Monday, September 30, 2019

1) 3,225 refugees in Jayapura, confirms coordinating minister


2) Jokowi blames armed group for violence in Wamena

3) Police name six more suspects in Waena case

4) Transportation ministry prepares ships to evacuate Wamena's refugees
5) Rights body pushes for comprehensive probe into Wamena's riot
6) Jokowi urges Papuans to not believe hoax, slander
7) Papua, West Sumatera Leaders Meet Following Wamena Riot
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1) 3,225 refugees in Jayapura, confirms coordinating minister
 5 hours ago


Jakarta (ANTARA) - The number of refugees in Jayapura, Papua due to the deadly riots in Wamena, currently has reached 3,225, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto said. "Now, the situation in Wamena is conducive, but the non-Papuan people are still traumatized," Wiranto said, during a press conference, at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Jakarta, Monday.

The feeling of trauma for non-Papuan migrants was one common to human beings after the deadly unrest that occurred in Wamena.

As a result, non-Papuan migrants have requested that they be evacuated to the Papua provincial capital of Jayapura, he said.

The migrants were driving the regional economy, both in Papua and West Papua, Wiranto explained.

"So, you can imagine, if they leave Wamena, who drives the economy in that area," he said.

Currently, the Ministry of Social Affairs has assisted refugees by providing adequate food and health care, through the Ministry of Health.

The most important thing is neutralizing the trauma with a guarantee of security and an understanding, Wiranto said.

"Because, they run various kinds of businesses in Wamena," he remarked.

Moreover, there has been a symbiosis of mutualism between Papuans and migrants who have opened a business for basic needs, Wiranto said.

"This is a system that has been running for decades. If the system is damaged, it will disturb the community in Wamena," he said.

Papuan community leaders and the local government asked non-Papuan migrants to reopen their businesses as usual to serve the needs of the people, he said. (INE)

Related news: Papua Governor offers security assurance to native, non-native people
Related news: Rights body pushes for comprehensive probe into Wamena's riot


EDITED BY INE
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has blamed a local armed group for the deadly riots in Wamena, Papua, last week, which killed at least 33 people, ordering authorities to hunt down those responsible for the unrest.
In a press conference on Monday, Jokowi said an armed criminal group (KKB) had come down from the mountains of Jayawijaya regency, torched people’s houses and instigated riots that sent thousands of residents fleeing the affected areas for fear of further violence.
He did not elaborate on the name of the group or who its leaders may be.
“I have ordered Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister [Wiranto], the Indonesian Military [TNI] and the police to chase after uncaptured rioters,” he said.
The President, who also extended his condolences to victims’ families, emphasized that security forces had been working hard to protect all citizens as he brushed aside concerns that the riots in Wamena stemmed from ethnic conflict.
Wamena saw violent unrest last Monday as a mob, reportedly native Papuans, set buildings on fire, destroying vehicles and attacking people with weapons.
The fatalities were mostly non-native Papuans, according to authorities.
Previous reports said that around 6,700 residents have turned shelters in Wamena, including at the TNI headquarters, while 2,670 others have fled the city with the help of the Air Force.
Another 10,000 people have signed up to be airlifted out, according to the commander of the Silas Parepare Air Base in Jayapura, Air Cdre. Tri Bowo Budi Santoso.
“[The evacuation] to Jayapura is set to continue because there are those who fear [for their lives], but we continue to call on the public to remain in Wamena because our security forces can secure [the city],” said Jokowi.
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3) Police name six more suspects in Waena case

2 hours ago

Jayapura (ANTARA) - The Papua Provincial Police have named six more suspects in the case of torture against security personnel at Waena Expo Hall in the Papua provincial capital of Jayapura. The naming of the new suspects brought to 13 the number of people suspected of involvement in the incident leading to the death of an army soldier, Chief of the Public Relations Section of the Papua Provincial Police Senior Commissioner Ahmad Kamal said in Jayapura Monday night.

The six people identified by their initials as BT, BK, AM, PY, TW and AY, were named suspects in the incident after the police conducted intensive investigations into the whereabouts of 20 students, he said.

Last Tuesday (September 24), the police identified seven suspects by their initials, AA, AD, YK, JK, YK, EB and MK in the case which killed Chief Private Zulkifli of the Raider Infantry Battalion 751 and injured six personnel of the Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) unit.

The six Brimob personnel sustained injuries after the demonstrators hurled stones at them. The incident occurred while the demonstrators were being sent home aboard 15 trucks from Cendrawasih University campus.

