2) Papuan human right lawyer confirm data on political prisoners by Veronica is valid
3) School made a security post disturbs learning activities
4) PRESS RELEASE: New report names top British companies responsible for toxic mining legacies
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1) Indonesia: Priest Says Child Among 2 Killed in Alleged Papua Firefight
Victor Mambor
Jayapura, Indonesia
2020-02-20
Security forces shot dead an elementary school student during an alleged firefight in Papua that killed two people dead and injured two others, a local Catholic leader said Thursday, in the latest violence in Indonesia’s troubled easternmost province.
However, the Indonesian military said the slain boy was an 18-year-old separatist rebel, when he was killed in a clash with soldiers earlier this week.
Melki Tipagau, 12, and Kayus Sani, 51, were allegedly shot and killed by security forces in Galunggama, a village in Intan Jaya regency, said Father Yustinus Rahangiar, a member of the Catholic deanery overseeing the Monis, the largest tribe in the area.
“The boy was diminutive, small. I’m not sure he could carry a weapon,” said Yustinus, who visited the boy’s home.
“He (Melki) was in sixth grade, age 11 or 12 years. If people say this child is 18 years old, that must be wrong. I am sure because he was my disciple,” the priest told BenarNews.
Two women identified as Heletina Sani and Kalopina Sani were injured in Tuesday’s incident, he said.
Yustinus said the killing of a child would create an atmosphere of fear among local youths.
A list of pupils at the YPPK Bilogai Elementary School seen by BenarNews included the name Melki Tipagau, born Feb.14, 2008.
School Principal Stefanus Sondegau said Melki was a 6th-grade student there.
“In the last few months many children from Galunggama have not come to the school because of an unfavorable security situation,” Stefanus said.
But Col. Eko Daryanto, spokesman for the military’s 17th regional command Cenderawasih, which oversees Papua province, said Melki Tipagau was a member of the Free Papua Organization (OPM) separatist group and 18 years old.
He said Melki was killed during clashes between rebels and a joint team of soldiers and police, and that a teenage girl was wounded by a ricocheted bullet fired by OPM members.
“The person killed was an 18-year-old OPM member and the wounded is 14 years,” Eko told BenarNews by telephone Thursday.
In a statement a day earlier, Eko said Melki’s body was found with a gun after the firefight in Galunggama. He did not say what kind of gun it was.
“Some time after the gunfight, the joint team carried out a search of the scene and found some evidence including a male corpse (18 years old) by the name of Melki Tipagau, of the Moni tribe, who was killed during the firefight and carrying a gun,” Eko said.
Eko said the military had received information from a tribal chief that Melki had joined the separatist group.
Other evidence found at the scene included a laptop, a cellphone, a handy talky, two homemade guns, a facsimile machine, a bow and several arrows, he said.
Sebby Sambom, spokesman for the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of OPM, disputed the military’s account, saying all the casualties were civilians.
“The real story is that Indonesian security forces shot dead and wounded native Papuan civilians,” Sambom said in a statement Wednesday.
The statement identified the casualties as Yoparu village head Kayus Sani, Melki, his mother Heletina Sani, 31, and Malopina Sani, 11.
Violence has been on the rise in Intan Jaya since December, after Jakarta deployed more security forces in the area.
On Dec. 12, suspected rebels shot dead two government soldiers, while a resident was killed and two others were wounded by security forces last month.
The uptick in armed violence has prompted the Papuan Indigenous Council to call on the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to form a fact-finding team to investigate.
On Monday, a panel set up by Komnas HAM concluded in a report that Indonesian soldiers had shot and killed four Papuan high schoolers during anti-Jakarta protests in Paniai regency in December 2014.
Komnas labeled the killings as “a gross violation of human rights,” and the panel that investigated the incident said it was part of a pattern of “widespread or systematic crimes against a civilian population.”
In a report published in July 2018, London-based rights group Amnesty International said that Indonesian security forces had “unlawfully killed at least 95 people” in Papua and West Papua provinces in eight years since 2010. It said a majority of the perpetrators had not been held to account for the killings and most of the victims were activists and protesters.
