2) Indonesia blocks diplomats from Papua, while Australia sits back
3) SOE minister thanks Papuan student for saving PLN workers
4) 69 Wamena riot survivors return to West Java on Wednesday: Official
5) Social workers to work with Wamena riot survivors
6) Ministry, military join hands to rebuild Wamena's damaged facilities
7) Wamena Riots; Thousands Still in Refuge
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1) Minister Wiranto, Military, Police chiefs review condition in Wamena
8 hours ago
Wamena, Papua (ANTARA) - Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, and Indonesian Police (Polri) Chief General Tito Karnavian visited Wamena, Papua, to review latest condition in the riot-hit town.
Health Minister Nila Djuwita F. Moeloek, State Enterprises (BUMN) Minister Rini Soemarno, and Social Affairs Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita were among other ministers also part of the entourage.
After arriving in Wamena, they held dialogs with local communities, visited riot-hit schools, and met the displaced people and local officials.
They also undertook a tour of Wamena Town to observe buildings as well as the Woma market, among others, burned during the riot.
Following the tour, they visited the Headquarters of the Regional Military Command (Kodim) 1702/Jayawijaya.
In the meantime, during the past few weeks, a circle of violence erupted in various cities in the provinces of Papua and West Papua.
On September 23, the riot broke out in Wamena during a massive protest, triggered by fake news on a teacher's racist slurs against local students.
A total of 33 people, including a medical doctor, were killed, while at least 77 others sustained injuries in the riot that also compelled several thousand residents, mostly non-native Papuans, to take shelter in the local military and police compounds.
The dead and wounded comprised non-native Papuans, who were assaulted by rioters brandishing machetes and arrows. Several of them had migrated to Papua from their hometowns in provinces, such as West Sumatra and South Sulawesi, to earn a living.
Papua Police Chief Inspector General Rudolf A. Rodja stated that the rioting in Wamena might have been fueled by the proliferation of hoaxes through social media platforms that fueled ire among its residents.
Several local media reports confirmed that the Wamena riot was spurred by hoaxes pertaining to a teacher's racist slur against native Papuan students.
Related news: Thousands of Jayawijaya refugees return home Related news: Military Chief confirms Wamena schools reopening on Oct 7
EDITED BY INE
Health Minister Nila Djuwita F. Moeloek, State Enterprises (BUMN) Minister Rini Soemarno, and Social Affairs Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita were among other ministers also part of the entourage.
After arriving in Wamena, they held dialogs with local communities, visited riot-hit schools, and met the displaced people and local officials.
They also undertook a tour of Wamena Town to observe buildings as well as the Woma market, among others, burned during the riot.
Following the tour, they visited the Headquarters of the Regional Military Command (Kodim) 1702/Jayawijaya.
In the meantime, during the past few weeks, a circle of violence erupted in various cities in the provinces of Papua and West Papua.
On September 23, the riot broke out in Wamena during a massive protest, triggered by fake news on a teacher's racist slurs against local students.
A total of 33 people, including a medical doctor, were killed, while at least 77 others sustained injuries in the riot that also compelled several thousand residents, mostly non-native Papuans, to take shelter in the local military and police compounds.
The dead and wounded comprised non-native Papuans, who were assaulted by rioters brandishing machetes and arrows. Several of them had migrated to Papua from their hometowns in provinces, such as West Sumatra and South Sulawesi, to earn a living.
Papua Police Chief Inspector General Rudolf A. Rodja stated that the rioting in Wamena might have been fueled by the proliferation of hoaxes through social media platforms that fueled ire among its residents.
Several local media reports confirmed that the Wamena riot was spurred by hoaxes pertaining to a teacher's racist slur against native Papuan students.
Related news: Thousands of Jayawijaya refugees return home Related news: Military Chief confirms Wamena schools reopening on Oct 7
EDITED BY INE
————
https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/indonesia-blocks-diplomats-from-papua-while-australia-sits-back-20191007-p52yfz.html
Jakarta: Indonesia has taken the "unusual" step of blocking foreign diplomats from visiting strife-torn Papua, citing security concerns following weeks of violence and ethnic conflict.
