1) Unknown Armed Men Kill Dozens of Workers in Papua
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A group of armed men is believed to have murdered 31 workers at the Trans Papua construction site located at Nduga District, Papua. The Papua Police is currently investigating the possible planned execution.
According to the Papua Police, the killing began when the armed group killed 24 workers which are employees of state-owned PT Istaka Karya. The remaining 8 people that managed to rescue themselves after seeking refuge at a Legislative Member’s house were picked up by the armed group, which followed with the killing of seven people.
One of the workers that managed to flee is yet to be found.
Papua Police Spokesman Grand Commissioner Ahmad Musthofa Kamal said that police have mobilized its joint team comprised of police and Army Forces.“We are always prepared to evacuate the victims and arrest the suspects,” said Ahmad in a written statement on Monday, December 3.
News about the killings initially broke out after it was announced by Pastor Wilhelmus Kogoya, a known figure at the Yigi district where the bloody scene took place. The murders were strongly suspected to take place on Sunday, December 2.
TEMPO.CO
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2) Jokowi Orders Military, Police to Investigate the Papua Killings
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has ordered the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto and National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian to further investigate news related to the killing of 31 workers in Nduga, Papua.
“I ordered the TNI Commander and Police Chief to crosscheck news related to the incident considering that current information is still unclear. We need to know if it’s true,” said Jokowi at the Bidakara Hotel on Tuesday, December 4.
Jokowi said that the areas in the vicinity of Nduga are widely considered to be a “red zone” for the existence of security threats often seen in the area by armed groups.
“However, we deeply understand that developments on Papuan ground is a daunting task and still faces the risk of encountering situations such as these,” said the president.
According to Jokowi, the incident will not halt the numerous infrastructure developments across areas in Papua and that the government will not be deterred by threats coming from armed groups.
31 workers at the Trans Papua construction site located at Nduga District, Papua, were presumably executed by an unknown armed group on December 2.
FRISKI RIANA
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3) Indonesia probing reports dozens of workers shot dead in Papua
04 Dec 2018 02:57PM
WAMENA, Indonesia: Indonesia is investigating reports that 31 construction workers were shot dead by separatist rebels in restive Papua province, the public works minister said Tuesday (Dec 4), as he halted construction in the area.
If the killings are confirmed, they would mark the deadliest bout of violence in years to hit the region, which has long been at the centre of a low-level independence insurgency.
"We're shocked and saddened to hear the media reports this morning," public works minister Budi Hadimuljono told reporters in Jakarta.
"All work is going to be suspended (in the area) given this incident," he added.
The employees of state-owned contractor Istaka Karya were building bridges and roads as part of efforts to boost infrastructure in the impoverished region, he said.
Citing a local police officer, Indonesian media reported late Monday that the workers were shot dead on Sunday in Nduga, a district in the centre of the far-flung region on the western half of New Guinea island, just north of Australia.
The alleged killings were reportedly carried out by rebels who have led a decades-long insurgency against Jakarta's rule. Indonesia routinely blames separatists for violence in Papua.
Some workers reportedly managed to escape the shootings, which were allegedly sparked by separatists angry at some workers who were taking pictures of a pro-Papua Independence activities.
Foreign media need permission to report from Papua and obtaining reliable information is difficult.
The alleged killings come as more than 500 activists - including an Australian - were arrested in a nationwide police crackdown that coincided with rallies on Dec 1, a date many Papuans consider should be the anniversary of their independence from the Dutch.
Papua declared itself an independent nation on that date in 1961, but neighbouring Indonesia took control of the region by force in 1963. It officially annexed Papua in 1969 with a UN-backed vote, widely seen as a sham.
Jakarta keeps a tight grip on the resource-rich region, which has been the scene of a low-level independence insurgency since the late Sixties.
Papua experienced several outbreaks of violence this summer including the killing of three local people, allegedly by rebels.
The deaths followed a gunfight that saw a small plane carrying 15 police officers - sent to oversee the local elections - was shot at as it landed at Nduga.
