2) Lend support for continuation of special autonomy status: Papua figure
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1) Pressure on Indonesian students speaking out on Papua
7:51 pm on 10 August 2020 Johnny Blades
Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific Journalist johnny.blades@rnz.co.nz
Indonesian students becoming engaged in the West Papuan human rights struggle are under pressure from authorities.
Human rights advocates have called for the reinstatement of four Indonesian university students expelled for protesting against human rights abuses in Papua, including one young man charged and facing a lengthy prison term for his actions.
The four students were kicked out of Khairun University, a public institution on Ternate Island in North Maluku province, for participating in the protest last December.
The protest involved about 50 students who called for Indonesia's government to release Papuan political prisoners and grant Papuans self-determination.
Video footage showed the protesters were forcefully dispersed by police, with some officers roughing up students before a number of arrests were made.
Within days the rector of Khairun University received a notification letter from police and then used this as a reference to sign a decree to dismiss the four students, saying they had breached the ethics of being a student, and threatened national security.
Then the university's deputy rector for Student Affairs & Alumni Affairs, Syawal Abdulajit, issued a further statement saying the students had committed acts of 'treason' by siding with armed Papuan "separatists.
Human Rights Watch flagged concern about the move, saying the university should support academic freedom and free expression, not expel students peacefully expressing their view.
A civil lawsuit brought by the students, challenging their dismissal, is underway in the Ambon state administrative court.
But matters become more serious when one of the four students, Arbi Nur, was last month charged with "treason" and "public provocation", for which he faces a maximum of 26 years in prison.
A spokesman for the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua, or FRI-WP, to which Arbi Nur belonged, said that when the students filed the lawsuit, a second police letter of notification was issued saying an investigation into Nur was ongoing.
"The notification letter from the head of the Ternate police can't be used as a lawful reference to expel Arbi and other students," said FRI-WP's Nanang Kosim.
Human Rights Watch's Andreas Harsono said authorities should drop the charges against Arbi Nur, as they violated his right to freedom of expression.
He also urged the Indonesian government to investigate the matter, as well as the alleged excessive use of force by police against students.
Established four years ago, FRI-WP is mainly made up of university students and activists, and has a growing presence in the country.
According to Nanang Kosim, with the Black Lives Matter movement being applied within the local context, more Indonesians were now paying attention to racism against West Papuans.
But when it came to their public actions, FRI-WP and others who spoke up, often have problems from police or military, he explained.
"Beating or yelling at us 'traitor to the nation'; stalk or terrorise us, use propaganda, or as recently happened, some of us were accused of treason and expelled from campus," Kosim said.
"In blocking our activities security forces often use other parties. For example when they forcibly dispersing our discussion or demonstration, police or army usually use reactionary civil society organisations or some organisation that they built to attack us.
"They did it so it would look like horizontal conflict, so they can run from human rights violations."
Equally disturbing is the picture emerging of a collaboration between university management and police to pressure students involved in activities related to the human rights problem in West Papua.
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2) Lend support for continuation of special autonomy status: Papua figure
3 hours ago
Jayapura (ANTARA) - A Papuan youth figure appealed to Papua's groups to support the continuation of the special autonomy status granted to Papua and West Papua to guarantee sustainable development in all sectors of life in both provinces.
In conversation with ANTARA in Jayapura, the capital of Papua Province, on Tuesday, Tanus Komba opined that rejecting the continuation of the law on special autonomy (Otsus), passed during the administration of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri in 2001, was not a solution.
Komba agreed to a deliberation on revising this special autonomy law rather than rejecting it on account of its crucial role in boosting regional development in public sectors, such as health, education, and infrastructure.
The Papuan youth figure asserted that the special autonomy status granted by the central government to Papuans reflected Indonesia's care for its people.
"We must be proud of it because only Papua and Aceh have been granted this privilege. Hence, we must support it," Komba emphasized.
On Saturday, several Papuan community and religious leaders had also expressed support for extending the provision of special autonomy funds since their transfer will end in 2021.
