Wednesday, October 9, 2019

1) Paulus Waterpauw affirms no jihadists in Papua following Wamena riot

2) Internet access in Papua fully normalized: Minister Rudiantara
3) FREE WEST PAPUA!  Socialist Alliance National Council
4) Military, Police Chiefs to meet displaced people in Timika, Papua 
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https://en.antaranews.com/news/134370/paulus-waterpauw-affirms-no-jihadists-in-papua-following-wamena-riot

1) Paulus Waterpauw affirms no jihadists in Papua following Wamena riot  
14 hours ago
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw made assurance of no jihadist having arrived in Papua Province in the upshot of the deadly Wamena rioting on Sept 23 that killed 33 innocent civilians.

"At the moment, none of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) members or jihadists have come to Jayapura or other cities in Papua," he informed ANTARA in Jayapura, the capital city of Papua Province, on Tuesday evening.

Citing received reports, Waterpauw claimed that some 40 members of Jama'ah Tabligh had been visiting Jayapura to propagate Islam among Muslims around the city and its outskirts, including Sentani and Keerom, since early October.

The Jama'ah Tabligh members, led by H. Nasir, departed from Jakarta by boarding Ciremai, a commercial motor vessel. They arrived at the Port of Jayapura on October 1, 2019, he revealed.

Waterpauw remarked that the Jama'ah Tabligh members will be in Jayapura and its outskirts for some four months. In the near future, the Papua police will meet them since their presence had raised a sense of concern and disquiet among several local residents.

Related news: Lesson learned from Wamena rioting

Speaking in connection with the current security condition in Wamena, Jayawijaya District’s capital city, that had recently borne witness to a deadly rioting, he stated that despite calm being maintained, the military and police personnel remain observant.

"Overall, the situation is secure, including that in the Pegunungan Tengah area," he stated.

Rumors on jihadists in Papua have recently been brought to light by foreign media, such as RNZ, which made claims that the Front Jihad Islam, or FJI, had issued a call to arms in the province following the killings of innocent non-Papuan settlers in Wamena.

The Wamena rioting has caused misery to numerous Indonesians since not only 33 innocent civilians were killed but several thousand survivors were also compelled to seek refuge by abandoning their burned and destroyed properties.

Related news: Wamena riot survivors are still traumatized: Wiranto

Several survivors, originally from provinces, including West Sumatra, South Sulawesi, East Java, and Banten, have also returned to their hometowns.

The rioting was spurred by the proliferation of hoaxes through social media platforms that triggered fury among its residents, according to Papua Police Chief Inspector General Rudolf A. Rodja.

Several local media reports confirmed Rodja's claim that the riot was spurred by hoaxes centering on a teacher's racist slur against native Papuan students.

Taking into account the count of casualties, the Wamena riot has become the deadliest of the string of violence that broke out in several parts of Papua and West Papua over the past two months following the Surabaya incident on Aug 16 that had triggered resentment and fury among native Papuans.

The Indonesian police have held Benny Wenda, a campaigner of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) leading a good life in the United Kingdom, accountable for the spate of violence that erupted in these two Indonesian provinces, including the rioting in Wamena. 
Related news: Social workers to work with Wamena riot survivors

Related news: Ministry, military join hands to rebuild Wamena's damaged facilities


EDITED BY INE
Reporter: Evarukdijati, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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2) Internet access in Papua fully normalized: Minister Rudiantara

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Communications and Informatics Minister Rudiantara confirmed the complete normalization of internet access in Papua Province.

The Communication and Informatics Ministry had earlier restricted internet access in the provinces of Papua and West Papua from August-end to September to thwart the enormous spread of fake news and inflammatory content.

"It has been a long time (normal). I even forgot (when it was revoked). The data has been activated; everything is activated. Indeed, when riot occurs in Wamena, internet access was temporarily deactivated in Wamena, but thereafter, there was no more (blocking)," Rudiantara stated at the Vice President's Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday.

Speaking in connection with the distribution of hoax, Rudiantara admitted to not being aware of the exact data, though confirming that the figure had declined significantly.

Before Wamena, the Communication and Informatics Ministry also cut internet access in several areas in Papua and West Papua in August-end owing to demonstrations that had snowballed into riots.

"We see from the virtual world, how many URLs (uniform resource locators) expand hoaxes today. If the recycled hoaxes are still there, I have to check," he explained.

