papua, and to start a conversation about solidarity across borders for all people experiencing marginalization in their communities.
The video features world renowned dancers from both continents; in Australia the internationally acclaimed  Torres Strait Islander dancer Albert David represents indigenous Australia’s solidarity with West Papua as he raises the symbol of West Papuan freedom, the Morning Star flag.
Raising the Morning Star Flag in solidarity on U.S. soil are world renowned krumpers Baby Tight Eyex, Preston Projecc, KidBeast 88, and JBeast Carson.
“This is the first time a solidarity video from the U.S. has been made, so we really wanted to create a piece that showed iconic American imagery and artists, then present it alongside their Melanesian counterparts. We wanted to speak to the fact that although we are far apart in distance, our worlds are connected through our common struggles,” said Jewell Faamaligi, Representative for the RIZE team in the U.S..
The point of naming it after Trayvon is to speak to the reality that at the end of the day we all want the same thing; to be able to return home safely from doing something as innocuous as going to the store to buy Skittles and tea. When an injustice happens anywhere in the world we all feel it deeply, because it is an unwanted reminder of how fragile the lives of people of color are.”
Through this film clip we wanted to show to the Papuan people that their cries have been heard on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. This is a message from the streets, for the streets. This track bridges from one end of the Pacific to the other.… its a bridge created for the message of West Papua from the Streets of Moresby to the Streets of L.A.
The title of the track also references what is going on in the United States right now. “At the moment we see the same things going on in Australia, with political leaders giving space for the rise of overt racism,” said Arilike.
“West Papua has the largest Gold and Copper mine in the world, most likely the device you are reading this on comes from resources extracted from West Papua. The Freeport mine was part of the deal the USA and Australia made with Indonesia to allow West Papua to be handed over to Indonesia.
We have since seen the indigenous population decline from over 95% to less than 47% in just 50 years,” he also said.(*)
 
Source: Rize of the Morning Star
Editor: Zely Ariane
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3) HESEGEM: WIRANTO ERRONEOUSLY SETTLED HUMAN RIGHTS CASES WITH ‘BAKAR BARU’ CUSTOM
Sep 28, 2017
Jayapura, Jubi – Chairman of Advocacy Network for Law and Human Rights of Central Highlands of Papua, Theo Hesegem, said that the settlement
of human rights violations cannot be equated with the customary peace of burning stones, in accordance with the customs of Papuans.
Theo Hesegem made the comment in respond to the statement of Menkopolhukam RI, Wiranto, about the custom of ‘bakar batu’ (burning
stone) in the settlement of human rights violations in the land of Papua.
“Wiranto speaks something that is out of his knowledge. Tribal war is different from the human rights violations that often carried out by
state through the TNI and Police,” he said Monday (September 25).
 Surprised by Wiranto’s statement, Hesegem questioned when Wiranto was at war with the Papuan people and where it was done.
“So resolving cases of human rights violations through the mechanism of ‘bakar batu’, is just wrong,” he said.
He also questioned on what legal basis Wiranto could use to resolve human rights violations with Papuan culture.
According to him, there are many human rights violations in Papua, all of them motivated by the element of Papua political status on the past.
“It is not on the background of tribal war. Wiranto comments in the media have made indigenous Papuans very angry and refuse to accept.
Political issues cannot be equated with tribal wars. If there is no material basis to speak, it is better to just stay still,” he said.
Previously as quoted from detik.com, Wiranto said that human right case settlement through judicial route is the western culture.
Indonesian way in solving the problem, including gross human rights violations, is through deliberation and consensus in kinship. He
refers to custom in Papua, ie the ‘bakar batu’.