However, shortly before arriving at Waena Bridge they asked the truck drivers to drop them off and then attacked on-duty security personnel.

The demonstrating students were being sent home as they attempted to camp in the campus and set up a command post there. (INE)

Related news: Jokowi urges Papuans to not believe hoax, slander

Related news: Papua Governor offers security assurance to native, non-native people


EDITED BY INE
Reporter: Evarukdijati/Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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4) Transportation ministry prepares ships to evacuate Wamena's refugees
5 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Transportation is preparing ships to evacuate refugees in Wamena and Jayapura, Head of the Communication and Public Information Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation Hengki Angkasawan remarked. As a result, refugees and victims of riots can be evacuated and returned to their hometowns, because Wamena's condition is not conducive.

"We will help the exodus of residents in Papua by preparing several types of ships. Namely KPLP, Navigation, Pioneer and Pelni ships scheduled in several ports of West Papua and Papua," Hengki Angkasawan said in a written statement in Jakarta, Monday.

The ships which have been prepared include KN KALAWAI P 117 located at Arang Gudang Port, Ambon and KN GANDIWA P 118 from Class II PLP Base, Bitung.

The ships can each accommodate 100 to 150 people. Besides, logistical supplies are also prepared on board.

In addition to the ships, the ministry of transportation has provided aircraft from Trigana, Deraya, My Indo, Semuwa Aviation Mandir, Jayawijaya Air Dirgantara, Wings Air, and two types of Hercules that can carry more than 500 people.

"From the data we have received, most refugees want to go to Sorong, Ambon, Ternate, Bitung, and Makassar," Hengki explained.

The provincial government of Papua earlier assured full security to all Indonesian residents in Papua, including those in Wamena, Jayawijaya District, following the recent riots.

In Jayapura, Monday, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe, expressed the local government’s readiness to begin reconstruction and repair of all government and public assets, including offices, shops, and kiosks, that had borne the brunt of the rioting.

"Evacuation of victims of the riots, both the dead and injured, is the urgent response necessitated right now," Enembe stated.

Also, the Papuan local government has offered food and other basic daily essentials for people seeking refuge at military district command offices, police offices, churches, and mosques. (INE)
Related news: 3,225 refugees in Jayapura, confirms coordinating minister
Related news: Transportation minister ascertains Wamena airport safe for aviation


EDITED BY INE
Reporter: Juwita Trisna/ Azis Kurmala
Editor: Suharto
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5) Rights body pushes for comprehensive probe into Wamena's riot
 5 hours ago
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) urged the government to extensively probe the violence during a protest in Wamena, Jayawijaya, Papua, resulting in 32 deaths and fueling non-native Papuans’ exodus from the region.

"Komnas HAM has affirmed its commitment to encouraging investigation into a tragedy, regardless of whatever it is. Investigation into the tragedy is important to offer clarity on who and what is the motive behind this," the commission's chief, Ahmad Taufan Damanik, remarked here on Monday.

The incident might recur if the government was unable to investigate the case and adopt legal measures, particularly at a time when Papuans have lost their mutual trust, Damanik noted.

The Commission has pushed the government and local figures to hold constructive dialog to placate the tension in Papua.

"We are ready to facilitate all parties to hold dialog to seek a peaceful solution in Papua," he remarked.

In the meantime, the Jayawijaya Police took into detention seven people for their alleged involvement in the riot in Wamena. The detainees had carried arrows, stones, and gasoline to set ablaze some public facilities during the riot.

Three of the detained people were named suspects in the incident, while four others were released.

Further investigation is yet underway to expose the mastermind behind the riot.

Wamena's deadly rioting broke out during a rally that native Papuan students had staged on September 23.

At least 32 people, including a medical doctor, were killed, while at least 77 others sustained injuries due to the riot that had also compelled several thousand residents, mostly non-native Papuans, to take refuge in local military and police compounds.

Most of the dead and wounded were non-native Papuans, who had been assaulted by rioters brandishing machetes and arrows. Several of them migrated to Papua from their hometowns in provinces, such as West Sumatra and South Sulawesi, to earn a living.
Related news: MUI deplores brutal killings of innocent civilians in Papua's Wamena
Related news: 24 paramedics deployed to Wamena hospital in the wake of deadly riot EDITED BY INE
Reporter: Dyah Dwi Astuti, Sri Haryati
Editor: Suharto
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6) Jokowi urges Papuans to not believe hoax, slander
7 hours ago

Bogor, West Java (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has appealed to people in Papua to exercise self-restraint and not be swayed by hoax and slander.

