2) Call for Pacific regional groups to investigate Papua chemical attacks
3) Papua Human Rights Coalition charges the police 125 million compensation in a pretrial lawsuit
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1) West Papuan leaders blame deaths of three babies on Indonesian crackdown
Helen Davidson Tue 22 Jan 2019 14.18 AEDT
United Liberation Movement for West Papua says thousands of civilians displaced and 10 shot by Indonesian military
An Indonesian military ambulance evacuates the body of a soldier killed in Nduga. West Papuan leaders are calling for Indonesia to allow humanitarian and medical agencies to enter the area. Photograph: Joseph Situmorang/AFP/Getty Images
Three babies who died during childbirth are among the civilian deaths West Papuan leaders are blaming on a brutal crackdown by Indonesian forces in the region of Nduga.
They are calling for Indonesiato allow humanitarian and medical agencies access to the area, as well as foreign media.
Since West Papuan guerrillas launched a deadly attack on a Nduga construction sitein early December, Indonesia has conducted heavily armed operations in and around the jungle in a bid to track them down.
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua(ULMWP) claims thousands of civilians have been displaced, 10 people have been shot by Indonesian military (TNI) – six of them killed – and several people have been detained and allegedly tortured.
“About four women gave birth in the bush and three children died,” Benny Wenda, the exiled leader of the ULMWP, told Guardian Australia. “Some are missing. There are more numbers on people coming but we know for the moment around 11 people are dead and some places we can’t access.”
The ULMWP, which is the umbrella organisation for West Papuan independence organisations, said: “Without urgent action by international humanitarian, aid and human rights organisations, more Papuan civilians will be at risk.
“International observers and the West Papua people are lobbying for urgent access to West Papua to provide immediate medical treatment, food aid, medical support, documentation and resources to villagers; and to investigate the illegal use of chemical weapons.”
Indonesia was accused of using the internationally banned white phosphoruschemical weapon against civilians, a charge it denied. It also denied TNI has targeted civilians, and said it had provided protection for them to return to their homes.
Wenda said the ULMWP believed at least 11 people were dead as a result of the TNI crackdown, and a number of people were missing or in hiding.
“They are scared to come out because Indonesia is bombing through helicopters. People are really scared,” Wenda said. “This is like my childhood in 1977, with the bombs on my village, and a lot of people missing and scared to come home.”
The Indonesian military operation was sent in after at least 17 people were killedon 4 December at a construction site by the liberation army – the armed wing of the domestic separatist movement known as OPM.
Indonesia said the victims were civilian workersbut the OPM – which has not been known historically to target civilians – maintains all were TNI.
The deputy secretary-general of the OPM, Octo Mote, told Radio NZhis was a “professional military organisation”.
“Direct or indirect, these, the ones that were killed are related to military,” he said on Monday. “The OPM conducted investigations before they killed them.”
West Papuan separatists have said growing support for their cause among Indonesian nationals has also prompted crackdowns. More than 500 protesters were arrested in 1 December at rallies across the archipelago, including Indonesians, they claim. Further protests have been held this week calling for an end to the Nduga operation.
Indonesian authorities have also raided and destroyed a number of headquartersof the domestic movement, the West Papua National Committee, and at least three people – including the previously imprisoned activist Yanto Awerkion – are facing “rebellion” charges after holding a prayer meeting they had notified authorities about.
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2) Call for Pacific regional groups to investigate Papua chemical attacks
3:22 pm today
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua is calling for Pacific regional groups to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons in Indonesia's Papua region.
The movement's chair, Benny Wenda, said the Pacific Islands Forum and the Melanesian Spearhead Group should urgently send fact-finding missions to Nduga regency.
This comes after unverified reportsof the suspected use of white phosphorus weapons by Indonesia's military against civilians in Nduga.
Indonesia last month called the claims "totally baseless".
But Mr Wenda said its security operations in Nduga had created a "humanitarian crisis".
In a statement, he said Indonesia should also grant he UN High Commissioner for Human Rights access to West Papua to complete its own fact-finding mission.
Mr Wenda said humanitarian aid organisations should also be allowed in to Nduga to "relieve the suffering of West Papuans".
