Indonesian military officer shot dead in Papua

1) Indonesian military officer shot dead in Papua

2) The story of Nduga refugees: Mother died while giving birth to her 

3) Current conditions of Nduga refugees: getting sick, trauma and injuries

4) Rev. Nataniel Tabuni asks Military Spokesman to clarify his statement

5) Indonesia’s Rights Struggle: Deciding Which Candidate Is the ‘Lesser Evil’

—————

https://en.antaranews.com/news/121914/indonesian-military-officer-shot-dead-in-papua

1) Indonesian military officer shot dead in Papua

Reporter: Antara11 hours ago

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - An Indonesian military officer was killed in a shootout with armed criminal group (KKB) members in Longsran Baganbaga, Yambi Sub-district, Puncak Jaya District, Papua Province, on Friday.

"Yes, a military officer was shot dead in a shootout with KKB members in Yambi," Col Muhamad Aidi, Cenderawasih/spokesman of the Regional Military Command XVII, stated here, Saturday.

The shootout took place during the time of logistics distribution by several members of the Indonesian Defense Forces when all of a sudden KKB members, led by Lekagak Telenggen, attacked them.

First Private Makamu was shot in the left thigh and later died of bleeding owing to delay in being moved to the hospital on account of bad weather and difficult terrain.

Reporting by Evarukdijati, fardah 

Editor: Fardah Assega

———-

https://tabloidjubi.com/eng/the-story-of-nduga-refugees-mother-died-while-giving-birth-to-her-child/

2) The story of Nduga refugees: Mother died while giving birth to her 

17 January

Nduga, Jubi – On Wednesday (9/1/2019), the sixteen-years-old Inambo Tabuni just arrived in Wamena, and she told her story in a refugee camp. 

“Soldiers came by helicopter; a bomb dropped into the village.

People fled to the forest to save their lives. Many parents were separated with their children, while those who’re in refugee camp feel grateful that they can run away,” she recounted the incident occurred in the mid-December 2018.

The refugees take shelter in provisional tents and caves in the forest. They have insufficient food to eat. Men took a risk walking dozens of kilometres to reach gardens. They gathered sweet potatoes and taros from the garden in the night.

“It helped us to stand for two or three days. After that, men will return to the garden and come back in the night,” she said.

According to her refugees are distributed into small groups to a big group. “Each group contains at least ten people or more.”

She also revealed their suffering living in a refugee camp. “It seems that we are living in someone else’s place. We want to live safely in our village.”

When she arrived in Mbua from Dal, a pregnant woman Selfina Lokbere (32 years old) just came from a refugee camp, and last week Lokbere reportedly had a delivery complication. Both mother and child died.

Selfina Lokbere, who was the wife of Yakerena Umangge, reportedly gave birth to twins. Her first twin managed to be smoothly born, while the second got stuck during delivery.

“The second child did not come out, so the mother tried to pull her baby out, but she couldn’t make it.”

Meanwhile, Elinaus Tabuni, a member of the health care team of Papua Province in Mbua Sub-district, Nduga Regency, confirmed the incident that occurred on 2 January 2019.  

“This woman just arrived from the forest and gave birth. She had only a child who died with her during the delivery,” he said.

Further, the congregation of Imanuel Church of Mbua takes care of the funeral of Selfina Lokbere and her child, while the medical team checked the rest of her family. It turns out that she has other six children who are still alive. They are Esok Umangge (7), Londice Umangge (8), Ason Umangge (9), Jemison Umangge (3), and the twins Rinthi dan Rentha (2,6). Currently, the twins of the late Selfina Lokbere, Rinthi and Rentha then raised by Gelipa Tabuni, their mother’s relative.

In the meantime, locals said the cause of her death is because she didn’t eat and drink well while in the refugee camp, whereas the medical team thought it’s possibly because of her giving birth too often.

Meanwhile, related to Nduga refugees, the Secretary of Youth Church Solidarity Alfonsa Wayap said three children were reported dead in refugee camp due to malnutrition. The children Ubugina Unue (2), Bugun Unue (1) and Raina Kogoya (5) died in Yal Sub-district.

The local also said there are ten pregnant women among them. “Some already give births while some are waiting for the due date.” (*)

Reporter: Benny Mawel

Editor: Pipit Maizier

——-

https://tabloidjubi.com/eng/current-conditions-of-nduga-refugees-getting-sick-trauma-and-injuries/

3 ) Current conditions of Nduga refugees: getting sick, trauma and injuries

15 January

Wamena, Jubi – The health care team of Province Papua assisted by the Health Office of Nduga Regency, which was deployed to provide health services in sub-districts affected by gun conflict in Nduga, has returned to Wamena after serving the community.

Based on three days health examination (from 8 to 10 January 2019) implemented in sub-districts of Mbua, Dal and Mbulmu Yalma, they found common diseases appeared among the refugees.

