2) Witness describes how TNI, police stood by in mob attack on Papuan student dormitory
9) Surya Anta joins December 1 commemoration in Jakarta calling for referendum
https://en.tempo.co/read/1411007/papua-pro-referendum-group-trespasses-into-indonesian-consulate-in-melbourne
1) Papua Pro-referendum Group Trespasses Into Indonesian Consulate in Melbourne
2 December 2020 22:21 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry on Wednesday confirmed that a group of trespassers had entered the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne, Australia, to hoist the Free Papua Movement (OPM) morning star (Bintang Kejora) flag.
This incident was captured in the consulate general’s CCTV footage that was shared by Twitter user @Tbuch2.
The Ministry’s spokesperson, Teuku Faizasyah confirmed this incident and said it took place on Tuesday morning which lasted 15 minutes. This comes as December 1 is commemorated by pro-referendum as OPM’s anniversary.
"They trespassed, hoisted [the flag] and pulled it down again," said Faizasyah to Tempo on Wednesday, December 2. "The Indonesian government condemns such action and urge the Australian authority to act upon the trespassers."
In the video in circulation, roughly 5 people entered the Consulate as 2 climbed the Consulate’s roof and held up a banner with a drawing of the Bintang Kejora flag captioned “free West Papua” while the other group of three held a similar Bintang Kejora banner and another banner that wrote “TNI Out. Stop Killing Papua.”
The identities of the trespassers are still unknown.
Read: Police Respond to Benny Wenda's West Papua Provisional Govt Declaration
EGI ADYATAMA
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry on Wednesday confirmed that a group of trespassers had entered the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne, Australia, to hoist the Free Papua Movement (OPM) morning star (Bintang Kejora) flag.
This incident was captured in the consulate general’s CCTV footage that was shared by Twitter user @Tbuch2.
The Ministry’s spokesperson, Teuku Faizasyah confirmed this incident and said it took place on Tuesday morning which lasted 15 minutes. This comes as December 1 is commemorated by pro-referendum as OPM’s anniversary.
"They trespassed, hoisted [the flag] and pulled it down again," said Faizasyah to Tempo on Wednesday, December 2. "The Indonesian government condemns such action and urge the Australian authority to act upon the trespassers."
In the video in circulation, roughly 5 people entered the Consulate as 2 climbed the Consulate’s roof and held up a banner with a drawing of the Bintang Kejora flag captioned “free West Papua” while the other group of three held a similar Bintang Kejora banner and another banner that wrote “TNI Out. Stop Killing Papua.”
The identities of the trespassers are still unknown.
Read: Police Respond to Benny Wenda's West Papua Provisional Govt Declaration
EGI ADYATAMA
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https://www.indoleft.org/news/2020-12-01/witness-describes-how-tni-police-stood-by-in-mob-attack-on-papuan-student-dormitory.html
2) Witness describes how TNI, police stood by in mob attack on Papuan student dormitory
Adi Briantika – Natan Weya, a Papuan student from the Pattimura University (Unpatti),
has confirmed that joint units of police and Indonesian military (TNI) officers along with
local people besieged their dormitory on the evening of Tuesday December 1.
Weya and 20 other dormitory residents were preparing materials for a December
1 protest action to commemorate the declaration of West Papuan independence. At
around 10.21 pm a group of people arrived at the dormitory located on
Jalan Ir. M. Putuhena in Ambon Bay sub-district, Ambon city.
"All of a sudden there were several police, TNI officers, a female Unpatti lecturer, the
head of the RT [neighborhood association] and the village secretary. They came to
our place", Weya told Tirto on Tuesday December 1.
Weya knew the lecturer, who teaches at the Pattimura University faculty of economics,
but did not know her name.
The dormitory residents asked the reason for their arrival and the head of the RT said
that they had obtained information that there were new residents of the dormitory, which
they wanted to check.
According to Weya, the head of the RT should have come alone to verify any new residents
and did not need to bring the police and TNI officers. The residents asked them to leave.
The other reason for refusing them entry was that the crowd of "guests" had arrived outside of working hours. "After that the TNI, Indonesian police, intelligence [officers], closed off the two roads leading to our place of residence. They were helped by local people", explained
Weya.
The situation became heated when at around 3.30 in the morning the crowd pelted
the dormitory with stones. There were six such incidents accompanied by abuse.
