2) West Papua Struggle accepts two new members
3) ULMWP Chair: West Papua faces double crisis of coronavirus and Indonesian colonialism
4) Four identified patients under surveillance of Covid-19 in Papua
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1) 80 candles lit to commemorate one-year of Sentani flash flood
Published 16 hours ago on 21 March 2020
By Admin1
Sentani, Jubi – Flash food that hit Sentani on 16 March 2019 is still kept strictly in the memory of those who experienced it. Even today, after one year of the disaster, many people are still living in refugee camps. To commemorate one year of the incident, young people and the Baptist Sunday School of Imanuel Toladan Church organise worship and several activities to pray for their family members who passed away in this natural disaster.
“We have not prepared this event for a long time, but we think this is what we can do. We want to remember the incident where all Sunday School’s students were gathering in the ‘island’ for worshipping then suddenly the flash flood came,” says Jenny Marlin Wenda, the GBIT Sunday School Principal, to Jubi on Monday evening (16/3/2020).
Furthermore, she adds that there is nothing more valuable than being grateful to God.
“So, here we are today. Mr Jeff Ron comes to give us a preach and motivate those who attend the worship today. Before praying, we lit 80 candles that provided by our school, then watch movies while gathering for coffee in the churchyard,” she says.
Besides youth and Baptist congregations, this event also involves nearby neighbours.
“We also thank those who participated to join the event and pray with us. We meet with families of victims who join and bring some food for all of us to enjoy. They feel this worship is important to them, so they come to join,” she says.
Moreover, she says no one ever thinks that they would survive in flah flood.
“When remembering that experience, I am sad because it caused 114 death, 205 missing and 961 injured, while approximately 11,725 are currently living in refugee camps. “
Meanwhile, Jeff Ron Sohilait in his preach says in difficult time humans might not think that they will survive during a flash flood, but nothing is impossible for God. God opened the way for us when we were at the island at the time.
“At that night, God opened us the way. He brought us out of place at that time. It means He has a certain purpose for the children of Sunday School in this world,” he says.
“On Saturday evening one year ago, these children went to the worship, and because of their prayer, God came to save them. This is a great testimony where God came to them in the sudden episode and guided them to the safe place,” says Jeff Ron. (*)
Reporter: Yance Wenda
Editor: Pipit Maizier
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2) West Papua Struggle accepts two new members
By Len Garae Mar 21, 2020
Updated 20 hrs ago
The Vanuatu West Papua Association and Unification Committee (VWPAUC) Chairman, Pastor Allan Nafuki, has welcomed two new young members into the West Papua Struggle; late Andy Ayamiseba’s second born son, Harold Ayamiseba and an Australian, Tom Young.
The Chairman says it is highly encouraging to continue to have energetic new members join the ranks because the work towards the struggle is immense and requires young, determined, focused and dynamic individuals who have West Papua’s interests at heart, to come in to continue to strengthen the Movement.
Harold who was still a young boy during the Black Brothers’ stay in Port Vila, arrived back in Port Vila with his first-born brother in recent days to reconnect with the land where they grew up as children.
His first-born brother could not be present at the meeting where Executive Members of both the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) and Vanuatu West Papua Association and Unification Committee (VWPAUC) were present to welcome them.
Both young men confirmed the late Manager of once famed Black Brothers Band, Andy Ayamiseba, as responsible for convincing them to join the struggle.
When asked if he had anything to say, Young revealed that he grew up in Papua New Guinea where his father had a business.
It was the environment in which he grew up and the human relationships that he developed there that stayed with him and late Ayamiseba senior’s gentle explanation of the struggle of the people of West Papua convinced him to reconnect with the Melanesian struggle.
He said it is his hope that he would one day be able to contribute meaningfully towards the West Papua Struggle.
While the majority of people in Vanuatu knew the Black Brothers Band first before knowing the struggle of the Melanesians of West Papua, the truth was that knowing the band and listening to their soulful tunes was in fact knowing the struggle of the people of West Papua.
On the other hand, the Black Brothers Band was perhaps the first modern band to weave traditional Melanesian lyrics into modern musical instruments that kept toes tapping in the night clubs throughout Port Vila from the 1980s onward.
The band was also the first foreign band to step onto the Vanuatu local political stage to contribute by performing in fundraising events towards the Vanuatu Struggle.
What is happening in Vanuatu today therefore, is the most relevant Melanesian gesture of appreciation to West Papua considering the immense contributions by the Black Brothers Band after the country’s freedom from 74 years of Joint Colonial Rule by Britain and France.
To prove the Band’s achievements towards the development of Vanuatu, one of its hit songs to listen to is called “1984, Yia Blong Buluk”.
After the release of the album, I had an exclusive interview with the Manager of the Band, Andy Ayamiseba, and asked him to elaborate on the hit reggae song “…Yia Blong Buluk”.
The Manager of the band made the following profound prophesy, “One day Vanuatu will become the Jamaica of the Pacific”.
Andy Ayamiseba passed away in Australia only this year following a long illness.
His siblings chartered a jet with flying doctors onboard to Port Vila to fly him to Australia for further medical treatment.