The Communication and Informatics Ministry believes internet restrictions are a solution to curbing the proliferation of hoaxes and hate expressions.

The Communication and Informatics Ministry pointed out that the circulation of hoaxes in Papua had peaked on August 31, 2019, with such URLs reaching 42 thousand.

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics claimed that the number of such URLs had dropped to some one thousand on September 12, 2019, after internet access was blocked.Related news: Internet access to be reopened after peace prevails in Papua: Wiranto
Related news: Internet access restricted in Papua to curb fake news: Tito


EDITED BY INE
Reporter: Fransiska N, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Suharto
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3) FREE WEST PAPUA!  Socialist Alliance National Council
 October 9, 2019
The recent uprising in West Papua was sparked by racist attacks on Papuan students in the Indonesian city of Surabaya. However, the West Papuan people have been struggling for more than 60 years against Indonesian occupation, human rights violations  and for the right of self determination.
Indonesian occupation has led to human rights abuses, disappearances, kidnappings, extrajudicial killings, forced displacement and the deaths of an estimated 500,000 Papuans.
The Australian government is complicit in Indonesia’s repression of Papuan demands for self-determination and has a long history of opposing West Papuan self determination, right back to the end of Dutch colonisation.
Australia has supplied military helicopters used to carry out attacks, including napalm bombings and (along with Britain and the United States) trains Indonesian troops.
In 2006, the Australian government signed the Lombok Treaty with Indonesia, a security agreement that recognises Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua and precludes Australia's involvement in West Papuan matters.
In September, while protests were being violently repressed by Indonesian troops, the Australian government publicly reiterated its recognition of Indonesia’s sovereignty over West Papua.
The ALP’s position is no better. While a Labor spokesperson recently expressed “distress” and “concern” about the recent violence and affirmed Labor’s support for the right to "peacefully express political views" in West Papua, they also made reference to Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua under the Lombok Treaty.
Since August, untold numbers of protesters (many of them students) have been killed, arrested or disappeared. The internet is still shut down and journalists not allowed in.
Human rights activist Surya Anta, spokesperson for the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua has been arrested. Human rights lawyers have been interrogated and activists charged with sedition.
Australian-based human rights lawyer Veronica Koman is now wanted by the Indonesian government for her work in exposing the arrests, killings and repression in West Papua.
We demand the immediate release of all political prisoners, including Surya Anta and the withdrawal of all military forces from West Papua.
We call on the Australian government to:
1. End its military training of repressive Indonesian forces;
2. Demand that Indonesia cease its violent repression of West Papuans, restore the internet and allow journalists inside West Papua;
3. Respect the right to self-determination of the Papuan people by calling for an internationally monitored referendum on independence; and
4. Grant human rights lawyer Veronica Koman protection and not hand her over to Indonesia.
[This resolution was adopted by the October 5–6 meeting of the Socialist Alliance National Council.]
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4) Military, Police Chiefs to meet displaced people in Timika, Papua  
16 hours ago
Timika, Papua (ANTARA) - Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto and Indonesian Police (Polri) Chief General Tito Karnavian planned to meet people displaced owing to a recent bloody riot in Wamena and Ilaga conflict in Timika, Papua.

Moreover, they will hold discussions on the latest situation in Timika and the adjoining areas with the local authorities grouped in Forkopimda, Johannes Rettob, deputy district head of Mimika, remarked here on Wednesday.

Tjahjanto and Karnavian will also review facilities and preparations for the implementation of the 20th National Sport Week (PON) to be held in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua next year, from Oct 20 to Nov 2, 2020.

Timika is currently offering shelter to 128 people taking refuge after the riot in Wamena that killed 33 people, mostly hailing from West Sumatra and South Sulawesi. Of the 128 displaced people, 119 are from Toraja, South Sulawesi, and nine from Java Island.

The regional government has ensured that every refugee receives proper care and adequate food, medicines, and clothing while being accommodated in Timika, he stated.

In the meantime, Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, Tjahjanto, and Karnavian arrived in Papua on Tuesday to review the latest condition in Wamena, among other things.

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.

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. Related news: Social workers to work with Wamena riot survivors
Related news: Ministry, military join hands to rebuild Wamena's damaged facilities
Related news: Minister Wiranto, Military, Police chiefs review condition in Wamena

Reporter: Evarianus Supar,Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati
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