"Many of us can be assisted owing to the special autonomy funds. Without the funds, our buildings remain unsightly and damaged," Soleman Eselo, the Yalimo community leader, stated.
Eselo pointed out that the special autonomy funds granted by the government to the provinces of Papua and West Papua for several years were vastly beneficial for Papuans living in the remote mountainous areas to achieve success in various fields.
"I have been partaking in the process of edifying Papuans coming from mountainous and hilly regions since 1981. Many of them have been promoted to serve as bureaucrats owing to the availability of special autonomy funds that had assisted us," he noted.
Echoeing Eselo's views, Christian priest Merry Lauren Wompere, a member of the Solagratia Indonesian Christian Church (GKI Solagratia) of Arso II in Keerom District, affirmed that Papua Province's development was much better during the special autonomy era.
"Representing the GKI Solagratia Jaifuri congregation, I appeal (to the government) for the continuation of the special autonomy status granted to Papua for the sake of development and progress," Wompere stated.
According to Wompere, those rejecting the special autonomy status did not represent the voice of Papuan people's conscience.
"Instead, they are the enemies of Papuans," Wompere cautioned.
The Soekarnoputri administration had passed a law on special autonomy in the provinces of Papua and West Papua in 2001 to guarantee Papuans the right to manage their own region politically, economically, and culturally.
The law also stipulated the allotment of special autonomy funds, valid for a period of two decades.
As the transfer of funds will end in 2021, the House of Representatives has included the deliberation of Papua's special autonomy status in this year's National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) priority list.
Related news: Awaiting final fate of Papua, West Papua's special autonomy funds
Related news: Papuan community leaders support extension of special autonomy status
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In conversation with ANTARA in Jayapura, the capital of Papua Province, on Tuesday, Tanus Komba opined that rejecting the continuation of the law on special autonomy (Otsus), passed during the administration of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri in 2001, was not a solution.
Komba agreed to a deliberation on revising this special autonomy law rather than rejecting it on account of its crucial role in boosting regional development in public sectors, such as health, education, and infrastructure.
The Papuan youth figure asserted that the special autonomy status granted by the central government to Papuans reflected Indonesia's care for its people.
"We must be proud of it because only Papua and Aceh have been granted this privilege. Hence, we must support it," Komba emphasized.
On Saturday, several Papuan community and religious leaders had also expressed support for extending the provision of special autonomy funds since their transfer will end in 2021.
"Many of us can be assisted owing to the special autonomy funds. Without the funds, our buildings remain unsightly and damaged," Soleman Eselo, the Yalimo community leader, stated.
Eselo pointed out that the special autonomy funds granted by the government to the provinces of Papua and West Papua for several years were vastly beneficial for Papuans living in the remote mountainous areas to achieve success in various fields.
"I have been partaking in the process of edifying Papuans coming from mountainous and hilly regions since 1981. Many of them have been promoted to serve as bureaucrats owing to the availability of special autonomy funds that had assisted us," he noted.
Echoeing Eselo's views, Christian priest Merry Lauren Wompere, a member of the Solagratia Indonesian Christian Church (GKI Solagratia) of Arso II in Keerom District, affirmed that Papua Province's development was much better during the special autonomy era.
"Representing the GKI Solagratia Jaifuri congregation, I appeal (to the government) for the continuation of the special autonomy status granted to Papua for the sake of development and progress," Wompere stated.
According to Wompere, those rejecting the special autonomy status did not represent the voice of Papuan people's conscience.
"Instead, they are the enemies of Papuans," Wompere cautioned.
The Soekarnoputri administration had passed a law on special autonomy in the provinces of Papua and West Papua in 2001 to guarantee Papuans the right to manage their own region politically, economically, and culturally.
The law also stipulated the allotment of special autonomy funds, valid for a period of two decades.
As the transfer of funds will end in 2021, the House of Representatives has included the deliberation of Papua's special autonomy status in this year's National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) priority list.
Related news: Awaiting final fate of Papua, West Papua's special autonomy funds
Related news: Papuan community leaders support extension of special autonomy status
Close
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