Sunday, June 30, 2019

1) Raising West Papuans' rights


http://www.anglicantaonga.org.nz/news/worldwide/westpapua_19

1) Raising West Papuans’ rights

West Papua human rights advocate and development expert Rosa Moiwend has called on the New Zealand churches to keep West Papuan rights in the foreground of our advocacy efforts with Government.



TAONGA NEWS | 26 JUN 2019|



Rosa Moiwend is visiting Aotearoa New Zealand this week to raise the alarm on human rights abuses against West Papuans and to encourage advocacy on West Papuan indigenous people’s behalf.
Rosa Biwangko Moiwend is a West Papuan woman working in West Papua and in the Pacific region as a human rights activist, community organiser, civil resistance researcher, and educator. A Malind Anim woman from the southern part of West Papua, she has been active in the campaign against MIFEE, the proposed giant food and palm oil plantation in Merauke. 

Talking at Otago University on 24 June, Rosa outlined the ongoing problems West Papuan people face to achieve recognition of indigenous land rights, freedom of movement and the right to peaceful protest.
Rosa was welcomed by West Papua Action Auckland (WPA), who entitled Rosa’s speaking tour, ‘West Papua, the Pacific crisis we can no longer ignore.’
“West Papua holds the record for the worst environmental problems, human rights abuses and deforestation in the Pacific region.” declared the WPA media release. 
 “As a result of conflict in highland Nduga, thousands of displaced people are struggling to cope. These harmful conditions coupled with the loss of life since the Indonesian takeover in 1963 amount to ‘slow genocide’.”
“However, the New Zealand government is all but silent on the mounting crisis.”
West Papua – which comprises the western half of the Papua land mass adjacent to Papua New Guinea, has been under the control of Indonesia since 1963, despite the West Papuan peoples’ 1961 manifesto of independence declared in advance of the Dutch colonial power’s departure.
Rosa called on churches in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia to continue to raise West Papua’s situation with their Governments, and keep the focus on West Papua human rights in their diplomatic relations with Indonesia.
“Many groups and meetings make statements about the West Papua situation, and raise the issue of human rights abuses, but what really makes a difference is to keep up the pressure on Governments to raise West Papua issues with Indonesia.” said Rosa.

Rosa lauded the ecumenical delegationcoordinated by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and two Indonesian church groupings that visited the provinces of Papua and Papua Barat on February 15-22 this year. Increasing violence and discrimination against indigenous Papuan people In those two regions was recently highlighted in a joint statement by five UN human rights mandate-holders.
Rosa’s visit comes as a reminder to the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia that in 2016 our Hīnota Whānui - General Synod agreed to step up in solidarity with the people of West Papua, and moved to:

1. Condemn human rights abuse inflicted by the Indonesian government on the peoples of West Papua;
2. Condemn the illegal incarceration and the torture of the peoples of West Papua; and
3. Support the call for a UN controlled vote on the self-determination of West Papua to be held as soon as practical.
Political actors like the Pacific Islands Forum and the Melanesian Spearhead Group have publicly called for an investigation into human rights abuses in West Papua, said Rosa, and here close by in the Pacific, all churches, NGOs and academics can play a role in reminding their Governments as well as regional groupings of countries to meet their fact-finding obligations and address the human rights concerns they have spoken out on.
For more information on the history and current situation of West Papua you can attend one of Rosa Moiwend’s remaining speaking engagements in:
Hamilton 
Saturday 29 June, 2019, 8:30 to 10:15am in University of Waikato, K Block: G.11.
Rosa will speak in the West Papua roundtable event ‘Wansolwara: The Trans-Indigenous Ocean with West Papua’ roundtable as part of the Native American and Indigenous Studies conference at Waikato University.
Auckland 
Monday 1 July, 2019: 6.30pm in the St Colomba Centre, 40 Vermont Street, Ponsonby.
Related links:



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2) Papua conflict: Two wrongs don’t make a right
Sheith Khidhir 30 June 2019


Last Tuesday, an Indonesian military spokesman was reported as saying that any use of child soldiers by Papuan independence fighters would be a violation of human rights. The spokesman said this violation would implicate both, the rebels as well as state institutions.
The statement was made following the allegation that the armed conflict between Indonesia’s military and the West Papua Liberation Army involves indigenous teenagers and boys. Many of them appear as though they have barely reached adolescence.

