2) Police yet to find link between armed group and OPM in Papua
3) Rebels Demand Indonesia Negotiate on Papua Independence
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1) Papua: How Jokowi is trying – and failing – to win hearts and minds
Arie Ruhyanto
Jakarta | Thu, December 6, 2018 | 03:33 pm
Papuans take part on a parade in Surabaya, East Java province, on December 1, 2018, during a commemoration of the independence day of Papua from Dutch colonial, which is then commemorated every year by separatists as a symbol of their freedom from Indonesia. (AFP/Juni Kriswanto)
JAKARTA, INDONESIA —
Rebels in Indonesia's troubled Papua province demanded Friday that the government hold negotiations on self-determination for the province and warned of more attacks.
Sebby Sambom, spokesman for the West Papua National Liberation Army, the military wing of the Free Papua Movement, said in a telephone interview they attacked a government construction site last weekend because they believe the project is conducted by the military.
Almost every December, the Indonesian region of Papua makes headlines both nationally and further afield. In 2018, following the arrest of hundreds of Papuans commemorating the region’s “independence day” on December 1, the nation was shocked by the killing of 31 construction workers allegedly by armed separatists – although the details are still unclear. There are now fears the violence could escalate.
Ironically, these events took place as the Indonesian government makes a tremendous effort to develop Papua – which makes up the western half of the island of New Guinea and includes the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua. In fact, no other Indonesian region outside Java receives so much attention, with the nation’s president, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, visiting two or three times annually in recent years.
But while his attention has been appreciated, Jokowi has also been accused of having a poor attitude to human rights abuses and state violence in the region. And while the president enjoys wide public support in Papua, the aspiration of Papuan self-determination is gaining traction both domestically and internationally.
The Jokowi Way
Since Papua was granted special autonomy (or “Otsus”) status by Indonesia in 2001, Jokowi’s prosperity-based approach has focused on developing infrastructure and improving connectivity. The government’s 4,330km Trans-Papua road project, for example, aims to put an end to the isolation of many Papuan communities.
Jokowi also introduced the “BBM Satu Harga”, a national standard price for fuel. This policy aims to bring down the cost of fuel in Papua, which can reach Rp50,000-100,000 (£2.70-£5.40) per litre, nearly ten times the average price nationally. The pricing policy has proved popular, although in practice Papuans in the region’s highlands only enjoy the standard national price once or twice a month due to supply constraints.
During Jokowi’s presidency, central government funding has also increased for both Papuan provinces. In 2016 alone, the central government allocated a 85.7 trillion rupiah (£4.6 billion) development fund for Papua and West Papua. On top of this Otsus fund, both provinces also have benefited from additional infrastructure spending.
But while Papua has received a larger share of the country’s development fund than any other region, its public service provision is among the worst in the country. Major public health disasters are commonplace, such as the recent measles outbreak in Asmat Regency, which along with malnutrition killed hundreds of children. In fact, Papua has been at the bottom of the national human development index for decades.
Jokowi has also focused on developing security, deploying thousands of additional soldiers to the region. Although aimed at strengthening national defence, there are ongoing concerns about human rights abuses in the region. A recent report by Amnesty International indicates that extrajudicial killings involving security personnel are still taking place in Papua.
Jokowi has also been criticised for failing to deal with such abuses when they occur. So far, none of the human rights cases relating to Papua have been resolved during his administration, leading to growing Papuan distrust of Jakarta (Indonesia’s capital and the seat of the national government). According to one Papuan leader I interviewed:
Jakarta is busy chasing away the smoke but not trying to put out the fire.
Self-determination
Against this backdrop, the campaign for Papuan self-determination is growing. While there is some armed resistance, most Papuans campaign peacefully through democratic action such as mass rallies and social media campaigns. Domestically, this peaceful campaign is directed by the National Committee of West Papua (KNPB), the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP), and The Democratic People’s Movement of Papua (Garda Papua). These organisations are mostly supported by Papuan youths and students.
But they have also been active beyond Papua, including in many of Indonesia’s biggest cities, such as Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya on the island of Java, Denpasar on Bali, Medan on Sumatra, and Makassar and Manado on Sulawesi. Recently, the cause also received support from non-Papuan groups, such as the Jakarta-based Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI WP).
