Australia West Papua Association (Sydney

Summary of events in West Papua (6 March- 9 April 2019)

Nduga

The human rights organization “Front Line Defenders” (FLD) released a report concerning the Indonesian security force operation in the Nduga region. According to the report the Indonesian security forces have caused thousands of people to flee their homes for safety to neighbouring districts. In its report, FLD has estimated that up to 32,000 people have fled the Nduga regency because of the military operations in the area. Internal refugees consist of 4,276 in Mapenduma District. 4,369 in Mugi District. 5,056 in Jigi District. 5,021 in Yal District. 3,775 in Mbulmu Yalma District. 4,238 Kagayem District. 2,982 in the Nirkuri District. 4,001 in the Inikgal District. 2,021 in the Mbua District and 1,704 in the Dal District.

Hundreds of people have also fled to the forests in fear for their lives, facing difficulties due to lack of food, proper shelter and potential sickness.

The Nduga Case Investigation Team from Front Line Defenders included respected human rights advocates, Theo Hasegem, and Father John Djonga, who gathered extensive information on the human rights and humanitarian crisis in the region. They reported it to the Amnesty International office in Jakarta on Friday March 29. Father John Djonga called for Indonesia to allow access to media and humanitarian organisations to West Papua, and for a UN human rights mission to be granted access. AWPA letter to the Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne at https://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2019/04/awpa-letter-to-foreign-minister-marise.html

A West Papua support group in New Zealand also urged the NZ Government to call for the withdrawal of Indonesian forces in Papua. It comes after human rights advocates in Papua last week said more than 32,000 people had been displaced by armed conflict in Nduga regency. West Papua Action Auckland wrote to New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters on Saturday, saying the situation had become "a grave humanitarian crisis". A spokesperson for the group, Maire Leadbeater, urged Mr Peters to step in and ask Indonesia to respect the rights of civilians and allow access to Papua for media and humanitarian groups (RNZI 8 April 2019).

A Jakarta Post report at https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/04/03/military-operations-in-nduga-violate-human-rights-report.html

SBS News Report. Includes photos/video

'Houses were burned': Papuans claim thousands displaced in conflict

West Papuan Victor Yeimo has given testimony to the UN Human Rights Council alleging more than 2000 people have fled violence in his homelands.

The spokesperson for the West Papua National Committee, told the council’s 40^th session in Geneva, Indigenous Papuans are being targeted in the Indonesian-controlled province. He said Indonesian forces have “burned down” houses and killed civilians since responding to an attack by West Papuan militants last December. “I came here as a victim and witness of the human rights violations perpetrated by the Indonesian government,” he told the council.

“Houses were burned down and more than 25 civilians [are] dead. No one is allowed to have access to investigate.”...................
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/houses-were-burned-papuans-claim-thousands-displaced-in-conflict

Victor Yeimo and Veronica Koman spoke at a United Nations Human Rights Council session. Source Supplied

West Papua Human Rights Update from the UN Human Rights Council

By: TAPOL 3, APR 2019

Both the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nduga and worsening clampdown on freedom of expression and assembly in West Papua were significant issues raised during the recent convening of the 40th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (25 Feb. - 22 Mar. 2019).

TAPOL, along with several collaborating West Papuan and international NGOs, co-hosted a side event entitled “Indonesia: Ensuring the survival of indigenous Papuans”on 7 March at Palais des Nations, Geneva. The objective of this event was to bring the discussion of the human rights situation in West Papua to Geneva, with updates from West Papuan people themselves. A recent ecumenical delegation from the World Council of Churches provided additional external witness to the current situation faced by the Indigenous peoples of West Papua.

Panelists included, Viktor Yeimo the international spokes-person of West Papuan National Committee (KNPB, Komite Nasional Papua Barat), Agustina Maryke, representative of Evangelical Christian Church of Tanah Papua, (GKI-TP, Gereja Kristen Injil di Tanah Papua) and Peter Prove, director of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs World Council of Churches (WCC).

