A number of new reports were released in the past month including Amnesty International's 2020/21 Report, the US Department of State's Annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and ‘License to Clear" from Greenpeace International on Papua's forests/palm oil. Details below.
Amnesty International 2020/21 Report released.
From Jakarta Post
Human rights deteriorated in Indonesia in 2020: Amnesty
Nina A. Loasana The Jakarta Post Jakarta / Wed, April 7,
The human rights situation in Indonesia deteriorated in 2020 as the government failed to stop rampant unlawful killings in the Papua region and critical voices continued to be stifled by a draconian anti-defamation law, Amnesty International Indonesia found in its latest annual report.
Amnesty recorded 19 cases of unlawful killings by security forces in West Papua and Papua last year, claiming the lives of 30 people, said Usman Hamid, the director of the organization’s Indonesian office. One notable case was the killing of the head of the Indonesian Evangelical Christian Church, Yeremia Zanambani, in Hitadipa, Intan Jaya, Papua, on Sept. 19, 2020. The police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) claimed an armed group was behind his death. However, activists in Papua who were in close communication with the priest’s family rejected this and alleged that the military had shot Yeremia during a search for members of an armed group suspected of killing two military officers.
Amnesty noted that similar incidents continued to take place this year. At least six people died in four unlawful killing cases in Papua and West Papua from January to March. Amnesty also highlighted the rarity of investigations into reports of unlawful killings by security forces in Papua and the impunity of the perpetrators. The report found that only four of the 50 unlawful killing cases that were recorded in Papua from 2018 to 2021 had been brought to military or civilian courts. Investigations into the four cases remained pending at the end of 2020 and no verdicts had been delivered. "If President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo really cares about the lives of Papuans, the government must ensure that investigations into extrajudicial killings in Papua are carried out promptly, effectively, independently and impartially, and also ensure that these cases are brought to civilian courts," Usman said.
The space for freedom of expression, Amnesty noted, continued to shrink last year, especially on digital platforms. An increasing number of people were imprisoned solely for expressing their opinions and were charged under the controversial Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law.
There were at least 132 cases of freedom of speech violations in the country last year, resulting in the arrest of 157 people, including 15 activists and four journalists. This was the highest number of annual cases in the past six years. The report found that civil liberties were in jeopardy as the National Police continued to crack down on voices critical of the government. On April 4, 2020, the National Police headquarters issued a circular instructing the police nationwide to monitor cyberspace and to take action against “hoax spreaders” and those who insulted the President and his administration.
At least 57 people were arrested on charges of spreading “false news” and insulting the President and his administration. In October 2020, former National Police chief Idham Azis instructed his men to carry out “cyber patrols” on social media and “media management” to propagate negative sentiment about workers’ strikes and public protests against the passage of the controversial Job Creation Law. The police called for early intelligence gathering to detect opposition from labor groups and the general public to prevent mass protests and to “create a counter-narrative against issues that discredit the government”.
In February of this year, the newly appointed National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo launched a “virtual police squad” for tracking social media posts containing criminally offensive content, sparking further fears of shrinking civic space and electronic surveillance.
Attacks against activists, academics and students who discussed politically sensitive issues, such as alleged abuses in Papua, or criticized the government also rose. From February 2019 to September 2020, Amnesty found, 201 human rights defenders and social justice leaders were victims of human rights abuses, either offline or online. This online intimidation took many forms, including credential theft of WhatsApp accounts, spam calls from unidentified international numbers and digital harassment, such as intrusions during online discussions.
Amnesty’s Country report on Indonesia at
HTTPS://WWW.AMNESTY.ORG/EN/COUNTRIES/ASIA-AND-THE-PACIFIC/INDONESIA/REPORT-INDONESIA/
Full report
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2020/21: THE STATE OF THE WORLD'S HUMAN RIGHTS https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/3202/2021/en/
USGov: 2020 Indonesian Country Report
A number of extracts from the USGov: 2020 Indonesian Country Report on Human Rights Practices below. The full Indonesia country report at
https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/indonesia/
“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.”
“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.”
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New Greenpeace report on Papua’s forests
License to Clear
Greenpeace International 6 April 2021
Our new report ‘License to Clear’ urges national and provincial governments in Indonesia to seize a fleeting opportunity to intervene in a vast area slated for deforestation for palm oil in Papua Province. Since 2000, forest estate land released for plantations in Papua Province has totalled almost a million hectares – an area almost twice the size of the island of Bali.
