2) Update on situation of IDPs from Nduga and Intan Jaya – Activists confirm further fatalities
3) USGov: 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Indonesia
4) SpaceX launchpad in West Papua: Biak’s indigenous people are still in the dark
5) 700 vaccine doses secured for West Papua's Teluk Wondama teachers,
6) Protesters say racism against indigenous Papuans flourishing in Indonesia
7) Indonesian navy conducts community service in West Papua's Soop Island
----------------------------
1) Sorrow in Nduga: Residents fear their family member kidnapped, dead, allegedly by security personnel
News Desk April 1, 2021 4:20 pm
West Papua No.1 News Portal | Jubi
Nabire, Jubi – An activist who had been part of a search party that was looking for Yermias Giban said that Giban, a Nduga Regency resident, was likely kidnapped by a man who wore a “loreng” uniform or a camouflage pattern when he was cutting woods in his field.
The activist, Neltus Kogeya, told Jubi on March 30, 2021, that Giban went missing on March 29 and the last time Giban’s wife saw him, a person in a camouflage uniform approached him and warned her, with his hands, to go away from the site.
The chronology Kogeya received from Giban’s wife and friends said that on March 29, Giban and his wife went to their field in Kenyam District at 8 am. “The field is located on the riverbank, between Kenyam and Baneak. They went to the field to tend to their long bean field,” Kogeya said.
When they reached the field, Giban told his wife that he wanted to cut woods near the long bean field. When he did not return for quite some time, his wife approached him to check. She saw him and she asked him to leave the place.
“The wife said she saw traces of army boots on the way to their field. She concluded that soldiers once went to this place. She insisted they went home but the husband wanted to cut woods,” he said, quoting Giba’s wife’s accounts.
Kogeya said the wife walked away but after only about 10 meters, she heard a person’s voice, and she estimated it was exactly at her husband’s location. So she went back but before reaching the spot she saw a person in a camouflage uniform took away her husband.
Another “anggota”, which literally means “member” but also refers to security personnel members, saw her approaching her husband, and the man gave Giban’s wife a hand gesture to go away from the scene. Giban’s wife went home and told what she saw to her family members in Kenyam, Nduga.
The following day, Giban’s relatives gathered and walked together to the field with some Indonesian Military members to check Giban’s condition.
“But Giban’s family and his wife only saw some blood spots. After that, other residents came to the area to help look for the victim but we had yet to find him,” he said.
Kogeya said now the residents were waiting for Nduga Regency administration, Nduga Legislative Council, Nduga public figures, to find a solution about Giban’s welfare.
“We hope (if he’s dead) his body will be returned to the family. If he’s alive, return him to the family. He did not do anything wrong, he went to a field. Is unbelievable that someone goes to tend his crops and has to be kidnapped like that,” he said.
A Nduga resident, Arius Tabuni, said the security personnel had to stop accusing civilians of something they do not know. “Can we go to our field? Where can we get food if we get kidnapped in our own field? Taken away and dead,” he said.
Nduga Regency has been an unsafe place for its civilians amid a prolonged conflict between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) that began on Dec. 2, 2018, when TPNPB shot 16 people who were working on a bridge in Nduga. Since then violent and deadly conflicts erupted.
According to a report made by Nduga Regency administration, NGOs, and church workers, released in August 2019, 37,000 Nduga residents had been displaced because of the conflicts. Up until now, the thousands of people still lived in limbo and too afraid to return to Nduga.
Editor: Kristianto Galuwo
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2) Update on situation of IDPs from Nduga and Intan Jaya – Activists confirm further fatalities
Human rights defenders have exposed updated information on the situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the regencies Nduga and Intan Jaya. Humanitarian helpers working with IDPs from Intan Jaya confirmed the deaths of at least nine IDPs. The majority of fatalities were reported from the town of Nabire, where about 3,000 IDPs from Intan Jaya have sought temporary shelter. Children are particularly affected by the displacement situation. Many internally displaced children (IDCs) do not go to school since they fled their homes. In addition, they are highly vulnerable to health issues, which are a common problem among many IDPs due to malnutrition and bad hygienic conditions in refugee shelters.
Situation of IDPs from Intan Jaya
Human rights activists, solidarity movements and churches have launched initiatives to collect donations and humanitarian supplies for Intan Jaya IDPs in Nabire. According to the Papuan news outlet Suara Papua, at least eight IDPs from Ndugusiga Village in the Sugapa District of Intan Jaya Regency have died since being displaced, among them five minors. Their names are Paulina Lawiya, Julita Weya, Sabisa Weya, Monce Mirip (minor), Jariana Mirip (minor), Lea Mirip (minor), Alberto Weya (minor) and Jupinia Weya (minor). Local groups have not yet compiled data of other diseased IDPs from other districts.
Baca Juga: Ancam Tembak Mahasiswa Papua, Himan: Copot Jabatan Kapolresta Malang!
Solidarity group members in Nabire declared that the majority of IDCs in Nabire do not go to school since they left their villages. The majority of them are primary and junior high school students. They will not be able to complete their exams and pass on to higher education levels without certificates. The majority of them originate from the districts Sugapa, Hitadipa and Agisiga.