Mr. Yeimo presented frontline experience on the rising trend and threats to the elimination of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in West Papua. His organisation, KNPB, is a peaceful grassroots civil resistance movement in West Papua established in 2008 and has been one of the most heavily persecuted organisations in West Papua. In recent months the KNPB offices have been heavily surveilled and their members are frequently harassed, beaten and arrested, in some cases being charged with treason and imprisoned. In January 2019, three KNPB members have been arrested and charged with treason.

Ms. Maryke (GKI-TP) focused on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nduga regency, Papua province. The killing of 19 road construction workers on 2 December 2018 in Nduga, by which local armed groups have claimed responsibility, has led to a major joint military and police operation in Nduga regency. Additional security forces personnel have been deployed to the region. As a consequence, civilians in the area have been affected significantly. More than 2000 civilians have been internally displaced. The death toll is rising as a direct result of the joint military and police operations. This includes internally displaced people (IDP) experiencing harsh living conditions while fleeing the conflict area and the lack of access to health services and other resources. Children are left out of school. Local NGOs currently attending to the refugees in Wamena have reported that they have set up temporary schools for the more than 600 displaced children. The Indonesian security forces have also allegedly been using chemical weapons during recent operations, although such allegations cannot be confirmed without independent investigations which have thus far been prevented from entering the area.

Access to West Papua remains restricted. International organisations and foreign journalists are required to obtain official approval before visiting West Papua. The World Council of Churches (WCC) delegations are one of the international organisations who were able to visit West Papua in recent months. In February 2019, a WCC delegation visited West Papua and met with various stakeholders including state authorities, military and police officials, traditional leaders and West Papuan victims of the ongoing conflict and human rights violations. Observations shared by the WCC delegation included that West Papuans are systematically marginalized and excluded in all areas of life, children are among the victims of the ongoing violence and live in terror with the presence of the police and the military, and that the relative population of Indigenous West Papuans is decreasing while the population of immigrants increases.

During the Human Rights Council General Debate Item 3 on 8 March, Franciscans Internationalpresented their concerns on the situation of health and access to food in West Papua, and that indigenous peoples continue to be marginalised due to large scale business and development projects.

On 13 March, Mr. Yeimo delivered a statement on behalf of Geneva for Human Rights, spoke as part of Item 4 of Human Rights Council General Debate on ‘human rights situations that require the Council’s attention’ and urged the Council to encourage the Indonesian government to provide access to independent human rights investigations as well as humanitarian assistance. The Indonesian human rights lawyer Veronica Koman also delivered a statement on behalf of Vivat International, TAPOL, International Coalition for Papua, West Papua Netzwerk, and Franciscans International. Ms. Koman spoke to emphasise the serious issues of the excessive use of force upon indigenous West Papuans, the ongoing military operation in Nduga has resulted in the death of more than 25 people as well as displacing more than 2000 civilians. Franciscans International also raised concernsabout high levels of violence and other human rights violations that continue to be reported in West Papua.

During Item 9 of the General Debate regarding racial discrimination (19 March), Geneva for Human Rights raised concerns about systematic racial discrimination imposed by the Indonesian government that is threatening the survival of indigenous West Papuans.

TAPOL along with other international organizations also had the opportunity to meet with representatives from various Special Rapporteurs’ offices.

TAPOL is calling on the UN Human Rights Council to pay attention to the severe limitation of civil liberties in West Papua and the worsening human rights situation, particularly with respect to violations perpetrated by Indonesian security forces on indigenous West Papuans. he military approach employed in West Papua is a destructive force on indigenous West Papuan communities. We call on the international community and foreign governments to encourage the Indonesian government to open access to West Papua, to reduce the use of a military approach in West Papua, to guarantee the safety of human rights defenders on the ground, and to provide the West Papuans with opportunity to make their voices heard.

