2) Papuan People’s Assembly rejects Jakarta’s move to revise ‘otsus’ law
3) Intan Jaya conflict (5): A new armed conflict that brings deaths
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1) KNPB activist denied proper medical treatment in police detention: Lawyer
News Desk February 11, 2021 9:43 pm
West Papua No. 1 News Portal | Jubi
Jayapura, Jubi – Papua Legal Aid Institute (LBH Papua) Director Emanuel Gobay, said that Merauke Police had denied 13 activists from the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) their right to health after the institute received a report that one of the detainees was critically ill.
He said the family of Kristian Yandum informed him that Yandum was in Merauke Navy Hospital but they claimed he did not get proper treatment. Gobay said Yandum was allegedly beaten by the police officer when they arrested him along with 12 other KNPB activists on Dec. 13 last year.
“Yandum’s family saw him in the hospital in a weak condition. He got oxygen tube attached to him but no IV drip,” said Gobay to Jubi on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021.
Gobay claimed the Merauke Police did not bring Yandum to the hospital fast enough. He said Yandum had been ill in Merauke Police detention center for days. Gobay said some other detained KNPB activists were also injured but did not get any treatment.
“Looking at the condition of the detainees, we had asked the police officers to fulfill the detainees’ right to health, in line with article 58 of the Criminal Procedure Law,” he said.
On Jan. 13, LBH Papua sent a letter to the police to move Yandum to a health facility.
“But they took time responding to our request,” he said. The police responded on Feb. 8, when they took Yandum to the Navy hospital at night. The last time the family checked on Feb. 11, Yandum was still in the emergency ward of the hospital.
Gobay said Merauke Police also sent a letter to the lawyers, saying that Yandum was scheduled for an X-Ray examination on Feb. 10.
One of the KNPB leaders at the headquarters, Marpo Wetipo, told Jubi that torture, being sick in detention center, and even death were the consequences of the activists who were facing “colonial administration”.
“This is proof of colonialism. The proof that a systematic killing is happening. KNPB is fighting against this violent system with peace,” he said.
Wetipo said Indonesian government should have been ashamed of themselves that they fought peaceful fighting with violence, considering Indonesia had ratified several covenants on human rights.
Coalition of Law and Human Rights Enforcers Papua released a report made available to Jubi on Feb. 11. The coalition claimed that the National Police’s Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel came to the office of KNPB Almasuh chapter in Merauke Regency on Dec. 13, riding two cars.
The coalition said the personnel besieged the building right away, without showing them a warrant and an explanation of the reason of the arrest. They took KNPB activists identified as Zakarias Yakobus Sraun, Piter Wambon, Robertus Landa, Kristian Yandum, Michael Bunop, and Elia Kmur.
The coalition said the Brimob told four of them to strip and lie down, face down, on the ground. They tied the activists’ hands on their back and then the police beat them with rattan and then they stepped on the KNPB activist bodies.
The police then told them to get into the car, sitting on the floor of the car, and brought them to Merauke Police precinct. In the detention center, the coalition said, the beating continued. Yandum head was bleeding while Michael Bunop had his back bleeding.
Later at about 11 pm, Brimob came again to the KNPB office and they took eight more activists to the detention center. Out of 14 detainees, the coalition represented 13 of them.
The coalition has declared the arrest as a “criminalization” arrest by the police.
Reporter: Benny Mawel
Editor: Dewi Wulandari, Evi Mariani
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2) Papuan People’s Assembly rejects Jakarta’s move to revise ‘otsus’ law
News Desk February 11, 2021 12:50 am
West Papua No. 1 News Portal | Jubi
Jayapura, Jubi – Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP) announced they rejected the central government and the House of Representatives plan to revise special autonomy (otsus) law without consulting MRP. The decision was made after MRP held a plenary meeting on Feb. 9 in Jayapura.
“On behalf of Papuan people, MRP rejected the draft revisions done by Jakarta. MRP requested that the revisions should follow the existing legal mechanism,” said the speaker of MRP, Timotius Murib on Feb. 9 to Jubi.
Murib referred to article 77 in the Law No. 21/2001 on Special Autonomy for Papua or otsus law that said any revisions to the law should be initiated by Papuan people, consulted through MRP and Papuan Legislative Council (DPRP) and then later to the central government.
The planned revisions were not based on Papuan people’s aspirations, meanwhile, MRP’s attempts to evaluate otsus law through several meetings with the people were hampered “some people with vested interests”.
Murib said Jakarta wanted to revise article 76 on splitting Papua province itu several provinces without the due legal process. The central government wanted to remove MRP’s and governor’s approval in the establishment of new provinces.
