2) Indonesia working with UN rights chief on Papua visit
3) Toddler, teen killed in Papua clash: Indonesian military
4) More casualties in West Papua highlands violence
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1) RI rebuts Vanuatu politicizing Papua issue at Human Rights Council
1 hour ago
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian delegation exercised its Right of Reply in response to Vanuatu's statement politicizing the Papua issue at a general debate of the 42nd UN Human Rights Council Session on September 17, 2019.
The right was exercised to respond to a statement made by the Vanuatu delegation on behalf of Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, according to a written statement issued by the Indonesian Permanent Representative in Geneva and received by Antara here on Thursday.
In response to the human rights issue in Papua brought up by Vanuatu, the Indonesian delegation highlighted a favorable message from some leaders of the Pacific Islands countries on the recognition of Indonesia's sovereignty over Papua as stated in a Communiqué of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) Summit in August 2019.
"Racism and discrimination have no room in a pluralistic democratic state of Indonesia. As one of the largest democracies in the world, Indonesia will continue to guarantee freedom of expression and public rally in a peaceful manner," the Indonesian delegation further reiterated at the meeting.
Moreover, the Government of Indonesia has taken requisite steps to handle cases of alleged racism and discrimination against Papuan students in Malang and Surabaya, including through law enforcement and reconciliatory approaches.
The government also deplored the alleged racist act and will continue to adopt measures to tackle the situation, including through education and effective public dissemination.
Related news: UN experts perceive Veronika Koman's statement as one-sided: official
Moreover, the Government of Indonesia has and will continue to take steps to safeguard the rights and freedom of all Indonesians, including those in Papua.
The government has facilitated the freedom of expression to be exercised peacefully. It was mirrored in the decision to end the temporary restriction on internet access as of September 4, 2019.
The Internet restrictions were applied on the basis of the legislation to strike a balance between freedom of expression and the public interest.
Speaking in connection with the planned visit of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights, the Indonesian permanent representative in Geneva reiterated that during the earlier visit of UN High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein to Indonesia in February 2018, the Government of Indonesia had extended an open invitation to the commissioner to visit Papua to directly witness the extent of development in Papua along with all the challenges.
Owing to the tight schedule of Al Hussein, he delegated the planned visit to Papua to the Regional Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Bangkok.
The Government of Indonesia and representatives of OHCHR in Bangkok are in the midst of further coordination over the planned visit to Papua in line with the arrangement that was decided upon.
Related news: Papua an inseparable part of Indonesia: Defense Minister Related news: Police to put Veronika Koman on most-wanted list
EDITED BY INE
The right was exercised to respond to a statement made by the Vanuatu delegation on behalf of Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, according to a written statement issued by the Indonesian Permanent Representative in Geneva and received by Antara here on Thursday.
In response to the human rights issue in Papua brought up by Vanuatu, the Indonesian delegation highlighted a favorable message from some leaders of the Pacific Islands countries on the recognition of Indonesia's sovereignty over Papua as stated in a Communiqué of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) Summit in August 2019.
"Racism and discrimination have no room in a pluralistic democratic state of Indonesia. As one of the largest democracies in the world, Indonesia will continue to guarantee freedom of expression and public rally in a peaceful manner," the Indonesian delegation further reiterated at the meeting.
Moreover, the Government of Indonesia has taken requisite steps to handle cases of alleged racism and discrimination against Papuan students in Malang and Surabaya, including through law enforcement and reconciliatory approaches.
The government also deplored the alleged racist act and will continue to adopt measures to tackle the situation, including through education and effective public dissemination.
Related news: UN experts perceive Veronika Koman's statement as one-sided: official
Moreover, the Government of Indonesia has and will continue to take steps to safeguard the rights and freedom of all Indonesians, including those in Papua.
The government has facilitated the freedom of expression to be exercised peacefully. It was mirrored in the decision to end the temporary restriction on internet access as of September 4, 2019.
The Internet restrictions were applied on the basis of the legislation to strike a balance between freedom of expression and the public interest.
Speaking in connection with the planned visit of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights, the Indonesian permanent representative in Geneva reiterated that during the earlier visit of UN High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein to Indonesia in February 2018, the Government of Indonesia had extended an open invitation to the commissioner to visit Papua to directly witness the extent of development in Papua along with all the challenges.
Owing to the tight schedule of Al Hussein, he delegated the planned visit to Papua to the Regional Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Bangkok.
The Government of Indonesia and representatives of OHCHR in Bangkok are in the midst of further coordination over the planned visit to Papua in line with the arrangement that was decided upon.
Related news: Papua an inseparable part of Indonesia: Defense Minister Related news: Police to put Veronika Koman on most-wanted list
EDITED BY INE
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2) Indonesia working with UN rights chief on Papua visit
4:48 pm today
Indonesia's government says it's working with the office of the UN Human Rights Commissioner to arrange access to West Papua
The Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, last week indicated her office had been unable to secure permission from Jakarta to visit Papua region.
In January, Indonesia agreed in principle to allow a visit by the rights chief but this has not yet eventuated, despite strong international backing for it.
Andreano Erwin from Indonesia's Permanent Mission at the UN addressed the matter at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
He said Jakarta last year invited the previous UN rights chief, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, to visit Papua.