The report finds systematic violations of permitting regulations as plantations were pushed into forest areas. To make matters worse, forest and peatland protection measures introduced by the national government – such as the Forest Moratorium and the Oil Palm Moratorium – have not yielded the reforms promised and are hamstrung by poor implementation and a lack of enforceability.
It will be nearly impossible for Indonesia to meet its commitments in the Paris Agreement if the estimated 71.2 million tonnes of forest carbon stored in the plantation concession lands targeted for clearing in Papua Province are released. The majority of this forest remains intact for now, so reversing this move by providing permanent protection for uncleared forest areas and recognising customary land rights could be Indonesia’s banner moment to take to the UN Conference of Parties later this year.
Download the report (English): License to Clear
Download the report (Bahasa): Stop Baku Tipu
To coincide with the release of the report activists from Greenpeace Indonesia staged a protest in front of the Environment and Forestry Ministry building in Central Jakarta demanding the government to return the customary forests in Papua to the indigenous people.
Save Papua's Forests: Greenpeace . Jakarta Globe 11 April 2021 (Photos in article)
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Upcoming event
Politics in the Pub is back!
WEST PAPUA: THE INVISIBLE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM
Dr Emma Kluge, University of Sydney
Tuesday 20 April 6.00pm sharp
Hotel Harry Upstairs Lounge
Cnr Wentworth Ave & Goulburn St, Surry Hills
You can also view it live at
Shooting incidents
There have been a number of shooting incidents in the past week starting on April 8th when a teacher was killed. However, a number of Facebook postings have pointed out that many of the Indonesian military and Indonesian National Police disguise themselves as teachers, motorcycle taxi driversetc. to gather information and that the teacher killed was an intelligence agent. Eventually more information will come to light through local media and the people in the territory.
From Antara News reports
On Thursday (April 8) at 9:30 a.m. eastern Indonesian time, an armed group shot dead a civilian Oktovianos Rayo, 42, a teacher living in Julukoma Village, Beoga, Papua. Rayo was shot twice when he was about to enter his house. Later on, in the day, the group set ablaze some schools in the village.
A junior high school teacher in Beoga Sub-district, Puncak District, Papua Province, was killed on Friday evening 9 April. The junior high school teacher, identified as Yonatan Randen, was shot dead at his home in Julukoma Village near Beoga Airport on Friday at 4:45 p.m. local time.
A helicopter was burned at Aminggaru Ilaga Airport on April 11, 2021, at around 20:20 East Indonesian Time (WIT). Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Ahmad Mustofa Kamal said the burnt helicopter was an inoperative one due to malfunctions and that the TNI-Polri are hunting down this group who carried out the action in Ilaga,
Three brothers killed by Indonesian soldiers at Papuan health clinic: army and witness accounts differ
By Tom Allard, Agustinus Beo Da Costa
JAKARTA (Reuters) - One mid-February morning in the central highlands of the Indonesian province of Papua, the army said Prada Ginanjar Arianda, a 22-year-old member of the 400 Banteng Raiders commando battalion, was shot in the stomach by separatist fighters and died. About 24 hours later, after a sweep by security forces through nearby hamlets that sent hundreds of residents fleeing to the safety of two churches, distraught family members were at a health clinic collecting the bodies of three brothers, Janius, Soni and Yustinus Bagau.
Ever since Papua was incorporated into Indonesia after a United Nations-supervised vote by only about 1,025 people in 1969, Indonesia has tried to quell a rebellion among its distinct Melanesian indigenous population of about 2.5 million who are seeking independence. Papua, rich in resources, has among the worst poverty rates in Indonesia despite $7.4 billion of funding by the central government over the past 20 years.
In a statement to media the day after the shootings, the military said the brothers were armed separatists who tried to seize their weapons and were killed by security forces in an act of self-defence. The military did not specify who it held responsible for Arianda’s death.
Reuters spoke to more than a dozen people, including a Catholic priest and a local government official, family members and human rights monitors by phone and also reviewed photos of the men’s bodies, a report on the killing of the brothers by human rights investigators in Papua and other evidence which all cast doubt on the official version of how the men died………..,..
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-papua-killings-insight-idUSKBN2BT05W
Update on situation of IDPs from Nduga and Intan Jaya – Activists confirm further fatalities Penulis Suara Papua - 31 Mar 2021
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.