Some of the violence has been centred on protests against a huge gold and copper mine operated by US-based firm Freeport McMoRan - a frequent flashpoint in the local struggle for independence and a bigger share of the region's rich resources.
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4) Papuan students removed from Surabaya after rally
Jakarta/Surabaya | Tue, December 4, 2018 | 10:41 am
Karina M. Tehusijarana and Wahyoe Boediwardhana
Police in Surabaya, East Java, ordered 233 members of the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) to leave the Papuan student dorms on Jl. Kalasan where they were staying on Monday following a rally that turned violent on Saturday.
Around 300 Papuan students gathered in Surabaya from various cities across Java and Bali, to hold a rally on Dec. 1 to commemorate what some Papuans claim to be the birth of the West Papua nation in 1961.
The students marched from the Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) studio on Jl. Pemuda to the Grahadi Building on Jl. Gubernur Surya and made speeches calling for the right of Papuans to self-determination. They also displayed images of the Morning Star flag, a symbol of the Papuan independence movement.
The situation became tense when around 200 people from various mass organizations, including the Communication Forum of Indonesian Veterans’ Children (FKPPI) and Pancasila Youth (PP), arrived on the scene to stage a protest against the AMP.
The counter-protestors accused the Papuans of committing treason and the two camps launched verbal attacks on each other, which escalated into a physical clash, resulting in injuries to 17 people.
On Saturday night, when the students had returned to the student dorms, Surabaya Police surrounded the building and detained the 233 AMP members, two non-Papuan students, and an Australian citizen.
The 233 Papuans were released on Sunday evening, under the condition that they immediately leave the dorms and return to their respective homes.
Fifty students were put on a bus headed to Malang, East Java, 90 others were sent to other cities, while 80 were sent back to their residences in Surabaya. The remaining 13 were residents of the Jl. Kalasan dorm.
AMP human rights lawyer Veronica Koman confirmed the release of the students and condemned the police’s actions as “forceful removal” that violated the students’ civil rights.
“It clearly violates their freedom of movement as well as their freedom of expression,” she told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Surabaya commissioner Fatkhul Khoir agreed. “What happened to the students is in violation of the principles of human rights that state that every citizen has the right to chose where to stay,” he told the Post.
The two non-Papuan students, Fachri Syahrazad and Arifin, had been thought missing after the police raid on the dorms, but were actually being held in a separate police station in Surabaya. They were also released on Sunday.
The Australian citizen, identified as Ronda Amy Harman, was handed over to the Surabaya immigration authorities. Veronica said Ronda had not taken part in the rally and was at the dorm to meet her boyfriend, who is an AMP member.
“I have spoken to immigration officials and they told me she is being ’secured’ at a hotel but I have not been allowed to see her,” she said. “It is my understanding that she is likely to be deported. This is the third time this year that a foreign citizen has had problems with immigration because of their connection with Papua.”
In February, Australian journalist reporting for BBC Indonesia, Rebecca Henschke, was told to leave Papua after she posted several tweets criticizing the provision of aid. In August, Australian PhD candidate Belinda Lopez, who was planning to visit Papua, was barred from entering Indonesia for unspecified reasons.
East Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Frans Barung denied allegations that the police had violated the students’ rights, claiming that the officers were actually trying to ensure their safety.
“Police deliberately brought [the students] to the station to protect them from the threat of groups opposed to the AMP,” Frans said.
Around 300 Papuan students gathered in Surabaya from various cities across Java and Bali, to hold a rally on Dec. 1 to commemorate what some Papuans claim to be the birth of the West Papua nation in 1961.
The students marched from the Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) studio on Jl. Pemuda to the Grahadi Building on Jl. Gubernur Surya and made speeches calling for the right of Papuans to self-determination. They also displayed images of the Morning Star flag, a symbol of the Papuan independence movement.
The situation became tense when around 200 people from various mass organizations, including the Communication Forum of Indonesian Veterans’ Children (FKPPI) and Pancasila Youth (PP), arrived on the scene to stage a protest against the AMP.
The counter-protestors accused the Papuans of committing treason and the two camps launched verbal attacks on each other, which escalated into a physical clash, resulting in injuries to 17 people.
