2) Another soldier killed in gunfight with rebels in Indonesia's Papua
3) Security chief Mahfud reiterates no chance of referendum for Papua
4) In emotional speech, Surya Anta asks court ‘has reformasi gone backwards’
5) Arraignment sees Jakarta six formally charged with treason, criminal conspiracy
------------------------------
1) On Trial
BY :ANTARA PHOTO
DECEMBER 20, 2019
West Papuan student Ambrosius Mulait has been charged with treason, which carries a possible penalty of life imprisonment, for waving a morning star flag during a peaceful protest in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta in August. Ambrosius, who wore traditional Papuan clothing and headgear during his trial on Thursday, has denied any wrongdoing.
-------------------------------------------
2) Another soldier killed in gunfight with rebels in Indonesia's Papua
Source: Xinhua| 2019-12-20 18:54:38| Editor: zh
JAKARTA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- One soldier was killed and three others were injured in an exchange of fire with a band of rebels the government called as "the criminal armed group" in Indonesia's eastern most province of Papua, local media reported Friday. The gunfight occurred in Ugimba of Intan Jaya district on Thursday, leaving the soldier named M Ramadhan dead and three other soldiers, Arif Aria, Ari Budiarta and Gunawan, wounded, according to the report by Antara news agency. All the victims have been evacuated to Timika town in the province. On Tuesday, two soldiers were gunned down in an attack launched by the separatists group while transporting goods in the district. The separatist Free Papua Movement has sought an independent trough guerrilla wars since decades ago. Their targets include soldiers, police personnel and civilians.
————————
3) Security chief Mahfud reiterates no chance of referendum for Papua
CNN Indonesia – December 17, 2019
Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud MD says that Indonesia is entitled to take any and all measures to hold on to Papua.
He said this in relation to demands for a referendum on self-determination for Papua in the name of international law.
Mahfud said that there is no possibility of a referendum for Papua. This is based on two legal foundations. First the Indonesian constitution, which states that Papua is a legitimate part of Indonesia.
Second, international law, namely United Nations General Assembly Resolution Number 2405 in 1969 which officially declared that Papua is part of the Indonesian Republic.
“And based on the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) all countries that have sovereign rights over a territory are allowed to take any and all measures to maintain their sovereignty over that territory or area by all means at their disposal”, said Mahfud during an event titled Papua Development Conference at the JW Marriot Hotel in Jakarta on Tuesday December 17.
From here he said that any efforts to separate Papua from Indonesia must be seen as opposition to the legitimate government.
“Papua is a legitimate part of the Indonesian Republic. So, the assumption at this seminar is how we think, that developing Papua is developing Indonesia”, said Mahfud when he was speaking as a representatives of President Joko Widodo.
The government will only give the green light to plans to add new regions to Papua and West Papua provinces. The decision, he said, would be made by Home Affairs Minister (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian.
“There is a possibility of it in the near future, it will continue to be discussed. The possibility of yes or not well the Mendagri will of course determine this”, said Mahfud.
Nevertheless, Mahfud believes that the proposal is still immature and still needs to be evaluated. “It’s still in the inventory process. The proposal is still not mature. It’s still in its infancy and will continue to be discussed”, said Mahfud.
Earlier this year, United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Chairperson Benny Wenda stated that he was prepared to meet with President Widodo to discuss Papua. The Papua separatist figure however presented a number of preconditions which had to be met first.
One of them was the meeting must discuss the “long-held demand of the West Papuan people to hold an independence referendum or an act of self-determination”. (jps/arh)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Mahfud Sebut RI Boleh Ambil Semua Langkah Pertahankan Papua”.]
———————————
4) In emotional speech, Surya Anta asks court ‘has reformasi gone backwards’
CNN Indonesia – December 19, 2019
Jakarta – Surya Anta and five other Papua activists heard the formal charges against them during the first hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court on Thursday December 19. Following their arraignment, Anta and the other defendants presented emotional speeches to the court.
“People who talk about humanity are silenced, moreover after more than 20 years of reformasi [the democratic reform process that began in 1998] we are still being silenced, we must ask ourselves, is this the era of colonialism, an era of fascism, the era of [Suharto’s] New Order [dictatorship] or the era of reformasi, has reformasi gone backwards?”, asked Anta.