The military’s spokesman, Muhammad Aidi, said in a statement that if armed Papuans have involved children in the conflict it would show they’re a “wild, uncivilised” group.
Under international law, a child is anyone under 18 years of age and the use of individuals under 15 years old in conflicts is a war crime. Nearly 170 countries including Indonesia have ratified a United Nations (UN) treaty that obliges governments to stop military recruitment of anyone under 18 years and to work toward ending the military exploitation of children by state and non-state armed groups.
While the use of children for war is, without question, a gross violation of human rights and as the old adage goes “two wrongs don’t make a right”, it is still important to remember that Indonesia has not been so innocentwhen it comes to its conflict with Papua either.
Indonesia’s human rights violations
Last year, Amnesty International said in a report that Indonesia’s police and military are responsible for at least 96 unlawful killings in the Papua region since 2010. They also condemned a near total absence of justice for the mainly indigenous victims.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) also noted in its World Report 2019 that Indonesian security forces continue to pay a “little price” for committing abuses, including past unlawful killings of Papuans. It also stated that authorities continue to place far-reaching restrictions on foreign journalists seeking to report from Papua and West Papua provinces.
“In March (2019), the mysterious death in police custody of Rico Ayomi, a 17-year-old student, for alleged alcohol poisoning underscored the lack of accountability for deaths of Papuans by police,” the report read.
“Two foreign journalists were harassed in Papua in 2018 for alleged ‘illegal reporting.’ They include BBC correspondent Rebecca Henschke, arrested in February, and Polish freelancer Jakub Fabian Skrzypski, arrested in August. Henschke, who had a legitimate travel document, was questioned for a total of 17 hours before being freed. Five Papuan men, including a graduate student, were arrested separately in the Skrzypski case (Skrzypski did not have a travel permit for Papua).”
But that’s not all. The HRW report also cited a measles outbreak in the Asmat regency that killed an estimated 100 Papuan children in January 2018. This, according to the report, underscored the Indonesian government’s neglect of indigenous Papuans’ basic health care.






Source: KontraS

Re-election
In May, Indonesian president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was re-elected for his second termas the country’s leader. Back in 2014 (during Jokowi’s first campaign for the presidency) he had made several campaign promises. Observers all over Indonesia have taken note of the promises he kept and the ones he didn’t but perhaps one of the unfulfilled promises that disappointed observers the most was that regarding the issue of human rights.
In October last year, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) was quoted by Indonesian media as accusing Jokowi of putting human rights on the backburner. In its evaluation report, KontraS noted that Jokowi had failed to carry out most of his own 17 priority human rights programs.
Based on the Jokowi administration’s “Nawa cita” (nine priorities) document, KontraS said Jokowi’s administration has 17 programs or promises relating to human right issues. KontraS noted six programs were not fulfilled and 11 promises were incompletely finished.
“His administration failed to accomplish most of its initial commitments about human rights,” KontraS commissioner Yati Andriyani was quoted as saying.
And so, while the Indonesian military may take issue with the alleged human rights violations by Papuan independence fighters, it must not forget that it too has to clean up its own backyard. It is hoped that the statement made by Aidi shows that Indonesia is now serious about ensuring human rights are protected on both sides of the divide.
Related articles:
Hundreds of students flee violence in Papua
Now what, Jokowi?
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3) TNI Deploys Bell Helicopters to Search Missing Chopper MI-17
Translator: Antara 
Editor: Petir Garda Bhwana 30 June 2019 11:00 WIB

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta- The Indonesian Army (TNI AD) deployed two Bell Helicopters and a CN235 aircraft to Oksibil to search for its MI-17 Helicopter (Heli MI-17) that had lost contact since Friday (June 28) at Okbibab, Pegunungan Bintang District, Papua.
Deputy of Public Relations and Media Department (Wakapendam) XVII Cendrawasih Lieutenant Colonel Infantry Dax Sianturi stated at Sentani District on Saturday that aerial and land borne search operations will be continued.
"Since yesterday evening, we had deployed 100 army personnel to Oksibil. They took the land route to Bulangkop Village, Okaoam, Pegunungan Bintang District," Sianturi remarked.
He confirmed that 100 other army personnel from Yonif 751 RK along with 10 personnel of the search and rescue team will be dispatched aboard the Indonesian Air Force's CN235 aircraft from the Silas Papare Air Base, Jayapura.
It was reported over WhatsApp messenger last night that the MI-17 had made an emergency landing, with all crew members having survived, but Sianturi denied this information. He reported that no report had been received on this until 10 p.m. Eastern Indonesian Time (WIT).
The MI-17Helicopter, bearing registration number HA-5138 and carrying onboard 12 passengers and crew members, lost contact on Friday (June 28) at 11:49 a.m. WIT. They had earlier flown to Okbibab to dispatch logistics to military officers there.
The crew members comprised pilots Captain Aris and First Lt Bambang, co-pilot First Lt Ahwar, Chief Sergeant Suriyatna, Second Sergeant Dita, Private Dwi Purnomo, and Private Aharul.
The passengers were Yonif 725/WRG soldiers: Ikrar Setya Nainggolan, Yanuarius Loe, Risno, Sujono Kaimuddin, and Tegar Hadi Sentana.
ANTARA
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4) Pacific Forum countries urged to follow up on West Papua
6:06 pm on 28 June 2019 