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TAPOL campaigns for human rights, peace and democracy in Indonesia. We are based in the UK and work to raise awareness of human rights issues in Indonesia, including in the contested territory of West Papua. Founded on grassroots campaigning, TAPOL works closely with local organisations in Indonesia to advocate for truth and justice and encourage the international community to take action.

Military approach questioned as violence worsens in Papua

Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific Journalist 12 March 2019

As the numbers of casualties and displaced people in Papua's Highlands pile up, prospects for an end to armed conflict in the Indonesian-ruled region appear dim.

Indonesian National Armed Forces carrying a coffin of a fallen fellow soldier. Three Indonesian soldiers were reportedly killed by the West Papuan Liberation Army in Nduga regency on March 7th, 2019 Photo: Tempo

Humanitarian concern is growing for villagers who have been displaced by conflict in the Highlands between Indonesia's military and the West Papua Liberation Army. But even elected Papuan leaders in government pushing for a de-escalation of military operations risk a reprimand or threat of prosecution from Indonesia's military. In the latest bout of clashes yesterday, Indonesia's military says between 50 and 70 Liberation Army fighters descended on soldiers guarding the construction of a bridge in Nduga's Yigi district. Indonesia's military said three members died before the military was able to drive the rebels back. It also claimed that between seven and ten Liberation Army fighters were killed.

According to the Liberation Army, the violence on Thursday was sparked when Indonesian soldiers interrogated a local villager and then set fire to five houses.

Indonesian military and police operations intensified in the remote Highlands regency of Nduga in December after the Liberation Army massacred at least 16 road construction workers. The Indonesian government's major Trans-Papua Road project was already controversial among Papuan Highlands communities without the involvement of military engineers on the job adding to mistrust among Papuans. However as military operations to pursue the Liberation Army's guerilla fighters ramped up, thousands of Nduga villagers caught in the middle of hostilities fled to the bush or neighbouring regencies such as Jayawijaya.

Since the latter part of 2017, fighters with the West Papuan Liberation Army, or TPN, have intensified hostilities with Indonesia's military and police in Tembagapura and its surrounding region in Papua's Highlands. Photo: RNZ / Suara Wiyaima

An Indonesian academic, Hipolitus YR Wangge of Jakarta's Marthinus Academy, has been working on research in Papua and found himself volunteering help for Nduga's refugees streaming into Jayawijaya's main town of Wamena.

He said the people were traumatised and short on basic needs, having come from a regency which is extremely isolated. According to him, over two thousand Nduga people have sought refuge in the Wamena area, including over six hundred children. "Those refugees are coming down from the jungle, from Nduga, and they have nothing here, even the local (Jayawijaya) government here say 'these are not our people, these are not Jayawijaya people, it is Nduga regency people, so let their government deal with this one'," he said.

"On the other hand, Nduga's government, their focus is mainly on those Nduga people who are running away and staying in the (local) jungle."

The impact of displacement was also seen by Peter Prove, a member of a delegation from the World Council of Churches which was last month permitted to visit Papua.

"And in particular in Wamena we met with a group of more than 400 children and adolescents who were displaced, and who were being provided with refuge in the compound of the Roman Catholic Church there," he explained.

"And we heard very alarming stories about the circumstances under which they had fled from their territory, including indications of a very strong-armed military response."

An emergency makeshift school was established by volunteer groups in Wamena for the displaced children. However last month when Indonesian military and police personnel came to the school, a number of children reportedly ran away in fear.

Indonesian security forces in a Highlands village as they pursue independence fighters in West Papua's Puncak Jaya regency. Photo: Supplied

Concerned for the displaced communities, governor of Papua, Lukas Enembe, recently called for Indonesia's president to withdraw troops to allow villagers to return home and access basic needs. His call was echoed by local parliamentarians, customary leaders, church and civil society organisations who continue to press for a de-escalation of military operations in the region.

However Indonesia's military spokesman in Papua, Colonel Muhammad Aidi, has warned that the governor had violated state law and should be prosecuted.