He received medical treatment in a private medical facility.
His siblings knew of their father’s musical contributions towards the political development of the Republic of Vanuatu.
That was why they turned to Vanuatu for urgent financial assistance through ULMWP and VWPAUC to assist them to continue to keep their father at the costly private medical facility in Australia.
It is not clear if the Government had responded to their request at all.
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3) ULMWP Chair: West Papua faces double crisis of coronavirus and Indonesian colonialism
March 18, 2020 in Statement
As I stated last week, the people of West Papua face a new double crisis: a humanitarian crisis caused by Indonesian military operations, and a medical crisis caused by coronavirus. Indonesian colonialism, which has destroyed our way of life and left us without healthcare or the natural support of our environment, has increased the risks of coronavirus to my people. There has never been a more urgent time for Indonesia to allow the UN to independently monitor the situation, and for the people of West Papua to assert their independence and traditional ways of life.
The Indonesian government must immediately grant the long-standing request of the ULMWP, supported by 18 countries in the PIF and 79 countries from the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group States (ACP), and allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights into West Papua. With military operations ongoing around Grasberg and elsewhere, we need urgent international observation of our humanitarian crisis.
The situation around Freeport McMoRan’s Grasberg gold and copper mine continuous to decline. I am deeply saddened by the news that two members of the West Papuan military wing, our traditional land owners and defenders, have been killed by the illegal Indonesian occupation forces.
Freeport must immediately halt production at the mine. The company knows that the problems around the mine run deep, and will not stop until there is a just solution for the people of West Papua – until our right to self-determination is respected, and we are granted a referendum on independence. Freeport: do you want to carry on aiding and abetting the genocide in West Papua?
To my people back home, you must prepare for a difficult year. I know you suffered so much in 2019, but this virus is likely to enter West Papua soon.
We must not panic, but we must prepare. I call on all my people to return to the way of life we have left, to grow our own gardens in our villages and sustain our livelihoods in the face of this pandemic. We can no longer rely on the Indonesian colonial regime to protect us from this virus. We must support each other and rely on the strength of our traditional way of life.
We have water, fruit, land, gardens – we can return to fishing, to eating our staples of sago and the vegetables of our villages. This is our best chance of avoiding the coronavirus and continuing our struggle for self-determination.
Our thoughts are with everyone around the world affected by this virus.
God bless you all.
Benny Wenda
Chairman
ULMWP
Chairman
ULMWP
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4) Four identified patients under surveillance of Covid-19 in Papua
Published 16 hours ago on 21 March 2020
By Admin1
Jayapura, Jubi – Four people are named patients under surveillance of Covid-19 in Papua and currently getting medical treatment at local public hospitals in Merauke, Jayapura and Biak.
Concerning this, Jayapura Mayor asks residents to not being panic. Meanwhile, Merauke Regional People’s Representatives conducted a closed meeting to discuss the coronavirus issue.
“The patients are now under surveillance of health authority. Besides of having fever, cough and cold, they just returned from outside Papua,” the Secretary of Papua Health Office Dr Silvanus Sumule says on Tuesday (17/3/2020).
Furthermore, he says the medical testing samples of the four patients scheduled to send to the Research and Development Agency of Health Ministry in Jakarta today (17/3/2020) for further examination. The patients currently treated at Merauke Public Hospital are males of 46 and 51 years old, while a patient treated in Jayapura Public Hospital is a 45 or 46 years old man.
“Meanwhile, the patient in Biak Public Hospital is a young man of 21 years old,” Sumule adds.
However, he admits that he does not know the exact number of people under surveillance of Covid-19 in Papua as he is still waiting for the official report from the relevant local health offices.
At the moment, the local health authority in Biak states that the patient under surveillance treated in Biak Public Hospital so far has not been infected and is under medical treatment in the hospital’s isolation room.
In the meantime, Biak Numfor Regent Herry Ario Naap in a press release states the suspected Covid-19 patient in Biak is a resident of Bandung, West Java. Moreover, he says the medical staffs of Biak Public Hospital had taken any necessary medical procedure to take care of the patient.
“The point is the local government has promptly responded to this issue. We have published announcement and established a team to conduct a surveillance action,” says Naap in the press release received by Jubi on Monday (16/3/2020).
Meanwhile, the Director of Biak Public Hospital Dr Ricardo Mayor says the patient in Biak was a ship passenger departed from Jakarta and arrived in Biak on Thursday (12/3/2020).
“He departed from Jakarta to Biak by KM Ciremai and arrived on 12 March. He entered the emergency room at around 18.30 Papua time and got medical treatment immediately. Based on the examination, the patient needs to put under surveillance,” says the mayor in the government’s release.
Furthermore, he says the patient had clinical symptom resembled those who infected by the coronavirus. However, he asserts that the initial examination will approve after the result of laboratory testing.
“To ensued whether the patient is positive of having the coronavirus, it should go through the laboratory testing. The sample would send to Jakarta,” says Mayor Naap. (*)
Sumber: Antara
Editor: Pipit Maizier
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