2) 576,090 ha of West Papua forests are in the hands of 24 palm companies: Report
3) Army to clamp down on illegal goods flow on Papua highway
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1) Freeport Indonesia provides aid for refugees in Papua’s Intan Jaya
7 hours ago
Timika, Papua (ANTARA) - PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) has supplied 5.3 tonnes of staple food for several hundred residents of Intan Jaya district, Papua, who have taken refuge at the Bilogai church following a spurt in violence in the district.
The gold mining company operating in Papua’s Grasberg minerals district handed the relief packages containing items such as rice, sugar, instant noodles, and cooking oil, to the Timika Diocese on Wednesday.
The PTFI management sent the aid in response to a letter sent by the Timika Diocese administrator, Pastor Marthen Kuayo Pr, Vice President of PTFI’s Social and Local Development Department, Nathan Kum, said.
The aid packages would hopefully reach all households being sheltered at the Bilogai church, he added.
The Timika Diocese's secretary, Pastor Andreas Madya Sriyanto SCJ, thanked the PTFI management for providing aid for those fleeing their homes and taking refuge in schools and churches in Intan Jaya and Nabire districts.
The PTFI's relief aid was very helpful for the refugees, he added.
Meanwhile, the Papua provincial administration is making efforts to restore normalcy in Intan Jaya, which has been witness to a spate of violence targeting civilians and security personnel over the past two years.
The government has launched emergency response measures to address the impact of the most recent armed conflict, which has forced around 600 locals to flee their homes.
During a meeting in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, on Tuesday, Papua Deputy Governor Klemen Tinal said the handling of locals taking refuge for safety reasons would be the government's priority, he said.
At the meeting, deputy head of Intan Jaya district, Yan Kobogoyau, said conditions in the district have been improving and many refugees have gradually returned home.
The Papua provincial government is expected to take strategic measures to restore normalcy in Intan Jaya, he added.
Armed Papuan groups operating in the districts of Intan Jaya, Nduga, and Puncak have been targeting civilians and security personnel over the past two years.
Intan Jaya recorded its bloodiest month in September, 2020, with notorious armed groups launching a series of attacks in the area that claimed the lives of two soldiers and two civilians and left two others injured.
On February 15, 2021, several armed Papuan rebels engaged in a gunfight with Indonesian army personnel in Mamba village, Sugapa sub-district, Intan Jaya district, which resulted in the death of one soldier.
The same day, a joint team of military and police personnel shot dead three armed Papuan rebels who tried to take the rifles of several security personnel securing the Sugapa public health center.
Terrorized by the shooting of a villager, identified by his initials as RNR, by an armed criminal on February 8, 2021, about 359 residents of Intan Jaya took refuge in a church over safety concerns.
Most of those who decided to leave their homes and move to the church over fears of being targeted by members of the armed group were residents of Bilogai village of Sugapa sub-district.(INE)
Related news: Papua govt starts disbursing aid to refugees
Related news: Papua government moves to restore normalcy in Intan Jaya
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The gold mining company operating in Papua’s Grasberg minerals district handed the relief packages containing items such as rice, sugar, instant noodles, and cooking oil, to the Timika Diocese on Wednesday.
The PTFI management sent the aid in response to a letter sent by the Timika Diocese administrator, Pastor Marthen Kuayo Pr, Vice President of PTFI’s Social and Local Development Department, Nathan Kum, said.
The aid packages would hopefully reach all households being sheltered at the Bilogai church, he added.
The Timika Diocese's secretary, Pastor Andreas Madya Sriyanto SCJ, thanked the PTFI management for providing aid for those fleeing their homes and taking refuge in schools and churches in Intan Jaya and Nabire districts.
The PTFI's relief aid was very helpful for the refugees, he added.
Meanwhile, the Papua provincial administration is making efforts to restore normalcy in Intan Jaya, which has been witness to a spate of violence targeting civilians and security personnel over the past two years.
The government has launched emergency response measures to address the impact of the most recent armed conflict, which has forced around 600 locals to flee their homes.
During a meeting in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, on Tuesday, Papua Deputy Governor Klemen Tinal said the handling of locals taking refuge for safety reasons would be the government's priority, he said.
At the meeting, deputy head of Intan Jaya district, Yan Kobogoyau, said conditions in the district have been improving and many refugees have gradually returned home.
The Papua provincial government is expected to take strategic measures to restore normalcy in Intan Jaya, he added.
Armed Papuan groups operating in the districts of Intan Jaya, Nduga, and Puncak have been targeting civilians and security personnel over the past two years.
Intan Jaya recorded its bloodiest month in September, 2020, with notorious armed groups launching a series of attacks in the area that claimed the lives of two soldiers and two civilians and left two others injured.
On February 15, 2021, several armed Papuan rebels engaged in a gunfight with Indonesian army personnel in Mamba village, Sugapa sub-district, Intan Jaya district, which resulted in the death of one soldier.
The same day, a joint team of military and police personnel shot dead three armed Papuan rebels who tried to take the rifles of several security personnel securing the Sugapa public health center.
Terrorized by the shooting of a villager, identified by his initials as RNR, by an armed criminal on February 8, 2021, about 359 residents of Intan Jaya took refuge in a church over safety concerns.
