1) MAF fights food insecurity in Papua, Indonesia

2) Remote Papuan regency records first COVID-19 case

3) Indonesia calls for more action against racism as issues persist at home

4) A Starchy Palm Tree Extract May Be Indonesia’s Answer to Rice  Bloomberg  

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https://www.mnnonline.org/news/maf-fighting-food-insecurity-in-papua-indonesia/

1) MAF fights food insecurity in Papua, Indonesia

By Kevin ZellerJune 23, 2020

Indonesia (MNN) — COVID-19 lockdowns mean many people in rural Indonesia aren’t earning wages and can’t buy food for themselves.

The lockdowns have largely contained the spread of the virus in certain countries and US states. But in developing countries, the lockdown measures lead to a lot of food insecurity.

To address this problem, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) adopted a voucher program designed to help people in the Papua province of Indonesia.

The program

Liza Baikole, who runs the store that accepts the vouchers, says, “The isolated areas in the interior of Papua are reached by MAF and other planes. These people in the interior are dependent on rice as their main source of food, brought by planes … But since COVID-19 began, products have been difficult to obtain … Many people have lost their jobs and business.”

With many in dire straits, the voucher program helps people buy groceries for at least one month. So far, the program has supplied 85 vouchers.

Leigha Gandy, who spearheads the program, says people can use the vouchers to buy things like oil, eggs, and flour. “We’ve heard stories of people buying things like feminine products for their neighbors, milk for their babies, and things like that,” she says. “So, it really covers a lot of different kinds of needs.” Many people have even bought seeds with their vouchers.

That’s good because Baikole says this program won’t permanently fix food scarcity. “For people who have a garden, it is very good if they can be assisted with the planting of seeds so that they can develop in the future in order to meet the nutritional needs of the family to be healthy and have a strong immune system.”

The response of the Church

Christians in Papua continue to help each other battle through the food crisis, even as many churches have only been able to meet online. Gandy encourages Christians to pray that COVID-19 will pass, and the economy can thrive. Many pastors and other Christians are not receiving their wages. Pray they can continue supporting each other.

Finally, pray that many in Papua will be drawn to Christ through the witness of the Church. Gandy says, “I think we’re really excited that the vouchers are an opportunity to share the Gospel. Pray with us, that we would encourage believers in their faith during this time to trust God [and] to reach out to unbelievers.”

In the header image, a view of Papua, Indonesia from the window of a MAF plane. (Photo courtesy of MAF via Facebook.)

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https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/06/23/remote-papuan-regency-records-first-covid-19-case.html

2) Remote Papuan regency records first COVID-19 case

News Desk The Jakarta Post  

Jakarta   /   Tue, June 23, 2020   /   03:16 pm

Puncak Jaya regency in the remote Pegunungan Tengah area of Papua reported its first case of COVID-19 on Monday.

Papua COVID-19 task force spokesperson Silwanus Sumule said the patient exhibited light to moderate symptoms and was being treated at the Mulia General Regional Hospital.

"He's in stable condition and there is no indication that he needs to be transferred to another hospital," he said on Monday, as quoted by kom

With the discovery of the case, 16 of Papua's 29 regencies and municipalities now have confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Siliwanus said he had no idea where the patient contracted the disease as no flights had been permitted to the regency since March.

"We have urged health workers in Mulia city to carry out contact tracing, tests and treatment to find out how the disease spread to Puncak Jaya," he said.

Read also: Limited health facilities leave Papua facing tough COVID-19 fight

According to 2018 Statistics Indonesia data, Puncak Jaya has a population of 123,591 people and a population density of 50.52 people per square kilometer.

The announcement of the case came only two days after Yalimo, another regency in Pegunungan Tengah, recorded its first two cases of COVID-19.

As of Tuesday, four of the eight regencies in the Pegunungan Tengah mountain range have recorded COVID-19 cases – Jayawijaya and Puncak Jaya with one case each and Central Mamberamo and Yalimo with two cases each.

According to the government count, Papua had confirmed 1,498 COVID-19 cases with 16 fatalities and 709 recoveries as of Monday. (nal) 

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https://asiapacificreport.nz/2020/06/23/indonesia-calls-for-more-action-against-racism-as-issues-persist-at-home/

3) Indonesia calls for more action against racism as issues persist at home

By Pacific Media Centre - 

  

June 23, 2020

By Apriza Pinandita in Jakarta

Indonesia has urged the international community to speak up and take decisive action against racial violence at a United Nations forum in Geneva, Switzerland.

But Indonesia’s call comes amid concerns of racial discrimination at home.

The UN Human Rights Council last Wednesday held an urgent debate on racial violence, the forum of which was requested by several African countries in response to the rise of racial violence, particularly in relation to the murder of African-American George Floyd that has attracted global attention and given greater prominence to the antiracism movement Black Lives Matter.

READ MORE: Jayapura police question students for holding forum protesting Papuan activists trial

According to a statement from the Indonesian Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva, Indonesia called on the council and the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights to strengthen cooperation in the eradication of racial discrimination in law enforcement.

“In connection to this, Indonesia, among others, called for respect and tolerance of racial and ethnic diversity at the community level, the strengthening of the rule of law and accountability of law enforcement agencies and the expansion of human rights education in police academies and other law enforcement agencies,” the statement read.