“Papua is one of Indonesia’s black holes for human rights. This is a region where security forces have for years been allowed to kill women, men and children, with no prospects of being held to account,” Usman Hamid, Amnesty International Indonesia’s executive director, said at the time.
The Papua region was formally incorporated into Indonesia in 1969, after a U.N.-administered ballot known as the Act of Free Choice. Many Papuans and rights groups said the vote was a sham because it involved only 1,000 people.
Separatists have fought for independence for the mainly Melanesian region since the Dutch ceded the territory to the United Nations in 1962 and to Indonesia the next year.
Ronna Nirmala in Jakarta contributed to this report.
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2) Papuan human right lawyer confirm data on political prisoners by Veronica is valid
Published 1 day ago on 20 February 2020 By Admin
Document on political prisoners and Nduga casualties are not Vero’s. The coalition law enforcement and human rights in Papua have been doing the research and compilation on it.
Jayapura, Jubi – Gustaf Kawer, Director of Association of Law Enforcement and Human Right Advocates in Papua (PAHAM) said the document on political prisoners revealed by human rights activities Veronica Koman is valid, as the coalition has been working on the record.
“Victims details in Nduga, are also prepared by members of the human rights coalition advocating the victims in Nduga,” he said on Sunday (16/2/2020).
Kawer further explained why they use the terminology of political prisoners in the document. It refers to allegation and article used for accusing the fifty-seven detainees. “So, all prisoners that Vero mentioned about have been accused using the treason article, not public speech or common crime,” he added.
The document reveals that 57 political prisoners detained in different locations, respectively Jakarta (6 detainees), Balikpapan (7 detainees), Jayapura (1 detainee), Manokwari (5 detainees), Sorong (15 detainees) and Fakdak (23 detainees). Kawer explained that they were arrested because of their activity categorised as part of the independence movement.
This accusation has become a foundation for PAHAM to identify them as political prisoners instead of criminals. He asserted that the Papua Police Chief and all relevant parties should not give a rush statement that might increase the public disappointment in attempting the human rights enforcement in the Land of Papua. According to him, it would be wise if they do a crosscheck on the 57 political prisoners mentioned by Veronica.
“If the data is valid, the regional police must act professionally to solve it,” he said.
Further, he took an example on the human rights violation in Nduga. This case, according to him, should have been followed up like the Paniai case. Those who proven not involved in the riot must be released.
“Similarly, those who involved in the riot should not be accused using the treason article, but another article,” he said.
PAHAM also asks all parties to see the reality of how the perpetrators of racist taunts got the light sentence, while Papuans accused with the substantial article (Treason). He asks all parties in Papua to object the errors by the central government in responding to Veronica’s statement about the human rights violation in Nduga and political prisoners.
Earlier, Veronica Koman handed document consisting the names of 57 political prisoners and 243 details of death victims among civilians in Nduga, Papua to President Joko Widodo in his official visit to Canberra, Australia on Monday (10/2/2020). The human rights violation case in Papua, including Nduga refugees, has been highlighted or became a spotlight of some parties in Australia. (*)
Reporter: Angela Flassy
Editor: Pipit Maizier
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3) School made a security post disturbs learning activities
Published 2 days ago on 18 February 2020 By Admin1
Sentani, Jubi – A local parliament member of Lanny Jaya Girmin Wenda urges military and police to withdraw their troops from Popome Elementary School in Mokoni subdistrict.
“They made school as a security post that affecting school activities (stop enrol). This is very detrimental for the next generation,” said Wenda in his written statement received by Jubi on Wednesday (02/12/2020).
The Indonesian security forces have occupied the school since the shooting incident over a motorcycle taxi driver happened in November last year. It assumed the local government permitted them to make school a security post.
Concerning this, he further states it was a mistake as it disturbs the progress of education in Papua. Moreover, the current situation in the local area is very conducive following the traditional peace procession conducted by the local community in Balingga subdistrict
“I am very concerned about this. The school just commenced in 2014, and now, they must stop their learning activities,” said Wenda.