"Everyone stay calm, exercise self-restraint, and avoid all forms of provocation and slander that we have observed on social media, so many issues being disseminated," the president stated during a press conference at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, on Monday.

He drew attention to the people, mostly non-native Papuans, who had fled Wamena for Jayapura.

The president, however, urged the people to not leave Wamena since security officers are presently on guard to offer public protection.

Related news: Papua Governor offers security assurance to native, non-native people
Related news: Traumatized doctors seek transfer from Wamena following mass murders
 
The head of state remarked that the tribal chief in Baliem Valley had also urged the people to not leave Wamena. Security officers also always protect all people, he added.

The president stated that armed criminal group members were behind the riot in Wamena.

"Do not shift it as though it were an ethnic conflict. It was not. They are armed criminal groups coming from mountains and setting ablaze the residents' houses," Jokowi emphasized.

The head of state admitted to having issued orders to Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto, National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian, and Commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto to arrest the perpetrators of the Wamena riot.

The president condoled the deaths of 33 people during the riots.

In the meantime, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe had earlier made assurance of the government, Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), and Indonesian Police (Polri) ensuring safety of both native Papuans and non-natives in Papua Province.

On Sept 23, 2019, some 33 people, including a medical doctor, children, and women, were killed, while no less than 77 others got injured in the riot that had also compelled several thousand residents, mostly non-native Papuans, to take refuge in the local military and police compounds.

Most of the dead and wounded were non-native Papuans, who had been assaulted by rioters brandishing machetes and arrows. Several victims migrated to Papua from their hometowns in provinces, such as West Sumatra and South Sulawesi, to earn a living.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo revealed that the masterminds behind this deadly riot are allegedly members of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) separatist group.

On December 2, last year, separatists had killed 31 construction workers, all non-native Papuans, in Nduga District, Papua Province, while they were building a bridge in Yigi Sub-district.

Related news: Wamena's deadly riot refugees tended to adequately at police compound
Related news: Deployment of two TNI aircraft to evacuate riot victims in Wamena

Reporter: Bayu Prasetyo, Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati
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7) Papua, West Sumatera Leaders Meet Following Wamena Riot
Translator: 
 
Editor: 

Markus Wisnu Murti

TEMPO.COJakarta - Papua Governor Lukas Enembe has met with West Sumatera Deputy Governor Nasrul Abit who is visiting Wamena to learn the conditions of his residents in Papua. 
As reported earlier, foreign settlers from Sumatra have tragically fallen victim to the massive riots and killings that took place on the deadly Monday of September 23.
This situation has forced thousands to take refuge to other areas in the vicinity of Wamena, while others decided it was safer to return to their hometowns. 
Lukas Enembe voiced his concerns and regrets that such a tragedy had to take place. He asserted that the government, through the Armed Forces (TNI) and the Police, guaranteed the safety of both local settlers and non-Papuans in Wamena 

“We truly regret that riots broke out in Wamena and Papua in general, which were all sparked by the incidents in Surabaya and Malang,” said Lukas.
Out of the 981 Sumatrans living in Papua, a total of 672 people still remain in the riot-torn province while 300 have taken refuge. 
ANTARA
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Sunday, September 29, 2019

1) MUI deplores brutal killings of innocent civilians in Papua's Wamena


2) Four men in Papua's Oksibil subdistrict nabbed for burning kiosks
3) UN bans Benny Wenda to enter UN general assembly: Nick Meset
4) ‘Exodus’ students in Papua: It’s not us starting the riot

5) Indonesian Military Establishes Three New Joint Regional Defense Commands

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https://en.antaranews.com/news/133752/mui-deplores-brutal-killings-of-innocent-civilians-in-papuas-wamena

1) MUI deplores brutal killings of innocent civilians in Papua's Wamena
8 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) Secretary General Anwar Abbas deplored the brutal killings of innocent civilians and destruction of properties during deadly rioting that broke out in Wamena, the capital city of Jayawijaya District, Papua Province, on Sept 23.

"The rioters' brutal acts of violence have claimed so many lives of innocent civilians," Abbas said in a press statement commenting on Wamena's deadly rioting made available to ANTARA in Jakarta on Sunday.

Wamena's deadly rioting occurred during a rally that native Papuan students staged on September 23.

Thirty three people, including a medical doctor, were killed, while at least 77 others sustained injuries due to the riot that had also forced several thousands of residents, mostly non-native Papuans, to take refuge to the local military and police compounds.

