1) Indonesia ‘must take responsibility’ for Nduga and Intan Jaya displaced people
News Desk March 10, 2021 5:30 pm
West Papua No. 1 News Portal | Jubi
Jayapura, Jubi – Citizens including a religious figure demand the Indonesian state to take responsibility for the displaced people who had left their homes due to fear of losing their lives amid armed conflicts in the two regencies in Papua Land, or internationally known as West Papua
Pastor Dora Balubun, the head of Justice, Peace, and Unity of God’s Creatures of the Evangelist Churches Synod in Papua Land, said in a public discussion on Intan Jaya on Tuesday, March 9, that the Republic of Indonesia had neglected thousands of displaced people from Nduga and Intan Jaya. “The state has to take responsibility. They cannot just turn a blind. They owe Papuans a lot. First, they own Nduga displaced people since 2018, and now they owe Intan Jaya displaced people,” Balubun said.
Balubun said the government must take concrete actions to restore peace and welfare to the Nduga and Intan Jaya displaced people. “What’s the central government has done to the displaced citizens? Are you going to just let them like that?” she said.
Balubun said the churches did not have enough power to restore peace and welfare for the internally displaced people. “It’s going to be Easter Sunday soon, we have to take care of them,” she went on.
She criticized the central government and Papua provincial administration which she called “busy building infrastructure but neglecting the people”.
“The government talks about development in Papua, but they do not think about developing the people, especially the displaced ones. What do they need now? Do they have the same rights with other Papuans?” she said.
Another speaker in the discussion, Yanuarius Weya, said Intan Jaya Regency was not a conflict zone in Papua, until later it became an independent regency in 2008, after being split from Paniai Regency.
In 2012, political conflicts began to occur. Previously, Intan Jaya only saw occasional tribal conflicts. “In Intan Jaya, conflicts emerged in the regency, starting with a stabbing of a tribal chief by a motorcycle taxi (ojek) driver. Nowadays, the kind of conflicts occurring there was shots heard in one kampung and then another kampung. Old people are scared, they then fled their kampung to hide in the jungle or in the neighboring regencies,” Weya said.
Weya said many people that had left their kampung could not return home up until now. He said the violence happened mostly in Sugapa and Hitadipa, where the churches had the largest congregation compared to other districts in the regency.
In late February and early March, the police repeated statements that Intan Jaya was “under control” and there were no displaced people there anymore. They said the displaced people took temporary shelter at the churches but the police claimed they all went back to their homes.
Several days after the claim, a Catholic priest in Intan Jaya received a dead body from the Indonesian Military. The priest said the dead body was his congregation member in Titigi Parish, under Catholic Church’s Timika Diocese. It was reported that the dead man, Donatus Mirip, 38, was shot on Feb. 27 when he was wandering from one empty kampung to another in Sugapa district. Mirip was deaf and had a mental disorder, his neighbors said.
Get the resources, neglect the people
The speakers in public discussion also talked about Indonesia’s motivation in keeping Papua Land. They said Indonesian government wanted the land and all the riches on the land, but they did not want the people.
Pastor Balubun said Papua Land was “so rich that the native Papuans could not sleep well”. She said native Papuans could not live in peace because people wanted to get the resources from them.
The discussion, titled “What is happening in Intan Jaya”, was organized by Theology Academy Walter Post in Jayapura.
“Such violence, happening now in Nduga and Intan Jaya, is not new in Papua Land, it has occurred for decades. Indonesia fought to keep Papua Land not because of the people, but because of the riches on the land,” Balubun said.
What happened in Intan Jaya, she said, was related to the potential gold reserve there. Intan Jaya borders on Mimika Regency, the location of PT Freeport Indonesia, the country’s biggest mining company.
She said people in Intan Jaya fled the kampung because the Indonesian Military occupied a school.
She said TNI and the police made a wrong approach that led to the deaths of civilians. “The gold is in the mountain. Why do they disturb the peace of the people at home?” she said.
“What does the government have to say about the conflicts? I haven’t heard from them. Now churches act as if we are firefighters, extinguishing fires when it already happened. All churches in Papua Land, Kingmi, GIDI, Baptist, Catholic, GKI, all of us had to take care of the victims,” she said.
Pastor Nikolaus Degei from Papuan People Council said the government neglected the welfare of native Papuans because they stigmatized the native Papuans as separatists. If the government regarded Intan Jaya residents as Indonesians, then the state has to uphold the state ideology, Pancasila, he said in the discussion.
Among the five principles in Pancasila were humanity and social justice.
Degei challenged the central government narrative claiming that Intan Jaya was “secured and under control” because it was untrue. “TNI and the police are still wandering around in Intan Jaya Regency. The people are now afraid, they limit their activities like going to the field, studying, offices and hospitals, they all do not go smoothly like normal now,” he said.
