2) No foreign assistance sought to placate tensions in Papua: Wiranto
3) Gov't Shall Not Make Foreigners Scapegoat for Papua Riot: Fahri
4) Protests in West Papua Escalate With Reports of Killings
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1) The escalating human rights crisis on our doorstep that no one is watching
By Jennifer Robinson September 3, 2019 — 5.10pm
Protests have been taking place across Indonesia on an unprecedented scale. Thousands of West Papuans have taken to the streets to demand a referendum on independence from Indonesia.
As images of the protests spread around the world on social media, the Indonesian government blocked the internet and deployed thousands more troops. Already six protesters have been killed in the crackdown, with many more shot and injured – and worse is feared in the coming days
But while the world focuses on the demonstrations in Hong Kong and the crackdown in Kashmir, West Papua is barely mentioned.
The blackout came after videos emerged on social media of military and civilian militia taunting protesting Papuans with racial slurs like "monkey" and "animal". Even larger protests followed, with Papuan protesters holding pictures of monkeys as an act of defiance and pride in West Papuan national identify.
Indonesia claims the internet blackout is required to stop "fake news" and restore order. In reality, it is just the latest attempt to stop the world from seeing West Papuan protests – and Indonesian forces’ violent response. As Markus Haluk of the United Movement for the Liberation of West Papua said, the internet shutdown is "part of the military operation because the Indonesian military always finds a way to isolate Papua and stop Papuan voices being shared with the world".
Indonesia is even trying to prevent West Papuans from accessing information from Australia. Juice Media received a takedown notice stating that its satirical video about West Papua is no longer available on YouTube in Indonesia because of a government complaint.
While the world focuses on Hong Kong and Kashmir, West Papua is barely mentioned.
The protests are being held to mark 50 years since the sham "Act of Free Choice" that led to West Papua’s plight. West Papua was a Dutch colony on the path to independence. By international agreement, the UN and Indonesia administered West Papua. Indonesia was required to give West Papuans a referendum to decide whether to be an independent state or become part of Indonesia.
Instead, in August 1969, a hand-picked group of 1022 West Papuans were forced to vote under threat of violence to become part of Indonesia. West Papuans call it the "Act of No Choice".
The protesters have been demanding the UN referendum they were denied, with the message "Indonesia! No! Referendum! Yes!" and "Free Papua! This is what monkeys want". President Joko Widodo has appealed for calm and invited Papuan governor Lukas Enembe to talks in Jakarta, where he is reportedly willing to discuss West Papuan demands for a referendum.
If true, this is a significant development and testament to the growing strength of the West Papuan self-determination movement – as well as the bravery of protesters, who face arbitrary arrest and detention, violence and up to 25 years in prison for raising the banned Morning Star flag.
The West Papuan protests coincide with another important anniversary. East Timor is celebrating 20 years of independence from Indonesia after the UN-sponsored referendum in August 1999. While many celebrate the role of Australia and the UN in Timor, few realise that West Papua was the first ever UN administered territory. Had the UN done its job properly, West Papuans would also be celebrating 50 years of independence, instead of 50 years of oppression and abuse.
No one could forget the crimes against humanity committed against the Timorese by Indonesian forces in which a third of the Timorese population was killed. Recently released classified US documents showed that the US knew of Indonesia’s determination to thwart the independence vote in East Timor through violence.General Wiranto, who told the US that the situation had been "greatly exaggerated by the media", had been arming civilian militia led by Eurico Guterres. Guterres was later convicted for several massacres in Timor but was never sent to prison – and instead went to set up another militia group in West Papua.
Wiranto was indicted in East Timor but never faced trial because Indonesia refused to cooperate. He is now the Chief Minister for Security in Indonesia and responsible for the crackdown in West Papua. This week he brushed off inquiries about casualties, stating: "It’s up to us whether to announce the number of victims or not." Wiranto demanded the protests stop, calling for dialogue, and insisted that repressive measures would not be taken. Days later, he banned all protests and speeches about Papuan demands for independence. Foreigners are also banned until further notice. After East Timor, we cannot claim any wide-eyed innocence about West Papua – or Wiranto.
As the military presence is stepped up and thousands of civilian militia are mobilised, Benny Wenda, leader of ULMWP, has called for UN intervention before an East Timor-style massacre takes place.
The referendum West Papuans are demanding is their right under international law. This is not a separatist issue or simply an internal matter for Indonesia. It is the unfinished decolonisation agenda of the UN. Indonesia was required by international law to provide Papuans with a free and genuine vote on self-determination in 1969. That never happened.
The referendum West Papuans are demanding is their right under international law. This is not a separatist issue or simply an internal matter for Indonesia. It is the unfinished decolonisation agenda of the UN. Indonesia was required by international law to provide Papuans with a free and genuine vote on self-determination in 1969. That never happened.