Related news: Deployment of two TNI aircraft to evacuate riot victims in Wamena

Most of the dead and the wounded were non-native Papuans who had been assaulted by rioters brandishing machetes and arrows. Many of them migrated to Papua from their hometowns in such provinces as West Sumatra and South Sulawesi to make a living.

According to National Police Spokesman, Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo, the masterminds of this deadly riot are allegedly members of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB).

In response to the deaths of so many innocent civilians in Wamena's deadly rioting, Anwar Abbas expressed his deepest condolences and appealed to the government to take stern legal actions against those responsible for those brutal acts of violence.

He also urged the government to resolve the Papua problems comprehensively so that all members of both native and non-native Papuan communities could again live in peaceful coexistence.

Related news: Four men in Papua's Oksibil subdistrict nabbed for burning kiosks

In connection with Wamena's rioting, Papua Police Chief Inspector General Rudolf A. Rodja said earlier that it might have been fueled by the proliferation of hoaxes through social media platforms that incited public ire among Wamena's residents.

Several local media reports revealed that the Wamena riot was instigated by hoaxes pertaining to a teacher's racist slur against native Papuan students.

In August, a wave of violence also broke out in several parts of Papua and West Papua in the upshot of the Surabaya incident that had triggered public ire among native Papuans.

Native Papuans in various parts of the provinces of Papua and West Papua held demonstrations to protest alleged racist slurs against the Papuan students in Surabaya on August 16, 2019.

Related news: Kalla dismisses Papuan referendum proposal by Pacific nations at UNGA

Related news: Paramedics working in Papua need security guarantee: IDI

 
Reporter: Prisca TV, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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2) Four men in Papua's Oksibil subdistrict nabbed for burning kiosks
8 hours ago

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - The Indonesian military and police personnel in Pegunungan Bintang District, Papua Province, have arrested four men for their alleged involvement in the burning and destruction of several kiosks in Oksibil Subdistrict on September 26.

Two suspects, only identified by their initials as KB, 22, and YD, 23, were nabbed on Friday at around 4:45 p.m. local time, Papua Police Spokesman Sen.Coms.AM Kamal told journalists in Jayapura, the capital city of Papua Province, on Saturday evening.

The police investigators could have apprehended KB after receiving tip-offs that the two suspects were at an Oksibil Airport's new apron while YD, suspected to be the provocateur in the Oksibil incident, was arrested at a different place.

Both KB and YD are currently under the police custody for questioning, he said, adding that YD confessed that he is a member of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) in the district who had provoked those burning and vandalizing the shops.

Two other suspects, only identified by their initials YD and BM, had been nabbed earlier, Kamal said.

In response to this crime, Kamal urged local residents to let the police investigators handle the case, to exercise their self control, and to help maintain the city's secure and peaceful condition.

Over these few weeks, a wave of violence broke out in several parts of Papua and West Papua in the upshot of the Surabaya incident, and hoaxes pertaining to a teacher's racist slur against native Papuan students that had triggered public ire among Papuans.

On August 28, for instance, a circle of violence also erupted in Deiyai District, some 500 kilometers away from Jayapura, resulting in the deaths of an army soldier and two civilians.

Related news: Traumatized doctors seek transfer from Wamena following mass murders

On August 29, the indigenous Papuan residents of Jayapura had again staged protests, venting their fury over the alleged racist slurs against their Papuan compatriots in Surabaya, but their rally then turned violent.

The brutal demonstrators went on a rampage, vandalizing and setting ablaze several government buildings. The office of Antara, Indonesia's national news agency, in the city was also intentionally damaged by the demonstrators.

Then, on September 23, a deadly rioting occurred in Wamena, the capital city of Jayawijaya District, Papua Province, during a rally that native Papuan students staged.

Related news: Police confirm two Ojek drivers gunned down by Papuan separatists

Thirty three people, including a medical doctor, were killed, while at least 77 others sustained injuries due to the riot that had also forced several thousands of residents, mostly non-native Papuans, to take refuge to the local military and police compounds.
Most of the dead and the wounded were non-native Papuans who had been assaulted by rioters brandishing machetes and arrows. Many of them migrated to Papua from their hometowns in such provinces as West Sumatra and South Sulawesi to make a living.

According to National Police Spokesman, Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo, the masterminds of this deadly riot are allegedly members of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB).

In connection with Wamena's rioting, Papua Police Chief Inspector General Rudolf A. Rodja said earlier that it might have been fueled by the proliferation of hoaxes through social media platforms that incited public ire among Wamena's residents.

Several local media reports revealed that the Wamena riot was instigated by hoaxes pertaining to a teacher's racist slur against native Papuan students.

