AWPA update
Summary of events in West Papua (8 March-6 April 2020)
A snapshot of events
Attack at Freeport Mine
Shooting incidents continued to occur in West Papua in the past week and in particular around the Freeport copper and gold mine. In an attack on the 30 March a number of Freeport employees were attacked in a parking area at an office complex of Freeport in Timika.
A New Zealander, Graeme Thomas Wall who was engaged in construction work with colleagues died on the way to hospital from wounds received in the attack. Jibril Wahar and Yosephine, were admitted to Tembagapura Hospital with serious injuries and four other people sustained minor injuries and were treated in the office. As with a lot of attacks in West Papua there were claims and counter claims about who was responsible for the attack although Inspector General Paul Waterpauw of the Papua police said the shootings were carried out by a faction of the West Papua Liberation Army led by Joni Botak.
Paramedics attended to the site where a victim lay following the shootings at Freeport's premises in Timika, 30 March, 2020. Photo: Indonesia Police
(Photos in RNZI report https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/413012/nzer-killed-in-shooting-attack-in-west-papua )
An Indonesian policeman on hand as employees of PT Freeport Indonesia take shelter in the immediate aftermath of a deadly shooting at the mining company's premises in Timika, Papua, 30 March 2020. Photo: Indonesia Police
Covid-19 opens world’s biggest gold mine to attack
Papuan rebels use Indonesia's coronavirus distraction to launch most audacious assault in years on US miner Freeport-run mine
Asia Times By JOHN MCBETH APRIL 1, 2020
JAKARTA – With most Indonesians preoccupied with a coronavirus outbreak, security officials were caught off guard when at least three gunmen penetrated the US-based Freeport mining company’s residential housing area on Papua’s south coast, killing a New Zealand employee and wounding six other local workers. The March 30 attack near the city of Timika was the most audacious yet by suspected members of the rebel West Papuan Liberation Army (TPNB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), which has waged a war for independence since the 1960s. It is not expected to affect work at the Grasberg, the world’s largest copper and gold mine, although it comes at a time when production is down by more than 50% as it undergoes transition from an open pit to a wholly underground operation. After a series of conflicting messages from affiliates and allies, including a condolence letter to the family of New Zealand victim Graeme Wall, 57, the OPM finally issued a statement claiming “full responsibility” for the shooting, which was carried out in broad daylight in an office carpark. It said the attack was led by “Brigadier-General” Guspi Waker and Jhoni Botak, under the command of “Lieutenant-General” Lekagak Telenggen and “General” Goliath Tabuni, and warned that keeping the mine open “will only endanger the lives of workers and other civilians.” “The OPM/TNPB saw no other alternative but to accept that it is at war, to declare openly that it is at war, and that it is determined to win this war for the sake of the survival and respect of the right of self-determination of the people of West Papua,” it added.
Aerial view of Indonesia’s The Grasberg mine in West Papua, which the Indonesia government took control of from US mining giant Freeport McMoRan in 2018. Picture: Facebook
The surprise raid deep into the lowlands was a departure from more than 90 armed incidents over the past decade which have mostly focused on the mountain road linking Timika with the mining town of Tembagapura in Papua’s Central Highlands………….
https://asiatimes.com/2020/04/covid-19-opens-worlds-biggest-gold-mine-to-attack/
https://asiatimes.com/2020/04/covid-19-opens-worlds-biggest-gold-mine-to-attack/
Also in Asia Pacific Report “Freeport shooting: A sad tragedy, but don’t overlook past Papua repression” COMMENTARY: By Laurens Ikinia who is a Papuan student on the Postgraduate Diploma in Communication Studies programme at Auckland University of Technology (AUT).
A statement by Benny Wenda on the incident at
The Rev. Dr. Socratez S.Yoman who is President of the Alliance of West Papuan Baptist Churches also wrote an open letter from the People of West Papua to the Graeme Thomas Wall’s Family
and Andreas Harsono from Human Rights Watch believes that the "New Zealand police should offer to send a team to help Indonesian investigators. Criminal investigation in a place such as Timika, with numerous competing political and business interests, is best carried out by an independent investigative team removed from local issues."