“People in kampung say, it’s like Papua eats the food, but Jakarta enjoys the good taste,” he said.
Reporter: Benny Mawel
Editor: Dewi Wulandari, Evi Mariani
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3) Intan Jaya conflict (5): A new armed conflict that brings deaths
News Desk February 12, 2021 7:19 am
West Papua No.1 News Portal | Jubi
Jayapura, Jubi – On Aug. 1, 2019, the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) held a large meeting, called “Reunification and Declaration of Unity of TPNPB-Free Papua Organization” in Ilaga, Puncak Regency. The meeting in the neighboring regency ushered in a new period of conflict in Intan Jaya.
The meeting had the presence of TPNPB’s Defense Territory Command (Kodap) chiefs that included Ilaga Kodap chief Brig. Gen. Penny Murib and Kemabu Kodap chief Brig. Gen. Ayub Waker. The highest commander of TPNPB Gen. Goliat Tabuni and the General Operation Commander Maj. Gen. Lekagak Telenggen were also present.
Kodap is a TPNPB territorial unit, based on the administrative border of a regency in Papua. Following the High Conference of TPNPB in Biak Numfor from May 1 to 5 in 2012, TPNPB had 33 Kodap across Papua Land.
The meeting in August 2019 was to decide on their response to the formation of the West Papua Army, formed by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULWMP) and West Papua Revolution Army (TRWP) in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea on May 1, 2019.
The August meeting declared that TPNPB rejected West Papua Army. Read by the highest commander’s secretary, Anton Obed Tabuni, the declaration also agreed on continuing the fight in Tembagapura, Mimika Regency, and Nduga Regency.
On their way, a group of TPNPB soldiers traveled to Tembagapura, passing through Intan Jaya, and arrived in Pugisiga, Hitadipa District in Intan Jaya Regency. On Oct. 25, 2019, they held a “bakar batu” ritual in Pugisiga. Bakar batu is Papuan people’s ritual to celebrate or to gather soldiers before a battle. In the ritual, the people would dig a hole in the ground, burn stones, and put layers of burning stones, banana leaves, and food like pork in the hole.
When they were doing the ritual, three ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers went past Pugisiga, triggering the soldiers’ anger. The TPNPB soldiers accused the drivers of working as spies for the security personnel. The three drivers were identified as Rizal, Herianto, and La Soni. The TPNPB soldiers then canceled their plan to continue to Tembagapura.
The killing of the three ojek drivers spurred the establishment of a new military command of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in Intan Jaya Regency. Indeed, since 2016, the TNI had added more military commands in Papua Land, marked by the opening of the Military Command XVIII/Kasuari in West Papua province on Dec. 19, 2016. After that, the TNI planned to add more Military District Commands in both Papua and West Papua provinces.
On Sept. 27, 2019, TNI changed its organizational structure by establishing three new large territories across Indonesia, called Kogabwilhan or Joint Defense Territory Command. The change was based on a presidential regulation on the formation of Kogabwilhan.
Kogabwilhan I, comprising of Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, Jakarta, West Java, and Banten is led by Adm. Yudo Margono. Kogabwilhan II, comprising of East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Central Java, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara, is led by Marshall Fadjar Prasetyo.
The third Kogabwilhan, comprising of Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, and West Papua, is led by Maj. Gen. Ganip Warsito from the Army. Kogabwilhan III is based in Biak.
Indonesia’s Defense White Paper in 2014 mentioned that Kogabwilhan was an integration between the Navy, the Army, and the Air Force. Before Kogabwilhan, territorial commands were fully in the hands of the Army.
On Sept. 29, 2019, Cenderawasih Pos published news on the plan to install four new district commands in Deiyai, Paniai, Puncak, and Intan Jaya regencies.
After the shooting of three ojek drivers in Kampung Pugisiga in Hitadipa, Intan Jaya, the TNI deployed more and more personnel in the regency. In December, the TNI headquarters sent more personnel who were stationed outside Papua Land to Sugapa District in Intan Jaya. They arrived in Sugapa with helicopters. They were spread out to several areas in Intan Jaya, including to Hitadipa District.
In Hitadipa, a district with only 5,366 population, the TNI set up a preparatory military command, occupying YPPGI Elementary School and Satu Atap Hitadipa Junior High School.
The principal of both schools, Rode Zanambani, said that the classes for 300 students were halted once the TNI occupied the schools. “All of the students, our teachers, did not go to school anymore,” Zanambani said. She said they had asked the TNI not to use the schools as the military command base and to not reside in Hitadipa. If you want to build a military command, why should you establish one in a school building?
Reporter: Victor Mambor
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