During his speech, Anta and several of the other defendants shed tears, although Anta continued his speech despite being choked by emotion. According to Ana, for a people and a nation, being civilised is to have humanitarian values in one’s heart and actions.
“[How can we be civilised] if humanitarian values no longer exist in our hearts and actions, because we are afraid of speaking out, despite us speaking peacefully, because behind us are the makar articles, there are the weapons, there are the jails, and there are the isolation cells”, said Anta.
“Then tomorrow we will see, people with black skin and curly hair, minorities, people with yellow skin and narrow eyes, the poor, will no longer have anyone to defend them”, he said to shouts of support from the crowd in the public gallery.
The six defendants, Surya Anta along with Issay Wenda, Arina Elopere, Charles Kossay, Ambrosius Mulait and Dano Tabuni have been charged with makar(treason, rebellion, treason) and criminal conspiracy for flying the Morning Star independence flag during a rally in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta on August 28.
Constitutional right
Following the arraignment, Anta and his colleagues wanted to present a demurrer (eksepsi) rejecting the prosecution’s charges. The panel of judges however adjourned the hearing until Thursday January 2.
“So that the eksepsi can be made jointly, the hearing is adjourned until January 2, 2020”, said presiding judge Agustinus Setya Wahyu Triwiranto.
The prosecution has charged Anta and the other five Papua activists with makar and criminal conspiracy. The prosecutor said that the actions of the six defendants were aimed at separating Papua and West Papua provinces from the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
Prior to committing makar, the prosecution also said that the six committed a criminal conspiracy by planning to commit makar.
Anta had an opportunity to give a response after hearing the prosecution’s charges. He questioned the indictment against him.
“Specifically and in particular, was my presence at the action a form of makar? For as long as I have been an activist, [holding an] action has been a right. Demanding something from the state is a constitutional right”, said Anta. (yoa/osc)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Surya Anta Orasi dan Menangis: Apakah Reformasi Sudah Mundur?”.]
-------------------------------------------
5) Arraignment sees Jakarta six formally charged with treason, criminal conspiracy
CNN Indonesia – December 19, 2019
Jakarta – The public prosecutor charged six Papua activists, Surya Anta, Charles Kossay, Dano Tabuni, Isay Wenda, Ambrosius Mulait and Arina Elopere with makar and criminal conspiracy during their formal arraignment at the first hearing at Central Jakarta District Court on Thursday December 19.
In the first of two indictments, the six Papua activists were charged with violating Article 106 in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code (KUHP) otherwise known as makar (treason, subversion, rebellion).
“That the Central Jakarta District Court which has the authority examine and try the case of these individuals who have committed or participated in committing an act, namely makar, with the intent that all or a part of the country’s territory fall into the hands of enemies or to separate a part of the country’s territory from the rest of the country”, said prosecutor P Permana as quoted by the Antara state news agency.
The second charge meanwhile was for violating Article 110 Paragraph (1) of the KUHP on criminal conspiracy as a result of the six Papua activists holding an action in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta on August 28 in which the Morning Star independence flag was flown.
“That the Central Jakarta District Court which has the authority examine and try the case of these individuals who have committed criminal conspiracy with the intent that all or a part of the country’s territory fall into the hands of enemies or to separate a part of the country’s territory from the rest of the country”, said Permana.
The six activists will be tried in three groups. The first hearing will try the defendant Arina Elopere.
In the second court hearing the court will summon the defendants Paulus Surya Anta Ginting, Charles Kossay, Ambrosius Mulait and Isay Wenda.
After this, the final court hearing will be held for the defendant Dano Anes Tabuni.
Songs and prayer
Before the court hearing began, Anta and his colleagues made time to form a circle and to pray and sing a song after entering the court room.
According to the Antara, at 4.10 pm, three of the defendants, namely Dano Tabuni, Arina Elopere and Ambrosius Mulait wore Papuan traditional headdresses and ornamentation.
After being asked to be seated in the court room, the six people stood up and formed a circle to pray. Following this they formed a straight line and sung the song Mysterious Life written by Papuan activists Arnold Clemens Ap. (Antara/osc)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Jaksa Dakwa Surya Anta cs Makar dan Pemufakatan Jahat”.]
-----------------
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.