"They shouted abusive words (like) dogs, pigs, animals, stupid and all sorts of things. But we Papuan students didn't respond", explained Weya.
Then a video of the incident circulated [on social media]. Weya also confirmed that there
was an attempt to break down the front gate although the mob was unable to get
nside despite provocations to do so.
Weya said that police, TNI officers and residents were still on guard in front of the dormitory.
This created fear inside and their movements have been restricted. They were not even
able to buy food or cigarettes and they not received any assistance.
The number of uniformed police and TNI officers on guard outside continued to grow,
several were carrying firearms. Some were not wearing uniforms.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Asrama Mahasiswa
Papua di Ambon Didatangi Aparat terkait 1 Desember".]
Source: https://tirto.id/asrama-mahasiswa-papua-di-ambon-didatangi-aparat-terkait-1-desember-f7Bh
———————————————————-
3) DPR Condemns Arbitrary Independence Declaration in West Papua
Translator: Ricky Mohammad Nugraha
Editor: Laila Afifa
2 December 2020 18:09 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The House of Representatives (DPR) deputy speaker, Azis Syamsuddin, has called for the government to take substantial action against the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) that arbitrarily declared a temporary government for West Papua on Tuesday, December 1.
“I am calling for the government to immediately take action to suppress the baseless provocation by the ULMWP group,” said Azis Syamsuddin on December 2. “The West Papua special autonomy government must also be firm.”
The DPR deputy strongly condemns the claims by the Benny Wenda-led group that established the governance. Azis maintains that West Papua is thoroughly an inseparable part of the NKRI (unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia).
“We strongly condemn this and also to those who support these claims,” said the DPR Deputy.
Azis believes that the people of West Papua are not involved in the establishment of the ULMWP, which begs the question regarding the validity of the claim for independence.
“Benny Wenda does not understand the Pancasila, which is basically the grounds for the nation’s unity,” said the DPR deputy chair.
Read: Group of Papuans Commemorate OPM Anniversary in Jakarta's Monas
ANTARA
Surabaya – Protesters from the Papua Student Alliance (AMP) held a demonstration commemorating the declaration of West Papuan independence at the Negara Grahadi building in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya on Tuesday December 1.
Wearing traditional Papuan clothing and a variety of materials adorned with the Morning Star (Bintang Kejora) independence flag, the Papuan students gave speeches and sung protest songs in front the Grahadi building (the East Java governor's office).
"Papua is not the red-and-white, Papua is not the red-and-white. Papua is the Papua Bintang Kejora, the Bintang Kejora", they shouted referring to Indonesia's national red-and white flag.
"The Garuda has been killing us, the Cendrawasih sustains us", sang one of the speakers in response, referring to Indonesia's national symbol of the Garuda bird and the Cendrawasih Bird of Paradise symbolising Papua.
Action spokesperson Rudi Wonda said that today's demonstration was a commemoration of West Papuan independence on December 1, 1961. "The Papuan nation's independence day which is celebrated with demonstrations throughout Indonesia", he said.
According to Wonda however, West Papuan independence 59 years ago has never been acknowledged by Indonesia. At the time, Indonesia's founding president Sukarno's declaration of West Papuan independence was only a Dutch manipulation. The Indonesian government then launched the Trikora military operation.
"Nineteen days after this President Sukarno declared the Trikora operation which became the first step in efforts to annex West Papua into the framework of the NKRI [Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia]", he said.
Following this, continued Wonda, the Indonesian government reached an agreement with Holland and the United States known as the New York Agreement. The agreement however was reached without any representatives of the Papuan people.
After the agreement, he said, the West Papua nation suffered many pressures, one of which was the 1969 UN sponsored referendum on West Papua's integration with Indonesia (Pepera).
Wonda said that the momentum for a referendum – which should have been an act of self-determination for the West Papuan nation – instead turned out to be a disaster.
"Pepera only involved 0.2 percent of the West Papuan population, it was undemocratic, full of terror, intimidation and manipulation as well as gross human rights violations", he said.
Through today's commemoration, the AMP wants the public to remember the declaration of West Papuan independence and demand that the Indonesian government acknowledge this.