The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age has confirmed diplomats from the British, Canadian and New Zealand embassies have all asked Kemlu, Indonesia's foreign ministry, in the last month for permission to visit Papua. All their requests were denied.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has also been blocked from visiting Papua - despite being invited by the Indonesian government back in February 2018. The organisation is still lobbying for permission to visit.
The Herald and The Age has also learned that diplomats from Australia and the United States have not asked permission from the Indonesian government to enter Papua since the violence flared, fearing such a request would be frowned on in Jakarta and cause a diplomatic headache.
The decision to temporarily block access for the British, Canadian and New Zealand missions and the UN body underscores Indonesian sensitivities about the independence movement and recent violence in the provinces of Papua and West Papua.
The diplomatic missions and the UN sought access to better assess and understand the recent conflict and to meet locals to discuss the violence that has broken out, amid growing concerns about human rights abuses by Indonesian security forces.
When approached for comment about the travel ban, a spokesman for the New Zealand embassy confirmed a request to travel to Papua had been denied by the Indonesian government.
Both the Canadian and UK embassies did not deny they had been blocked from entering Papua when approached for comment.
A spokesman for the Canadian embassy offered no comment, while a spokesman for the UK embassy said "we support the development of all parts of Indonesia, including Papua. We are working with the government of Indonesia to that end".
The UN office said "we remain in discussion with the government of Indonesia on the eventual timing for such a visit".
"We are extremely concerned about escalations of violence in the provinces of Papua and West Papua in Indonesia. We call on authorities to urgently engage in meaningful dialogue so as to defuse rising intercommunal tensions and prevent them from spiralling into further violence".
Kemlu spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said "security considerations were the main concern at the moment".
"We [Kemlu] follow the decision by the government to limit foreigners to visit Papua, including diplomats."
Human Rights Watch Indonesian researcher Andreas Harsono said "it is unusual for foreign diplomats to be denied access to visit Papua".
"There are legitimate concerns about security but the embassies are not unaware of that, they have their own security, their own people, and they have development projects in Papua."
Sidney Jones, the director of the Institute of Policy Analysis of Conflict, said such refusals "had happened in the past" but it's usually not a direct refusal, "it's just not answering a request to go".
The rioting and clashes between Indonesian security forces and supporters of Papuan independence began in August and have been described as some of the worst violence in the provinces in decades.
It has led to 33 people being killed, hundreds of homes and businesses being burned down, widespread arrests, a temporary internet shut down and the displacement of at least 8000 people - though some estimates range as high as 55,000 people.
Thousands of extra Indonesian police and soldiers were flown in to stop the violence. Human Rights Watch called for an investigation into the deaths.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne recently said the Australian government was very concerned about the violence in Papua and urged "absolute restraint from both sides".
For decades, access to Papua by foreign journalists has been tightly controlled.
Indonesian Security Minister Wiranto recently announced a broader ban on other groups of foreigners due to the security situation – though he did not specify who exactly.
Indonesia argues Papua voted to become of a province of Indonesia in the 1969 "act of free choice".
But independence supporters argue the vote was a sham - just 1026 locals chosen by Indonesia unanimously voted for integration - and they demand an independence referendum, as was granted to East Timor in 1999.
Senior figures in the Indonesian government including Wiranto - who ironically was Defence minister when East Timor voted for independence - have dismissed suggestions of an independence referendum out of hand.
Australia's central role in the events leading up to East Timorese independence remains a sensitive issue for some in Jakarta.
Comment was sought from the Australian and US embassies.
2) Indonesia blocks diplomats from Papua, while Australia sits back
By James Massola
October 8, 2019 6.30pmJakarta: Indonesia has taken the "unusual" step of blocking foreign diplomats from visiting strife-torn Papua, citing security concerns following weeks of violence and ethnic conflict.
The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age has confirmed diplomats from the British, Canadian and New Zealand embassies have all asked Kemlu, Indonesia's foreign ministry, in the last month for permission to visit Papua. All their requests were denied.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has also been blocked from visiting Papua - despite being invited by the Indonesian government back in February 2018. The organisation is still lobbying for permission to visit.
The Herald and The Age has also learned that diplomats from Australia and the United States have not asked permission from the Indonesian government to enter Papua since the violence flared, fearing such a request would be frowned on in Jakarta and cause a diplomatic headache.