Papuan liberation movement calls for miner to stop operating
RNZI 11 March 2020
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua is calling for mining company Freeport to stop operating in Papua until local conflict ceases. Violent clashes have broken out between Indonesian security forces and the West Papua National Liberation Army near the Freeport gold and copper mine. The Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the shooting deaths of an Indonesian soldier and a policeman in the Freeport area since late last month.
It also said it had injured several police while it targeted the lucrative mine as a symbol of the Indonesian state it had declared war against. The Liberation Movement chair, Benny Wenda, said Papuan military fighters had a right to defend ancestral lands against an invading force. Mr Wenda accused Freeport of providing support to Indonesian forces to carry out mass killings, and depopulate local villages. Freeport should stop operating in West Papua until bloodshed ceased, he said. "Freeport has long been the single largest tax payer to the Indonesian colonial state, taxes which are used to buy the weapons which kill my people," Mr Wenda said in a statement. "There have always been West Papuans who, with the support of the people, defend themselves, their mountains and their forests. They are the West Papuan home guard. "The people of West Papua have lived on their lands for tens of thousands of years. Until Indonesia came there was no mass killing, deforestation or pollution. Now, our land is a hunting ground for the Indonesian military."
West Papua Liberation Army fighters. Photo: Supplied
Papua region police chief Paulus Waterpauw has told local media that security forces are looking to arrest members of the West Papua Liberation Army which has been staging ambush attacks on his personnel. PT Freeport has warned its employees in Papua about heightened security risks in the area, advising them to stay vigilant. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that almost 2000 West Papuan villagers have fled the area due to the shootouts between the Liberation Army's guerilla fights and Indonesian forces. A local disaster mitigation agency chief, Yosias Lossu, said buses owned by PT Freeport Indonesia evacuated about 1000 villagers, mostly women and children, since last week. Another 800 villagers were evacuated with assistance of police last Friday, he said.
Indonesian military depopulating villages to protect Freeport gold mine
Benny Wenda said in a statement (March 10, 2020) that “as the world faces the coronavirus crisis, my people face a renewed humanitarian crisis in West Papua. From Puncak Jaya to Intan Jaya, Nduga to Timika, over 45,000 have been displaced by Indonesian military operations since December 2018. As you read this, the Indonesia military is mobilising to protect the world’s largest gold and third-largest copper mine, Grasberg, run by US company Freeport McMoRan. Thousands, including entire villages near the mine, are fleeing.” Full statement
4 rebels killed in clash in Indonesia's Papua region
Police and rebels say four Papuan independence fighters have been killed in a clash between security forces and a rebel group near the world's largest gold mine in Indonesia's easternmost Papua region By The Associated Press 17 March 2020,
TIMIKA, Indonesia -- Four Papuan independence fighters were killed in an ongoing clash between security forces and a rebel group near the world's largest gold mine in Indonesia's easternmost Papua region, police and rebels said Monday. The clashes, which began Feb. 29 near the Grasberg copper and gold mine in Papua province, earlier killed two security personnel and injured three others. Police said the attackers are believed to be members of the West Papua Liberation Army, the military wing of the Free Papua Organization. Rebels in Papua have been fighting a low-level insurgency since the early 1960s, when Indonesia annexed the region, a former Dutch colony. Papua was formally incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot that was seen as a sham by many. Papua police spokesman Ahmad Musthofa Kamal said a joint military and police force killed four of the Papuan fighters, including a woman, in a battle with dozens of rebels armed with military-grade weapons as well as axes and arrows in Kali Bua village in Mimika district near the mining town of Tembagapura. Kamal said security forces seized three assault rifles, five arrows and an axe during the clash. He said the rifles were identified as police weapons that had been stolen by rebels when they attacked police posts in 2012 and 2014.
Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the liberation army, confirmed the police claim, adding that two other fighters were injured in the battle. Attacks by rebels near the Grasberg mine have spiked in the past year. The mine, which is nearly half owned by U.S.-based Freeport-McMoRan and is run by PT Freeport Indonesia, is seen by separatists as a symbol of Indonesian rule and has been a frequent target for rebels. The current shootout caused about 2,000 villagers to flee for safety to neighboring Timika city. The Grasberg mine's vast gold and copper reserves have been exploited for decades by Freeport-McMoRan, damaging the surrounding environment while providing significant tax income for the Indonesian government. But indigenous Papuans have benefited little and are poorer, sicker and more likely to die young than people elsewhere in Indonesia.
Indonesian plane shot at in Papua
RNZI 26 March 2020
An Indonesian military plane has been shot at by a faction of the West Papua Liberation Army in Papua province. The air force transport plane was flying over remote Pegunungan Bintang regency when shot at on Monday.
A Liberation Army spokesman, Sebby Sambom, said its troops fired on the aircraft because Indonesia's military has been dropping off "large numbers" of personnel to Oksibil, the regency's capital. The Jakarta Post reports Indonesian authorities saying the plane was carrying three tons of foodstuff and other materials owned by the regency administration. The Indonesian regional military comand spokesman, Lt Colonel Eko Daryanto said five bullet holes were found on the plane's body, but that it was able to land and had not been heavily damaged.
He said this followed another shooting incident in the regency at the start of March when trucks belonging to a state-owned enterprise were shot at in Oksibil.. Papua province has seen an escalating number of shootings since the beginning of the year, as the Liberation Army continues its war on the Indonesian state. Shootings happened in several regions, such as Nduga regency, Intan Jaya, Mimika, Pegunungan Bintang and Keerom, several of them deadly.
Govt urged to send Red Cross to help displaced Papuans
Ivany Atina Arbi The Jakarta Post Jakarta March 12, 2020
The Papua Legal Aid Institute (LBH Papua) has urged the government to deploy Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) personnel to restive areas of Papua to provide assistance to tens of thousands internally displaced people forced to flee their homes due to conflicts between the military and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB). LBH Papua director Emanuel Gobay said in a statement on Thursday that 57,819 Papuans were currently living at evacuation camps in three regions of Nduga, Intan Jaya and Tembagapura due to the ongoing conflicts since 2018. At least 241 people reportedly died as a result of poor living conditions in their shelters, which were mostly located in forests. The displaced residents had minimum access to healthy food, clean water and medicine. "Law No. 1/2018 on the Red Cross requires the organization to assist displaced persons in times of peace and conflict by taking into account the principles of humanity, equality, neutrality, independence, volunteerism, universality and others," Emanuel said in the statement. Thousands of Papuans have been displaced from their homes following a series of armed conflicts between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the TPNPB. The TNI's approach of aggressively hunting down pro-independence fighters in residential areas has been criticized as counterproductive, as it has resulted in the deaths of civilians rather than of the targets themselves. Military personnel allegedly shot randomly in villages in their search for the rebels, causing the deaths of dozens. Various civil society organizations have demanded the government withdraw the troops. The military campaign, however, marches on. (vny)
Shootings by armed Papuans break out outside Freeport's mining areas
Antarta News 18 March 2020
Timika, Papua (ANTARA) - Several shootings by armed Papuan criminals broke out outside the areas of the mining sites of PT Freeport Indonesia, Tembagapura Sub-district, though the gold and copper mining firm’s operations continued unhindered, a police officer revealed. "This mining company's operations continue to run normally," Mimika Police Chief Adjunct Sen. Coms. I Gusti Gede Era Adhinata informed journalists here on Wednesday. Existing security units have further secured the Tembagapura District’s areas. He noted that they continued to coordinate with one another, adding that the gold and copper mining firm's areas are safeguarded by personnel of the Amole Task Force.
The police in Mimika District, Papua Province, also support the law enforcement units' endeavors to stop the armed Papuans from disrupting PT Freeport Indonesia's mining activities, he explained. "I work and coordinate with the commander of the Mimika District Military and district administration to find ways to serve our community members coming from Tembagapura to Timika," he stated.