A one-year-old baby named Zakeus Selegani reportedly passed away on 10 March 2021, after his family had been displaced. According to local informants, the baby became sick as the family lived with other IDPs in a tent at the catholic Santo Paulus Congregation in Puyagiya Village, Sugapa District (see photo). Although the situation in their home village is not safe yet, the family decided to walk home, because the way to the clinic in Bilogai town was too far from the temporary shelter. The baby finally died shortly after in the village.
Situation of IDPs from Nduga
Raga Kogeya, a human rights activist originating from the Nduga Regency, provided updated information on the situation of Nduga IDPs during a public panel discussion in Jayapura on 18 and 19 March 2021. According to Kogeya, all districts in Nduga have been abandoned and are controlled by military forces. The Government offices in Nduga are not functioning properly because many civil servants have left. A “normal” live is only taking place in Nduga’s largest town Kenyam. However, IDPs and local residents in Kenyam are closely monitored by security force members.
The majority of IDPs from Nduga have sought shelter in the cities Timika, Jayapura, Wamena, and Agats. Those IDPs who stayed in the Puncak Regency left to other regencies after members of the military reportedly killed four indigenous Papuans in late 2020.
She expressed particular concerns over the situation of IDCs. Many children do not go to school. A temporary school in Wamena which was established for IDCs from Nduga is not operating anymore. The education department in Intan Jaya registered the displaced children, but has not taken any measures to ensure that the IDCs have access to education. Many IDCs remain excluded from education system in other regencies.
Raga Kogeya underlined the urgent need to set up a memorandum of understanding between the health departments in the regencies Jayawijaya and Nduga. The lack of cooperation between both health departments prevents Nduga IDPs in the Jayawijaya regency from accessing free health care services.
The panelists also talked about the intimidation which Raga Kogeaya and other activists experienced after compiling data and humanitarian aid to the IDPs. Human rights activists documented most victims during the first months of the conflict. After that security force activists faced more acts of intimidation by security force members and case documentation became more difficult. (*)
——————————————————
From ETAN.
visit etan.org,
https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/indonesia/
3) USGov: 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Indonesia
West Papua excerpts
....
In Papua and West Papua Provinces, government forces continued security operations following a 2018 attack by the Free Papua Movement in which 19 civilians and one army soldier were killed. This led to the displacement of thousands of provincial residents, further Free Papua Movement attacks that caused civilian and security force deaths, and created serious humanitarian concerns.
...
Allegations the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings included media reports that security personnel used excessive force that resulted in deaths during counterinsurgency operations against armed groups in Papua. In these and other cases of alleged misconduct, police and the military frequently did not conduct any investigations, and when they did, failed to disclose either the fact or the findings of these internal investigations. Official statements related to abuse allegations sometimes contradicted civil society organization accounts, and the frequent inaccessibility of areas where violence took place made confirming the facts difficult.
Internal investigations undertaken by security forces are often opaque, making it difficult to know which units and actors are involved. Internal investigations are sometimes conducted by the unit that is accused of the arbitrary or unlawful killing, or in high-profile cases by a team sent from police or military headquarters in Jakarta. Cases involving military personnel can be forwarded to a military tribunal for prosecution, or in the case of police, to public prosecutors. Victims, or families of victims, may file complaints with the National Police Commission, National Commission on Human Rights, or National Ombudsman to seek an independent inquiry into the incident.
On April 13, security forces shot dead two university students near the Grasberg mine in Mimika, Papua. Security forces allegedly mistook the students, who were reportedly fishing at the time, as separatist militants. Military and police began a joint investigation following the incident, but no results were released as of October, prompting families of the victims to call for an independent investigation into the killings (see also section 2.a., Libel/Slander).
On July 18, military personnel shot and killed a father and son, Elias and Selu Karungu, who with neighbors were trying to return to their home village in Keneyam District, Nduga Regency, Papua. Media reported witnesses claimed the civilian group hid for a year in the forest to avoid conflict between security forces and the Free Papua Movement (OPM). The two were allegedly shot at a military outpost where the son Selu was detained. The armed forces (TNI) claimed the two were members of the OPM and had been spotted carrying a pistol shortly before the shooting.
Members of the OPM attacked medical personnel and others. At least six persons died in militant attacks during the year. On August 16, members of the armed forces and national police shot and killed Hengky Wamang, the alleged mastermind behind several high-profile attacks in Papua. At least three other insurgents were injured in the firefight but escaped into the nearby jungle, along with villagers who fled the battle.
In August the military command of Merauke, Papua, charged four military personnel from the East Java-based 516th Mechanized Infantry Battalion with battery that led to eventual death for their alleged involvement in killing 18-year-old Oktovianus Warip Betera on July 24. The incident began when a shop owner reported Betera, whom the shop owner said was stealing, to the military. The soldiers beat Betera, brought him to their command post, and continued torturing him. He was taken to a clinic and pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
On September 19, a Christian pastor, Yeremia Zanambani, was fatally shot in the Intan Regency in Papua Province. TNI officials maintained that members of the West Papua National Liberation Army were responsible for Yeremia’s death. Members of the community and prominent nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) alleged members of TNI were responsible for the killing. The president of the Papuan Baptist Churches Fellowship, Socrates Sofyan Yoman, claimed this was the third case since 2004 in which members of TNI were involved in the killing of a pastor in Papua. In October an interagency fact-finding team concluded there was strong evidence that security force personnel were involved in the death but did not completely rule out the involvement of the OPM. In November the National Commission on Human Rights reported that its investigation indicated TNI personnel had tortured Yeremia before shooting him at close range and categorized the incident as an extrajudicial killing.