Related news: Transportation minister ascertains Wamena airport safe for aviation

Related news: Kalla dismisses Papuan referendum proposal by Pacific nations at UNGA

Related news: Paramedics working in Papua need security guarantee: IDI
Reporter: Alfian R, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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3) UN bans Benny Wenda to enter UN general assembly: Nick Meset

11 hours ago
Jayapura (ANTARA) - Papuan figure Nick Meset ensured that the UN did not allow Benny Wenda and his entourage to enter the UN General Assembly hall and join a delegation from Vanuatu because he was not a citizen of  that small country.

"It is not true that Benny Wenda has joined the UN General Assembly as a member of Vanuatu's delegation because the UN only allows state representatives to enter the UN General Assembly in New York," Nick Meset told ANTARA on Sunday.

The rules applied by the United Nations are very strict. Only citizens can represent their countries and join the official delegations at the UN General Assembly, Meset remarked.

Nick Meset, who participated in as a member of the Indonesian delegation with Maikel Manufandu, asserted that Benny Wenda and his colleagues were not permitted to enter the hearing.

Related news: Police expose Benny Wenda's involvement in Wamena's lethal riot

Nick Meset, who is currently the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Nauru in Jakarta, cannot represent the country because he is still an Indonesian citizen. As a result, at the United Nations General Assembly, he belonged to the Indonesian delegation.

At the UN General  Assembly in New York, the issues of Papua and referendum were not on the agenda, Meset said, adding that what was spread by that group was not true or hoax.

Because of that, the community members should not get influenced easily by the issues that Benny Wenda and his group's members proliferated, said Meset, who had ever served as the Free Papua Movement (OPM) Foreign Minister.

Nick Meset revealed the riots that occurred in several regions in Papua were caused by Benny Wenda's provocation.

"What is said that the problem of Papua will be discussed at the UN is out-of-date. He and his colleagues had done it years ago," Meset said.

Therefore, the public should not easily be influenced by Benny Wenda's statement because it is a fake promise. 

"Let us together create a sense of security so that the development can be continued in Papua until the people of Papua can really get prospered," Nick Messet stated.

Related news: Wiranto discloses conspiracy involving separatist leader Benny Wenda
Reporter: Evarukdijati/ Azis Kurmala
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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4) ‘Exodus’ students in Papua: It’s not us starting the riot
Published
  
on
 

Papua, Jubi – Jubi successfully contacted an exodus student OG on Monday evening (23/9) for interview. After asking Jubi to wait for a second for him charging his phone’s battery, he told the chronology of clash involving the police, students and residents in Expo, Heram Sub-district, Jayapura Municipality, Papua Province.
“I survived because of the help of a woman. She opened her house’s door and let me in after seeing me entered her yard to wash my face after running away from the riot,” he said. There, he also asked permission from the host to charge his phone’s battery to communicate with his friends.
He said that students from the University of Cenderawasih (Uncen), representatives of the Student Executive Board (BEM) of the University of Cenderawih, and members of the Solidarity for Papuan exodus students from different cities have gathered in front of the university’s auditorium since 7 in the morning.
“It is strike solidarity,” he said. The students demand the campus authority to let the auditorium as the post of the exodus students in Jayapura.
Around 10 p.m, students decided to open post there, whereas hundreds of equipped security forces have lined up across the street in front of the auditorium. They are ready to secure the protest.
The auditorium of the University of Cenderawasih located in Abepura is known as ‘Uncen Bawah’, while ‘Uncen Atas’ refers to the university’s compound located in Perumnas 3 Waena.
An hour later, OG said that the police asked the students to leave the campus and already provided buses and trucks to transport them away from the university. “We were forced to disperse. If not, they will arrest us. So, we got on to the trucks and buses that transported us to Expo Waena,” he said.
As he arrived in Expo Waena, he wondered to find the troop of Mobile Brigade was already there. The police also warned the students not to return to their post in Expo Waena.
“Around noon, the joint police and military forces came to dissolve the students,” he said.
However, he said, besides the troop, there was a mob who started attacking the students. “They threw stones and bottles towards us, while the police flung the tear gas. It triggered an outrage among the students, and the clash cannot be avoided,” he said.
Later, OG said the students heard gunfire. So, they disperse to save their life, to escape from the thrown stones and shooting. Some students fled to the campus of the Institut Seni Budaya Indonesia (ISBI) nearby.
“Some did not move and raise their hands because the fear of the lasers pointed to them. Meanwhile, some kept run away to save their female friends. We ran and tried to pass the wire fences,” he said.
He and his friends kept run to the residential areas, and finally were able to hide in a resident’s house. They moved to another location after feeling quite safe and perceived that the police starting to size houses.
“Later on, we heard that the police had shot dead three students, while others were injured and hospitalised in Bhayangkara Hospital, Abepura,” he said.
He also got information that many students arrested by the police. There, the students were grounded, beaten under the sun, and transported to the Police Mobile Brigade Headquarter in Kotaraja, Jayapura City.
“Meanwhile, those who can escape the arrest because of hiding in residents’ houses returned to the post of exodus students. However, we are still trying to contact some students who still lost,” he said.