from Dateline Pacific
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Rosa Moiwend, who has been visiting New Zealand this week, said it was important that Pacific Islands Forum countries advanced this issue to reflect widespread, grassroots concern for West Papua in the region.
At the 2015 Pacific Forum summit, leaders agreed to push for a fact-finding mission to Papua.
Indonesia is yet to allow such a mission to visit, but Ms Moiwend said forum members must follow this up.
"Because otherwise it's just lip service from the forum," she said.
"Members of the Pacific Islands Forum are also UN members, so we need more and more Pacific Island countries to speak about the human rights situation in West Papua."
According to Ms Moiwend, while several small Pacific countries have raised Papua at the UN, bigger countries such as Australia and New Zealand should support them.

Development

Indonesian president Joko Widodo's infrastructure development drive in Papua is proving traumatic for remote indigenous communities, Ms Moiwend said.
Its centre-piece is the Trans-Papua Road project which is being built through some of Papua's most remote terrain.
The project is also at the heart of heightened conflict in Papua's Highlands since the West Papua Liberation Army massacred at least 16 road construction workers last December.
While conceding that opening up access to Papua through the project had its benefits, Ms Moiwend said it also brought outsiders and development that local Papuans were not prepared for.
"It will also open a space for more and more military and police posts along the road, because of the security reason that they will say.
"And it's actually threatened people's lives because for West Papuans people are traumatic with the presence of the military."
Ms Moiwend's family are customary landowners in Merauke in Papua's south where rapid oil palm and agri-business development is underway.
"Customary land is actually affected by these big projects - food project and oil palm plantation," Ms Moiwend explained, adding that indigenous communities had little say in the development
"I think government needs to discuss with the people. You can't just come and (start) plotting the land and then invite the investor to come and invest their money because people rely on our land.
"The land is the source of our food. So if they want to replace with something else, then how can they provide food for our people?”
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Sunday, June 23, 2019

1) Underage fighters are drawn into Indonesian conflict


2) Prolonged series of violence in Papua reinforces the demand for self-determination
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1) Underage fighters are drawn into Indonesian conflict

BY STEPHEN WRIGHT, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 
Posted Jun 22, 2019 10:26 pm PDT

In this photo taken in May 2019, and released by the West Papua Liberation Army-Free Papua Organization, men and boys from the West Papua Liberation Army pose with weapons in the Nduga region of the central highlands, Papua province, Indonesia. (West Papua Liberation Army-Free Papua Organization via AP)