"A governor is an extension of the state in the region and is obliged to defend the sovereignty of the republic of Indonesia," Colonel Aidi explained.

"A governor must support all national strategic programs. But on the contrary the governor through his statement actually inhibited the national development process."

Flash Floods and landslides

In a tragic event approximately 112 people are dead and at least 90 more still reported missing after flooding and landslides occurred in the Sentani District in mid-March. The National Disaster Management Agency reports more than 11 000 people displaced in 28 sites, 375 buildings severely damaged and four bridges collapsed

A report by Mongabay below.

‘Nothing was left’: Flash floods, landslides hit Indonesia’s Papua region

by Asrida Elisabeth, Della Syahni, Lusia Arumingtyas on 21 March 2019 | Translated by Basten Gokkon

JAYAPURA/JAKARTA — Rain-triggered flash floods and landslides that struck Indonesia’s easternmost province this past weekend have killed nearly 90 people and driven thousands from their homes. The country’s disaster mitigation agency has cited human-caused deforestation as having exacerbated the scale of the damage.

The flooding and mudslides destroyed buildings and roads in several areas of Jayapura district, in Papua province, on March 17. The district, in the foothills of the Cyclops Mountains, was reportedly drenched in heavy rain for seven hours non-stop. The rain caused Papua’s biggest lake, Sentani, to overflow, causing flooding in at least nine administrative villages in its vicinity…………………….
https://news.mongabay.com/2019/03/nothing-was-left-flash-floods-landslides-hit-indonesias-papua-region/

Some images from the report

Deforested slopes in the Cyclops Mountains Mud-covered school books in Jayapura. Schools were shut across the district after the disaster.

are prone to landslides. Image by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay. Image by Asrida Elisabeth/Mongabay Indonesia

Rocks and uprooted trees carried by floodwaters and landslides hit hundreds of houses in Jayapura, Papua province. Image by Asrida Elisabeth/Mongabay Indonesia.

(Note. A google translate. Be-aware google translate can be a bit erratic).

Chronological TPNPB - TNI shootout (March 7, 2019) version of TPNPB

Jubi March 10,

Jayapura, Jubi - The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) claimed to have seized four weapons during a shootout on March 7, 2019. This firefight in previous reports stated that three TNI members and ten TPNPB members had been killed. Sebby Sambom, TPNPB spokesman, told Jubi that the shootout occurred at around 12:30 local time in Kampung Windi, Derakma District. "Not in Mugi District as stated by the TNI," Sebby said on Sunday (03/10/2019).

According to Sebby, this shootout occurred after eight TNI members from the District Post heading to Windi's village met Amos Kogeya with his wife. The eight members of the TNI then interrogated Amos and his wife. After interrogating Amos, the TNI member burned five honai belonging to the residents. This honai burning attracted the attention of TPNPB members and then went to the village. When I arrived in the village, eight members of the TNI were still there so there was a shootout. In this shootout five members of the TNI were killed. In previous reports, the TNI said three TNI members were killed. Sebby continued, TPNPB forces also seized weapons belonging to TNI members.

A shootout broke out again at 3:00 p.m. when two helicopters arrived to evacuate the bodies of the TNI members who were killed. On the TPNPB side according to Sebby, none of his members were killed even though the TNI said ten members of TPNPB were killed and his body was taken by TPNPB members who fled after the shootout. One body was found dead during the shootout, in addition to three bodies of the TNI according to Sebby was a 52-year-old civilian named Amiri Nimiage. Amiri works as a farmer everyday. He lives in Tirid Village, Iniknggal District. Amiri's body was then burned by local residents at 4:25 a.m.

"Amiri's remains were found around Yigi District. There is nothing to do with the shootout that occurred. "The distance between Yigi District and Derakma District is very far," Sebby said. (*)

Boycott the Indonesian elections and Rally for Referendum!

