2) Indonesia-New Zealand cooperation needs to be further explored: Ambassador
3) Papua police arrest two drug users
4) Indonesian Armed Forces enhances military diplomacy
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1) Greens Leader Richard Di Natale Calls For BP Rethink On West Papuan Gas Field
By New Matilda on
Greens leader Richard Di Natale has added his voice to growing calls across the international community for one of the world’s biggest oil companies to rethink its involvement in a gas-mining operation in occupied West Papua, as Indonesia continues to face accusations of grave human rights abuses.
Earlier this year, UK Journalist of the Year, Michael Gillard snuck into West Papua posing as a doctor to investigate British Petroleum’s operations in Bintuni Bay, where it’s trying to exploit a $10 billion gas field called Tangguh.
Journalists are banned from the Indonesian-occupied territory. Even the United Nations can’t gain access.
Gillard’s exclusive report on the situation in West Papua was released yesterday. Gillard found:
- BP security guards are spying on the local community and passing intelligence on ‘disruptive individuals’ to the military;
- Well-armed Indonesian security forces are now secretly stationed inside the oil company’s base;
- Retired senior Indonesian police and military officers are running an ‘elite cadre’ of BP guards armed with stun guns and rubber bullets who are given ‘behaviour profiling’ training in how to spot agitators. The self-styled ethical oil company is using counter-terrorism to justify these measures; and
- Violence in the region has increased markedly, with activists rounded up by Indonesian military.
Critics fear that the counter-terrorism is a cover for increasing state surveillance on the growing student and social movements seeking political freedoms and ultimately self-determination for West Papua.
The head of the Papuan organisation that provided human rights training to BP security told New Matilda that a network of undercover military intelligence agents is also targeting peaceful social movements in Bintuni Bay, who are being swept up in mass arrests.
Richard Di Natale, who leads the Greens party in Australia has a long history of advocating on the rights of West Papuans, who have faced a brutal occupation by Indonesia since the 1960s.
“West Papuans are some of our closest neighbours, yet there is a veil of silence in Australia about the appalling human rights abuses that occur there, and the fact that they have been denied their right to self-determination,” Mr Di Natale said.
“BP should bear in mind that it is collaborating with security forces who are implicated in serious atrocities. These forces are willing to beat and even kill people simply for peacefully flying the Morning Star flag.
“Let’s hope that as more people find out what’s happening in Bintuni Bay, BP will face pressure from the international community and its own shareholders to drastically shift course and consider the rights of the indigenous locals.”
The militarisation of BP’s Tangguh operation comes as a recent Amnesty International report on West Papua documented 95 extrajudicial killings by soldiers and police in the last eight years, and thousands of unlawful political arrests.
Control of West Papua was established by a brutal invasion where an estimated 30,000 Papuans were killed between 1965 and 1969 by US-backed Indonesian security forces.
The soldiers were fresh from murdering over 500,000 suspected communist sympathisers in their own country, as described in British documentary maker Joshua Oppenheimer’s much lauded film, The Act of Killing.
Indonesian military intelligence then rigged a controversial vote among selected Papuans in 1969, which to its discredit the United Nations went along with.
Di Natale is the latest leader to call for the international community and the United Nations must to face up to its responsibility to confront multinational companies and Jakarta over their conduct in West Papua.
British peer, Lord Harries of Pentregarth, the former bishop of Oxford, told New Matilda it was “high time the world woke up to the slow motion genocide” taking place and questioned the involvement of one of Britain’s biggest companies.
“BP are siphoning off West Papuan resources to Indonesia blind to the brutal repression going on around them,” he said. “Ever since Indonesia invaded West Papua in 1961 Papuans have been bitterly repressed, with hundreds of thousands being killed. The Indonesian Government are desperate to hide what is happening from the rest of the world.”
Benny Wenda, the recently elected leader of the United Movement for the Liberation of West Papua (UMLWP), who was granted political asylum in the United Kingdom 16 years ago, accused BP of “supporting an illegal occupation [and]operating in the middle of a genocide”.
British Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has long supported Wenda and West Papuan independence and endorsed a petition that the UMLWP leader presented to the United Nations last year.
Alex Sobel, a Labour MP and chairman of the British parliament’s all-party group on West Papua, called on BP to pull out of the country until it becomes self-governing.
“BP are operating amid clear human rights abuses. They should learn the lesson of Shell in [Nigeria] and withdraw from West Papua until such time the West Papuans are in control of their land.”
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2) Indonesia-New Zealand cooperation needs to be further explored: Ambassador
Reporter: antara 12 hours ago
New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia Trevor Matheson (second right) posed with Chairperson of the Indonesia-New Zealand Friendship Council Indradi Soemardjan (third right) and several advisors to the organization including former Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand Amris Hassan (fourth right) in Jakarta on Monday (11/05/2018). (ANTARA/Yashinta Difa)
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Cooperation between Indonesia and New Zealand, especially relations between the people of both nations, still needs to be further explored, former Indonesian ambassador to New Zealand Amris Hassan stated.