JAKARTA, Indonesia — The long-simmering armed conflict between Indonesia’s military and Papuans seeking independence includes indigenous teenagers and boys who appear barely adolescent, The Associated Press has found, highlighting how Indonesia’s heavy-handed attempts to extinguish the movement have produced a new generation of fighters.
The West Papua Liberation Army, which has fought Indonesian control in the easternmost region since the early 1960s, and Papuans who peacefully advocate independence acknowledge that youngsters are involved in the conflict. But they also describe them as willing participants who fight against the Indonesian state because of military operations in Papua.
International law defines a child as under 18 years old and the recruitment and use of children under 15 for military purposes is a war crime under the 2002 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Nearly 170 countries including Indonesia have ratified a U.N. treaty that obliges governments to stop military recruitment of anyone under 18 and to work toward ending the military exploitation of children by state and non-state armed groups.
Sebby Sambom, a Liberation Army spokesman who lives in neighbouring Papua New Guinea, acknowledged that combatants include people under 18, describing it as part of West Papua’s history and struggle for independence.
The Papuan fighters have never been well armed but have battled Indonesia since it took control of the mineral-rich region from the Dutch in 1962. Papuans, who had declared their independence the year before, see Indonesians as invaders who cemented control with a sham referendum at the end of the 1960s.
For the Indonesian government, Papua is a rich prize endowed with mineral resources it says it will never give up. Officials say the territory is rightfully Indonesia’s under international law because it was part of the Dutch East Indies empire that is the basis for Indonesia’s modern borders.
The existence of child soldiers “is a sign that the West Papuan conflict is far more serious than the world acknowledges,” said Veronica Koman, a human rights lawyer who has frequently called attention to alleged police and military abuses in the region.
“West Papua needs urgent international intervention, because child soldiers are themselves victims. The Indonesian government’s security approach has created an intractable conflict by brutalizing generation after generation of West Papuans,” she said.
A photo taken in May by a Liberation Army member in the Nduga area of the central highlands in Papua shows four males who appear to range in age from pre-teen to adolescent, with four older men also the same group, all holding military-style weapons.
A video recorded by the independence fighters in the same area earlier this year shows some of the same boys, one holding a rifle, and other possible adolescents standing at attention among a group of about 40 armed men who had assembled to hear a speech about their military victories since 2017.
Also in the video is Ekianus Kogeya, who turned 19 in May and is described by the Liberation Army as a brigadier general and its commander in the Nduga area, after taking over from his father Silas Elmin Kogeya, who reportedly died several years ago.
It is unclear how many teens are directly involved in the conflict or what specific roles they play, but with several hotspots it could be at least dozens.
Victor Mambor, editor of Papuan news site Tabloid Jubi, told AP he was unexpectedly contacted by a group of 20 fighters in January while reporting on the humanitarian crisis in Nduga. Thousands of civilians have been displaced by a security crackdown following a December attack that killed 19 construction workers. The group was three-quarters teenage boys, some 15-16 years old, he said.
“This group didn’t speak too much. They are only talking about ‘We are not criminals, not terrorists, we fight for our people,'” he said.
“Those teenagers have no hope in their own land,” Mambor said. “There is no job for them if they finish school. Many soldiers in their villages. Maybe their only hope to exist is to hold a weapon.”
Groups campaigning to end the use of child soldiers say they are sometimes forcibly recruited but can also join militaries and armed groups because of cultural pressures, for protection or money to escape desperate poverty. Children in conflicts, whether as combatants or in other roles such as porters, face a high risk of being abused, killed or maimed and those that survive can suffer profound psychological and social problems.
Papua is not mentioned in the U.N. secretary-general’s yearly report on states and groups using child soldiers, and international awareness of the situation in Papua is low. Indonesia’s restrictions on foreign journalists and organizations operating in the region has kept it mostly hidden from world attention. Rights groups criticize the U.N.’s list for being politicized and incomplete.
Papua makes up nearly a quarter of Indonesia’s land area and is rich in tropical forests and mineral resources including one of the world’s largest gold and copper mines. Even so, vast areas remain outside of Indonesian control due to being remote, mountainous and thickly jungled.
An influx of migrants from other parts of Indonesia has made Papuans an economically and politically marginalized minority in some lowland areas, adding fuel to the conflict. But highland areas about the size of Britain are populated mainly by Papuans.
Attempts to break up that jungled fortress with the construction of a trans-Papua highway have become a new flashpoint in the conflict. The highway looms as an existential threat for Papuans already reeling from the impact of high infant mortality, bouts of famine, the rampant spread of HIV/AIDS and an unknown number of deaths from Indonesian military campaigns since the 1960s.
Papuan activists fear the highway will result not in economic development but in the total dispossession of their land.
Sambom, who described youngsters involved with the Liberation Army as “children” and “young men,” said children of independence fighters grow up in the jungle, have “bitter experiences due to brutal (Indonesian) military operations” and automatically become fighters.
“This situation applies in all of the central highlands of Papua, which are areas of war conflict,” he said in an email. “They grow up and become Papuan freedom fighters, namely continuing the struggle of their parents.”
In a telephone interview, he didn’t answer questions about the number of teenage or child combatants or their specific roles in the conflict. He said the children of Papuan fighters don’t attend school, partly because they fear they’ll be kidnapped or killed by the Indonesian military.
The Indonesian military spokesman in Papua, Muhammad Aidi, said Papuan fighters killed by Indonesian forces are mostly 20-40 years old. He said he had not seen any direct evidence of child combatants but in some remote areas children aspired to join the West Papua Liberation Army.
“If we ask some children in the remote region of Mapenduma about their dreams in the future, their answer is to become an OPM (Free Papua Organization) fighter,” he said. “Because they don’t know the outside world.”
He said anyone under 18 who attacked Indonesian security forces with arms would not be spared.
“The threat is the same as adults who can kill us with their guns,” he said.
Stephen Wright, The Associated Press
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2) Prolonged series of violence in Papua reinforces the demand for self-determination
Published 18 mins ago on 23 June 2019 
By pr9c6tr3_juben
Jayapura, Jubi – Any forms of violence and human rights violations that continually occurred as well as the failure of the State to fulfil the economic, social and cultural rights of indigenous have long been a root of self-determination among Papuans, stated Nicolaus Degey, a member of Religious Working Group of Papua’s People Assembly, in Jayapura on Monday (17/6/2019).
Further, he says many Papuans perceived that they continue to experience being murdered, directly or indirectly, through a series of violence and human rights violations, and poor public services, especially in health and education.
“Papuans only want to live safely and peacefully. But, if there is no guarantee of it, they must think about a solution that gives them a guarantee,” said Degey.
Moreover, he says that Papuans recently thought that any solutions offered by the central government in Jakarta, such as the expansions of provinces and regencies within Papua, have failed to materialise the fulfilment of the civil and political rights as well as the economic, social and cultural rights of Papuans. This failure has made Papuans believe that they require extreme solutions, including self-determination.
He continued to say that the torture, murder and human right violations have long occurred in Papua since the former President Soekarno announced Trikora (military operation) on 19 December 1961. Other military operations followed after that period (1965, 1977-78 in central highlands, 1984-85 in Paniai) resulting in another series of human rights violations.
After the period of military engagements, Papuans continue to experience another series of human rights violations, including through the military operation in Mapenduma in 1996, and other massacres in Biak (1998), Wasior (2001), Wamena (2003) and Paniai (2014). All these cases have never been solved and only raise new series of violence in Papua.
For example, on 2 December 2018, the West Papuan National Liberation Army under the Commander Egianus Kogoya attacked and killed the construction workers of Trans-Papua Road in Nduga Regency. As a response to this act, the Indonesia Government sent a joint military force to Nduga.
The military operation has made thousands of civilians in Nduga Regency fled to neighbouring regencies to avoid the armed conflict between the joint military force and liberation army. Currently, the refugees of Nduga live with limitations and difficulties to get health and education services.
Recently in April, the security forces involved in the shooting incidents with civilians in some regions. Six Papuans reportedly killed and five others injured. Degey said these series of violence, especially the impact of the joint military operation, have made Papuans living under threat.
In contrast, it also made Papuans becoming more resistance because they felt the treat over their life become so real. “Papuans must be more radical now (because of the joint military force operation) in Nduga,” he said.
Therefore, Degey urges the State to realise that military operation that killed thousands of life does not solve the problem in Papua. The problem in Papua can only be solved if the government recognise the rights of life and freedom of Papuans. Therefore, Papuans and the Indonesian Government need to sit together in a forum of dialogue.
Meanwhile, a member of the Special Committee for Law and Human Rights of the Papua’s People Assembly, Sarah Ita Wahla, adds that the prolonged conflict of violence in Papua has taken the rights of life and freedom of Papuans. Indigenous Papuans, in particular women, have never been free to celebrate their lives as a free human being.
She then takes an example of women in Nduga who had to flee to other regencies such as Lanny Jaya, Jayawijaya and Mimika to save the lives of their children. “When we visited the refugee camp, these women told us ‘please fight for our freedom’. That’s their message. But who would listen to them? Even us, here (as members of Papua’s People Assembly), no one wants to listen to us,” she said. (*)
 Reporter: Benny Mawel
Editor: Pipit Maizer
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Friday, June 21, 2019