March 26, 2019 Statement

As the representative body of the West Papuan people and all West Papuan groups, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) formally declares a boycott of the Indonesian presidential and general elections on April 17, 2019. As ULMWP Chairman, I urge all West Papuans and all those sympathetic with the West Papuan cause to boycott the April elections. We don’t want a new Indonesian colonial ruler – we want our freedom.

We have tried participating in the elections of the colonial master before – but we are still killed, tortured and discriminated against every day. Instead of playing the games of the imperialist, the ULMWP declares April 5, 2019 a global day of action for West Papua: the Rally for Referendum.

As we continue to mourn the Nduga crisis and flooding in Sentani, I urge all my people across West Papua to join hand-in-hand and gather together in the spirit of unity for this effort. Together, we will stand united for our common cause of self-determination and affirm that an independence referendum is the only solution for West Papua. Across the world, wherever there are West Papua support groups, I urge everyone to join in solidarity and rally for our right to a referendum on April 5. April 5 marks the anniversary of the establishment of the Nieuw Guinea Raad (the West Papua National Parliament). On April 5, 1961, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the international community formally recognised our sovereignty, right to self-determination and democracy.

It is with hope and pride that we West Papuans remember when our National Parliament was launched. Six months later, on October 19, our elected and representative leaders told the world that:

We, Papuans, demand our own position, equal to that of the free nations and in the ranks of these nations we, Papuans, wish to live in peace and to contribute to the maintenance of world peace. We are filled with joy when we remember these words, yet we are filled with sadness when we remember that only two years later, our country was invaded by Indonesia. We West Papuans cannot and will not take part in the elections of an occupying power. We will always resist attempts by the Indonesian government to colonise West Papua.

This year marks a much more significant event for the people of West Papua than any Indonesian election: the 50th anniversary of the so-called Act of Free Choice.

This fake Act marked the process of Indonesia’s illegal occupation of West Papua. This Act, promised to us by the United Nations as an act of self-determination for all West Papuans, involved just 1,022 hand-picked people, who were forced under threats of death to declare their support for Indonesian rule. The Act was not a genuine act of self-determination – it was the complete opposite. Indonesia’s continued occupation of West Papua is fraudulent.

In 2017, my people already voted. 1.8 million of us signed, by hand, the historic West Papuan People’s Petition calling for a referendum on independence, an act of self-determination. This is the real vote of the West Papuan people, not the forced word of 1,022 people fifty years ago.

These elections are not for the Papuan people – they are for Indonesia. I’m calling on all of my people, whether rich or poor, civil servant or worker, military or civilian, from village or city, to peacefully boycott the Indonesian elections on April 17. We know what we want – our freedom. I call on you all to prepare for an inevitable referendum on independence and intensify the struggle against the Indonesian occupation. We respect Indonesia’s right to hold elections in its own territory, but we will oppose the elections of the coloniser when they are forced upon us.

On this year, the 50th anniversary of the illegal occupation of West Papua, with Papuans still suffering flooding in Sentani, let the global Rally for Referendum be a catalyst for the West Papuan struggle, to unite all groups and individuals around the world for the common cause of a referendum. Let us come together in unity, for peace, for justice and for a free West Papua.

May God bless you all.

Benny Wenda Chairman ULMWP

SBS report

West Papuans call for mass boycott of Indonesian elections

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/west-papuans-call-for-mass-boycott-of-indonesian-elections

Indonesian Police Cracks Down on Students Demonstrating for West Papuan Rights

Members of the Papuan Student Alliance, as well as Indonesian students, organised a demonstration to demand West Papua’s right to self-determination, boycotting of elections, and closing of PT Freeport. Peoples Dispatch09 Apr 2019 In Malang, Indonesia, police cracked down heavily on students demonstrating for West Papuan rights