Uncen Chancellor : No violence occurred in campus
The University of Cenderawasih Chancellor Dr Apolo Safanpo states that mass dissolution in front of the university’s auditorium took place in a persuasive and dialogical manner.
“There is no violence inside the Uncen campus as we can see that the students gathered peacefully in the campus from the early morning till the afternoon. There is no violence because all chancellor’s assistants and deans had a dialogue with them,” he said on Monday evening (23/9).
After having dialogue, he continued, both parties agreed that students should leave the campus to Expo Waena where violence later occurred. So, he questions why has this happened? Who has triggered a clash that was eventually leading to casualties?
“What needs to ask is who was behind this, and why was the situation suddenly heating up? It is just our temporary assumption,” he said.
Moreover, he told a day before the protest; six men were captured through the CCTV trying to light a fire in the rector’s building. “It recorded in the campus’ CCTV that six men had thrown up gasoline and to set fire, but they escaped. They were planning to burn the Uncen,” said the chancellor.
Given that situation, he then asked the Abepura Police Chief to anticipate the unwanted situation and to have a dialogue with the students to avoid violence inside the campus.
“No violence, avoid the clash, this is what I wanted and told the Abepura Police Chief during a dialogue with the students. So, we wanted them to not doing anarchy here, such as burning down the campus or rector’s office or the auditorium. We want the students to do this protest safely and peacefully,” he said.
DPRD Chairperson hopes all parties hold back
The Chairperson of the Papuan House of Representatives Yunus Wonda called all parties to hold back following riots occurred in Expo Waena, Jayapura Municipality and Wamena, Jayawijaya Regency.
Wonda hopes all parties including security forces, communities, pupils and students to hold back and create a safe atmosphere in Papua.
“Do not be provoked to any situations that were ultimately leading to an unsafe condition in Papua. Your success (pupils and students) is the future of this land, the future of Papua,” told Wonda on Monday (23/9).
He also asked the security forces to refrain in facing the protesters. He said the security forces must not shot, which will eventually cause casualties. “Do not let anyone die in the demonstrations. We must keep everything safe and secured by not allowing the protesters to create riots.
But no gunfire should be allowed in addressing protest because weapons are used to protect people,” he said.
Further, he added the situation in Papua would be even more uncomfortable and continued to flare up if there were casualties.
“It’s enough that Papuans continue to be victims in this land. Don’t make a hatred never goes away. The people of Papua would never feel at peace,” he said.
Until today, seventeen civilians reportedly killed while 61 have injured. Many Waena residents, both indigenous and non-indigenous Papuans, decided to flee to safer locations such as the Jayawijaya Police Headquarters, Military Command Base and churches.
Meanwhile, 318 protesters reportedly detained in the Papua Police Mobile Brigade Headquarters in Kotaraja, Jayapura Municipality after the clash in Expo Waena.
According to the Papua Police Chief Rudolf Rodja, hundreds of protesters are now under the police’s investigation. “Until now no one has been named as a suspect because the police’s investigators are still questioning them,” said the chief in Jayapura City on Monday (23/9). (*)
 
Reporters: Kristianto Galuwo, Abeth You, Arjuna Pademme
Editor: Pipit Maizier
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5) Indonesian Military Establishes Three New Joint Regional Defense Commands