The armed Papuan criminals' shootings often erupted in the area of Utikini Village. On March 15, 2020, an exchange of fire broke out between the Indonesian military and police personnel and armed Papuan criminals in the Wini area of Tembagapura District. The gunfight, which ended with the deaths of four armed separatists and gunshot wounds to two others, occurred in an area detected to be the hideout of an armed Papuan group, led by Seltius Waker, he revealed. The security situation in Papua remains vulnerable to acts of deadly violence committed by notorious Papuan separatists. The rebels were engaged in repeated exchanges of fire with the Indonesian military and police personnel. The rebels also launched deadly attacks on civilians over the past years and killed several of them. The Papua Police recorded that from early January to December 28, 2019, a total of 23 shooting and criminal cases involving armed Papuan groups had claimed the lives of 10 members of the Indonesian police and military as well as 10 civilians. The armed Papuan criminals committed such criminal acts in the administrative areas of the districts of Puncak Jaya, Jayawijaya, Mimika, and Paniai in 2019, Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw remarked on December 28, 2019.
The police in Mimika District, Papua Province, also support the law enforcement units' endeavors to stop the armed Papuans from disrupting PT Freeport Indonesia's mining activities, he explained. "I work and coordinate with the commander of the Mimika District Military and district administration to find ways to serve our community members coming from Tembagapura to Timika," he stated.
The armed Papuan criminals' shootings often erupted in the area of Utikini Village. On March 15, 2020, an exchange of fire broke out between the Indonesian military and police personnel and armed Papuan criminals in the Wini area of Tembagapura District. The gunfight, which ended with the deaths of four armed separatists and gunshot wounds to two others, occurred in an area detected to be the hideout of an armed Papuan group, led by Seltius Waker, he revealed. The security situation in Papua remains vulnerable to acts of deadly violence committed by notorious Papuan separatists. The rebels were engaged in repeated exchanges of fire with the Indonesian military and police personnel. The rebels also launched deadly attacks on civilians over the past years and killed several of them. The Papua Police recorded that from early January to December 28, 2019, a total of 23 shooting and criminal cases involving armed Papuan groups had claimed the lives of 10 members of the Indonesian police and military as well as 10 civilians. The armed Papuan criminals committed such criminal acts in the administrative areas of the districts of Puncak Jaya, Jayawijaya, Mimika, and Paniai in 2019, Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw remarked on December 28, 2019.
EDITED BY INE Reporter: Evarianus S, Rahmad Nasution Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Armed Group Denies Burning Church in Papua
The Jakarta Globe BY :ROBERT ISIDORUS MARCH 19, 2020
Jayapura. The Indonesian Military and National Police have accused what they call an "armed criminal group," or KKB, of burning down a church in Tembagapura, Papua, on March 12. But a spokesperson for the National Liberation Army of West Papua-Free Papua Movement, Sebby Sambom, denied the allegation. "We believe the burning of the church was part of a [political] play by the Indonesian Military and National Police to discredit the National Liberation Army of West Papua and the Free Papua Movement. Burning houses and churches is nothing new for them. It's been their play since the 1960s," Sebby said on Wednesday. He said the National Police should provide evidence and witnesses to prove the allegation in court. The government must allow an independent team and the National Commission on Human Rights to oversees the investigation in Papua, according to him. Sebby said a fair trial will reveal the real perpetrators of the crime. According to Papua Police's public relations head, Chief Cmr. A.M. Kamal, separatist leader Lekagak Telenggen and other armed groups converted the church into a hideout on Tuesday. A joint task force from the Indonesian Military and the National Police are now hot in pursuit of the group, who had fled but are still in Tembagapura. "The church was a place for worship and community activities for people in the Opitawak village. The armed group has been spreading terror in the area in the past few weeks. They did not have a place to stay, so they wanted to turn the church into a base," Kamal said.
Goliat Tabuni asks independent team to investigate the church burning in Tembagapura
Published 19 23 March 2020 By pr9c6tr3_juben
Jayapura, Jubi – West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB) challenge the Government of Indonesia to provide access for an independent investigation team investigating perpetrators behind the burning of a church in Tembagapura Sub-district, Mimika Regency, Papua in a press released by TPNPB. The statement of the Supreme Commander of TPNTP General Goliat Tabuni received by Jubi on Wednesday (18/3/2020). On Thursday (12/3/2020), the Indonesian Gospel Tent (GKII) Church of Sinai Congregation in Opitawak Village of Tembagapura Sub-district reportedly burned out. The Indonesian security forces pointed finger to TPNPB as perpetrators. However, General Goliat Tabuni denied all allegations in his press release.