In Malang, Indonesia, on April 7, police forces cracked down heavily on demonstrators protesting against the mining company PT Freeport, in support of the right to self-determination of West Papuans, and campaigning for boycott of the upcoming national elections. Eyewitness reports and videos captured on mobiles show that police in plainclothes used force against peacefully demonstrating students, and even beat them up. The demonstrators consisted of members of the Papuan Student Alliance, as well as Indonesian students. They were forcibly dispersed, and later transported using a police truck to almost outside the city limits. The students were demanding a free and fair referendum to be held in West Papua in line with the United Nations’ guarantee to all nations of a right to self-determination. The students were also demanding closing of operations of PT Freeport. April 7th, the day the demonstrations were being carried out, marks the 57th year of the signing of the Freeport-McRoRan deal in 1967. This deal was signed two years before the 1969 fraudulent referendum in West Papua, and led to the Indonesian government giving away mining rights of Papuan resources to the US giant Freeport-McRoRan.

The referendum held in 1969, known as the Act of Free Choice, was rejected by the people of West Papua. The Indonesian military was in charge of carrying out the vote and handpicked 1,026 representatives out a population of 1 million in West Papua. These few were forced to vote against the West Papua’s independence from Indonesia. People of West Papua have since then been resisting and fighting the Indonesian occupation of their lands, demanding a free and fair vote to decide their fate. With the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, the movement for the freedom of West Papua is campaigning more vigorously, and is also calling for a boycott of the elections.

Freeport operations and displacement of indigenous peoples

The closing of the Freeport company’s operations was also a central demand of the mobilization. The company has taken over huge tracts of land, leading to the displacement of indigenous peoples. It has also caused widespread destruction of the environment as it refuses to adhere to established environmental regulations, and has not been penalised for its actions due to the company’s political and financial clout. The pervasive pollution of the lands and rivers has had a severe impact on the livelihoods of the Papuan tribal people.

One of the mines owned by Freeport-McRoRan is the Grasberg mine, which has the world’s largest gold reserves. This generates a significant share of the company’s revenues, and also made it the largest taxpayer to the Indonesian government until the recent divestment deal. Despite that, however, the mining giant has been guilty of paying its workers poor wages and mass layoffs.

The protesting students also reported that the police made use of racist slurs against them. Resisting the repression, the West Papuans and their allies vowed to continue their struggle for rights and freedom. International solidarity protests were organised in in UK, Netherlands, and Australia calling for free and fair referendum in West Papua, and boycott of the coming elections.

https://www.newsclick.in/Indonesian-Police-Students-Demonstrating-West-Papuan

Indonesian Police Cracks Down on Students Demonstrating for West Papuan Right

Herald Tribune.

Papuan fighters vow more attacks on Indonesian highway

By The Associated Press Posted Mar 28, 2019

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) ” Papuan independence fighters are vowing more attacks on a highway that’s the Indonesian president’s key development project in the troubled easternmost region. The threat was made in a video purportedly recorded last week in the Nduga area of Papua province’s central highlands. The video and photos show about 40 fighters, a few with Indonesian military assault rifles and other weapons. In the video, a man standing next to a liberation army commander, Egianus Kogoya, reads out a statement that taunts the military for being unable to find the Papuan fighters even though they’re in the same mountainous area.

Kogoya, who also speaks in the video, said, “We cannot step back, we will not hesitate, we would pursue (military and police) until Jakarta gives us independence, our nation must unite to separate from the Republic of Indonesia.” Indonesian forces have poured into Nduga since rebels killed 19 people working on the trans-Papua highway on Dec. 2. The government of President Joko Widodo says the highway will speed up economic development of West Papua and Papua provinces, among the poorest regions in Indonesia, but independence supporters see the project as a way for Jakarta to cement control over the region. An insurgency has simmered in Papua, which makes up the western half of the island of New Guinea, since the early 1960s when Indonesia annexed the Dutch-controlled territory.