2) Video of Malang police chief threatening to shoot Papuan students goes viral
CNN Indonesia – March 9, 2021
Jakarta – A video of a police officer warning that they will shot Papuan students gathered in front of the Malang municipal police headquarters in East Java has gone viral on social media. In the video, a local police unit chief can be heard threatening the Papuan students.
"If you cross the fence line, it'll be halal darah [a lawful or legitimate killing under Islam], shot dead. Halal darah, shot dead. If you enter the gates, you will be halal darah", shouts a voice which can be heard on the video circulating on Social Media on Tuesday March 9.
One of the accounts which has shared the video is a Twitter account belonging to Papuan activist Veronica Koman, @VeronicaKoman.
Last night: police chief in Malang (Java) to West Papuan students outside the police station demanding their detained #IWD2021 rally friend to be released: "You are a legitimate target! Shoot! If you enter here, you are a legitimate target!" ("Kamu halal darahnya! Tembak!") – https://twitter.com/VeronicaKoman/status/1369183107862073348
When sought for confirmation, Malang Papua Student Alliance (AMP) Secretary General Fhen Suhuniap confirmed the validity of the video. He said that the police office who shouted this is suspected to be Malang municipal police chief (Kapolresta) Senior Commissioner Leonardus Simarmata.
"Yes, it's true, they're the words of the Malang Kapolresta", Suhuniap told CNN Indonesia on Tuesday.
Suhuniap said this happened when a number of students from the Women's Movement with the People (Gempur) Alliance wanted to visit a colleague who was being detained at the Malang police headquarters after being arrested at an International Women's Day (IWD) action on Monday evening.
Because they wanted to show their solidarity with the person, they also planned to enter the headquarters. But no sooner had they arrived at the front gate, they were blocked by fully armed police and troops.
"We were there for solidarity, for a comrade who's still being held inside", said Suhuniap.
In the middle of all this, said Suhuniap, Simarmata is alleged to have made the threat against them. The police chief instructed his troops that if any students entered the police headquarters then it would be halal darah to shoot them dead.
"He threatened that if we took one step through the police station's front gate, he would order his officers to shoot, their blood (the Papuan students) is halal", he said.
Police denial
When sought for confirmation, Simamarta was reluctant to make a comment. However East Java regional police public relations head, Senior Commissioner Gatot Repli Handoko, said that the video had been edited and was incomplete.
Handoko said there were words by the Malang police chief which were intentionally edited out by the person who recorded and made the video so the context of Simamarta's statement was lost and incomplete.
"Actually the narrative wasn't like that, it was actually only part of a sentence which was cut by the person who made the video, intentionally", said Handoko.
Based on a confirmation from Simamarta, Handoko said that the remarks made to the Papuan students were because they tried to force their way into the grounds of the municipal police [Polres] headquarters. The police chief then warned them not to do this.
"They (the Papuan students) wanted to force their way into Polres. They were told not to enter Polres, there are laws against this, right, they still [tried to] force [their way in]", he said in conclusion. (frd/ain)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Viral Video Polisi Malang Ancam Mahasiswa Papua".]
3) Indonesian police, military investigate ‘stray bullet’ case that injures a youth in Mimik
West Papua No. 1 News Portal | Jubi
News Desk March 10, 2021 12:59 pm
Jakarta, Jubi – The Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police had been investigating a case in which “a stray bullet” hit a resident, Andres Bewarmbo, when the police and the military tried to disperse an angry crowd in Kampung Pomako in Mimika Regency, Papua on March 7, 2021.
Bewarmbo, 20, was being treated in the hospital after the bullet hit his left chest, right though his back.
Bewarmbo parents’ had met with Mimika Deputy Regent, John Rettob, to give the family Rp 5 billion in compensation, Antara news agency reported on March 9. Andreas Bewarmbo’s father, Silvester Bewarmbo, said Andreas was a bystander during the incident.
“We formed a joint internal affairs team from the police and the military police to investigate,” Mimika Police chief Adj. Comr. IGG Era Adhinata said on March 9, 2021 as quoted by CNN Indonesia.
He said they did not know who shot the bullet. The security personnel that day comprised TNI and police officers, he said.
Earlier Era said the shots were launched by officers in the field after some people in the rally began throwing stones at the security personnel. He said some people brought arrows and bows too.
The crowd formed after a driver who was allegedly intoxicated was beaten. The drunk driver, Soter Moperteyau, was beaten by five drivers. The incident triggered the anger of the residents that chased the five drivers that stopped the drunk driver. The residents wanted the police to hunt the five people.
The police said two TNI soldiers got hurt in the face and the head after getting hit by some of the thrown stones. A police officer got hit on his back.
Papua Police spokesperson, Sr. Come. Ahmad Musthofa Kamal said it was the reason the officers did some warning shots.
When one of the bullets hit a resident, the crowd got angrier, they blocked the main road in the area and burned wood and tires.