1) Melanesia group criticised for failure to look after its people


2) Opposition questions Fiji’s ties with Indonesia
3) Papua Stadium ready to hold PON 2020
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1) Melanesia group criticised for failure to look after its people
The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) has come under attack for "neglecting the cries of its people, particularly in West Papua”.
5:25 pm today 

Fiji Opposition MP, Anare Jale, told Parliament's Budget debate this week the government's allocation of $FJ1.12 million to the regional group should be reduced by $120,000.
Mr Jale, who is shadow minister for foreign affairs, said the MSG has lost its way and intent, and has failed the people of Melanesia.
The MSG includes Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia's Kanaks.
Mr Jale said the MSG's role is to look after the interests of Melanesians in the region but he said the group has failed.
Foreign Affairs Minister Inia Seruiratu rejected Mr Jale's claims.
"We now have our trade agreements. We just need to strengthen the MSG and it's the leadership of the MSG that will make it work. And it was the leader of the Opposition that made Fiji join the MSG."
Mr Jale's motion to reduce contributions to the MSG was defeated along with his motion to remove the $FJ1.2m ($US560,000) allocation to the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF).
Mr Jale said the PIDF was a duplication of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) and there was no need for the budget allocation.
But Economy Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said the PIDF had given more opportunities to NGOs and civil societies in the region to participate in high-level discussions.
He said the PIDF also created more awareness on climate change.