....
On March 30, three employees of PT Freeport Indonesia were shot by OPM-affiliated militants–one fatally–during an attack on a housing compound in Kuala Kencana, Papua, a company town in the lowlands area of Timika housing local and expatriate Freeport employees.
....
NGOs reported that police used excessive force during detention and interrogation. Human rights and legal aid contacts alleged, for example, that some Papuan detainees were treated roughly by police, with reports of minor injuries sustained during detention.
....
Concern about the rapid spread of COVID-19 in prisons led officials to release nearly 40,000 prisoners across the country. This mass sentence reduction, however, did not apply to inmates convicted for “political crimes,” such as Papuan and Moluccan activists.
....
Arbitrary Arrest: There were reports of arbitrary arrest by police, primarily by the Criminal Investigation Department. There were multiple media and NGO reports of police temporarily detaining persons for participating in peaceful demonstrations and other nonviolent activities advocating self-determination, notably in Papua and West Papua (see section 2.b.). The majority were released within 24 hours.
In one case police detained 10 students of Khairun University for participating in a Papua Independence Day protest in Ternate in December 2019.
...
A small number of the many Papuans detained briefly for participating in peaceful protests were charged with treason or other criminal offenses. On June 16, seven National Committee for West Papua and United Liberation Movement for West Papua activists were convicted under treason articles and sentenced to a minimum of 10 months in prison for their role in allegedly inciting violence during the protests in late 2019. In the case of the 10 Khairun University students detained (see section 1.d.) in December 2019, prosecutors charged one student, Arbi M. Nur, with treason for his involvement in the Papuan Independence Day protests.
Local activists and family members generally were able to visit political prisoners, but authorities held some prisoners on islands far from their families.
...
Although the law permits flying a flag symbolizing Papua’s cultural identity generally, a government regulation specifically prohibits the display of the Morning Star flag in Papua, the Republic of South Maluku flag in Molucca, and the Free Aceh Movement Crescent Moon flag in Aceh. In May an activist, Sayang Mandabayan, was convicted and sentenced to a prison term of nine months. He had been arrested in September 2019 at the Manokwari airport for traveling with 1,500 small Morning Star flags.
Freedom of Press and Media, Including Online Media: Independent media were active and expressed a wide variety of views. The government, however, sometimes used regional and national regulations, including those on blasphemy, hate speech, and separatism, to restrict the media. Permits for travel to Papua and West Papua Provinces remained a problem for foreign journalists, who reported bureaucratic delays or denials, ostensibly for safety reasons. The constitution protects journalists from interference, and the law requires that anyone who deliberately prevents journalists from doing their job shall face a maximum prison sentence of two years or a substantial fine.
....
On July 13, district police of Mimika, Papua, referred a slander investigation involving a Papuan identified only by the initials ST and the chief of Papua provincial police to local prosecutors. Police had arrested ST on May 27 in the Kuala Kencana area for a Facebook post that accused the police chief of using the COVID-19 pandemic to incite the killing of students near the Grasberg mine in Mimika (see section 1.a.) and medical workers in Intan Jaya Regency.
National Security: The government used legal provisions barring advocacy of separatism to restrict the ability of individuals and media to advocate peacefully for self-determination or independence in different parts of the country.
....
Moreover, officials used direct pressure on internet service providers to degrade perceived opponents’ online communications. In June, however, courts determined that government officials exceeded their authority in directing internet service providers to slow internet connections in Papua and West Papua in response to protests in August and September 2019. The court determined that the government failed to prove that the country was in a true “state of emergency” when it chose to impose the internet restrictions.
In June multiple NGOs and Papuan activists reported repeated disruptions of online discussions on Papuan issues. Unnamed actors attempted to dox Papuan activists and hacked into Zoom discussions to threaten meeting participants. During August and September, protests in Papua, Jakarta, and elsewhere, authorities limited access to the internet or to particular social media sites, stating this was done to prevent the spread of disinformation.
....
The law provides for freedom of assembly, and outside Papua the government generally respected this right. The law requires demonstrators to provide police with written notice three days before any planned demonstration and requires police to issue a receipt for the written notification. This receipt acts as a de facto license for the demonstration. Police in Papua routinely refused to issue such receipts to would-be demonstrators out of concern the demonstrations would include calls for independence, an act prohibited by law. A Papua provincial police decree prohibits rallies by seven organizations labeled as proindependence, including the National Committee of West Papua, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, and the Free Papua Movement. Restrictions on public gatherings imposed to address the COVID-19 pandemic limited the public’s ability to demonstrate.
In July police aggressively dispersed members of the Papuan Student Alliance in Denpasar, Bali; local student activists uploaded videos of this to Facebook. The videos showed police using a water cannon against students peacefully commemorating members of the Free Papua Movement killed during a military operation in 1998 in Biak, Papua. The director of a local legal aid foundation reported that police used force against multiple participants and confiscated participants’ and organizers’ banners and posters.
....
In-country Movement: The government continued to impose administrative hurdles for travel by NGOs, journalists, foreign diplomats, and others to Papua and West Papua. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, authorities severely limited movement in and out of Papua and West Papua, enforcing these restrictions far more strictly and for a longer period than elsewhere.
...