In addition to speaking in a national capacity, Indonesia, represented by Indonesia’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, Hasan Kleib, was also entrusted with delivering the joint statement on behalf of the core group of the Convention Against Torture Initiative (CTI), which consists of Chile, Denmark, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia and Morocco.

On behalf of CTI members, Indonesia called for “a zero-tolerance policy against racism and discrimination and reiterated the importance of a people-centered and violence prevention approach in law enforcement”.

Tainted by racism at home
However, Indonesia’s vocal stance on the global stage is tainted by persistent issues of racism at home.

As the Black Lives Matter movement began to go global, Indonesians flooded public forums with the hashtag #PapuanLivesMatter, drawing attention to several controversial cases of alleged racial discrimination, including the prosecution of the Balikpapan Seven — a group of Papuan student activists put on trial for their involvement in a series of antiracism protests in Jayapura, Papua, in 2019.

The protests came in response to a racially charged incident in which Papuan university students living in a dormitory in Surabaya, East Java, were targeted last August in what became widely known as the Papuan Uprising.

Reports said the students were physically and verbally attacked by security personnel and members of local mass organisations, who accused them of refusing to celebrate Indonesia’s 74th Independence Day.

Despite arguments that the seven students — Buchtar Tabuni, Ferry Kombo, Irwanus Uropmabin, Hengki Hilapok, Agus Kossay and Stevanus Itlay — staged the protests in a peaceful manner, a court in East Kalimantan found them guilty of treason.

Ironically, the issuance of the verdict coincided with the Geneva forum, during which Jakarta, in its national capacity, also delivered a statement expressing concern about the acts of violence and discrimination in many parts of the world, particularly due to the rise of racial violence and hate crimes.

The Balikpapan District Court in East Kalimantan sentenced the students to months in jail last Wednesday.

Demands for acquittal
Members of public, human rights advocates and activists had demanded the defendants be cleared of all charges, while prosecutors sought sentences of up to 17 years’ imprisonment.

Contacted by The Jakarta Post for comment, Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said that “as a matter of principle, Indonesia is against any form of racism and discrimination.

“In the national context, racism is an aberration to our motto of unity and diversity, as Indonesia is a mosaic of multiple ethnicities and cultures.”

The decision by the lower court in Balikpapan was made with due diligence, he added.

“The incident of mistreatment of Indonesians of Papuan origin are isolated and do not in any way reflect the policies of the government,” Faizasyah told Reuters recently.

• Churches union conveys ‘deep concerns’ over handling of 7 Papuan protesters
• Voice of solidarity rises from Depok campus: Better late than never

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https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/starchy-palm-tree-extract-may-033933218.html

4) A Starchy Palm Tree Extract May Be Indonesia’s Answer to Rice  Bloomberg  

Eko Listiyorini Bloomberg June 23, 2020

(Bloomberg) -- Indonesia is betting on a natural starch extracted from tropical palm trees to cut its dependence on rice and ensure food security in the world’s fourth most-populous nation.

Commonly known as sago, the starch is found in the spongy part of stems and used to prepare foods such as noodles, snacks and porridge-like meals. It’s seen as a healthier alternative to rice because of its lower glycemic index -- a measure of how fast carbohydrates affect blood glucose levels in the body. About 84% of the world’s sago trees grow in Indonesia.

The rapid spread of the coronavirus across the globe has prompted the government to focus on the potential of sago at a time when Indonesia’s paddy fields are shrinking. The Southeast Asian nation wants to use all its available resources to become self sufficient, with its population forecast to grow to 300 million by 2025.

“The pandemic has made us realize that nothing is more important than food security,” said Airlangga Hartarto, coordinating minister for economic affairs.

Indonesia usually imports rice when its own harvests are low and high domestic food prices fuel inflation. The agriculture ministry has set a target to produce 63.5 million tons of unhusked rice in 2021, up from an estimated production of 59.2 million tons this year.

The government is planning to allow people to choose sago instead of rice in a food aid program for the poor. It aims to develop 400 hectares of sago plantations every year as part of its mid-term national program for 2020-24. The agriculture ministry is formulating guidelines for its cultivation and promoting research to develop good-quality seedlings.

Food Security

An increasing trend in rice consumption due to population growth in Indonesia in recent years has raised concerns over the country’s food security, according to a September report by the Food and Agriculture Organization.

“Sago starch consumption in Indonesia offers a significant opportunity to contribute to the elimination of food insecurity,” the FAO said.

Sago is best suited to emerge as an alternative to rice because of its higher yields. One hectare (2.5 acres) of sago plantation may produce as much as 40 tons of dry starch in a year, compared with the current average of about 5 tons of rice in an area the same size, according to the agriculture ministry.

The trunk of a sago tree is the most important part as it stores starch. It can grow 10 meters to 15 meters long and weigh more that a ton. The trunks are cut in several pieces, grated or crushed, and then soaked with water to prepare a starch solution, which is cleaned and dried to make sago flour.

Wild sago trees grow in about 5.4 million hectares of land in Indonesia, with most trees located in Papua island. The area under sago plantations, managed mainly by household farmers, total just 314,663 hectares. These estates produce about 465,000 tons of sago starch.

A lot of work is needed to be done, including promoting sago as an alternative to rice, as almost everyone is eating rice right now, said Musdhalifah Machmud, deputy minister for food and agriculture at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs.

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