Most of those who decided to leave their homes and move to the church over fears of being targeted by members of the armed group were residents of Bilogai village of Sugapa sub-district.(INE)
Related news: Papua govt starts disbursing aid to refugees
Related news: Papua government moves to restore normalcy in Intan Jaya
EDITED BY INE
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2) 576,090 ha of West Papua forests are in the hands of 24 palm companies: Report
News Desk February 25, 2021 10:39 pm
West Papua No. 1 News Portal | Jubi
Manokwari, Jubi – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had evaluated the governance of licensing and permits related to West Papua forests and palm oil plantation companies in the province in Papua Land for the last two years and reported that 24 companies held a permit to turn 576,090 hectares of forests into palm plantations.
The companies operated in eight regencies in the province: Sorong, South Sorong, Manokwari, South Manokwari, Teluk Wondama, Teluk Bintuni, Maybrat, and Fakfak.
The KPK said in a press conference that out of the figure, 383,431 hectares could still be “saved” as they still had forest vegetation.
Read also: Indigenous community employed by the palm oil plantation company PT BIA as manual workers
The evaluation, involving various stakeholders, was part of KPK’s program, the National Action Plan on Saving the Natural Resources, as an attempt to protect the natural resources and indigenous people’s empowerment in Papua Land.
KPK evaluated palm plantation permits in West Papua province on 24 license holders that held a total of 576,090 hectares in concessions and announced the report in a press conference in Manokwari on Feb. 25, 2021.
West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan said the evaluation began in July 2018, and it based on three legal framework: Manokwari Declaration, Presidential Instruction No. 8/2018 on Moratorium of the Transfer of Forestry Areas for Palm Plantation, and the National Movement for Saving the Natural Resources.
Manokwari Declaration is the result of the International Conference on Biodiversity and Economy Creative (ICBE) in 2018. It stipulates commitment between Papua and West Papua administrations and also some points to improve the sustainability of indigenous-people-based development in both provinces.
“The process is West Papua administration’s attempt to protect the forests and to improve the governance in maximizing utilization of natural resources while keeping it sustainable and ensuring that it serves the indigenous people,” said Mandacan.
He thanked KPK for the evaluation and he said he wanted to see a concrete follow up to the report.
“We will push for measures to save the potential forests, so they will be managed by the indigenous communities while adhering to sustainability principles,” he said.
KPK deputy head, Alexander Marwata, pushed for actions to follow up the evaluation on the permits. “This is a very good start to improve the governance of palm plantation licensing. It will be more impactful if the recommendations are put into actions,” he said.
Alexander said KPK hoped such evaluation would be expanded to other land-based sectors. “Utilizing space could optimize the regional revenues and the state revenues but it should not be done at the expense of the environment, especially when there is a graft involved,” he said.
From the evaluation, KPK found most of the companies had yet to operate on the land, which meant the companies had yet to complete the permits and not yet planted the palm.
KPK said there were potentials to revoke the permits legally.
“Revoking the permits is possible because some of the companies shirked off their responsibilities if we check their permits, especially the Plantation Business Permit,” Alexander said.
Some of the companies also had yet to touch the forests, allowing the government to save the forests.
“I hope behind the shirking off the responsibilities, the companies did not commit any graft and the permit issuers did not just turn a blind eye,” he said.
In the evaluation, the team gave recommendations for the regents as the permit issuers and the team also gave a recommendation to improve governance of palm plantations to the relevant stakeholders including some ministries.
Reporter: Hans Kapisa
Editor: Dewi Wulandari, Evi Mariani
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3) Army to clamp down on illegal goods flow on Papua highway
5 hours ago
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - The Indonesian army will secure the 575-kilometer Transpapua section of the Jayapura-Wamena highway in Papua province to halt the flow of illegal goods, including drugs and liquor, a top military officer said.
"The army personnel are ready to secure the Jayapura-Wamena highway. TNI has 16 security posts along this Transpapua road section," Commander of the 172/Praja Wira Yakthi Regional Military Command, Brig.Gen.Izak Pangemanan, said.
Speaking to local journalists after meeting with the Jayapura National Road Construction Agency (BPJN) officials on Wednesday, he said the surveillance operation would also involve personnel from the Indonesia-PNG Border Security Task Force.
"In carrying out the operation, the soldiers will thoroughly check the cargo of vehicles passing through the Jayapura-Wamena highway to make sure that drivers do not carry illegal goods," he said.
Head of the BPJN-Jayapura Office, Edu Sasarari, said he has requested the assistance of the Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) for securing 320 kilometers of the Jayapura-Wamena highway, which is under his office's responsibility.
Along this road section, there are six TNI-AD security posts, he informed. (INE)
Related news: Freeport Indonesia provides aid for refugees in Papua's Intan Jaya
Related news: Papua govt starts disbursing aid to refugees
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"The army personnel are ready to secure the Jayapura-Wamena highway. TNI has 16 security posts along this Transpapua road section," Commander of the 172/Praja Wira Yakthi Regional Military Command, Brig.Gen.Izak Pangemanan, said.
Speaking to local journalists after meeting with the Jayapura National Road Construction Agency (BPJN) officials on Wednesday, he said the surveillance operation would also involve personnel from the Indonesia-PNG Border Security Task Force.
"In carrying out the operation, the soldiers will thoroughly check the cargo of vehicles passing through the Jayapura-Wamena highway to make sure that drivers do not carry illegal goods," he said.
Head of the BPJN-Jayapura Office, Edu Sasarari, said he has requested the assistance of the Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) for securing 320 kilometers of the Jayapura-Wamena highway, which is under his office's responsibility.
Along this road section, there are six TNI-AD security posts, he informed. (INE)
Related news: Freeport Indonesia provides aid for refugees in Papua's Intan Jaya
Related news: Papua govt starts disbursing aid to refugees
EDITED BY INE
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