The decision to temporarily block access for the British, Canadian and New Zealand missions and the UN body underscores Indonesian sensitivities about the independence movement and recent violence in the provinces of Papua and West Papua.
The diplomatic missions and the UN sought access to better assess and understand the recent conflict and to meet locals to discuss the violence that has broken out, amid growing concerns about human rights abuses by Indonesian security forces.
When approached for comment about the travel ban, a spokesman for the New Zealand embassy confirmed a request to travel to Papua had been denied by the Indonesian government.
Both the Canadian and UK embassies did not deny they had been blocked from entering Papua when approached for comment.
A spokesman for the Canadian embassy offered no comment, while a spokesman for the UK embassy said "we support the development of all parts of Indonesia, including Papua. We are working with the government of Indonesia to that end".
The UN office said "we remain in discussion with the government of Indonesia on the eventual timing for such a visit".
"We are extremely concerned about escalations of violence in the provinces of Papua and West Papua in Indonesia. We call on authorities to urgently engage in meaningful dialogue so as to defuse rising intercommunal tensions and prevent them from spiralling into further violence".
Kemlu spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said "security considerations were the main concern at the moment".
"We [Kemlu] follow the decision by the government to limit foreigners to visit Papua, including diplomats."
Human Rights Watch Indonesian researcher Andreas Harsono said "it is unusual for foreign diplomats to be denied access to visit Papua".
"There are legitimate concerns about security but the embassies are not unaware of that, they have their own security, their own people, and they have development projects in Papua."
Sidney Jones, the director of the Institute of Policy Analysis of Conflict, said such refusals "had happened in the past" but it's usually not a direct refusal, "it's just not answering a request to go".
The rioting and clashes between Indonesian security forces and supporters of Papuan independence began in August and have been described as some of the worst violence in the provinces in decades.
It has led to 33 people being killed, hundreds of homes and businesses being burned down, widespread arrests, a temporary internet shut down and the displacement of at least 8000 people - though some estimates range as high as 55,000 people.
Thousands of extra Indonesian police and soldiers were flown in to stop the violence. Human Rights Watch called for an investigation into the deaths.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne recently said the Australian government was very concerned about the violence in Papua and urged "absolute restraint from both sides".
For decades, access to Papua by foreign journalists has been tightly controlled.
Indonesian Security Minister Wiranto recently announced a broader ban on other groups of foreigners due to the security situation – though he did not specify who exactly.
Indonesia argues Papua voted to become of a province of Indonesia in the 1969 "act of free choice".
But independence supporters argue the vote was a sham - just 1026 locals chosen by Indonesia unanimously voted for integration - and they demand an independence referendum, as was granted to East Timor in 1999.
Senior figures in the Indonesian government including Wiranto - who ironically was Defence minister when East Timor voted for independence - have dismissed suggestions of an independence referendum out of hand.
Australia's central role in the events leading up to East Timorese independence remains a sensitive issue for some in Jakarta.
Comment was sought from the Australian and US embassies.
James Massola
James Massola is south-east Asia correspondent based in Jakarta. He was previously chief political correspondent, based in Canberra. He has been a Walkley and Quills finalist on three occasions, won a Kennedy Award for outstanding foreign correspondent and is the author of The Great Cave Rescue.
————
3) SOE minister thanks Papuan student for saving PLN workers
4 hours ago
Jakarta (ANTARA) - State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno thanked Neheima Wamu for his courage in saving workers and a warehouse of the state-owned electricity firm PLN during the Wamena riot that killed 33 innocent civilians on September 23.
As part of her gratitude to the native Papuan student, Rini expressed her token of appreciation and ordered the PLN president director to provide him with a scholarship to enable him to finish his studies at the PLN College of Technology (STT PLN).
"I thank you for saving the PLN employees and warehouse," she said in a press statement made available to ANTARA in Jakarta Tuesday.
Wamu, originally from Maima Subdistrict, Jayawijaya District, Papua Province, dropped out of STT-PLN due to financial constraints. He is currently a student of a privately-owned university in Jakarta.