"Many areas can be explored by the younger generation, for instance, the digital industry, as New Zealand is very well-known in this field," Hassan noted during the appointment of the new board of Indonesia-New Zealand Friendship Council in Jakarta on Monday.
Sustainable agriculture, creative economy, advertising, geothermal, and disaster management are also fields that are favored by New Zealand for which cooperation with Indonesia can be forged.
As a country that is equally vulnerable to disasters due to being geographically located in the ring of fire region, Indonesia has gained a lot of knowledge on disaster mitigation from New Zealand.
Indonesia has "borrowed" New Zealand earthquake-resistant building standards since 1975, thereby becoming an example of important cooperation in the field of disaster mitigation.
"New Zealand is very capable of managing disasters through the development of technology," Hassan, who recently handed over the chairmanship of the Indonesia-New Zealand Friendship Council to Indradi Soemardjan, noted.
Under the new management, Hassan expressed hope that the organizational role, formed since the past eight years, will further strengthen relations and cooperation between the people of Indonesia and New Zealand through rejuvenation of the vision and mission, as well as younger members.
"There is still a lot of space for cooperation that needs to be filled both at the government and non-formal levels. This organization can bridge the gap," he stated.
Chairman of the Indonesia-New Zealand Friendship Council Indradi Soemardjan said he will work to encourage cooperation between the two countries in various fields, ranging from agriculture to technology.
In fact, he is ready to welcome a New Zealand startup delegation next week that will study the course of startup businesses in the country.
"They want to see how Indonesia manages our startup. Later, they will also visit the Go-Jek office," Soemardjan stated.
Soemardjan is a senior executive, who is active and enjoys sound relations with the business community in the ASEAN and New Zealand.
In addition to serving as director of PT Javanero and treasurer for the Sustainable Coffee Platform of Indonesia, he is also on the Global Advisory Board of Agrea LEAF of the Philippines and the New Zealand Institute Advisory Group at the University of Auckland.
Soemardjan was selected as a participant in the ASEAN Young Business Leader Innitiative in 2014, a program funded by New Zealand.
New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia Trevor Matheson praised the leadership and contributions of Hassan during his eight-year tenure as chairman of the council and welcomed the appointment of Soemardjan to carry forward the role of Hassan.
"The appointment of a new chairman is a good opportunity for the business sector to engage more deeply," Ambassador Matheson noted.
The Indonesia-New Zealand Friendship Council has helped establish cooperation between private companies and promote business interests between the two countries.
The New Zealand Embassy is optimistic of working more closely with the council to improve bilateral trade and investment relations.
The bilateral relations between Indonesia and New Zealand have been upgraded to the level of comprehensive partnership, which was agreed upon during the visit of Indonesian President Joko Widodo to Wellington and at the meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in March 2018.
Reporting by Yashinta Difa Pramudyani
Editing by Eliswan, Rahmad Nasution
"Many areas can be explored by the younger generation, for instance, the digital industry, as New Zealand is very well-known in this field," Hassan noted during the appointment of the new board of Indonesia-New Zealand Friendship Council in Jakarta on Monday.
Sustainable agriculture, creative economy, advertising, geothermal, and disaster management are also fields that are favored by New Zealand for which cooperation with Indonesia can be forged.
As a country that is equally vulnerable to disasters due to being geographically located in the ring of fire region, Indonesia has gained a lot of knowledge on disaster mitigation from New Zealand.
Indonesia has "borrowed" New Zealand earthquake-resistant building standards since 1975, thereby becoming an example of important cooperation in the field of disaster mitigation.
"New Zealand is very capable of managing disasters through the development of technology," Hassan, who recently handed over the chairmanship of the Indonesia-New Zealand Friendship Council to Indradi Soemardjan, noted.
Under the new management, Hassan expressed hope that the organizational role, formed since the past eight years, will further strengthen relations and cooperation between the people of Indonesia and New Zealand through rejuvenation of the vision and mission, as well as younger members.
"There is still a lot of space for cooperation that needs to be filled both at the government and non-formal levels. This organization can bridge the gap," he stated.
Chairman of the Indonesia-New Zealand Friendship Council Indradi Soemardjan said he will work to encourage cooperation between the two countries in various fields, ranging from agriculture to technology.
In fact, he is ready to welcome a New Zealand startup delegation next week that will study the course of startup businesses in the country.
"They want to see how Indonesia manages our startup. Later, they will also visit the Go-Jek office," Soemardjan stated.
Soemardjan is a senior executive, who is active and enjoys sound relations with the business community in the ASEAN and New Zealand.
In addition to serving as director of PT Javanero and treasurer for the Sustainable Coffee Platform of Indonesia, he is also on the Global Advisory Board of Agrea LEAF of the Philippines and the New Zealand Institute Advisory Group at the University of Auckland.