In turn, he believes this incident was part of the game playing by the Indonesian security forces to discredit the image of TPNPB in which they have always done for a long time. “This is not new, but [it has happened] since 1960 to the present. The Indonesian Military and Police have done it for a long time,” said Tabuni in his press release. Furthermore, Tabuni said TPNTP was not surprised by many reports accused them as the perpetrator behind the church burning. Therefore, he challenges the Indonesian Government to provide access to an independent investigation team to investigate.
Meanwhile, TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambon confirms the statement released on behalf of Goliat Tabuni as valid. Further, he says the independent investigation team preferred by TPNPB is a joint investigation team of the United Nation’s Human Rights Council and the National Human Rights Commission of Papua Office. “If they want to find who is behind the church burning, the Indonesian Government must allow the independent team to investigate. [The independent team is] the Human Rights Council [United Nations] and the National Human Rights Commission of Papua Office,” Sambom told Jubi on Wednesday (18/3/2020). Furthermore, he said the Indonesian Government should be able to prove their accusation through a fair and impartial legal process, not only pointing fingers to TPNPB. “The Indonesian Military and Police should not just accuse TPNPB, and the Indonesian media should not unilaterally publish the one-side story,” said Sambom. Meanwhile, Antara News Agency launched the statement of Tembagapura Police Chief Adjunct Commissionaire Hermanto saying the insurgent group led by Lekagak Telenggen and Joni Botak burned down the GKII Sinai Congregation Church in Opitawak Village. “The church was initially crowded by Opitawak villagers for worshipping and other church activities. However, in several recent weeks, the armed group came to spread terror in this village. People finally have to give in to this situation,” said Hermanto to Antara. (*) Reporter: Benny Mawel Editor: Pipit Maizier
Push to suspend Indonesia as Associate Member in MSG
Vanuatu Daily Post By Len Garae March 17 2020
In the latest emergency joint meeting organised by the Executive Committees of United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) and Vanuatu West Papua Association and Unification Committee (VWPAUC) at the Presbyterian Church Conference Hall in Port Vila last Saturday, members of both organisations have emphasised the importance of intense lobbying with member countries of Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) to speak with one voice to suspend Indonesia from its Associate Membership status to MSG and accept ULMWP to Full Membership status to MSG. The reason for their latest decision they insist, is Jakarta’s seeming indifference to urgent calls by PIF and ACP for Indonesia to cater the UN Human Rights Commissioner to visit West Papua and report back to PIF on the situation on the ground there.
Vanuatu chose to call for “human right” abuse in West Papua as the only way of convincing MSG member countries of Fiji and Papua New Guinea to board the protest vehicle to support the West Papua Struggle. Indonesia has also placed an international media ban over West Papua which explains why no journalists have been allowed into West Papua to report on the real situation on the ground there. One or two foreign journalists that dared to ignore the ban were dealt with by Indonesian authorities. However, the truth is that if there is nothing to hide on the ground in West Papua then the UN Commissioner as well as media representatives should be allowed in without hesitation. The President of VWPAUC, Pastor Alain Nafuki explained, “We will do our utmost best to lobby to make sure that ULMWP becomes a full member of MSG in its meeting in Port Vila this year and Indonesia suspended from its Associate Membership status”.