“The killing of tribes in Papua alone is a consensus, as they have a ‘bakar batu’ tradition, eating together, (as to the problem of killing solved). ” said Wiranto on Friday (September 22).(*)
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4) Area youth travels to Papua, Indonesia



Submitted by Nathan Knapp
It was the last day in the jungle and the bush plane to carry us out could arrive mid-morning. It was around 8 a.m. there on the equator and I was doing the chicken chores for the last time. Putting the feed and water in the troughs as I had done before, there was nothing new about the scene. As I got to the end of the last trough, I glanced up toward the nesting box straight in front of me. There, not more than four feet away, nearly filling the space, was the coiled body of the thickest snake I had ever seen.
Nearly two weeks earlier, my dad, my sister and I had arrived on the coast of Papua, Indonesia, to bring my sister in to help a family doing mission and relief work in the jungle. Landing in Sentani after an all-night flight from Singapore, we waited to see what the weather would allow us concerning flights into the jungle.
We were able to leave around 9 a.m. on our hour flight to the village. It was quite interesting flying over a vast sea of jungle and having trees as far as the eye could see. Our course took us over a mountain range which we flew very close to because of the low-flying nature of the plane. There were around 50 villagers to welcome us. Since the start of our trip, we had been carrying expensive and much needed supplies for the effort there, since items of value often disappear from the mail. It was fun seeing our contacts unpack.
The first thing we did when we got to the village was go swimming. This is the main source of entertainment and pleasure, and a good river was high on the priority list when choosing a location for their health clinic and school and housing. I was a little concerned about snakes and waterborne illness in the river. This is a part of the world where the river is used for both drinking and as a waste deposit, but they had never seen a snake in the river, and as long as we didn’t down any water we’d be okay.
One of the two reasons I went on the trip was to help with work around the grounds that needed to be done. I started by filling in holes around the edges of the chicken coops to prevent snakes from entering.
The loss of even one layer is losing 180 eggs before a pullet could be raised to start laying again. The value of an egg is much greater there, because of the scarcity of food and the egg’s nutritional value. The missionaries are raising the chickens for the school children and teachers. While it was exciting, it was rather hard finding that snake in the coop after I’d worked to seal it. But it was a happy day for some of the Korowai, for after the snake was killed they took it and the chickens it killed to eat. They take whatever they can for food.
One of the things the missionary told me was that the jungle is constantly defeating him. I was able to relate with him when we went to dig out a trash pit that had filled in with mud. It took us an hour of exhausting work to get around 12 inches of rock and mud removed. This can be refilled overnight, and more, during the rainy season.
The heat of the day drains a person’s energy, so our routine was to rest and swim during the afternoon. If you let your body get too tired, you will be susceptible to the many illnesses in that region. During our time there, we rocked a good length of path from the river that had a tendency to be muddy, and since it rained nearly every day this was a useful project.
Even though I only worked mornings, I still looked forward to our dip in the river and viewed it as the most refreshing thing I’d ever felt. They garden because they need to, whereas most people here garden because they want to do it. Everything must be done by hand, including spading up the earth.
The major garden crop is sweet potatoes, lots and lots of them. In fact, the Korowai people’s main diet is sweet potato and sago palm, and they have an enzyme in their small intestine that allows them to build muscle from sweet potato. They also grow peanuts and beans and eat whatever they catch, including rats and large spiders.  They are a small, thin people and many are malnourished from their limited diet, though their health has improved since the missionaries got there to give medical and nutritional help 10 years ago.
The men do not value the women very highly, and in many cases treat the pigs better. In fact, it is said that a man’s pig is more valuable than his wife. It is not uncommon for them to sit idly while the women do the work. This contributes greatly to the lack of food and poverty.
They have married their wives when the girls are as young as 5 years old, and both men and women can kill children they do not want for various reasons, from thinking they are witches to simply not wanting them. Kind of like America. This is why our friends went to bring them medicines that will heal their bodies, a school to improve their minds, and to tell them about the eternal life saving blood of Christ for their souls.
We have a lot of problems in our country, yet the influence of a Christian mindset that honors God and people is still evident. This is a blessing they have never had.
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