SEPTEMBER 29, 2019 
Jakarta. The Indonesian Military established three new joint regional commands on Friday to improve its capacity to deal with potential crises across the archipelago and serve as a more effective deterrent to security threats.
Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Chief Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjono, who appointed the heads of the new regional commands on Friday, said their establishment was based on a 2019 presidential decree, which also provides for the upgrading of 23 military resort commands, or garrisons.
"The threats and challenges Indonesia may face in the future continue to evolve, so it needs to integrate its land, sea and air forces to respond to such threats," Hadi said at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta, as quoted in a statement.
He added that future threats should be anticipated and considered in military planning.
Regional Defense Command I, headed by Rear Adm. Yudo Margono, and based in Tanjung Pindang, Riau, oversees Jakarta, West Java, Banten, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and all provinces on Sumatra Island.
Regional Defense Command II, headed by Air Vice Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo, is based in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, and oversees East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, Central Java, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara and all provinces on Sulawesi Island.
Regional Defense Command III, headed by Maj. Gen. Ganip Warsito and based in Biak, Papua, oversees Maluku, North Maluku, Papua and West Papua.
The establishment of the new regional commands, known as kogabwilhan and which combine naval, air and army assets, splits Indonesia's territory into three military zones to provide for more flexibility and allow the TNI to respond faster to security threats.
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Saturday, September 28, 2019

1) Wamena residents flee in mass exodus following attack rumor


2) Govt Reopens Data Access after Papua's Wamena Riot
3) Transportation minister ascertains Wamena airport safe for aviation
4) MRP: Violence in Papua must be eliminated
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1) Wamena residents flee in mass exodus following attack rumor

Benny Mawel The Jakarta Post

Jayapura   /   Sat, September 28, 2019   /   07:33 pm
After the student protests that ended in unrest and killings in Wamena, Papua, on Monday, both indigenous and non-indigenous residents have started to leave the city.
The residents are fleeing the city amid rumors that there will be a huge military deployment to prevent further turbulence in the area.
Some of them are heading to areas in and around Jayawijaya, while some of the transmigrants left Wamena for Jayapura and Timika.
Engelbert Surabut, a civil servant in the Jayawijaya administration, said the residents were fleeing as a result of many rumors about worsening security in the city.
“The rumor about security personnel dropping and sweeping toward indigenous Papuans has made everyone leave the town,” he told journalists on Thursday.
Papuans have also moved to Yalimo, Yahukimo, Lanny Jaya, Tolikara and Puncak regencies, which are the new municipalities outside Jayawijaya.
“The shops are all closed. Some that dared to stay open have only opened half of their doors. The offices are still closed,” he said.
“The people from the surrounding regencies have returned to their hometowns,” Natogorek Dawi, a teacher at YAPP St. Thomas high school told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
He said the mass exodus had made Jayawijaya residents confused and they could not predict the situation in the future.
Ayong, a Wamena resident said there were around 5,000 evacuees scattered across several refuge points in Jayawijaya.
“The main points are the Jayawijaya police station and military post. Some are staying in churches,” he said. 
He said 2,000 evacuees had reported to the Air Force to leave Wamena.
Several local and national media outlets have reported that the Indonesian Air Force’s Hercules planes have taken hundreds of people to Jayapura and Timika.
Previously, the Indonesian Military (TNI) confirmed that the death toll of Monday’s unrest had risen to 32.
Students in the city staged protests that escalated into violence on Monday, with some reportedly burning government offices and shop-houses. The chaos, the Papua Police said, was triggered by “baseless information” about a teacher who allegedly used a racial slur against a student.
Many of the deceased victims were found trapped inside their burned houses. (gis)

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2) Govt Reopens Data Access after Papua's Wamena Riot
Translator: Laila Afifa   Editor: Laila Afifa 28 September 2019 22:50 WIB

TEMPO.COJakarta - The communication and information ministry has lifted internet restriction in Wamena, Papua, on Saturday, September 28, since the condition in the region has returned to normal after the riot.
The ministry’s head of public relation bureau Ferdinandus Setu said the data access was reopened by considering the security in the region. “This is based on the coordination with the law enforcers and security apparatus,” he said in a written statement received by Tempo, Saturday, Sept. 28.
On September 23, the government decided to restrict internet access in Wamena following the rally and rioting triggered by hoaxes (fake news) and hate speech.
He explained the internet access was also reopened in 15 percent of area in Jayapura, as the other areas regained the data access on September 13
The telecommunication and internet connection in 29 regencies/cities in Papua Province and 13 regencies/cities in West Papua Province have now returned to normal.
The government, Ferdinandus said, continuously calls on all the parties to not spread hoaxes, fake news, and hate speeches, as well as provocation through any media including social platforms.
“It’s important to keep the situation and condition in the two provinces safe,” he remarked.
DIAS PRASONGKO


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3) Transportation minister ascertains Wamena airport safe for aviation
15 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has ensured that Wamena Airport in Jayawijaya District, Papua Province, is still safe for aviation activities since no airport facilities had borne the brunt of the September-23 lethal rioting.