The meeting added that any chance of reaccepting Indonesia into its status in MSG would depend on whether Jakarta complies with PIF’s request for the UN Commissioner of Human Rights to visit West Papua and submit a report on the human right issues there. An unanimous response to the recommendation followed and an emphasis was made to brief the new Minister of Foreign Affairs in the new Government of Vanuatu on the West Papua issue. The meeting also recognised the importance of appointing a new Director General of MSG who has Vanuatu’s spirit at heart on the West Papua issue. While the vacant post for the next DG of MSG has been advertised, the outgoing Fijian DG was reported to have said his successor would be from Vanuatu. Finally, but not least, since ULMWP is a charitable organisation, the meeting agreed to approach the Vanuatu Government to fund the running of its Port Vila Office on a transitional basis for two to three years while ULMWP sources its own means to prepare to take over after that. ULMWP Treasurer Paula Makabory reminded the meeting of an assurance by then Prime Minister Moana Carcasses to get parliament to pass a budget for the ULMWP Office, an assurance which could not be realised due to political change in Government. The meeting agreed to submit a proposed budget to the Government to fund the transitional period of the ULMWP Office.
Let’s not forget about West Papua
Solomon Star 20 March 2020 Author Editor
The Leader of Opposition Hon. Matthew Wale on Thursday met with the Spokesperson for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Mr. Jacob Rumbiak. Mr. Rumbiak updated Hon. Wale on the human rights situation in West Papua, and the ongoing struggle for self-determination by West Papuans. Hon. Wale reaffirmed his clear and strong support for the need for Indonesia to allow unimpeded access to Ms. Bachelet the UN Commissioner for Human Rights to the West Papuan provinces. Hon. Wale stated that the recent military response to peaceful protests by West Papuans and human rights abuses add to the already serious human rights abuses by Indonesia against West Papuans over many years, and the Solomon Islands must not remain silent on the issue. “The Human rights situation in West Papua is an issue for the Solomon Islands, as it ought to be for the rest of Melanesian countries and Pacific Islands Forum member countries. Indonesia must not be allowed to buy silence on this matter ”, Hon. Wale Said.
Hon. Wale also said that the issue of human rights abuses in West Papua is closely tied to the issue of self-determination for West Papua. Indonesia continues to suppress the legitimate aspiration of West Papuans for self-determination and refuses to allow for meaningful dialogue on the issue. “Solomon Islands must stand very clear for the right of West Papuans to decide their own destiny. It is not our place to say whether West Papua should be independent or not – that must be a decision for the indigenous people of West Papua only, and Indonesia must allow a process to determine it.”, Hon. Wale said. Hon. Wale further stated the sincerity of Indonesian assistance to the Solomon Islands would be tested by Solomon Islands standing clear on these issues. The Opposition Leader then calls on the Prime Minister to not weaken his stand on these two very important issues for our Melanesian brothers and sisters when the MSG meets next month.
Plans to divide West Papua will create more dependency - academic
RNZI 18 March 2020
An academic from West Papua says Indonesian plans to further divide up the region will only enhance dependency on Jakarta.
Yamin Kogoya Photo: supplied
Indonesia's chief security minister Mohammad Mahfud said the govenment was considering options for creating more provinces in Papua region, which is currently administered as two provinces. It comes as the government discusse a renewed framework for Papua's Special Autonomy Law which expires next year.
Brisbane-based development specialist Yamin Kogoya* said the plan was part of a divide-and-rule strategy which dilluted West Papuan independence aims. "Through this provincial division there will be a conflict of course among Papuan elites. "They depend on the money coming directly from the central government. Not just that but Indonesia designed the system in such a way that Papuan society will depend their livelihood on Indonesia from the beginning," said Mr Kogoya. He said it was not just Papuan elites who would compete for the spoils of new administrative structures. "Not only the elite will be divided and fight over this but their followers and the supporters of the elections, the positions, they're all going to be in conflict. We've already seen this in Nduga. We've already seen this in Timika, in Tolikara, in the central highlands." According to Mr Kogoya, any structural re-configuration of the provinces was a distraction from the core grievance among West Papuans that needed addressing. This, he said, was the incorporation of West Papua, the former Dutch New Guinea territory, into Indonesia 50 years ago without fair consultation with the region's indigenous people. * Kogoya has a Masters of Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development from the Australian National University.