Soemardjan was selected as a participant in the ASEAN Young Business Leader Innitiative in 2014, a program funded by New Zealand.
New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia Trevor Matheson praised the leadership and contributions of Hassan during his eight-year tenure as chairman of the council and welcomed the appointment of Soemardjan to carry forward the role of Hassan.
"The appointment of a new chairman is a good opportunity for the business sector to engage more deeply," Ambassador Matheson noted.
The Indonesia-New Zealand Friendship Council has helped establish cooperation between private companies and promote business interests between the two countries.
The New Zealand Embassy is optimistic of working more closely with the council to improve bilateral trade and investment relations.
The bilateral relations between Indonesia and New Zealand have been upgraded to the level of comprehensive partnership, which was agreed upon during the visit of Indonesian President Joko Widodo to Wellington and at the meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in March 2018.
Reporting by Yashinta Difa Pramudyani
Editing by Eliswan, Rahmad Nasution
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4) Indonesian Armed Forces enhances military diplomacy
Reporter: antara 4 hours ago
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The commander-in-chief of Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, has said that the TNI is currently enhancing its military diplomacy in order to support foreign diplomacy and strengthen Indonesia`s position in the international arena.
"Strong military diplomacy is needed to support foreign diplomacy to strengthen Indonesia`s position in the international world," Tjahjanto remarked, while leading the welcome ceremony to the TNI Maritime Task Force (MTF) who joined the XXVIII-J UNIFIL Garuda Contingent at Tanjung Priok here on Monday.
He stated that Indonesia is currently trusted as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
"This position requires us to play a more active role in every action that aims to create world peace," Tjahjanto noted, adding that the global spectrum is also getting more and more complex.
This condition requires all nations to establish bilateral and multilateral cooperation as no country can deal with the threat alone.
"Some aspects which should be asserted in international cooperation are the development of capabilities, the establishment of interoperability, and trust among countries," he added.
Therefore, all the lessons which have been studied, as well as the shortcomings and achievement during the implementation of the operations that have been carried out should be recorded and become input for the TNI Peace Maintenance Mission (PMPP) Center.
"What you observe from the implementation of the duties of other UN units can also be a constructive input for the next Garuda Contingent," the TNI Commander remarked, asserting that the tasks which are carried out under the UN flag are proud duties.
"These tasks not only promote the name of the country and provide individual experience but also provide insights for the soldiers to enhance their professionalism and support the success of the next mission," he explained.
The Maritime Task Force, which served in Lebanon for one year, consisted of 100 soldiers, 94 crew ship members, one intelligence officer, one psychology officer, one military doctor, one information officer, one special force member, and one diver on the Usman Harun-359 ship.
During its duties as the UN Peace Forces Ship, Harun assisted the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Navy to prevent the entry of illegal weapons to Lebanon by sea.
The ship also supported trainings on maritime security operations for the LAF Navy personnel in their territorial sea area.
Reporting by Syaiful Hakim
Editing by Libertina, Rahmad Nasution
"Strong military diplomacy is needed to support foreign diplomacy to strengthen Indonesia`s position in the international world," Tjahjanto remarked, while leading the welcome ceremony to the TNI Maritime Task Force (MTF) who joined the XXVIII-J UNIFIL Garuda Contingent at Tanjung Priok here on Monday.
He stated that Indonesia is currently trusted as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
"This position requires us to play a more active role in every action that aims to create world peace," Tjahjanto noted, adding that the global spectrum is also getting more and more complex.
This condition requires all nations to establish bilateral and multilateral cooperation as no country can deal with the threat alone.
"Some aspects which should be asserted in international cooperation are the development of capabilities, the establishment of interoperability, and trust among countries," he added.
Therefore, all the lessons which have been studied, as well as the shortcomings and achievement during the implementation of the operations that have been carried out should be recorded and become input for the TNI Peace Maintenance Mission (PMPP) Center.
"What you observe from the implementation of the duties of other UN units can also be a constructive input for the next Garuda Contingent," the TNI Commander remarked, asserting that the tasks which are carried out under the UN flag are proud duties.
"These tasks not only promote the name of the country and provide individual experience but also provide insights for the soldiers to enhance their professionalism and support the success of the next mission," he explained.
The Maritime Task Force, which served in Lebanon for one year, consisted of 100 soldiers, 94 crew ship members, one intelligence officer, one psychology officer, one military doctor, one information officer, one special force member, and one diver on the Usman Harun-359 ship.
During its duties as the UN Peace Forces Ship, Harun assisted the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Navy to prevent the entry of illegal weapons to Lebanon by sea.
The ship also supported trainings on maritime security operations for the LAF Navy personnel in their territorial sea area.
Reporting by Syaiful Hakim
Editing by Libertina, Rahmad Nasution
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