2) Indonesia-Australia Agree to Extend Defense Cooperation
3) Indonesia police kill Papua woman, clash claim disputed
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1) BBC Journalist Expulsion from Asmat Threatens Press Freedom
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, Usman Hamid, said that the expulsion of BBC journalists and contributors who were doing coverage about health crisis in Asmat, Papua, was an attack on press freedom.
They are Rebecca Henschke, an Australian journalist, and two contributors, Dwiki and Affan, Indonesian citizens.
“The expulsion of these media workers is clearly a violation of rights to the freedom of expression,” said Usman Hamid, on Sunday, February 4.
“So embarrassing, BBC staff members were asked to leave Papua just because of a tweet that expresses their opinions on how authorities are handling health crisis in Asmat,” he said.
According to Usman, the international coverage of the measles and malnutrition epidemic in Asmat, which had killed at least 71 children so far, is very important for the world. "The world needs to know about it; the authorities should accept that as a criticism and input,” he said.
According to the information compiled by the Advocacy Alliance of the Indonesia Independent Journalist (AJI), the three BBC journalists were initially questioned by police in Agats.
After being questioned on Friday, February 2, Dwiki flew to Jakarta. Affan and Rebecca were examined at Mimika Immigration until Saturday, February 3.
After the examination, Rebecca and Affan could not continue the coverage. Both were escorted by security forces to Timika Airport.
AJI regretted that the tweet was the basis for blocking journalist coverage activity.
AJI Advocacy Chairman, Hesthi Murthi, said that the case also showed that the state apparatus did not understand the function of the press as a tool of social control, as mentioned in Law No. 40/1999 on Press.
“Criticisms submitted by the media based on facts on the ground should be addressed wisely as inputs, rather than being used as a pretext to restrict access to journalists,” he said.
DEWI NURITA
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2) Indonesia-Australia Agree to Extend Defense Cooperation
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian and Australian governments agreed to extend defense cooperation in The Perth Meeting Sub-Regional Defence Ministers Meeting on Counter-Terrorism held in Perth, Australia from Thursday Kamis (1/2) to Friday (2/2).
Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu stated in Jakarta on Saturday (3/2) that Indonesia and Australia have signed an extended defense cooperation agreement.
The minister explained that Indonesia and Australia have agreed to arrange security cooperation and defense framework started in February 1,2018.
"We are committed to strengthen bilateral ties and expand defense cooperation based on equality, mutual benefit, respect and trust," Ryamizard said.
ANTARA
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3) Indonesia police kill Papua woman, clash claim disputed
By NINIEK KARMINI, ASSOCIATED PRESS JAKARTA, Indonesia — Feb 5, 2018, 1:21 AM ET
Indonesian paramilitary police fatally shot a woman in what they said was a clash with stone-throwing villagers in the troubled Papua region, but a relative of the victim disputed their account of events.
Police said in a statement Monday that the 61-year-old woman was among villagers who intervened to help an 18-year-old man who jumped out of a boat to escape custody after being detained on suspicion of theft.
The statement said police fired warning shots during the clash with villagers on Saturday. The woman died from a gunshot to the head, police said. A cousin of the dead woman said that there was no clash and that she was shot as an innocent bystander when police fired on the escaping suspect.
In a separate statement, Papua police spokesman Ahmad Kamal said seven officers were being questioned by the police internal affairs unit in connection with the incident.
Conflicts between indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces are common in the impoverished region, which Indonesia annexed more than half a century ago.
Police said the 18-year-old was one of three people suspected of stealing ore concentrate in Mimika district from the cargo dock of U.S. mining company Freeport-McMoRan, which operates the giant Grasberg gold and copper mine in Papua, and was captured after a hunt by police, security guards and navy officers.
The handcuffed man jumped out of the speedboat he was being transported in on Saturday evening and villagers from a nearby island came to his aid and prevented him from being apprehended again, according to police.
Cornelia Emakefaro, the cousin of the victim, said the woman and her husband were in a small boat on an errand to fetch fresh water when the woman was hit by police gunfire after the theft suspect jumped into the water.
"Based on information from my cousin's husband as the only witness and the village head, there was no attack from villagers to the officers," Emakefaro said. "We understand they are carrying out the task of catching suspects who may have been involved in the theft, but they are not entitled to shoot people like chasing game animals."
In September, Indonesian police demoted two officers who fired at a crowd of protesting Papuan villagers, killing one man, in a decision that rights groups said was too lenient and showed a chronic lack of accountability for abuses in Papua.
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