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https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/392605/opposition-questions-fiji-s-ties-with-indonesia

2) Opposition questions Fiji’s ties with Indonesia

1:46 pm today  
Fiji's diplomatic relations with Indonesia have come under intense scrutiny in Parliament this week over human rights abuses in West Papua.

Opposition MP, Anare Jale, accused the Bainimarama government of turning its back on innocent West Papuans.
He told Parliament Jakarta has been put on notice for its treatment of West Papuans by Indonesian police and security forces.
"Serious human rights abuses have been taking place in West Papua and we have chosen to look the other way. How long can Fiji close her ears to the cries for freedom from our fellow Melanesians? It is blatantly obvious that Fiji has succumbed to Indonesia's cheque-book diplomacy - what a shame."
Anare Jale said his side of the house will continue to put pressure on both governments to "uphold and adhere fully to international human rights' principles".
The shadow foreign minister said the government has contradicted its recent commitment to the United Nations on championing human rights.
Mr Jale said it was also a shame that Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama was the vice chair of the UN human rights council yet was "unable to stop Indonesia's abuses on our Melanesian brothers and sisters in West Papua".
"The government of Indonesia, under the guise of sovereignty, has been using its military might to enslave and slaughter innocent West Papuans in their own land and country for standing up and demanding the right to be heard, and to govern themselves without oppression from Indonesia."
Mr Jale questioned the government's relationship with Jakarta whose "human rights record is one of the worst in the world."
In September last year, the opposition urged the UN Human Rights Commission to conduct an audit of the rights situation in Fiji considering Mr Bainimarama's bid for a seat on the council.
Then opposition leader Ro Teimumu Kepa said that since abrogating the constitution in 2009, the Fiji government has "established rule through draconian decrees that take control of people's lives, making a mockery of human rights there".
Also, in September 2018, Noah Kouback from Vanuatu's Permanent Mission told the UN of his government's concern about the enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention of West Papuans, in particular those speaking out about their claim to self-determination.
"Vanuatu condemns Indonesia's continued practice of arbitrary arrest and detention of indigenous Papuans exercising their internationally protected rights to freedom of expression and assembly," Mr Kouback told the UN council.
"Vanuatu notes with concern raised the working group on indigenous populations failure to respond to its request for a visit, so we call on Indonesia to allow the UN special mechanism to ... and to report on the systemic ongoing problem."
Indonesia has always denied that its police routinely abuse human rights and recently invited the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to send a team to visit the Papua region

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https://en.antaranews.com/news/127472/papua-stadium-ready-to-hold-pon-2020

Papua Stadium ready to hold PON 2020

5 hour ago

Jayapura (ANTARA) - The Papua Bangkit Stadium is fully built and ready to hold the National Sports Week (PON) 2020, though the venue of the competition, located in one complex, is yet under construction.

"Construction of the stadium is 100 percent complete and is replete with supporting facilities," Dwi Aji Wicaksono, manager in charge of construction of the Papua Stadium, remarked while delivering a presentation to Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi in Papua on Friday.

The stadium, to be used for the opening and closing of the four-year championship, has a seating capacity of 40 thousand and can be said to be the second-best Indonesian stadium after Gelora Bung Karno Senayan, Jakarta.

"Everything is built in accordance with international standards. The fields, grass, and lighting to the athletic track are all of international standard. We have also enabled access to the disabled," he stated.

Wicaksono noted that during this time, his side had continued to conduct maintenance of the stadium, which is a matter of pride for the Papuan people since a proposal for which had yet to be submitted to the provincial government. This stadium is expected to be used optimally.

Moreover, the stadium has an interesting design since it draws inspiration from the culture of the Papuan people. The stadium features a closed system and single seat arrangement. The pattern is almost similar to that of Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, Jakarta.

The "Papua Bangkit Stadium", which is "Rising Papua Stadium" in English, lies on the edge of the road between Sentani and Jayapura, thereby making it easily accessible. The people of Jayapura have to travel 40 kilometers while for those from the city of Sentani, the distance is just 10 kilometers.

Meanwhile, Nahrawi expressed pride over the completion of construction of the Rising Papua Stadium that would become the largest sports center in the eastern region of Indonesia.

"This venue must be a source of inspiration for other provinces to emulate the same. This is the best after Senayan," he emphasized.