According to him, the school applying as a security post was a unilateral act because of the local community as the customary landowner has never included in this arrangement.
“The community gave up their land for school construction. If you want to build a police and military post on this land, you have to go through meetings involve village and subdistrict communities to propose to the local parliament,” explained Wenda.
Similarly, Titus Yikwa, the Chairman of the Alliance for Papua Baptist Churches (PGBP) also calls for military and police to stop using the school as their security post. According to him, the presence of both military and police troops has disturbed the peace of local people, especially children.
“Children (elementary pupils) see them (the security forces) wearing camouflage and holding arms run away instantly. Even some get injured (because of falling while running). They are very scared (of them),” said Yukawa. (*)
Reporter: Yance Wenda
Editor: Pipit Maizier
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4) PRESS RELEASE: New report names top British companies responsible for toxic mining legacies
by Lydia | Feb 19, 2020 | Press Releases
For immediate release 19/02/20
BHP and Rio Tinto have a long history of extracting minerals then pulling out, leaving devastation in their wake. Climate justice organisation London Mining Network reveals the extent of this in a new report
London Mining Network has published a new report entitled ‘Cut and run: How Britain’s top two mining companies have wrecked ecosystems without being held to account’. The report includes examples from Southeast Asia of where the British-Australian multinationals BHP and Rio Tinto have left legacies of conflict and environmental destruction, long after they’ve fled the scene.
Recent examples of mining messes include Brumadinho, the tailings (mining waste) dam owned by Brazilian mining company Vale, which collapsed in January 2019 in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Vale executives, along with its German advisors TUV Sud, were recently charged with the homicide of 272 people; 14 people are still missing. Vale, along with BHP, jointly own the Samarco iron ore mine and tailings dam which also collapsed in 2015, causing Brazil’s worst environmental disaster in history and the deaths of 20 people. The trauma due to loss of life, displacement and job loss and the environmental repercussions of contamination of river systems in both catastrophes will be felt for decades to come. The entire mining industry needs to be held to account for such mining messes, and laws made which demand the cleaning up of messes made by mining companies before they pull out of projects.
Despite the best efforts of the industry, particularly BHP, to greenwash the extraction of fossil fuels and metals, the practice of ‘cutting and running’ when companies close mining operations tells us another story. The harm that extraction causes people and the planet doesn’t end once the companies disappear.
On 10th February, BHP became the world’s top copper producer, but this isn’t good news for the communities affected by their copper mines, and the other metals and minerals it extracts. In 2002, the company walked away from the Ok Tedi copper-gold mine it had controlled since 1982 in Papua New Guinea. For years it had dumped waste straight into the local river system. Eventually the company concluded that it should no longer do that and should not have operated the mine after all. But 18 years later the contamination and mess remains.
Rio Tinto was the majority owner of the Panguna mine in Bougainville, operated by Bougainville Copper Ltd (BCL), for 45 years. It dumped toxic mining waste the copper-gold mine in Bougainville (an island off the coast of Papua New Guinea) straight into the local river system between 1972 and 1988. This caused such outrage that it sparked a war for independence from Papua New Guinea, a war in which thousands were killed and independence was not won. The mine was abandoned. In 2016 RioTinto gave the mine to the authorities in Bougainville and Papua New Guinea but they do not have the financial or technical means to clean up the waste.
For shareholders in Rio Tinto and BHP, the deadly legacies of these mines make for risky investments, as the report illustrates.
Co-author of the report, Hal Rhoades, from The Gaia Foundation, said:
“This report shows how British multinationals have profited from destroying ecosystems and people’s livelihoods on vast scales in the Global South, while leaving their mess behind for communities to deal with. These are the same companies who are now trying to convince us that they hold the answers to the climate emergency. We cannot continue to pay lip service to tackling climate change while allowing the world’s largest corporations to devastate ecosystems that help regulate the climate and the communities that care for them. Holding these companies accountable and calling out their greenwashing is a crucial part of climate justice.”
Press contacts
For press enquiries and photographs:
Lydia James, lydia@londonminingnetwork.org
Hal Rhoades, hal@gaianet.org
ENDS
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