Discrimination against indigenous Papuans and abuses by Indonesian police and military have drawn renewed attention globally as Indonesia campaigns for membership in the U.N.’s human rights watchdog. An Indonesian human rights lawyer, Veronica Koman, and a Papuan activist, Victor Yeimo, addressed the council earlier this month. They said 25 civilians have died as a result of military and police security operations in Nduga since the Dec. 2 attack. Indonesia replied that security forces are “trying to be very selective and cautious in the attempt to bring all perpetrators of the heinous killing” on Dec. 2 to justice.

The military says civilian workers on the highway have fled and its engineers will build the 21 bridges needed to complete it. Papuan fighters claimed to have seized weapons from Indonesian soldiers in a Mar. 7 gunfight in Nduga that according to the military killed three soldiers and at least one Papuan. Indonesia’s military also claimed to have recovered weapons The statement read out in the video said the liberation army recovered three Indonesian-made SS-2 assault rifles during the March attack. One such weapon is visible in photos as well as a first-generation SS rifle.

This petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the Senate that:

Reputable human rights organisations report significant human rights violations committed by Indonesian police and military in West Papua;
These violations are committed with impunity;
The Australian Federal Police and Australian Defence Forces provide substantial support to the Indonesian police and military, including D88, Brimob and Kopassus, the worst human rights offenders;
The nature and extent of this support is not fully disclosed;
No conditionality or benchmarks are attached to this support to ensure Indonesian police and military respect human rights

We therefore ask the House to call on the Government to:

Condemn human rights violations everywhere, including in West Papua;
Vigorously raise concerns about human rights violations committed in West Papua with the Indonesian Government;
Take action at the United Nations to hold the Indonesian Government fully accountable for human rights violations committed by its security forces in West Papua;
Ensure that Australian Government aid does not enable human rights violations anywhere, including in West Papua;

· Initiate an independent audit of the effectiveness and human rights risks associated with all programs involving Indonesian police and military receiving Australian Government funding.

https://www.wagepeaceau.org/mwps_petition/
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For Sydneysiders

Book Launch and Conversation

Clinton Fernandes and Bernard Collaery

Professor Fernandes' book “Island off the Coast of Asia” discusses the role of the private sector in defining and pursuing Australia’s ‘naional interest’ and thus influencing Australia’s foreign policy. The book will be launched by Bernard Collaery, respected Canberra lawyer, lawyer for Witness K, and former legal adviser to the Government of Timor- Leste, who received the Civil Australian Lawyer of the Year Award in 2018.

To register for this event please email susan.connelly@sosj.org.au

Event details When: Saturday 13 April 3:00pm – 5:00pm

Where: Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College  O’Regan Arts and Cultural Common Theatre   128 Miller Street, North Sydney  

Flyer

http://justly.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Fernandes-Book-launch-flyer.pdf

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Last update 08/04/2019

Nobody, Turbojugend Sydney and Turbojugend Inner West presents…
Denim Fest III
A Benefit for the Free West Papua Campaign Australia
It’s time to get it on, at Denim Fest III, featuring Australia’s finest Turbonegro tribute, the mighty Turbobelco! This year the proceeds will go to an especially worthy cause, the Free West Papua Campaign.
Joining the denim demons will no less than The Neptune Power Federation, who have recently returned from conquering Europe; HY-TEST, making their long awaited return up the highway; the raucous punk 'n' roll of COFFIN; Generation Landslide – boasting members of White Knuckle Fever and Australis Über Alles – will deliver a dose of Alice Cooper in his prime, circa the 1970s; manic punks from the Gong, Sloshpit, and Canberra’s newest and greatest export, Charlotte & The Harlots.
Marrickville Bowling Club
Saturday May 11
5pm to midnight $15

https://www.evensi.com/denim-fest-iii-marrickville-bowling-club/301560562

Opinion pieces/reports/ press releases etc

Pacific value of ‘one family’ lost on Indonesian government
https://asiapacificreport.nz/2019/03/29/pacific-value-of-one-family-lost-on-indonesian-government/

Entering a new era of the Indonesia and South Pacific relationship

https://en.antaranews.com/news/122971/entering-a-new-era-of-the-