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. (*)
Sorrow in Nduga: Residents fear their family member kidnapped, dead, allegedly by security personnel News Desk April 1, 2021 West Papua No.1 News Portal | Jubi
Papuan students studying in Java Island in a protest demanding justice for committed violence by the Indonesian military against civilians in Ndugama, Papua – Jubi/AMP Documentation
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
We will welcome China's help with open arms: West Papuan rebel leader
The Australian April 12 2021
https://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2021/04/we-will-welcome-chinas-help-with-open.html
Not just about money
Editorial board Jakarta Post Jakarta , April 6 2021
The government and the House of Representatives are preparing to amend the 2001 Papuan Special Autonomy Law to allow Jakarta to throw more money at the territory and form new provinces in the resource-rich land. Even though the 30-strong special House committee formed to debate the revision is led by and includes Papuan lawmakers, the move shows the intention of the political elite to dictate the future of Papua.
Ironically, the revision is being designed without a comprehensive evaluation of the 20-year policy that includes Papuan people. Periodical reviews of the special autonomy policy that engage all stakeholders have been largely absent as well. The distribution and destinations of the funds, which totaled Rp 127 trillion (US$9 billion) as of last year, have never been made accountable to the public, whether in Papua or the rest of the country.
The fact that Papua and West Papua have retained the highest provincial poverty rates after two decades of special autonomy has sparked allegations that much of the whopping amount of money has gone into the coffers of the local elite, their supporters and probably some others in Jakarta. Investigations into the alleged misuse of the special autonomy funds have only recently been launched, as such moves could provoke the local elite to mobilize their supporters to fight back.
Amid this lack of accountability and supervision, the government has proposed to increase the funds from 2 percent of the General Allocation Fund to 2.5 percent starting next year. It seems the government is seeking to reduce the long-standing problems plaguing Papua to a matter of money – the idea that more special autonomy funds will allow Jakarta to win more hearts and minds in Papua.
Beyond transferring money and building infrastructure, however, the government has failed to give Papuan people the sense of dignity that they need the most. The security approach – if not repression – that the government has maintained to deal with grievances in Papua, as evident in the deployment of police and military forces, is the most glaring example of Jakarta’s reluctance to treat Papua as an equal and dignified partner.
The approach has created a stigma of “rebellion” around Papua, which has widened the gap between Papua and Jakarta, deepened resentment between them and, to some extent, fueled racism against ethnic Papuans.
The plan to establish new provinces is more proof of the disconnect. Regional division in Papua was initiated in 1999, under the brief presidency of B.J. Habibie, with the apparent aim of making it easier for Jakarta to control the territory. The Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP) has resisted such administrative division, demanding that the government solve human rights violations in Papua first.
Many have called for a genuine dialog that involves local people to address Papuan problems and to discuss all matters related to the future of Papua, including the revision of the Special Autonomy Law. At the end of the day, Papuans want their rights to be respected, with or without special autonomy.
Opinion piece in JP
Govt 'missing' opportunity to review Papua’s special autonomy
Tri Indah Oktavianti The Jakarta Post Fri, April 2, 2021
With special autonomy funding for Papua approaching its expiration date this year, the government has called for a limited legal revision to allow money to keep flowing and to begin new development projects in the region. Critics, however, believe the government is missing a grand opportunity to review the effectiveness of Papua’s special autonomy status after two troubled decades.
Police disperse student protests against Freepor
Cenderawasih University students rally on April 7, 2021. Credit: Echa for Jubi.
West Papua No. 1 News Portal | Jubi
Jayapura, Jubi – The police dispersed a rally where state Cenderawasih University (Uncen) students protested against PT Freeport Indonesia on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, demanding the mining company to cease operations. The rally occurred in three spots: Expo Waena terminal, Perumnas III Waena, and the yard of an auditorium in the university in Abepura, Jayapura. The police stopped all three rallies, saying that the rallies did not have any permits. Indonesian laws do not require protesters to obtain “permits”. They need only to tell the police so the police could “guard” the process. Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian said recently as quoted by CNN Indonesia that the police could disperse a rally if they deemed the rally to violate laws. Jayapura Police, however, insisted they dispersed it because it did not have a “permit”. “The rally did not have a permit. We had readied 300 personnel to anticipate the rallies,” said Adj. Come. Langgeng Widodo, the head of operations department at Jayapura Police.