The law stipulates the government must provide for “the fulfillment of the rights of the people and displaced persons affected by disaster in a manner that is fair and in line with the minimum service standards.” IDPs in towns and villages were not abused or deprived of services or other rights and protections, but resource and access constraints delayed or hindered the provision of services to IDPs in some cases, notably for those who fled to the countryside and forests to escape conflict in Papua and West Papua.
The return of persons displaced by conflict in Papua and West Papua has been slow and difficult. More than 10,000 residents of Wamena who fled violence there in 2019 had not returned to their homes as of September. Other groups of civilians who reportedly fled government-insurgent clashes faced potential violence from security forces when attempting to return to their homes, as was the case for a group of dozens of persons attempting to return to the Keyenam District of West Papua in July.
....
Domestic and international human rights organizations generally operated without government restriction (except in Papua and West Papua), investigating and publishing findings on human rights cases and advocating improvements to the government’s human rights performance. Government representatives met with local NGOs, responded to their inquiries, and took some actions in response to NGO concerns. Some officials, particularly those based in Papua and West Papua, subjected NGOs to monitoring, harassment, interference, threats, and intimidation. In the aftermath of August/September 2019 unrest in Papua, then coordinating minister for political, legal, and security affairs Wiranto said that the government would “temporarily limit access to Papua,” due to security concerns. As of September access for journalists, foreign diplomats and nonresidents remained heavily restricted.
The United Nations or Other International Bodies: The government permitted UN officials to monitor the human rights situation in the country. Security forces and intelligence agencies, however, tended to regard foreign human rights observers with suspicion, especially those in Papua and West Papua, where their operations were restricted.
....
The government views all citizens as “indigenous” but recognizes the existence of several “isolated communities” and their right to participate fully in political and social life. The Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago estimated that between 50 and 70 million indigenous persons were in the country. These communities include the Dayak tribes of Kalimantan, families living as sea nomads, and the 312 officially recognized indigenous groups in Papua. Indigenous persons, most notably in Papua and West Papua, were subjected to discrimination, and there was little improvement in respect for their traditional land rights. The government failed to prevent companies, often in collusion with local military and police units, from encroaching on indigenous persons’ land. Central and local government officials were also alleged to have extracted kickbacks from mining and plantation companies in exchange for land access at the expense of indigenous peoples.
Mining and logging activities, many of them illegal, posed significant social, economic, and legal problems for indigenous communities. Melanesians in Papua cited racism and discrimination as drivers of violence and economic inequality in the region.
3) USGov: 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Indonesia
West Papua excerpts
....
In Papua and West Papua Provinces, government forces continued security operations following a 2018 attack by the Free Papua Movement in which 19 civilians and one army soldier were killed. This led to the displacement of thousands of provincial residents, further Free Papua Movement attacks that caused civilian and security force deaths, and created serious humanitarian concerns.
...
Allegations the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings included media reports that security personnel used excessive force that resulted in deaths during counterinsurgency operations against armed groups in Papua. In these and other cases of alleged misconduct, police and the military frequently did not conduct any investigations, and when they did, failed to disclose either the fact or the findings of these internal investigations. Official statements related to abuse allegations sometimes contradicted civil society organization accounts, and the frequent inaccessibility of areas where violence took place made confirming the facts difficult.
Internal investigations undertaken by security forces are often opaque, making it difficult to know which units and actors are involved. Internal investigations are sometimes conducted by the unit that is accused of the arbitrary or unlawful killing, or in high-profile cases by a team sent from police or military headquarters in Jakarta. Cases involving military personnel can be forwarded to a military tribunal for prosecution, or in the case of police, to public prosecutors. Victims, or families of victims, may file complaints with the National Police Commission, National Commission on Human Rights, or National Ombudsman to seek an independent inquiry into the incident.
On April 13, security forces shot dead two university students near the Grasberg mine in Mimika, Papua. Security forces allegedly mistook the students, who were reportedly fishing at the time, as separatist militants. Military and police began a joint investigation following the incident, but no results were released as of October, prompting families of the victims to call for an independent investigation into the killings (see also section 2.a., Libel/Slander).
On July 18, military personnel shot and killed a father and son, Elias and Selu Karungu, who with neighbors were trying to return to their home village in Keneyam District, Nduga Regency, Papua. Media reported witnesses claimed the civilian group hid for a year in the forest to avoid conflict between security forces and the Free Papua Movement (OPM). The two were allegedly shot at a military outpost where the son Selu was detained. The armed forces (TNI) claimed the two were members of the OPM and had been spotted carrying a pistol shortly before the shooting.
Members of the OPM attacked medical personnel and others. At least six persons died in militant attacks during the year. On August 16, members of the armed forces and national police shot and killed Hengky Wamang, the alleged mastermind behind several high-profile attacks in Papua. At least three other insurgents were injured in the firefight but escaped into the nearby jungle, along with villagers who fled the battle.
In August the military command of Merauke, Papua, charged four military personnel from the East Java-based 516th Mechanized Infantry Battalion with battery that led to eventual death for their alleged involvement in killing 18-year-old Oktovianus Warip Betera on July 24. The incident began when a shop owner reported Betera, whom the shop owner said was stealing, to the military. The soldiers beat Betera, brought him to their command post, and continued torturing him. He was taken to a clinic and pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
On September 19, a Christian pastor, Yeremia Zanambani, was fatally shot in the Intan Regency in Papua Province. TNI officials maintained that members of the West Papua National Liberation Army were responsible for Yeremia’s death. Members of the community and prominent nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) alleged members of TNI were responsible for the killing. The president of the Papuan Baptist Churches Fellowship, Socrates Sofyan Yoman, claimed this was the third case since 2004 in which members of TNI were involved in the killing of a pastor in Papua. In October an interagency fact-finding team concluded there was strong evidence that security force personnel were involved in the death but did not completely rule out the involvement of the OPM. In November the National Commission on Human Rights reported that its investigation indicated TNI personnel had tortured Yeremia before shooting him at close range and categorized the incident as an extrajudicial killing.