In addition, the Papua sports complex also has an aquatics arena and a multi-sport arena.Related news: Malaria center supports Papua welcoming PON 2020

Related news: West Papua receives award from Conservation International

Related news: German Ambassador Peter Schoof pays visit to Papua

Reporter: Bayu Kuncahyo, Eliswan Azly
Editor: Azizah Fitriyanti--
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Wednesday, June 19, 2019

1) NZ foreign minister to raise West Papua issues with Indonesia



2) West Papuan Liberation Movement applies for full MSG membership

3) ULMWP applies for MSG membership

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1) NZ foreign minister to raise West Papua issues with Indonesia
New Zealand's Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, says he will raise concerns over human rights abuses in West Papua with his Indonesian counterpart.
Winston Peters at the select committee today. Photo: RNZ / Charlie Dreaver
Mr Peters was responding to a question from Green Party foreign affairs spokesperson Golriz Ghahraman in a select committee hearing today.
Ms Ghahraman said there had been "concerning" developments in Papua and asked the Foreign Minister if he would raise this with Indonesia.
Mr Peters said he will bring it up with Indonesia's Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi when she visits New Zealand soon.
"It is a concern, not just for New Zealand, but particularly with Melanesian countries and our job is to try and help Indonesia solve the problem for us, so that's what our objective is and we do have a plan to go about it but it will take some time."
Winston Peters said in March that violence in Papua would have to end before negotiations between rebels and the state could start.


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2) West Papuan Liberation Movement applies for full MSG membership

27 minutes ago 

Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific Journalist johnny.blades@rnz.co.nz

The United Liberation Movement of West Papua has officially submitted an application for full membership in the Melanesian Spearhead Group.
The Liberation Movement already has observer status in the regional group whose full members are Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia's Kanaks.



Vanuatu’s Special Envoy for West Papua, Lora Lini, hands over the United Liberation Movement for West Papua's application for full membership in the Melanesian Spearhead group to the MSG Deputy Director General Peter Eafeare. ULMWP executive member Paula Makabory (middle) observes. Photo: Supplied
A formal handover for the Liberation Movement's membership application took place at the MSG's Secretariat in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila.
Vanuatu's Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu said the membership application follows new membership criteria and procedure as approved at last year's MSG Summit in Port Moresby.
The new application was yesterday presented to the MSG secretariat in Port Vila on behalf of the Liberation Movement by Vanuatu's Special Envoy for West Papua, Lora Lini.
Ms Lini said that the application was made according to membership criteria established by a MSG sub-committee on regional and institutional issues.
"This particular criteria has been to the leaders, has been to the officials, the foreign ministers. That's why this was approved last year by leaders," she explained.
"The current application by ULMWP is in compliance with the criteria."
While the Liberation Movement has carefully followed the guidelines in its application, the MSG's decision will be a political one.
"It will all boil down to that," Ms Lini admitted, "but with the criteria, it should give some guidelines to leaders."
Meanwhile, Mr Regenvanu called on MSG leaders to favourably consider the application and elevate the Liberation Movement to full membership.
It has been well canvassed since the Liberation Movement was formed in Vanuatu in 2015 that it sought full membership in the MSG, much like the Kanaks' FLNKS Movement.
In the past few years, MSG member governments have been divided over whether to elevate the West Papuans' status in the group.
The membership bid's prospects of being approved depend largely on a change in position from PNG and Fiji who have been the strongest supporters of Indonesian rule in West Papua.

United Liberation Movement for West Papua chairman Benny Wenda Photo: RNZI / Koroi Hawkins

Indonesia, which has associate member status in the MSG, is strongly opposed to the Liberation Movement. According to Jakarta, West Papuans are already represented in the MSG by Indonesia's position in the group.
Jakarta has also described the Liberation Movement's chairman Benny Wenda, who was granted asylum in Britain in 2003 after fleeing his homeland due to charges related to his pro-independence activities, as a criminal fugitive. Mr Wenda is generally considered a legitimate West Papuan leader in the Pacific.