This means that Indonesia is unlawfully occupying West Papua. As the International Court of Justice recently found in the Chagos Islands case, the failure to consult the free and genuine will of the people renders administration of a territory unlawful. And all UN member states must cooperate
All states, Australia included, have an obligation to help bring this unlawful situation to an end. Australia could be raising its concern with Indonesia to lift the internet blackout and permit access for journalists and international organisations. Australia could be using its seat at the Human Rights Council to raise concern about the crackdown on West Papuans and violent suppression of protests. And Australia could be urging Indonesia – and the UN – to provide West Papuans the referendum they are entitled to under international law.
Let’s not repeat the mistakes we made in East Timor – and leave it too late.
Jennifer Robinson is an Australian barrister in London. She advises the United Liberation Movement for West Papua. She acted for Vanuatu in the Chagos proceedings.
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2) No foreign assistance sought to placate tensions in Papua: Wiranto
8 hours ago
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister of Politics, Law, and Security Affairs Wiranto vehemently denied the incorrect claim of the Indonesian government seeking foreign assistance to ease tensions in the provinces of Papua and West Papua.
Related news: West Papua police arrest 20 alleged rioters
Wiranto affirmed that few violent protests erupting in the provinces from the racial abuse of Papuan students remained a national issue.
Hence, the minister noted that other nations had no right to intervene in the incidents taking place in Papua, as it came under Indonesia's sovereignty.
"For instance, a conflict broke out in Madura, then there was a claim of us calling for help from the French government, or, there was a conflict in Banten, and a claim was made of us seeking help from Saudi Arabia. These claims were obviously false. Every national issue, including the incidents in Papua and West Papua, remained under Indonesia's jurisdiction," he elaborated during a press conference at his office.
A false claim of the Indonesian government seeking foreign aid to handle matters relating to Papua might have surfaced following a meeting between US Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific David R. Stillwell and Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko in Jakarta on Sept 2.
However, following the meeting, Moeldoko never spoke to the press of the Indonesian government seeking assistance from the United States, but he was optimistic of the US supporting Indonesia on maintaining its sovereignty in Papua.
For the past week, few rallies erupted in the main cities of Papua and West Papua provinces as a knee-jerk reaction to the racial abuse of several Papuan students in East Java Province. The rallies snowballed into rioting, as some protesters burnt down state offices, vehicles, and public facilities. Related news: Internet access in Papua to be back to normal from Sept 5
Related news: Minister makes assurance of air transportation normal in Papua
EDITED BY INE
Related news: West Papua police arrest 20 alleged rioters
Wiranto affirmed that few violent protests erupting in the provinces from the racial abuse of Papuan students remained a national issue.
Hence, the minister noted that other nations had no right to intervene in the incidents taking place in Papua, as it came under Indonesia's sovereignty.
"For instance, a conflict broke out in Madura, then there was a claim of us calling for help from the French government, or, there was a conflict in Banten, and a claim was made of us seeking help from Saudi Arabia. These claims were obviously false. Every national issue, including the incidents in Papua and West Papua, remained under Indonesia's jurisdiction," he elaborated during a press conference at his office.
A false claim of the Indonesian government seeking foreign aid to handle matters relating to Papua might have surfaced following a meeting between US Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific David R. Stillwell and Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko in Jakarta on Sept 2.
However, following the meeting, Moeldoko never spoke to the press of the Indonesian government seeking assistance from the United States, but he was optimistic of the US supporting Indonesia on maintaining its sovereignty in Papua.
For the past week, few rallies erupted in the main cities of Papua and West Papua provinces as a knee-jerk reaction to the racial abuse of several Papuan students in East Java Province. The rallies snowballed into rioting, as some protesters burnt down state offices, vehicles, and public facilities. Related news: Internet access in Papua to be back to normal from Sept 5
Related news: Minister makes assurance of air transportation normal in Papua
EDITED BY INE
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3) Gov't Shall Not Make Foreigners Scapegoat for Papua Riot: Fahri
3 September 2019 17:38 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The House of Representatives (DPR) deputy speaker Fahri Hamzah urged the government to not make intelligence activities or foreign party involvement as a scapegoat for the riot in Papua.
“If there is indeed a foreign intelligence, it cannot be made a scapegoat too. Because all of that should have must be anticipated by state intelligence and security officials,” he said in a written statement, Monday, September 2.
Fahri conveyed his statement in response to the National Police Chief Tito Karnavian’s remarks saying that foreign parties provoked the tense condition, which was stirred prolonged conflict in the province.
According to Fahri, the current conflict in the eastern province of Indonesia is a discriminatory problem. He said that significant changes in approaching and handling the case are necessary.