....
On March 30, three employees of PT Freeport Indonesia were shot by OPM-affiliated militants–one fatally–during an attack on a housing compound in Kuala Kencana, Papua, a company town in the lowlands area of Timika housing local and expatriate Freeport employees.
....
NGOs reported that police used excessive force during detention and interrogation. Human rights and legal aid contacts alleged, for example, that some Papuan detainees were treated roughly by police, with reports of minor injuries sustained during detention.
....
Concern about the rapid spread of COVID-19 in prisons led officials to release nearly 40,000 prisoners across the country. This mass sentence reduction, however, did not apply to inmates convicted for “political crimes,” such as Papuan and Moluccan activists.
....
Arbitrary Arrest: There were reports of arbitrary arrest by police, primarily by the Criminal Investigation Department. There were multiple media and NGO reports of police temporarily detaining persons for participating in peaceful demonstrations and other nonviolent activities advocating self-determination, notably in Papua and West Papua (see section 2.b.). The majority were released within 24 hours.
In one case police detained 10 students of Khairun University for participating in a Papua Independence Day protest in Ternate in December 2019.
...
POLITICAL PRISONERS AND DETAINEES
NGOs estimated that 56 political prisoners from Papua and West Papua were incarcerated, either awaiting trial or after being convicted under treason and conspiracy statutes, including for actions related to the display of banned separatist symbols. Eight Moluccan political prisoners remained in prison, according to Human Rights Watch.A small number of the many Papuans detained briefly for participating in peaceful protests were charged with treason or other criminal offenses. On June 16, seven National Committee for West Papua and United Liberation Movement for West Papua activists were convicted under treason articles and sentenced to a minimum of 10 months in prison for their role in allegedly inciting violence during the protests in late 2019. In the case of the 10 Khairun University students detained (see section 1.d.) in December 2019, prosecutors charged one student, Arbi M. Nur, with treason for his involvement in the Papuan Independence Day protests.
Local activists and family members generally were able to visit political prisoners, but authorities held some prisoners on islands far from their families.
...
Although the law permits flying a flag symbolizing Papua’s cultural identity generally, a government regulation specifically prohibits the display of the Morning Star flag in Papua, the Republic of South Maluku flag in Molucca, and the Free Aceh Movement Crescent Moon flag in Aceh. In May an activist, Sayang Mandabayan, was convicted and sentenced to a prison term of nine months. He had been arrested in September 2019 at the Manokwari airport for traveling with 1,500 small Morning Star flags.
Freedom of Press and Media, Including Online Media: Independent media were active and expressed a wide variety of views. The government, however, sometimes used regional and national regulations, including those on blasphemy, hate speech, and separatism, to restrict the media. Permits for travel to Papua and West Papua Provinces remained a problem for foreign journalists, who reported bureaucratic delays or denials, ostensibly for safety reasons. The constitution protects journalists from interference, and the law requires that anyone who deliberately prevents journalists from doing their job shall face a maximum prison sentence of two years or a substantial fine.
....
On July 13, district police of Mimika, Papua, referred a slander investigation involving a Papuan identified only by the initials ST and the chief of Papua provincial police to local prosecutors. Police had arrested ST on May 27 in the Kuala Kencana area for a Facebook post that accused the police chief of using the COVID-19 pandemic to incite the killing of students near the Grasberg mine in Mimika (see section 1.a.) and medical workers in Intan Jaya Regency.
National Security: The government used legal provisions barring advocacy of separatism to restrict the ability of individuals and media to advocate peacefully for self-determination or independence in different parts of the country.
....
Moreover, officials used direct pressure on internet service providers to degrade perceived opponents’ online communications. In June, however, courts determined that government officials exceeded their authority in directing internet service providers to slow internet connections in Papua and West Papua in response to protests in August and September 2019. The court determined that the government failed to prove that the country was in a true “state of emergency” when it chose to impose the internet restrictions.
In June multiple NGOs and Papuan activists reported repeated disruptions of online discussions on Papuan issues. Unnamed actors attempted to dox Papuan activists and hacked into Zoom discussions to threaten meeting participants. During August and September, protests in Papua, Jakarta, and elsewhere, authorities limited access to the internet or to particular social media sites, stating this was done to prevent the spread of disinformation.
....
The law provides for freedom of assembly, and outside Papua the government generally respected this right. The law requires demonstrators to provide police with written notice three days before any planned demonstration and requires police to issue a receipt for the written notification. This receipt acts as a de facto license for the demonstration. Police in Papua routinely refused to issue such receipts to would-be demonstrators out of concern the demonstrations would include calls for independence, an act prohibited by law. A Papua provincial police decree prohibits rallies by seven organizations labeled as proindependence, including the National Committee of West Papua, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, and the Free Papua Movement. Restrictions on public gatherings imposed to address the COVID-19 pandemic limited the public’s ability to demonstrate.