"We consistently demand recognition, the state of the Republic of Indonesia must acknowledge that the Papuan people became independent on December 1, 1961 and immediately give them their rights", said Wonda in closing.
Situation in Papua
In Papua meanwhile, the Indonesian police said that there have yet to be any prominent commemorations of West Papuan independence today. National police public information bureau chief Brigadier General Awi Setiyono claimed that police had been anticipating any such movements since November.
"So far there has yet to be any prominent (activities) in Papua related to December 1", Setiyono told journalists at the national police headquarters in Jakarta on Tuesday.
According to Setiyono, for some time now police have been warning the Papuan public
not to be influenced by movements rejecting Indonesian unity.
Setiyono said that they had conducted a series of patrols, provided information and other preventative measures to remind people.
"[We] reminded the Papuan people to stay calm, to continue maintaining unity and unification under the NKRI", explained Setiyono.
December 1 is often cited as the anniversary of the Free Papua Movement, although this has been denied by the OPM itself.
Earlier, West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organisation (TPNPB-OPM) spokesperson Sebby Sambom said that commemorative events would be held by several Papuan liberation organisations on December 1.
Events would be held at 33 defense command area headquarters that he referred to as Kodap which are spread all across Papua.
In Jakarta, several groups aligned with the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua (FRI-WP), the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) and the Papuan Central Highlands Indonesian Student Association (AMPTPI) also held protest actions.
Papuan liberation figure Surya Anta also took part in an action in front of the Arjuna Wiwaha (Horse) statue on Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta to celebrate the Papuan independence movement. (frd/mjo/pmg)
Notes
Although it is widely held that West Papua declared independence from Indonesia on December 1, 1961, this actually marks the date when the Morning Star (Bintang Kejora) flag was first raised alongside the Dutch flag in an officially sanctioned ceremony in Jayapura, then called Hollandia. The first declaration of independence actually took place on July 1, 1971 at the Victoria Headquarters in Jayapura where the OPM raised the Morning Star flag and unilaterally proclaimed West Papua as an independent democratic republic.
Operation Trikora was declared by Indonesian founding President Sukarno in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on December 19, 1961. It was an Indonesian military operation aimed at harassing and forcing the Dutch out of Netherlands New Guinea in 1961-62 rather than one intended to suppress a nascent independence movement. Under the threat that
Indonesia would move from armed infiltrations to a large-scale military attack,
US sponsored negotiations led to the signing of the New York Agreement on August 15,
1962 in which the Netherlands agreed to hand over administration of Western New Guinea to Indonesia pending a UN administered plebiscite. Seven years later under the newly installed Suharto dictatorship, the treaty led to the so-call "Act of Free Choice" in 1969 in which 1025 hand-picked Papuans "voted" at gun-point for the territory remain part of Indonesia.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Pekik Massa Aksi di Surabaya: Papua Bukan Merah Putih".]
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian National Police (Polri) on Wednesday has officially considered the declaration of West Papua’s provisional government by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) as a form of provocation and propaganda.
“This is a form of provocation and propaganda,” said the National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Awi Setiyono at the South Jakarta headquarters on December 2.
The National Police spokesman then reminded people - especially Papuans - to not be provoked by the arbitrary provisional government declaration from the organization led by Benny Wenda. He asserted that Papua and West Papua are still officially under the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
“That is final and is not to be bargained with,” said Awi.
Previously reported, the ULMWP - initiated by renowned West Papua freedom movement figure Benny Wenda - had self-proclaimed to be West Papua’s president. They also had arbitrarily established a temporary government led by Benny who remains to be an
Indonesian government fugitive currently residing in the UK.
Read: DPR Condemns Arbitrary Independence Declaration in West Papua
ANDITA RAHMA
"Since the start, President Jokowi has stressed that prosperity-oriented approaches
Citing one of the shining examples of the Jokowi administration's prosperity-oriented approaches, Moeldoko drew attention to various infrastructure construction projects in Papua and West Papua to enable them to be at par with other provinces.
President Jokowi also focused on boosting the economic sector of Papua and West Papua by, for instance, enforcing the one-fuel price policy there as part of the government's endeavors to create social justice for the local people, he pointed out.
The government also remains focused on development of the health and education sectors in the two Indonesian provinces, he remarked.
Moeldoko believes that the second phase of special autonomy status granted for Papua and West Papua would be driven to fuel a new spirit in expediting developments to create prosperity in both provinces.