On Saturday night, when the students had returned to the student dorms, Surabaya Police surrounded the building and detained the 233 AMP members, two non-Papuan students, and an Australian citizen.
The 233 Papuans were released on Sunday evening, under the condition that they immediately leave the dorms and return to their respective homes.
Fifty students were put on a bus headed to Malang, East Java, 90 others were sent to other cities, while 80 were sent back to their residences in Surabaya. The remaining 13 were residents of the Jl. Kalasan dorm.
AMP human rights lawyer Veronica Koman confirmed the release of the students and condemned the police’s actions as “forceful removal” that violated the students’ civil rights.
“It clearly violates their freedom of movement as well as their freedom of expression,” she told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Surabaya commissioner Fatkhul Khoir agreed. “What happened to the students is in violation of the principles of human rights that state that every citizen has the right to chose where to stay,” he told the Post.
The two non-Papuan students, Fachri Syahrazad and Arifin, had been thought missing after the police raid on the dorms, but were actually being held in a separate police station in Surabaya. They were also released on Sunday.
The Australian citizen, identified as Ronda Amy Harman, was handed over to the Surabaya immigration authorities. Veronica said Ronda had not taken part in the rally and was at the dorm to meet her boyfriend, who is an AMP member.
“I have spoken to immigration officials and they told me she is being ’secured’ at a hotel but I have not been allowed to see her,” she said. “It is my understanding that she is likely to be deported. This is the third time this year that a foreign citizen has had problems with immigration because of their connection with Papua.”
In February, Australian journalist reporting for BBC Indonesia, Rebecca Henschke, was told to leave Papua after she posted several tweets criticizing the provision of aid. In August, Australian PhD candidate Belinda Lopez, who was planning to visit Papua, was barred from entering Indonesia for unspecified reasons.
East Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Frans Barung denied allegations that the police had violated the students’ rights, claiming that the officers were actually trying to ensure their safety.
“Police deliberately brought [the students] to the station to protect them from the threat of groups opposed to the AMP,” Frans said.
This article was originally published in The Jakarta Post's print edition on Dec. 4, 2018, with the title "Papuan students removed from Surabaya after rally"
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5) Tuberculosis is still a major problem in Jayapura Regency
Published 4 hours ago on 4 December 2018
By pr9c6tr3_juben
Jayapura, Jubi – Jayapura District Health Office conduct a public consultation on the Regional Action Plans (RAD) on the tuberculosis control ahead to the elimination of tuberculosis for Jayapura Regency 2030.
Giri Wijayantoro who represented Jayapura Regent said TB is a public health problem that turns to a challenge worldwide and Indonesia is one of the countries with high TB prevalence.
“Based on the survey on TB prevalence 2013-2014, TB prevalence has reached 1,600,000 cases while the incident of TB is 1,000,000 cases. Meanwhile, the mortality caused by TB is 100,000 cases,” Giri said in Sentani on Thursday (29/11/2018).
Meanwhile, in Jayapura Regency, TB is still a principal health problem that causes a high mortality rate. In 2017, there were 30 people died of tuberculosis after malaria, traffic accidents and other causes.
“The objective of the consultation of the regional action plan on TB control to the public and regional government offices is to obtain feedback as well as to reduce the tuberculosis prevalence in Jayapura Regency and Papua Province,” said Giri.
In the meantime, Khairul Lie, the Head of Jayapura District Health Office hopes that all stakeholders will involve in the preparation of the Regional Action Plan.
“We want the number of new cases to decrease by 90% and to reduce the mortality rate to 95% based on the cases occurred from 2014 to the present. These steps will include in the RAD,” he explained.
Based on the survey 2014, there are 324,000 cases which TB case detection in Indonesia is around 32 %.
“There are 68% cases identified as not treated or have been treated but have not been recorded by the program. this has spurred the handling of national TB control to continue the intensification, acceleration and innovation of programs through a national strategy to tackle tuberculosis,” said Giri. (*)
Reporter: Yance Wenda
Editor: Pipit Maizier
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