2) Employees warned over heightened security risks at Papua mine
3) Twitter, FB suspend accounts linked to Papua campaign
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1) Death toll from Papua 2019 protest month put at 59
2:56 pm on 6 March 2020
Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific Journalist
West Papuans protest against racism in Wamena, August 2019. Photo: Supplied
Researchers say 59 people died in a month of unrest in West Papua late last year.
The Indonesian-ruled provinces of Papua experienced widespread anti-racism protests and related unrest between late August and late September.
Until now, there's been little clarity on the number of people who died during the series of large protests and unrest, how they died and who they were.
The International Coalition for Papua, made up of local church groups and civil society organisations, has now compiled and released a list of those who died.
As well as violent crackdowns on protesters by security forces, the Coalition said the other main cause of the 59 deaths was ethnic violence between Papuans and non-Papuans.
Over half of those killed were aged under 25, including three children under 10. In one case, the shooting death of a 20-year-old Papuan protester by police was identified as having triggered extensive riots which caused more deaths.
Forty-one of the victims died on one day alone in the Highlands city of Wamena, many of them migrants from other parts of Indonesia including Sulawesi and Sumatra.
Indonesian authorities evacuated over 11,500 people from Wamena due to the violence, in which some of the victims are reported to have perished in buildings which caught fire.
Other deaths listed were registered as having occurred in and around Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, as well as remote Deiyai regency.
The turmoil was sparked after mass mobilisations of Papuans which began as protests against racist harassment of Papuan students in Java then quickly developed into demonstrations demanding independence in Papua.
"While the situation in West Papua has temporarily calmed down, the potential risk of further outbreaks of violence continues to exist as the root causes of the conflict remain unaddressed," the International Coalition for Papua said.
It said that Indonesia's government had not taken meaningful steps to counter the marginalisation of indigenous Papuans, tackle racist notions among Indonesian security forces and civil society.
The Coalition also suggested Jakarta should enter into dialogue with the local independence movement to settle the political conflict in West Papua.
The largest public mobilisations in decades in Papua prompted the deployment of 6000 extra security personnel to the region.
Meanwhile, the government cut off internet access in Papua in order to stem the flow of what it termed "hoax information".
Dozens of activists arrested during the protests are currently on trial, or awaiting trial, on charges of treason.
The Coalition said that the trials failed "to bring justice for most victims and their families".
"Mild sentences for perpetrators, prosecution of Papuan protesters as well as the criminalisation of political activists and human rights defenders have nourished existing anger among many indigenous Papuans."
According to the Coalition, all perpetrators should be brought to justice "at civilian courts through fair and transparent trials".
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2) Employees warned over heightened security risks at Papua mine
4:36 pm on 6 March 2020
Employees at the Freeport mine in West Papua have been warned about heightened security risks in the area.
PT Freeport Indonesia has told staff they and their family may notice an increased presence of security personnel.
This follows a series of attacks on Indonesian security forces in the area around Freeport's Grasberg gold and copper mine in Papua province.
The West Papua Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
It said it shot dead an Indonesian soldier in the area at the weekend, and on Monday injured up to eight police on the road to the mine.
Freeport has advised employees to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious they encounter.
In its update to employees, the company has also instructed measures employees should take when they hear shots.
The Grasberg mine has long been a major source of revenue to the Indonesian state.
PT Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of US-based company Freeport McMoran, was recently compelled to divest 51 percent of its equity in the mine to Indonesia.
The West Papua Liberation Army said it was targeting the mine operations in its war on the Indonesian state.
The road between Mimika's capital Timika and the Freeport mine, about 125km long, is guarded by an estimated 3000 Indonesian security forces.
According to human rights researchers, dozens of people have been killed and over 500 injured in shootings along the road in the past 17 years.
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3) Twitter, FB suspend accounts linked to Papua campaign
Friday, 06 Mar 2020
Twitter and Facebook have suspended more than 80 accounts following a Reuters investigation that linked them to a network of news sites backed by the Indonesian army that publish pro-government propaganda about the restive region of Papua.
The 10 sites in the network appeared to be independent news outlets. But registration records and Reuters interviews with website editors and a special forces intelligence officer showed that they were all funded and coordinated by an Indonesian army corporal.
Materials from the websites were spread by a network of Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Some of them used profile photos or cartoons that made them appear to be the work of Papuan residents or “Free Papua” activists, even as they promoted material that praised the army and criticised advocates of Papuan self-determination.
Reuters flagged more than 80 accounts to both social media platforms following publication of the story. Twitter subsequently took down more than 60 accounts that appeared to be using the fake personas, Reuters checks showed.
“Account suspended. Twitter suspends accounts which violate the Twitter rules,” read the message displayed on the platform in response to Reuters’ efforts to access the accounts.
A Twitter spokesman declined to comment on the reasons for the suspensions.
A Facebook spokesman said the platform had removed “a number of accounts” flagged by Reuters for being in violation of its community standards, adding that its “investigations are ongoing”.
Facebook previously took down a network of fake accounts and pages posting content
on the Papua Independence movement in October last year. — Reuters
The 10 sites in the network appeared to be independent news outlets. But registration records and Reuters interviews with website editors and a special forces intelligence officer showed that they were all funded and coordinated by an Indonesian army corporal.
Some of them used profile photos or cartoons that made them appear to be the work of Papuan residents or “Free Papua” activists, even as they promoted material that praised the army and criticised advocates of Papuan self-determination.
“Account suspended. Twitter suspends accounts which violate the Twitter rules,” read the message displayed on the platform in response to Reuters’ efforts to access the accounts.
A Twitter spokesman declined to comment on the reasons for the suspensions.
A Facebook spokesman said the platform had removed “a number of accounts” flagged by Reuters for being in violation of its community standards, adding that its “investigations are ongoing”.
Facebook previously took down a network of fake accounts and pages posting content
on the Papua Independence movement in October last year. — Reuters
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