Nor is this just a domestic issue. The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) was established in December 2014, two months after Jokowi took office, and has since been building support for the cause among Pacific nations. Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu have raised the Papuan issue in UN forums many times.
Which all goes to show that the Indonesian government’s strategy in the region has been less fruitful than expected.
Time to reflect
Jakarta’s trust-building project in Papua is falling short because of the government’s narrow perspective of the problem. Since the late 1990s, all Indonesian presidents except Gus Dur have tended to make the Papuan issueall about economic development. Other crucial issues stated in the “Otsus Law”, such as Papuan identity, local political parties, law enforcement, human rights and the protection of indigenous people, have been overlooked.
Consequently, rather than facilitating the emergence of a strong and autonomous Papuan government, Otsus has made Papua even more dependent on Jakarta. And as the human rights issues remain unaddressed, the slogans of self-determination are being shouted even louder.
Jakarta and Papua must now come together and reconsider the best options for a more constructive future relationship. For if the 17 years since the region was granted Otsus status have revealed anything, it’s that economic development alone is not enough to win the hearts and minds of the Papuan people.
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This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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2) Police yet to find link between armed group and OPM in Papua
Reporter: Antara 6 hours ago
Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia Police Head of Public Relations Division Brigadier General Muhammad Iqbal said here on Friday the police had not yet confirmed if the armed criminal group that killed workers in Nduga, West Papua, recently was connected to the Free Papua Movement (OPM) organization.
"Our team is still conducting law enforcement operations and after they complete them, the groups involved and whether they are affiliated with OPM will be confirmed in detail," he said at the Yogyakarta Regional Police Headquarters.
Although the OPM has claimed responsibility, the police said they would not hurriedly jump to a conclusion but would take it into consideration.
"We have our own Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and because this is within the corridor of law enforcement, the police would be at the forefront, while the military (TNI) would only help. We understand there has been a narrative by someone claiming to be an OPM spokesman. We will take it into consideration but we have not yet confirmed the same. We will not be provoked by their propaganda," he said.
He said the police already know which group the criminals come from. "We know where they come from. Perhaps their narrative has spread in the media. Just let us pray and help the police and TNI so the legal process can be carried out immediately. We will find them wherever they are," he said.
Iqbal said that a joint police and TNI team has kept the situation in Nduga under control, evacuated the victims and released the Trans-Papua road construction workers held by the group.
"More than a dozen dead victims have been evacuated and even brought to their families. We will conduct a scientific investigation process. That is the SOP that we are conducting," he said.
On December 2, 2018, armed criminal group members murdered several workers building a bridge over the Yigi River.
The joint TNI and Polri team has, so far, discovered 16 bodies of slain workers employed by the PT Istaka Karya construction company.
The team managed to evacuate eight survivors and move eight bodies from Nduga to Timika, Mimika District, on Thursday.
Jimy Aritonang, one of the survivors, recalled that some 50 armed men belonging to an outlawed group, led by Egunius Kogoya, had taken 25 workers from the camp to Mount Kabo.
On arriving in the remote mountainous area, the criminals shot the workers, whose hands were bound. Some 14 men died on the spot, while 11 others pretended to be dead and later attempted to escape. However, five were later recaptured and killed by the criminals, while several others managed to reach a military post.
The criminals chased them to the military post and got engaged in a shootout with the officers. One military officer, identified as First Sergeant Handoko, was killed in the attack, while another was injured.
Reporting by Luqman Hakim, Yoseph Hariyadi
Editing by Suharto
"Our team is still conducting law enforcement operations and after they complete them, the groups involved and whether they are affiliated with OPM will be confirmed in detail," he said at the Yogyakarta Regional Police Headquarters.
Although the OPM has claimed responsibility, the police said they would not hurriedly jump to a conclusion but would take it into consideration.
"We have our own Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and because this is within the corridor of law enforcement, the police would be at the forefront, while the military (TNI) would only help. We understand there has been a narrative by someone claiming to be an OPM spokesman. We will take it into consideration but we have not yet confirmed the same. We will not be provoked by their propaganda," he said.