In July police aggressively dispersed members of the Papuan Student Alliance in Denpasar, Bali; local student activists uploaded videos of this to Facebook. The videos showed police using a water cannon against students peacefully commemorating members of the Free Papua Movement killed during a military operation in 1998 in Biak, Papua. The director of a local legal aid foundation reported that police used force against multiple participants and confiscated participants’ and organizers’ banners and posters.
....
In-country Movement: The government continued to impose administrative hurdles for travel by NGOs, journalists, foreign diplomats, and others to Papua and West Papua. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, authorities severely limited movement in and out of Papua and West Papua, enforcing these restrictions far more strictly and for a longer period than elsewhere.
...
The law stipulates the government must provide for “the fulfillment of the rights of the people and displaced persons affected by disaster in a manner that is fair and in line with the minimum service standards.” IDPs in towns and villages were not abused or deprived of services or other rights and protections, but resource and access constraints delayed or hindered the provision of services to IDPs in some cases, notably for those who fled to the countryside and forests to escape conflict in Papua and West Papua.
The return of persons displaced by conflict in Papua and West Papua has been slow and difficult. More than 10,000 residents of Wamena who fled violence there in 2019 had not returned to their homes as of September. Other groups of civilians who reportedly fled government-insurgent clashes faced potential violence from security forces when attempting to return to their homes, as was the case for a group of dozens of persons attempting to return to the Keyenam District of West Papua in July.
....
Domestic and international human rights organizations generally operated without government restriction (except in Papua and West Papua), investigating and publishing findings on human rights cases and advocating improvements to the government’s human rights performance. Government representatives met with local NGOs, responded to their inquiries, and took some actions in response to NGO concerns. Some officials, particularly those based in Papua and West Papua, subjected NGOs to monitoring, harassment, interference, threats, and intimidation. In the aftermath of August/September 2019 unrest in Papua, then coordinating minister for political, legal, and security affairs Wiranto said that the government would “temporarily limit access to Papua,” due to security concerns. As of September access for journalists, foreign diplomats and nonresidents remained heavily restricted.
The United Nations or Other International Bodies: The government permitted UN officials to monitor the human rights situation in the country. Security forces and intelligence agencies, however, tended to regard foreign human rights observers with suspicion, especially those in Papua and West Papua, where their operations were restricted.
....
The government views all citizens as “indigenous” but recognizes the existence of several “isolated communities” and their right to participate fully in political and social life. The Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago estimated that between 50 and 70 million indigenous persons were in the country. These communities include the Dayak tribes of Kalimantan, families living as sea nomads, and the 312 officially recognized indigenous groups in Papua. Indigenous persons, most notably in Papua and West Papua, were subjected to discrimination, and there was little improvement in respect for their traditional land rights. The government failed to prevent companies, often in collusion with local military and police units, from encroaching on indigenous persons’ land. Central and local government officials were also alleged to have extracted kickbacks from mining and plantation companies in exchange for land access at the expense of indigenous peoples.
Mining and logging activities, many of them illegal, posed significant social, economic, and legal problems for indigenous communities. Melanesians in Papua cited racism and discrimination as drivers of violence and economic inequality in the region.
-------------------------------------
4) SpaceX launchpad in West Papua: Biak’s indigenous people are still in the dark
News Desk March 31, 2021 6:46 pm
West Papua No. 1 News Portal | Jubi
Jayapura, Jubi – A lawyer who is based in Biak Numfor, Imanuel Rumayom, reminded the central government, provincial administration, and other institutions to give a clear information to indigenous people in Biak Numfor Regency, in West Papua, regarding the plan to build SpaceX launchpad on Biak Island.
He said the people had yet to decide to accept or reject. “How can we decide if the government hasn’t given the people clear information?” said Imanuel, a lawyer at Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Kyadawun who is also a human rights activist, on March 30, 2021.
He said the people, including the indigenous people, needed to be informed about the studies on the impacts of the rocket launchpad.
On Dec. 12 2020, the office of the Maritime and Investment Coordinating Minister, Luhut Pandjaitan, issued a press release, saying that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo talked with CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, to seek cooperation.
Besides talking about cooperation on electric vehicles, Jokowi also invited Musk to come to Indonesia in January 2021, to consider Indonesia as a site for a SpaceX launching pad, the release said.
On Dec. 12, 2020, a media outlet, detik.com, published an article quotingThomas Djamaluddin, the head of the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN). Thomas said LAPAN had prepared Biak Island for a launchpad that could be offered to international companies to launch rockets.
He said in 2019, in an event called Space Symposium, “Jokowi offered Biak for SpaceX launchpad”, and he said Musk responded “positively”.
In March 2021, however, the spokesperson of the Maritime and Investment Coordinating Minister denied that Jokowi ever mentioned Biak to Musk.
In 2019, a LAPAN officer told kompas.com that Indonesia would build their first “spaceport” in Biak Island. LAPAN is the only space authority in Indonesia.
Plans in Saukobye Kampung
Rumayom said the location for the launchpad was likely on a 100-hectare land in Saukobye Kampung in North Biak District in Biak Numfor Regency. He said he had never been informed about studies on the impact of such spaceport in the kampung.
He said if the spaceport would harm the residents, the government had to cancel the plan. For example, if the spaceport would evict indigenous people from their land, it would violate their rights.