Due to his tight schedule, the High Commissioner delegated the planned visit to the regional (UN Human Rights Commission) office in Bangkok," Mr Erwin said during the council's 42nd regular session.
"We are currently working with the regional office to prepare this planned visit, designed to showcase the development in the province in Papua and West Papua (provinces)."
He was exercising Indonesia's right of response to an an earlier joint statement of concern about the human rights situation in Papua by Vanuatu and Solomon islands.
It followed weeks of protests and related unrest in Papua which left at least ten people dead and dozens of Papuans arrested.
Mr Erwin characterised the unrest as "unfortunate" and "isolated", saying the security in Papua was now "conducive", after Indonesia deployed 6000 extra military and police personnel to the remote region which remains restricted to outside access.
The Melanesian countries told the UN council in Geneva of their deep concern about ongoing rights violations against the freedoms of expression and assembly, as well as racial discrimination towards Papuans in the Indonesian-administered provinces of Papua and West Papua.
Their statement was delivered by Sumbue Antas from Vanuatu's Permanent Mission to the UN.
"Related to this agenda item, we are concerned about the Indonesian Government's delay in confirming a time and date for the Human Rights Commissioner to conduct its visit to West Papua," Mr Antas said.
At the recent annual Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Summit in Tuvalu, regional countries called on both Indonesia and the UN Commissioner to finalise the timing of a visit to West Papua, and to submit an evidence-based report on the situation before the next summit in 2020.
Mr Erwin also addressed widely reported cases of racist harassment of Papuan university students in Javanese cities which sparked the recent wave of protests in Papua.
"The Indonesian government deeply regrets the (aforementioned) incident, and has consequently brought the perpetrators to justice," he told the session.
"The government and the people of Indonesia... will continue to take action to combat racism and discrimination, not only through a law enforcement approach but also through education and effective public dissemination efforts."
He also confirmed that a block on the internet in Papua, implemented by the government last month, started being lifted two weeks ago.
Ms Bachelet last week raised issue with the blocking of the internet in Papua, issuing a statement with her concerns about human rights in the Melanesian region.
"The temporary restriction was based on the interests to prevent the spread the contents of false and inciteful information that provokes disunity among Indonesians, and guarantee the rights of citizens to enjoy their freedoms insofar as it does not contravene the rights of others and public interests," Mr Erwin said.
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3) Toddler, teen killed in Papua clash: Indonesian military
19 Sep 2019 03:46PM (Updated: 19 Sep 2019 03:50PM)
JAKARTA: A toddler and teenager were among three people killed in a gunfight between security forces and independence-seeking rebels in Indonesia's restive Papua region, the military said on Thursday (Sep 19).
The deadly clash comes after mass demonstrations and violence gripped Papua - on the western half of New Guinea island - fuelled by anger over racism and fresh calls for self-rule in Indonesia's easternmost territory.
The military said three civilians were killed, including a toddler and teenager, with four others wounded after a clash in Papua's Ilaga region on Tuesday.
READ: Papua unrest reflects long standing issues, locals call for equal development
Police and soldiers were searching for rebels when a group of guerrillas stormed out of a traditional hut and fired at them, sparking a chaotic gunfight, authorities said.
"Afterwards, we discovered that seven civilians had been shot ... and three of them died," Papua military spokesman Eko Daryanto said in a statement early Thursday.
Four other civilians were injured and taken to a local clinic for treatment, he added, without elaborating on their condition.
Earlier, the National Liberation Army of West Papua - part of a long-running separatist insurgency - said that seven civilians were "reportedly" killed in the clash.
Indonesia routinely blames separatists for violence in Papua while rebels frequently accuse the military of being the aggressors. Conflicting accounts are common.
READ: Indonesia president urges calm after violent protests in Papua cities
Security forces have long been dogged by accusations of committing atrocities against civilians in Papua.
Tensions spiked in December when at least 19 employees of a state-linked building contractor were killed by rebels at a remote jungle camp. Demonstrations broke out across the region and in others parts of the Southeast Asian archipelago after the mid-August arrest and teargassing of dozens of Papuan students, who were also racially abused, in Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya.
READ: Indonesia restricts foreigner travel to restive Papua
READ: Police in Indonesia's Papua ban 'anarchist' demos after mass protests
Dozens were arrested for instigating the riots and at least five demonstrators and a soldier were killed, but activists say the civilian death toll is higher. A low-level separatist insurgency has simmered for decades in Papua, a former Dutch colony, after Jakarta took over the mineral-rich region in the 1960s. A vote to stay within the archipelago was widely viewed as rigged.
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4) More casualties in West Papua highlands violence
3:37 pm today
Seven civilians have been injured during a shootout with rebels in West Papua, Indonesia's military says.
But a Papuan pro-independence military group claimed the civilians were shot dead by soldiers during the incident in the Central Highlands.
According to Indonesia's military, Papuan fighters attacked security forces in Puncak regency's Ilaga district on Tuesday.
Detik News reported spokesperson Eko Daryanto saying the rebels shot wildly, injuring local residents in the process.
But the West Papua Liberation Army (WPLA) said the local community was preparing for a tribal war when they were attacked by police and military.
A spokesperson said seven civilians were killed after a combined attack by helicopters and ground vehicles.
Separately, officials told local media a cargo plane with four people on board went missing en route to Ilaga on Monday.
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