“Security approach should be converted to a humanitarian approach. It starts from the way we think to the way we build social relations,” Fahri underlined.
Previously, Tito Karnavian said that foreign parties deliberately provoked the conflict situation in Papua. “We know these groups have relations with an international network,” said Tito in Jakarta Metro Police HQ, Sunday, September 1.
However, he was tight-lipped to expose the group he mentioned in detail and their roles. “So we have to deal with it in the country and abroad. We team up with Foreign Affairs Minister and intelligence body.”
DEWI NURITA | YUSUF MANURUNG
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4) Protests in West Papua Escalate With Reports of Killings
By Joshua Mcdonald September 03, 2019
At least six protesters and one soldier have been killed during clashes in Indonesia’s Papua and West Papua province since unrest began over a two weeks ago.
The Indonesian government dismissed the report of protesters being killed as “a provocation,” but said one soldier had been killed and three police officers injured.
A local news outlet, Suara Papua, first reported the protesters’ deaths last Wednesday. That same day, Al Jazeera also reported the deaths, quoting locals who say they witnessed the killings. The following morning, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on the killings, but said at least two, not six, protesters had been killed.
Such reports have been difficult to verify as Indonesia rarely allows foreign media access to West Papua. Information coming from the region is also sparse as an internet blackout remains in place.
On Monday, however, a video emerged of police-backed armed militias firing on peaceful protesters in their student dormitories. It has been confirmed that one student was killed in the attack and two others were shot. In another video that circulated, Indonesian soldiers can be seen giving orders to Indonesian vigilante groups, who Papuan protesters allege are being encouraged by security forces to attack Papuans.
The protests began on the August 17, Indonesian Independence Day, when reports of police brutality against a group of Papuan students in the province of East Java began circulating on social media. Responding to allegations that a group of students had torn down an Indonesian flag before retreating into a dormitory, police fired tear gas into the building and arrested 43 students as angry mobs gathered outside the dorm and reportedly chanted racist anti-Papuan slogans.
The students were released after questioning, with Governor of East Java Khofifah Indar Parawansa apologizing for the behavior of the mob, saying it “does not represent the voice of the people of East Java.”
Nonetheless, in West Papua and Papua, often referred to collectively as West Papua, thousands of people had already taken to the streets to protest against the racist remarks made toward the students.
Amid clashes with police and military personnel, protesters set fire to a legislative council building and blocked major roads in the provincial capital, Manokwari. In the city of Fakfak, local media reported that protesters had set a market ablaze and destroyed ATMs and shops. Several buildings were also destroyed in the city of Jayapura. In Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, protesters flew the banned Morning Star flag in front of the state palace.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo appealed for calm in the region and said he would invite prominent Papuans to his palace in the wake of the protests, but defended the internet blackout, saying it was done for the sake of the national interest.
A few days after protests began, Indonesia deployed more than 1,000 security personnel to quell the unrest. This was expected to inflame the situation, as the military has often used violence to disperse protests in the past.
Since Indonesia’s acquisition of the territory over 60 years ago, the military has waged a ruthless campaign against the pro-independence movement known as Free Papua. While there are a few thousand armed members of the movement, it’s the civilians who have felt the brunt of the conflict. Due to the lack of media presence exact figures are unknown, but rough estimates put the civilian casualties between 200,000 and 450,000.
In a report published just last year, Amnesty International said over the two decades since Indonesia’s reforms began, Amnesty has continued to receive allegations of unlawful killings by security forces in the provinces of Papua and West Papua, even as they declined across Indonesia.
The director of Amnesty International Indonesia, Usman Hamid, said that despite over 20 years of democratic reform and progress on human rights in Indonesia, Papua seems to be an exception.
The West Papuan conflict has existed since 1969, after the Indonesian military took over control of the territory from the Dutch following an independence vote called the Act of Free Choice.
Despite the United Nations overseeing the vote, the Indonesian military handpicked 1,026 people to participate on behalf of the entire population and threatened to kill them and their families if they voted the wrong way.
Almost all indigenous Papuans reject the referendum to this day, and those who agitate for independence openly do so at a high personal cost. In Indonesia, protesters can be imprisoned for up to 15 years for simply raising the Morning Star flag. Indonesia’s neighbors have also faced severe diplomatic pressure from the Indonesian government for simply receiving Papuan refugees.
In January, Benny Wenda, an exiled West Papuan independence leader, delivered a petition signed by more than 1.8 million people calling for an independence referendum to the United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet.
At the Pacific Islands Forum last month, the Pacific bloc called on Indonesia to finalize a long-promised visit to the Papuan provinces by Bachelet. The forum has asked for a report on alleged human rights abuses in the region within a year.
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