There was a reference, he said, that said within the radius of 30 kilometer from the spaceport, there should be no residential areas. “If that is true, I can be sure that a lot of people would have to be moved,” he said.
The main secretary of LAPAN, Erna Sri Adiningsih, said in mid March in Jakarta that the spaceport construction will begin this year, first with environmental impact analysis.
“It has been included in the LAPAN’s strategic plan for 2020-2024, and we will begin in a small scale,” she said.
Rumayom said Biak people needed education facilities more than a spaceport.
Editor: Edho Sinaga
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5) 700 vaccine doses secured for West Papua's Teluk Wondama teachers,
8 hours ago
Manokwari, W Papua (ANTARA) - The Teluk Wondama district administration in West Papua Province has secured 700 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for elementary and junior and senior high school teachers.
The teachers are part of the frontline workers that the government has prioritized for inoculation, the district's health office head, Habel Pandelaki, stated here on Thursday.
The teaching staff have received their first shot since March 29 to prevent them from contracting the coronavirus disease or transmitting the respiratory infections.
Military and police personnel, civil servants, merchants, and public transport drivers, among others, are also categorized as frontline public service workers.
However, due to limited stocks of vaccine doses, traditional market traders, public transport drivers, and also journalists had yet to be inoculated, Pandelaki revealed.
Those administered the COVID-19 vaccine are health workers, he stated.
Some 621 paramedics in the district had got vaccinated in the early phase of the government's vaccination program, he noted.
Indonesia has been striving to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since the government officially announced the country's first cases on March 2, 2020.
The government has rolled out a nationwide vaccination program since January 13 this year to stem the spread of the disease.
The Health Ministry estimates a time period of 15 months to vaccinate some 181.5 million people under the national program.
"We need 15 months to accomplish it. The time frame for conducting the vaccination is counted from January 2021 to March 2022," the Health Ministry's spokesperson for the vaccination program, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated recently.
During the period, the government is targeting to inoculate some 181.5 million people, including 1.3 million paramedics and 17.4 million public sector workers in 34 provinces, she informed.
Tarmizi noted that the first phase of the government's immunization program is divided into two periods: January-April, 2021 and April 2021-March 2022.
Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto has affirmed that all TNI personnel will participate in this vaccination program.
Indonesia's COVID-19 infection rate crossed one million cases on January 26, 2021.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease has dragged Indonesia into serious public health and economic crises.
Related news: Bio Farma ensures vaccine quality maintained during distribution
Related news: Free COVID Corridor Program for reopening Bali for tourists: Minister
EDITED BY INE
The teachers are part of the frontline workers that the government has prioritized for inoculation, the district's health office head, Habel Pandelaki, stated here on Thursday.
The teaching staff have received their first shot since March 29 to prevent them from contracting the coronavirus disease or transmitting the respiratory infections.
Military and police personnel, civil servants, merchants, and public transport drivers, among others, are also categorized as frontline public service workers.
However, due to limited stocks of vaccine doses, traditional market traders, public transport drivers, and also journalists had yet to be inoculated, Pandelaki revealed.
Those administered the COVID-19 vaccine are health workers, he stated.
Some 621 paramedics in the district had got vaccinated in the early phase of the government's vaccination program, he noted.
Indonesia has been striving to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since the government officially announced the country's first cases on March 2, 2020.
The government has rolled out a nationwide vaccination program since January 13 this year to stem the spread of the disease.
The Health Ministry estimates a time period of 15 months to vaccinate some 181.5 million people under the national program.
"We need 15 months to accomplish it. The time frame for conducting the vaccination is counted from January 2021 to March 2022," the Health Ministry's spokesperson for the vaccination program, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated recently.
During the period, the government is targeting to inoculate some 181.5 million people, including 1.3 million paramedics and 17.4 million public sector workers in 34 provinces, she informed.
Tarmizi noted that the first phase of the government's immunization program is divided into two periods: January-April, 2021 and April 2021-March 2022.
Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto has affirmed that all TNI personnel will participate in this vaccination program.
Indonesia's COVID-19 infection rate crossed one million cases on January 26, 2021.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease has dragged Indonesia into serious public health and economic crises.
Related news: Bio Farma ensures vaccine quality maintained during distribution
Related news: Free COVID Corridor Program for reopening Bali for tourists: Minister
EDITED BY INE
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6) Protesters say racism against indigenous Papuans flourishing in Indonesia
Suara Papua – March 31, 2021
Reiner Brabar, Sorong – Scores of activists from the Papua People's Solidarity Against Racism (SPMR) held a free speech forum in front of the Elin traffic light intersection in Sorong city, West Papua province.
The action was held to oppose racism against indigenous Papuans which is flourishing and rooted in the minds of Indonesian people. They urged the Indonesian government to immediately investigate cases of racism against indigenous Papuans (OAP).
"The contempt towards OAP is not something that has only happened recently in Indonesia. It has been happening for a long time but the Indonesian state continues to protect the perpetrators without acting firmly against them", said action coordinator Apey Tarami following the action on Monday March 29.
According to Tarami, the racist attitudes shown towards Papuan soccer player Patrik Wanggai is just one more note in a long record of racism in Indonesia which has befallen the Papuan people.
"The state protects the perpetrators of this flourishing racism. This is evidence of continued racism against Papuans this year. Meanwhile there no clear legal actions are taken even though it's reported to the police", said Tarami.