"The Wamena Airport did not incur any damage, and it remains safe," Sumadi informed journalists in Jakarta on Friday.

Wamena's rioting, which had taken a deadly turn, erupted during a rally that the native Papuan students had staged on September 23. A total of 30 people, including a medical doctor, lost their lives, while no less than 77 others got injured.

The deceased and injured included non-native Papuans, who were not spared by the rioters that attacked them with machetes and arrows.

The riot that had compelled several thousand residents, mostly non-native Papuans, to take refuge also led to the temporary grounding of flight operations by the Wamena Airport authority.

Head of the 10th Regional Airport Authority Usman Effendi stated that the decision to temporarily ground flight operations was a precautionary measure taken to handle the impact of rioting.

However, the airport operations again resumed to transport refugees keen on leaving Wamena and to fly medical workers for the city to offer assistance to their colleagues at the Wamena public hospital.

In connection with the Wamena rioting, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo pointed out that the masterminds behind this deadly riot are allegedly members of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB).

Related news: Deployment of two TNI aircraft to evacuate riot victims in Wamena

On the day the violent rally took place, Commander of the 1702/Jayawijaya District Military Command, Lt Col Candra Dianto had remarked that a gun battle also broke out between the Indonesian security personnel and an armed separatist group around the Pasar Baru area.

The armed rebels might have employed three guns and rifles. Currently, 1,300 military and police personnel are stationed in Jayawijaya District. In the face of the tragic incident of a medical doctor falling victim to Wamena's rioting, the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) has urged security agencies and other related stakeholders, as well as community members to ensure the safety and security of working paramedics across Papua Province.

Related news: Police expose Benny Wenda's involvement in Wamena's lethal riot

Their safety and security is of paramount significance to facilitate optimal and effective services by all paramedics, including doctors, Chairman of the IDI-Papua Chapter Dr Donald Aronggear stated.

Aronggear noted that all paramedics in Papua were mourning the death of 53-year-old Doctor Soeko Marsetiyo in Wamena's deadly rioting that had erupted early this week.

Marsetiyo's death spread panic among several doctors, currently working at the Wamena public hospital, resulting in them requesting to leave the hospital, which was comprehensible, as doctors too are humans seeking a sense of security, he added. Related news: Wamena's deadly riot refugees tended to adequately at police compound

Related news: Traumatized doctors seek transfer from Wamena following mass murders


EDITED BY INE
Reporter: Juwita TR, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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4) MRP: Violence in Papua must be eliminated

Published 22 hours ago on 28 September 2019 By pr9c6tr3_juben
Nabire, Jubi – Fransiskus Tekege, the Chairman of the Religious Affairs Working Group of the Papua’s People Assembly (MRP), said that violence in Papua must be eliminated. If not, innocent people will bear its consequences.
“This is closely engaged with MRP’s vision and mission to protect both indigenous people and the land of Papua. It is a mandate from the state, not a manufactured story,” Tekege declared in a coordination meeting in Nabire to address the issues of radicalism and racism in Papua. The meeting held on Friday (20/09/2019) in KSK Church Hall and attended by the assembly members and religious leaders.

Furthermore, he said the MRP’s Religious Affairs Working Group is responsible for eliminating any forms of discrimination, racism, radicalism and violence. “Religious leaders can pass pacifism messages through sermons and prayers in places of worship. Therefore, it can reduce violence, racism and anything related. So, people will live in harmony and peace,” he said.
For this reason, he said that suggestions and inputs from religious leaders are urgently needed. MRP then will discuss it in a plenary session before providing recommendations to the governor and provincial parliament.

“We will further discuss the result of this meeting before recommending it to the Provincial Papua Government and Papuan House of Representative,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Rev. Mordekai Oilla from Kingmi Church suggested to all relevant stakeholders for not declaring any statements that can provoke and deteriorate the current situation. Further, he said that there is no need to blame each other because everyone is a victim.
He also asked the security forces to hold back and not overreacts over the student post in Nabire. Let it be for accommodating students as long as it does not disturbing.
“The police should restrain unless they (the students) make trouble because they are the victims. We are currently confused because they still do not accept people from outside. So, let us think clearly to address this issue. Instead of deteriorating the situation, we must try to find a solution,” he said.
However, until this news is published, Jubi has not been able yet to meet the students who return to Nabire after the racism against Papuans recently occurred. They are still traumatized and do not want to see any guests except families. They also refuse to meet the regional government and parliament as well as religious leaders at the moment. (*)
Reporter: Titus Ruban
Editor: Pipit Maizier

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