"Regarding a road to the granting of this second phase of special autonomy, there has been in place the Presidential Decision No. 20 of 2020 on an integrated coordinating team for accelerating prosperity-oriented developments in Papua and West Papua," he stated.
The presidential decision is aimed at creating a spirit, paradigm, and novel methods to manage the accelerated developments in Papua and West Papua, he noted.
The presidential decision targets intensifying synergistic collaborations among ministries, government agencies, and regional administrations to expedite development programs to create prosperity in the two provinces.
ANTARA noted that the central government had provided special autonomy funds worth Rp126.99 trillion to Papua and West Papua since 2012.
In Indonesia's 2019 human development index, Papua and West Papua recorded scores of 64.7 and 60.84 respectively.
Related news: Second phase of special autonomy to make Papua prosperous: Moeldoko
Related news: Job Creation Law will help people prosper: Moeldoko
EDITED BY INE
"I urge the government to take immediate steps to prevent the ULMWP's baseless provocation from escalating into a social issue. The West Papua special autonomous government also needs to stand firm against this issue," he stated here on Wednesday.
Syamsuddin condemned the claim of ULMWP, led by Benny Wenda, while affirming that West Papua remains an intrinsic part of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
"The claim of irresponsible people beyond the framework of the NKRI is an uncommendable act and unfounded. We firmly condemn the one-sided claim and will take stern measures against those supporting it," he emphasized.
The deputy house speaker believes that the people of West Papua are not involved in the formation of ULMWP, and that the claim of independence has no strong basis.
West Papua has been recognized internationally as part of the Indonesian territory, he remarked.
"Benny Wenda does not understand the state ideology of Pancasila that lays the basis for national unification. In this context, Papua and West Papua are the core of the NKRI framework, and the international world recognizes the entire territory of NKRI," he noted.
Syamsuddin expressed belief that the people of West Papua will not be incited by the issue owing to their high level of adoration for Indonesia and also the love of all elements of the Indonesian community for the people of Papua and West Papua.
The ULMWP declared a provisional government on Tuesday (Dec 1) and nominated Benny Wenda, who lives in exile in the United Kingdom, as president. Related news: Prosperity-oriented approaches to solve problems in Papua, West Papua
Related news: Second phase of special autonomy to make Papua prosperous: Moeldoko
8) Govt must ignore Benny Wenda’s maneuver: UI law professor
If needed, the Indonesian police can initiate legal action against the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (UMLWP) leader for the move that can be regarded as an act of treason against the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, he said here on Wednesday.
Juwana argued that the "interim government" that Wenda declared on December 1, 2020 has no foundation under international law because it is unclear for which state it has been created, where it exists, and when the state's creation was declared.
He further argued that the creation of a state comes first under international law. In this regard, the existence of a state comes first, followed by a government, he added.
Therefore, it would be absurd if the so-called interim government is recognized by the international community, Juwana, who is also rector of the General Ahmad Yani University (Unjani), stressed.
Related news: UK reaffirms support for Indonesia's territorial integrity
Meanwhile, he said, the support shown by several Pacific countries for the UMLWP cannot be seen as a benchmark owing to their insignificance as recognizing states.
According to Juwana, it is better for the Indonesian Government to ignore the UMLWP maneuver, which has come on a day supporters of the separatist group claim as West Papua's independence day.
The separatist group's loyalists have declared an "interim government" within the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia's sovereign territory, he noted.
ANTARA has earlier reported on the criminal record of Benny Wenda, who is currently living in Oxford city, United Kingdom. Reports have claimed he believes in the use of violence to achieve his political goals and that there is evidence linking him with several cases of armed violence in Papua.
In the Wamena riot, which erupted in September, 2019, the Indonesian police had accused Wenda of being involved in the spreading of fake news to instigate native Papuans.
The riot which, according to local media, was instigated by hoaxes regarding a teacher's racist slur against native Papuan students left several civilians dead and several others injured.
The alleged masterminds of the deadly riot were reported to be members of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB). (INE)
Related news: UN bans Benny Wenda to enter UN general assembly: Nick Meset
Related news: Police expose Benny Wenda's involvement in Wamena's lethal riot
Related news: Indonesia condemns decision to award Benny Wenda
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