Gov't to Carry On With Special Autonomy Fund for Papua
Jakarta Globe BY :DIANA MARISKA MARCH 12, 2020
Jakarta. Indonesia's chief security minister Mahfud M.D. said the government would continue to provide a special autonomy fund for Papua while preparing a new law to extend it. The 2001 Law on special autonomy in Papua will expire in November 2021, and the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mahfud M.D., said the government had started preparing a new law to replace it. On Wednesday, several ministries including the Home Affairs Ministry discussed the special autonomy fund and a plan to open up more provinces in the region – two of the mandates of the 2001 Law. Mahfud said the government had already agreed to continue providing the special autonomy fund and started the process to create a new law to give it a legal basis. "We need to create a new law because the old one will expire in November next year," Mahfud said in Jakarta on Wednesday. According to Mahfud, the new law will contain provisions to allow the central government to monitor local government spending more closely. "The new system will be more integrated. The central government will guide local spending," Mahfud said. "The central government shouldn't just pour out the money, and the local government shouldn't spend it willy-nilly. Both have to take on more responsibility to make sure the money goes to those who need it," he said. The minister also said several options for the new provinces are already being considered by the government but that any detail would have to come from the Home Affairs Minister, Tito Karnavian. "The Home Affairs Minister will explain how many provinces there will be in Papua according to the new law," Mahfud said.
Prosecutor demands 1 year, 5 months jail for Jakarta Six treason defendants
CNN Indonesia – April 3, 2020
Jakarta – The public prosecutor has demanded that six Papuan activists each be sentenced to one year and five months in jail. The prosecutor said that the six defendants had been proven to have violated Article 106 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph 1 of KUHP 1 on treason.
The six Papuan activists are Surya Anta, Charles Kossay, Dano Tabuni, Isay Wenda, Ambrosius Mulait and Arina Elopere. “[The prosecutor] demanded that each of them be sentenced to one year and five months”, said the defendants’ lawyer Nelson Nikodemus Simamora in a press release received by CNN Indonesia on Friday evening, April 3. Friday’s hearing was held through teleconferencing. Nikodemus explained that the defendants took part in the teleconference trial from jail while the panel of judges, the public prosecutor and the defendants’ lawyer were present in court. Nikodemus took the opportunity to make a protest against the panel of judges who did not give him an opportunity to read out a written deposition by an expert witness as agreed to at the previous hearing. The judges, he said, ruled that written depositions by expert witnesses would be read out during the hearing of the duplik – the defendant’s response to the prosecutor’s response to the defendant.
Nikodemus explained that the expert witness was unable to attend the hearing in person because of the corona virus epidemic (Covid-19). “This clearly harmed the defendants’ rights to employ and present witnesses or persons who have special expertise in order to provide testimony which benefits them as stipulated by Article 65 of the Criminal Procedural Code (KUHAP)”, he asserted.
The next hearing is scheduled to hear the reading out of a defense speech by the defendants’ lawyer on Monday April 13. “The reading out of expert testimonies from the defendants’ lawyer will be allowed during the submission of the written duplik”, he continued. The six Papuan activists were declared suspects on August 30-31 last year on charges of makar (treason, subversion, rebellion) and indicted under Article 106 of the KUHP in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph 1 of the KUHP 1 and Article 110 Paragraph 1 of the KUHP following a protest action in front of the State Palace on August 28. The protest action took up the theme “Students Against Racism, Capitalism, Colonialism and Militarism Reject All Forms of Discrimination Against Papuan People”, which was in response to racist slurs against Papuan students in the Central Java provincial capital of Surabaya on August 16. (ryn/agt)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Surya Anta Cs Dituntut Penjara 1 Tahun 5 Bulan Terkait Makar”.]
Opinion pieces/reports/media releases etc.
Rethinking infrastructure approach in Papua
Aisha R. Kusumasomantri Lecturer of international relations at the University of Indonesia
Indonesia road graft case lands Papua official, contractor in prison
This woman used the internet to draw attention to a human rights crisis — and paid the price ABC Radio National / By Belinda Lopez for Earshot
New player starts clearing rainforest in world’s biggest oil palm project
The Digoel Agri Group has begun operating in an Indonesia megaproject being fought over by investors from around the world.
Papua mangroves could help Indonesia coast to climate targets
Research details variables in measuring greenhouse gas emissions for NDCs
Last update
https://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2020/03/summary-of-events-in-west-papua-16-feb.html
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