The health care team coordinator dr Beery I. S Wopari explained this happened due to lacking food supplies. “In our struggling to overcome the geographical challenge during the services, there are indeed some diseases that dominantly found among adults and children,” he told reporters in Wamena on Friday evening (11/1/2019).

He added that his team found many cases of joint and bone pain as well as the pain in the entire body and headache. There are also some cases of high blood pressure among men and women.

Meanwhile for children, infants and toddlers, the common diseases found in respiratory infectious diseases such as flu and cough as well as diarrhoea, intestinal worms and wounds. They also found some pregnant women among the refugees. 

Many children also have wounds in their body as a result of falling in the running.

Dr Wopari also revealed that there are three adults wounded by gunshot, but they didn’t come to treatment so that the team only gave medication to reduce pain.

Meanwhile, a member of health care team Elianus Tabuni admitted that the deployed team has 16 people consisting of specialists, medical practitioners, and nurses and assisted by a team from the Health Office of Nduga Regency. The three days services concentrated in three sub-districts, Mbua, Dal and Mbulmu Yalma, Nduga Regency plus Ilekma Sub-district, Jayawijaya Regency because many people fled to Wamena.

The team also planned to go to Yigi Sub-district in the third day, but due to an unfavourable situation, they returned to Wamena to continue their service there.

“We communicated with the military regarding the update situation in Yigi. They suggested us not to come to the area because of gunshots arbitrary caught in this area. We assumed it was a bad sign for us to continue our journey to Yigi Sub-district,” said Elianus Tabuni.

He also admitted besides the geographical difficulties and cold weather, people who come for treatment didn’t trust them for the first time.

They might be traumatic thus they ever questioned us whether we came to help them, to provide health services or another else,” said Tabuni. (*)

Reporter: Islami Adisubrata

Editor: Pipit Maizier

———-

https://tabloidjubi.com/eng/rev-nataniel-tabuni-asks-military-spokesman-to-clarify-his-statement/

4) Rev. Nataniel Tabuni asks Military Spokesman to clarify his statement

19 January

Jayapura, Jubi – Rev. Nataniel Tabuni asked Colonel Infantry Muhammad Aidi, sopeksman of the Military Command Cenderawasih XVII to clarify his statement saying Tabuni has met Rev. Gimin Nirigi who reportedly killed by soldiers in Mapendupa, Nduga Regency and confirmed that the priest was healthy and fine. 

In his statement to a media in Jakarta, the colonel made an impression that he talked directly with Rev. Nataniel Tabuni who then asked him to forward this information to media. 

Then, an online media in Jakarta wrote,” The news of the murder of Reverend Gemin Nirigi whose body then burned by the security forces was a hoax. The hoax deliberately spread by irresponsible people,” said the Reverend Natatiel Tabuni via the Chief of Public Affairs of the Military Command Cenderawasih XVII, the Colonel Infantry Muhammad Aidi in Jayapura on Friday  (1/11/2019).

“Nataniel admitted that he had met with Reverend Gemin Nirigi and confirmed that Nirigi was in good condition,” this colonel said. 

In opposite, Reverend Natanile Tabuni told Jubi that he never said it to the colonel as reported by media.

“I never said that. Mapenduma is far away from here. I have never been there. If someone tells a lie like this, it’s not good, especially using my name,” said Tabuni to Jubi in Wamena on Tuesday (1/15/2019).

Therefore, he asked the colonel to immediately clarify his statement because it might risk his image as a priest who serves the church in Nduga. “I am a priest. If this information turns out that is not true, it’s also my sin. Don’t use my name to lie,” he said. 

On the same place, Rev. Esmon Walilo, the Coordinator of Jaya Wijaya Kingmi Church said he had talked to Colonel Aidi regarding his statement. However, when he asked for further clarification, the colonel not answering and their conversation ended. 

He further said the colonel must understand that any statement made by a priest is related to his church.  Therefore he asked for further clarification from the military public affairs chief. “But until today, I have not received any answer. So who spreads the hoax, actually?” asked the priest.

Moreover, according to him, the information about Reverend Gemin Nirigi’s murder was obtained from Nirigi’s family. 

On 19 December 2018, the Reverend Gemin joined the local people to flee from Mapenduma to Paro, but then he decided to return due to his long-suffering of knee-joint pain. However, his son Mincena Nirigi found his father’s burned body behind their house on 3 January 2019.

Reverend Gemin Nirigi was one of the church leaders in Nduga District and also known as a Bible translator into local language. 

Unfortunately, due to limited access of transportation and communication to Mapenduma, the information about his death still cannot be verified.

“To have clear information about Reverend Nirigi’s murder, we recommend the authority to open all access to Nduga, especially Mapenduma, so that journalists, NGOs or church can verify whether it is true or hoax  and who are spreading this hoax,” said Rev. Walilo. (*)

Reported by Victor Mambor

——-

5) Indonesia’s Rights Struggle: Deciding Which Candidate Is the ‘Lesser Evil’

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/01/indonesia-president-human-rights-jokowi-subianto/580762/

——————