The minister requested Wamu to narrate how he courageously saved the PLN workers and the warehouse from the rioters on the day the deadly riots broke out in Wamena, the capital city of Jayawijaya District, on September 23.
He happened to see the rioters target several workers of PLN inside a warehouse and spontaneously halted the attackers while persuading them not to commit any act of anarchism at the electricity firm, Wamu was quoted as saying.
Rini also appreciated the PLN employees in Wamena for their quick response and hard work for restoring the power supply.
The Wamena rioting has left so many Indonesians in misery. The incident did not merely claim 33 lives of innocent civilians but it also forced several thousand survivors to take refuge by leaving behind their torched and destroyed properties.
Many survivors originally from such provinces as West Sumatra, South Sulawesi, East Java, and Banten, have even returned to their hometowns.
The rioting was incited by the proliferation of hoaxes through social media platforms that angered its residents, Papua Police Chief Inspector General Rudolf A. Rodja claimed.
Several local media reports confirmed Rodja's claim that the riot was spurred by hoaxes about a teacher's racist slur against native Papuan students.
Considering the casualties, the Wamena riot has become the deadliest of a wave of violence that erupted in several parts of Papua and West Papua over the past two months following the Surabaya incident on August 16 that triggered resentment and fury among native Papuans.
The Indonesian police blamed Benny Wenda, a campaigner of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) who enjoys a good life in the United Kingdom, for the spate of violence that erupted in these two Indonesian provinces, including the rioting in Wamena.
In response to this miserable condition, several district and provincial administrations whose people directly got affected by the Wamena rioting had facilitated their evacuation from Papua.
The Banten provincial administration has brought 23 Wamena riot survivors originally from Banten home. (INE)
Related news: Ministry, military join hands to rebuild Wamena's damaged facilities
Related news: Minister Wiranto, Military, Police chiefs review condition in Wamena
EDITED BY INE
As part of her gratitude to the native Papuan student, Rini expressed her token of appreciation and ordered the PLN president director to provide him with a scholarship to enable him to finish his studies at the PLN College of Technology (STT PLN).
"I thank you for saving the PLN employees and warehouse," she said in a press statement made available to ANTARA in Jakarta Tuesday.
Wamu, originally from Maima Subdistrict, Jayawijaya District, Papua Province, dropped out of STT-PLN due to financial constraints. He is currently a student of a privately-owned university in Jakarta.
The minister requested Wamu to narrate how he courageously saved the PLN workers and the warehouse from the rioters on the day the deadly riots broke out in Wamena, the capital city of Jayawijaya District, on September 23.
He happened to see the rioters target several workers of PLN inside a warehouse and spontaneously halted the attackers while persuading them not to commit any act of anarchism at the electricity firm, Wamu was quoted as saying.
Rini also appreciated the PLN employees in Wamena for their quick response and hard work for restoring the power supply.
The Wamena rioting has left so many Indonesians in misery. The incident did not merely claim 33 lives of innocent civilians but it also forced several thousand survivors to take refuge by leaving behind their torched and destroyed properties.
Many survivors originally from such provinces as West Sumatra, South Sulawesi, East Java, and Banten, have even returned to their hometowns.
The rioting was incited by the proliferation of hoaxes through social media platforms that angered its residents, Papua Police Chief Inspector General Rudolf A. Rodja claimed.
Several local media reports confirmed Rodja's claim that the riot was spurred by hoaxes about a teacher's racist slur against native Papuan students.
Considering the casualties, the Wamena riot has become the deadliest of a wave of violence that erupted in several parts of Papua and West Papua over the past two months following the Surabaya incident on August 16 that triggered resentment and fury among native Papuans.
The Indonesian police blamed Benny Wenda, a campaigner of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) who enjoys a good life in the United Kingdom, for the spate of violence that erupted in these two Indonesian provinces, including the rioting in Wamena.
In response to this miserable condition, several district and provincial administrations whose people directly got affected by the Wamena rioting had facilitated their evacuation from Papua.
The Banten provincial administration has brought 23 Wamena riot survivors originally from Banten home. (INE)
Related news: Ministry, military join hands to rebuild Wamena's damaged facilities
Related news: Minister Wiranto, Military, Police chiefs review condition in Wamena
EDITED BY INE
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