He said the police already know which group the criminals come from. "We know where they come from. Perhaps their narrative has spread in the media. Just let us pray and help the police and TNI so the legal process can be carried out immediately. We will find them wherever they are," he said.
Iqbal said that a joint police and TNI team has kept the situation in Nduga under control, evacuated the victims and released the Trans-Papua road construction workers held by the group.
"More than a dozen dead victims have been evacuated and even brought to their families. We will conduct a scientific investigation process. That is the SOP that we are conducting," he said.
On December 2, 2018, armed criminal group members murdered several workers building a bridge over the Yigi River.
The joint TNI and Polri team has, so far, discovered 16 bodies of slain workers employed by the PT Istaka Karya construction company.
The team managed to evacuate eight survivors and move eight bodies from Nduga to Timika, Mimika District, on Thursday.
Jimy Aritonang, one of the survivors, recalled that some 50 armed men belonging to an outlawed group, led by Egunius Kogoya, had taken 25 workers from the camp to Mount Kabo.
On arriving in the remote mountainous area, the criminals shot the workers, whose hands were bound. Some 14 men died on the spot, while 11 others pretended to be dead and later attempted to escape. However, five were later recaptured and killed by the criminals, while several others managed to reach a military post.
The criminals chased them to the military post and got engaged in a shootout with the officers. One military officer, identified as First Sergeant Handoko, was killed in the attack, while another was injured.
Reporting by Luqman Hakim, Yoseph Hariyadi
Editing by Suharto
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3) Rebels Demand Indonesia Negotiate on Papua Independence
December 07, 2018 9:12 AM Associated Press
"Trans-Papua road projects are being carried out by Indonesian military and that is a risk they must bear," Sambom said. "We want them to know that we don't need development, what we want is independence."
Indonesia's government, which for decades had a policy of sending Javanese and other Indonesians to settle in Papua to dilute the number of indigenous people, is now trying to spur economic development to dampen the separatist movement.
Local media have reported that army engineers are involved in several sections of a trans-Papua road network that will connect cities and districts in the province.
"Our leaders have declared a war zone since last year and warned that the trans-Papua road construction should be stopped, but Indonesia has ignored it," Sambom said.
He called for the government to agree to peace talks similar to ones that led to another province, Aceh, becoming semiautonomous, or a "real referendum" on independence as occurred in the former Indonesian territory of East Timor.
"If Aceh and East Timor can get that opportunity, why don't we?" said Sambom, who said he was speaking from an area near the border with neighboring Papua New Guinea.
Papua is a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea. A declaration of independence from Dutch rule on Dec. 1, 1961, was rejected by the Dutch and later by Indonesia.
An insurgency has simmered in Papua since the early 1960s, when Indonesia annexed the region. It was formally incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot that was seen as a sham by many.
Following Sunday's attack, security forces have retrieved the bodies of 16 workers employed by PT. Istaka Karya, a state-owned construction company, to build bridges on a section of the trans-Papua road, Papua police spokesman Suryadi Diaz said.
Authorities believe the armed group killed 19 construction workers, based on the accounts of survivors. They have rescued 24 survivors, including seven workers, and are searching for two missing workers and the bodies of three others.
A soldier at a military post near the site was also killed by the armed group.
Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has ordered the military and police to arrest the perpetrators of the worst separatist attack during his administration and said he will not tolerate "armed criminals" in Papua or the rest of the country.
He said the attack will not dissuade his government from continuing to develop Papua, including the 4,600-kilometer (2,875-mile) trans-Papua road, which his administration has claimed is widely supported by local people.
The road, which will stretch from Sorong in West Papua province to Merauke in Papua province, is expected to be completed next year and help boost economic development in both provinces.
National police chief Tito Karnavian on Wednesday estimated the strength of the armed group at not more than 50 people with about 20 weapons, and said more than 150 police and soldiers have been sent to restore security in Nduga district, a stronghold of the separatists.
Sambom, however, claimed the rebels have 29 operational area commands in Papua, each with 2,500 members.
"We vow to intensify our fight for independence with guerrilla hit-and-run attacks," he said.
Associated Press
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