Vanuatu advocacy

Vanuatu played a central role in the emergence of the Liberation Movement and has helped prepare the pro-independence Papuan organisation's MSG membership bid.
In 2016 and 2017, numerous Pacific Islands governments took Vanuatu's lead and spoke out strongly over their concern for West Papuan human rights and self-determination at the United Nations.
Yet as a result of its determined diplomatic outreach in the Pacific, Indonesia has more recently made inroads in eroding the support for Vanuatu regarding West Papua.
However, changes in leadership in the past couple of months in Solomon Islands and PNG could shift dynamics within the MSG.
"Vanuatu will definitely be seeking their support at the coming MSG leader's summit (in Vila), to support the application by the ULMWP," Ms Lini said.
Vanuatu's prime minister Charlot Salwai (left, with New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern) is hoping for support for its West Papua advocacy from regional countries such as New Zealand. Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Johnny Blades

But the two incoming prime ministers are not necessarily going to guarantee safe passage for the Papuan membership bid.
In Solomon Islands, since being re-elected in April, Manasseh Sogavare has distanced himself from his previous strong support of Papuan independence aims during his last stint as prime minister,
PNG's new leader, James Marape, is unlikely to change his country's long-running policy of firm support for Indonesian control of Papua. Mr Marape said he will look to focus on growing trade links with Indonesia "in a big way".
Despite this, Vanuatu is applying fresh impetus to the West Papuan issue within the MSG whose rotational chairmanship it is due to take up this year.
Vanuatu's efforts at the MSG are part of a wider campaign to bring the Papua issue to the global community, with plans for UN resolutions including one seeking Papua's re-inscription on the decolonisation list.

Fiji's government criticised

The West Papua advocacy by Vanuatu's government contrasts starkly with that of Fiji's government which has forged close ties to Jakarta, and was instrumental in helping Indonesia join the MSG in 2011.
In Fiji's parliament this week, opposition member Anare Jale accused the Frank Bainimarama-led government of being silent on violations against West Papuans.
"Serious human rights abuses have been taking place in West Papua and we have chosen to look the other way," he said.
"How long can Fiji close her ears to the cries for freedom from our fellow Melanesians? It is blatantly obvious that Fiji has succumbed to Indonesia's cheque-book diplomacy - what a shame.”


Vanuatu's prime minister Charlot Salwai (left, with New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern) is hoping for support for its West Papua advocacy from regional countries such as New Zealand. Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Johnny Blades
But the two incoming prime ministers are not necessarily going to guarantee safe passage for the Papuan membership bid.
In Solomon Islands, since being re-elected in April, Manasseh Sogavare has distanced himself from his previous strong support of Papuan independence aims during his last stint as prime minister,
PNG's new leader, James Marape, is unlikely to change his country's long-running policy of firm support for Indonesian control of Papua. Mr Marape said he will look to focus on growing trade links with Indonesia "in a big way".
Despite this, Vanuatu is applying fresh impetus to the West Papuan issue within the MSG whose rotational chairmanship it is due to take up this year.
Vanuatu's efforts at the MSG are part of a wider campaign to bring the Papua issue to the global community, with plans for UN resolutions including one seeking Papua's re-inscription on the decolonisation list.

Fiji's government criticised

The West Papua advocacy by Vanuatu's government contrasts starkly with that of Fiji's government which has forged close ties to Jakarta, and was instrumental in helping Indonesia join the MSG in 2011.
In Fiji's parliament this week, opposition member Anare Jale accused the Frank Bainimarama-led government of being silent on violations against West Papuans.
"Serious human rights abuses have been taking place in West Papua and we have chosen to look the other way," he said.
"How long can Fiji close her ears to the cries for freedom from our fellow Melanesians? It is blatantly obvious that Fiji has succumbed to Indonesia's cheque-book diplomacy - what a shame.”
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3) ULMWP applies for MSG membership


The United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) has officially submitted its application for full membership of the regional Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) with the formal handing-over of the application to the MSG Secretariat in Port Vila, Vanuatu on Wednesday 19th June.
The Deputy Director General of the MSG Secretariat, Mr Peter Eaefere, received the application that was presented to the MSG Secretariat on behalf of the ULMWP by Vanuatu’s Special Envoy for the Decolonization of West Papua to the Pacific Islands States, Ms Lora Lini. The formal handing-over of the application was witnessed by ULMWP executive member, Ms Paula Makabory, and the First Political Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade, Ms Anthea Toka Arukole.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade, Ralph Regenvanu, said the new application for membership of ULMWP in the MSG follows the new criteria and procedure for submission approved at the last MSG Summit in Port Moresby last year and calls for the full membership of the organization that represents the movement of the Melanesian people of West Papua in the MSG.
Regenvanu also called on Leaders of the MSG to favorably consider the application and to elevate the ULMWP from its current observer status to becoming a full member of the MSG family.
Regenvanu confirmed that Vanuatu would ensure that the submission of the new application by ULMWP would be brought to the attention of the Officials, Foreign Ministers and Leaders at the next MSG Leaders Meeting that is scheduled to be held in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
The submission of the application for full membership by the ULMWP comes shortly after the election of new Prime Ministers of MSG members the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
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