A massive joint police and military operation has been underway in the remote Highlands regency, as well as neighbouring regencies, since December, in a hunt for members of the West Papua Liberation Army.
The armed group is responsible for the killings of at least 16 Indonesian construction workers and one soldier in November.
The joint operation has sparked sporadic shootouts between the Liberation Army and Indonesia's military, with at least one soldier and one rebel fighter shot dead this year.
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3) Papua Human Rights Coalition charges the police 125 million compensation in a pretrial lawsuit
Published 5 hours ago on 22 January 2019 By pr9c6tr3_juben
Jayapura, Jubi – Papua Human Rights Lawyers Association (PAHAM), Papua Legal AID Institute (LBH) and GKI Synod who are members of the Coalition for Law Enforcement and Human Rights in Papua registered a pretrial lawsuit against the police in Timika District Court, Papua on Thursday afternoon (17/01/2019).
This charge, according to the Director of PAHAM Papua Gustaf Kawer, was addressed to Mimika Regional Police Chief in regards to the detention of three KNPB activists Sem Asso, Yanto Awerkion and Edo Dogopia who arrested since 31 December 2018.
“We file a pretrial lawsuit against Mimika Regional Police Chief in relations to the arrest and illegal detention as well as the illegal confiscation,” Kawer told Jubi on Thursday (17/01/2019).
Therefore, Kawer continued, the police are asked to pay Rp. 126,538,000 compensation to KNPB as they have illegally seized its secretariat. The coalition also asked the police to openly make an apology to KNPB in mass media in Mimika Regency and Papua Province for three consecutive days.
Some KNPB activists arrested by the police and military on 31 December 2018 during the worship services to commemorate the anniversary of their organisation without a warrant. The police then detained them and accused them of treason. After that, Mimika police removed them to Papua Police Custody, Jayapura since 8 January 2019. Besides them, police also arrested the other members, namely Ruben Kogoya, Yohana Kobogau, Elius Wenda and Vincent Gobay.
Not only prohibit the worship and arrest KNPB activists, the police and military TNI also took over the house that used as the secretariat of KNPB Timika. Until now, the security forces still guard this office which is known as the property of Sem Asso.
The police, according to the activists, told people around the secretariat that their intention to use this building as their security post and did not allow KNPB member to enter the building.
Furthermore, Kawer explained that the purpose of the pretrial lawsuit is to restore the status and dignity of KNPB that had been unconstitutionally violated by Mimika Regional Police.
Meanwhile, Mimika Regional Police Chief, Adjunct Senior Police Commissionaire Agung Marlianto when confirmed about the pretrial lawsuit, declared that he did not know about it. “We have not received the copy yet. Please ask directly to Mimika District Court,” said the chief.
Regarding the secretariat that taken over by the security forces, he said it temporarily seized for further legal process against the suspects. He also claimed that the police had a recommendation from PT Freeport Indonesia who has authority over the land where the building located.
Separately, the Public Affairs Chief of Papua Police Ahmad Kamal said the police determined the status of defendants of Yanto, Sem and Edo after undergoing an intensive examination by the police at Papua Police Headquarters since 8 January.
The three activists were charged against the state as stipulated in the chapter 106 in connection with the chapter 87 of the Criminal Code and the chapter 53 of the Criminal Code (primary) and the chapter 110 section (2) of the Criminal Code in connection with the Chapter 88 of the Criminal Code (subsidiary).
However, the Amnesty International Indonesia highlighted the arrest of KNPB activists by the police and military. The security forces are considered against the law to arrest people who express their opinions peacefully.
“That is a form of violation of human rights. It must be able to distinguish between those who express their views of independence peacefully and those who use violence, “said Usman Hamid, Director of Amnesty International Indonesia.
Moreover, he said Yanto, Sem and Edo were prosecuted and detained solely for using the right to freedom of assembly and peaceful expression. “The police arrested them in a repressive manner for planning a joint prayer event,” continued Usman.
According to him, under Indonesian and international law, organisations are allowed to conduct public demonstration without asking for permission. They only need to give a notification to the police.
“However, the security forces in Papua continue to ignore this regulation. They remain to illegally restrict students, political groups and human rights organizations to conduct demonstrations peacefully,” Usman said. (*)
Reporter: Victor Mambor
Editor: Pipit Maizier
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