Antara news agency reported that the drunk driver, Moperteyau, was a resident in the area. Deputy Regent Rettob told the residents to stop blocking the main road, which connected Timika, the city center in Mimika, with the Pomako Port. The blockade disrupted economic activities, he said as quoted by Antara news agency.
Rettob promised that all the medical expenses of Bewarmbo would be paid by the administration.
4) W Papua governor meets VP to discuss accelerated development
12 hours ago
Manokwari, W Papua (ANTARA) - West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan met with Vice President Ma'ruf Amin in Jakarta on Wednesday to discuss a proposal for accelerated development in the province.
"We asked for guidance and directives from the vice president in the capacity as chief of the team for accelerating welfare development in Papua and West Papua, in accordance with presidential instruction number 9, 2020," Mandacan said.
The proposal covers a number of sectors aimed at promoting the local people's welfare, he added.
He said he has proposed the arrangement of the national strategic tourism area (KSPN) in West Papua, with the theme of biodiversity conservation, culture, and religion.
"The proposal for the KSPN program comprises two areas, namely Sorong-Raja Ampat (which has been developed) and Manokwari-Pegunungan Arfak," he added.
He said he has also proposed the creation of job training centers and excellent senior high schools to promote the quality of local human resources.
"We need a job training center to produce skilled, ready-to-work, professional workers," he stated.
Asia Pacific Report, the Auckland-based independent news and analysis website, has been increasingly targeted by Indonesian trolls over the past three months, involving a spate of “letters to the editor” and social media attacks.
One of the most frequent letter writers, an “Abel Lekahena”, who claims to be a “student” or “writing on behalf of the people of Papua”, has accused APR of “only taking the separatists’ narrative as they played the victim”.
Sometimes he is purportedly a student living in “Yogyakarta”; at other times he is a migrant from East Nusa Tenggara “currently living in Manokwari, West Papua”. He has written to Asia Pacific Report 10 times in the past eight weeks – twice in one day on December 29.
“Lekahena”, if that is even his real name, claims in his latest “template” letter on Monday that since January, “the armed separatists prowled in Intan Jaya” and burned a missionary plane on January 6 and he has cited several clashes between pro-independence militants seeking independence for West Papua and the colonial Indonesian security forces.
The latest “Abel Lekahena” letter to Asia Pacific Report. Fake correspondent? Image: APR screenshot
Instead of feeling guilty, armed separatists continue to make victims, spread propaganda, and take refuge behind refugees’ issues to seek sympathy from the domestic and international public,” claimed Lekahena in his letter to APR’s news editor.
“I would like to point out that Asia Pacific Report as a credible media should have also publish/talk/discuss [sic] regarding the endless list of the Free Papua armed separatists’ crimes in January-February 2021.”
Lekahena follows with a long list of web links to alleged Papuan rebel “crimes” while utterly ignoring the widely documented human rights violations and atrocities attributed by international watchdogs to the Indonesian security forces – both recently and over the last half century since Indonesian paratroopers invaded in 1961 and Jakarta gained control of the Papuan half of New Guinea island in a sham “Act of Free Choice” in 1969.
Part of the Abel Lekahena letters file. Image: APR screenshot
‘Separatist’ smear label Our reply to Abel Lekahena is first that editorially we do not accept the term “separatist” which is a smear label that should not be used when describing indigenous people struggling to regain their homeland. This offensive word should also be discarded by the world’s media and news agencies as well.
We are reporting the struggle of pro-independence militants and human rights activists against a grave injustice. Papuans are Melanesian, just like their brothers and sisters across the border in Papua New Guinea.
They are Pacific Islanders.
Nevertheless, Asia Pacific Report seeks to independently report Papuan development, education, health, human rights, social justice and many other issues with courage, balance, fairness and vigour.
Second, a random look at newspaper headlines in Papua today – such as the West Papua DailyEnglish language edition of Tabloid Jubi – reveals the plight of many Papuans and it is time Western countries, especially Australia and New Zealand, woke up to the reality and really put pressure on Jakarta to urgently allow a fact-finding team with the UN Rapporteurs on Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples to visit Papua:
West Papua Daily headlines on 10 March 2021. Image: APR screenshot
Reveal yourself Finally, Abel Lekahena, we invite you reveal who you are really are, and stop wasting our time with pointless propaganda for the Indonesian security forces. Many reports have surfaced about the trolling of media in Pacific countries perceived to be sympathetic voices to West Papuan self-determination.
Facebook and other social media have scrapped or suspended many fake web pages created by the Indonesian military and other authorities.
Let us get on with our job of informing our readers with the facts, stripped of the TNI (Indonesian security forces) fake news and spin or repression, and continue our commitment to speaking truth to power.
Dr David Robie is recently retired director of the Pacific Media Centre. Asia Pacific Report provides extensive coverage of West Papuan issues through a network of independent journalists, NGO advocates and researchers, and Pacific media students.
A report of a disabled Papuan man and a teenager being shot by Indonesian security forces in the West Papua Daily on March 8. Image: APR screenshot
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