Tarami noted other cases which have occurred such as those against former rights commission member Natalius Pigai and the recent racist threats against Papuan students in Malang, East Java, by the Malang police chief (Kapolresta) as concrete examples of how the state protects the perpetrators.
Ando Sabarafek meanwhile said that each time there is a racist incident against Papuans it is always resolved by an apology through the mass media, but this does not heal the spiritual injury suffered by Papuans.
"The Malang Kapolresta must be sacked. Firm action must be taken against the perpetrators of racism against Patrik Wanggai though social media. An apology can never heal the hearts of Papuan people", he asserted.
The activist from the group Kaki Abu also called on the Indonesian government to immediately give the Papuan people the right to self-determination as a democratic solution to heal the hearts of the Papuan people.
"The NKRI [Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia] is a racist state. Papuan independence is the best solution so that the Papuan people will be free to determine their own future. As long as the Papuan people are under Indonesian [rule], racism against Papuans will continue to flourish and never disappear from the face of the earth and the character of the Indonesian people", he said in conclusion.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Rasisme Terhadap OAP Tumbuh Subur di Indonesia".]
Source: https://suarapapua.com/2021/03/31/rasisme-terhadap-oap-tumbuh-subur-di-indonesia/
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7) Indonesian navy conducts community service in West Papua's Soop Island
7 hours ago
Sorong, W Papua (ANTARA) - Several navy personnel from the third Fleet Command in Sorong City, West Papua Province, conducted a community service in Soop Island this week, according to a navy officer.
The community service program has been conducted since March 16, Assistant of the third Fleet Commander for Developing Maritime Potential, Col. Budiarso, stated.
"It is aimed at creating a Nusantara (archipelago) maritime village in Soop Island," Budiarso remarked in Sorong City on Thursday.
During the community service, the navy personnel improved road sections and renovated school buildings and houses of worship, he pointed out.
The personnel also explored the maritime potential in local communities and provided free health services and staple food packages to the Soop islanders, Budiarso remarked.
Creating a maritime village in West Papua is part of the third Fleet Command's endeavors to follow up on the Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff's programs, Budiarso stated.
The community service also demonstrates the navy personnel's care for local communities in West Papua and their emotional attachment to them, he remarked.
ANTARA noted that Indonesian soldiers in Papua and West Papua are necessitated to multitask, as the government works incessantly to address the issue of regional disparities in development between them and other provinces.
To this end, soldiers deployed in these two eastern provinces are mandated to be responsive in seeking solutions to problems and challenges faced by Papuan communities in their daily lives.
The soldiers are required to play the role of problem solvers for the local communities amid their central task to defend the country's territorial integrity and guard the safety of all Indonesians.
Sharing land and sea borders with Papua New Guinea (PNG), Papua and West Papua's geopolitical and geostrategic positions are indubitably important for Indonesia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The development of human resources in Papua and West Papua remains a tricky challenge, as the Human Development Index scores of these provinces remains lower than that of other provinces in Indonesia.
Referring to Indonesia's 2019 Human Development Index, Papua and West Papua recorded scores of 64.7 and 60.84 respectively.
Literacy-related community services offered by the Indonesian soldiers since several years have contributed notably to the regional and central government's endeavors to enhance the quality of human capital in Papua and West Papua.
Related news: 700 vaccine doses secured for West Papua's Teluk Wondama teachers
Related news: Papua prone to illegal border crossers due to illegal routes
EDITED BY INE
The community service program has been conducted since March 16, Assistant of the third Fleet Commander for Developing Maritime Potential, Col. Budiarso, stated.
"It is aimed at creating a Nusantara (archipelago) maritime village in Soop Island," Budiarso remarked in Sorong City on Thursday.
During the community service, the navy personnel improved road sections and renovated school buildings and houses of worship, he pointed out.
The personnel also explored the maritime potential in local communities and provided free health services and staple food packages to the Soop islanders, Budiarso remarked.
Creating a maritime village in West Papua is part of the third Fleet Command's endeavors to follow up on the Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff's programs, Budiarso stated.
The community service also demonstrates the navy personnel's care for local communities in West Papua and their emotional attachment to them, he remarked.
ANTARA noted that Indonesian soldiers in Papua and West Papua are necessitated to multitask, as the government works incessantly to address the issue of regional disparities in development between them and other provinces.
To this end, soldiers deployed in these two eastern provinces are mandated to be responsive in seeking solutions to problems and challenges faced by Papuan communities in their daily lives.
The soldiers are required to play the role of problem solvers for the local communities amid their central task to defend the country's territorial integrity and guard the safety of all Indonesians.
Sharing land and sea borders with Papua New Guinea (PNG), Papua and West Papua's geopolitical and geostrategic positions are indubitably important for Indonesia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The development of human resources in Papua and West Papua remains a tricky challenge, as the Human Development Index scores of these provinces remains lower than that of other provinces in Indonesia.
Referring to Indonesia's 2019 Human Development Index, Papua and West Papua recorded scores of 64.7 and 60.84 respectively.
Literacy-related community services offered by the Indonesian soldiers since several years have contributed notably to the regional and central government's endeavors to enhance the quality of human capital in Papua and West Papua.
Related news: 700 vaccine doses secured for West Papua's Teluk Wondama teachers
Related news: Papua prone to illegal border crossers due to illegal routes
EDITED BY INE
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