Yosp Itlay, one of the student protesters and the head of the university’s Student Executive Body (BEM) told the press, protested the police’s actions, calling it antidemocratic. “We did not do any vandalism, we held a dignified rally to convey our aspirations to the Papua Province administration and all the concerned parties. The Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police came and silence us,” Itlay said. “We demand PT Freeport Indonesia to leave Papua Land. All multinational corporations that have activities in Papua Land, all owned by imperialists: BP, LNG Tangguh, Medco, Korindo, all of you, go away from Papua Land,” said Itlay. He said Freeport had brought harm to the native Papuans and inflicted destruction on Nemangkawi Mountain.
He said Freeport had to rehabilitate the environment before leaving Papua Land. He said the students wanted the government to stop all economic, development, investment acceleration programs, called “MP3EI”, and stop all the constructions of military bases in all Papua Land, or internationally known as West Papua.
The university’s BEM wanted the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to step in and audit Freeport. “Investigate, arrest and put the perpetrators of human rights violations to court. Those who have done the violations during the existence of Freeport in Papua. Let Papuans decide the future of the mining operations in Papua Land,” he said. The rally field coordinator, Gerson Pigai, said they protested against the “arbitrary actions” of the police that forced the rallies to stop. Reporter: Benny Mawel Editor: Kristianto Galuwo, Aryo Wisanggeni
(Note. It comes around every few years, the suggestion to class the OPM as a terrorist organisation).
’Who’s the real terrorist in Papua?’: Indonesian govt wants to call TPNPB terrorist group
News Desk March 25, 2021 3:36 pm
West Papua No. 1 News Portal | Jubi
Jayapura, Jubi – National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) is mulling over a plan to put West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) into a terrorist group category, a plan that has drawn controversies and comments.
Markus Haluk, executive director of United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP), questioned the plan. “Who are the real terrorists who keep terrorizing civilians in Papua, who are the rightful owners of Papua Land? Once again, who are the real terrorists?” said Haluk to Jubi on March 24, 2021. On Monday, March 22, 2021, the head of BNPT, Comr. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar, told a hearing with legislators of the Commission III at the House of Representatives in Jakarta, that they were studying legal documents to put “armed criminals group” or “KKB”, the government term for TPNPB, to put TPNPB into “terrorist” category.
Boy was quoted as saying by CNN Indonesia that “the real condition on the field, actually they could be said to have conducted terrorist actions.
Haluk said TPNPB existed for the sake of Papuan people. He said the fight for Papuan independence had existed since 1961. “The formation of the movement culminated on Dec. 1, 1961, when Papuan people raised the Morning Star flag, sang a song called “Hai Tanahku Papua” or “Hi, My Papua Land”. Haluk said they also sang Dutch anthem and raised the Dutch flag.
He claimed that fighting for Papua’s independence was legal according to international law. He also recited Indonesian Constitution: Whereas independence is the inalienable right of all nations, therefore, all colonialism must be abolished in this world as it is not in conformity with humanity and justice. “It is the inalienable right of all nations, including Papuan nation. All colonialism must be abolished, including Indonesian against Papuans,” he said.
Haluk said TPNPB had never come with arms to shoot Indonesians in places outside Papua Land like in Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi. On the other hand, he said, Indonesian security personnel had created terror among the civilians, shooting people including religious figures, he said.
The family of Rev. Yeremia Zanambani, a respected pastor in Papua Land who lived in Intan Jaya Regency, accused some Indonesian Military (TNI) members of killing Zanambani. The Indonesian government and TNI, however, have been keeping mum about it, and the report of the government sponsored fact-finding team on the murder was inconclusive. “Who came to Papua from faraway places and terrorized the civilians? Who caused residents of Nduga, Intan Jaya, Puncak Jaya and Puncak in Papua to become displaced people?” he said.
The TNI and the National Police had said that the presence of TPNPB in those places were the cause of unrest and had caused civilians to feel fear. ULMWP and other organizations in Papua Land, said otherwise. They had been calling for the central government to pull out “nonorganic” troops from Papua Land. Nonorganic troops are soldiers who were on duty somewhere outside Papua but deployed to Papua Land to “secure” the restive region. Haluk asked President Joko Widodo, TNI chief, the National Police chief, and the Political, Legal, and Security Coordinating Minister, Defense Minister and the head of BNPT to be honest and answer the question: Time to honestly answer this, who terrorize, silence democracy and isolate Melanesians in West Papua,” said Haluk.
TPNPB spokesperson, Sebby Sambom, said Indonesian government could not put them into terrorist category because “the world knows TPNPB fight for our demand, have our rights to self determination given to us,” said Sambom on March 24, 2021. Sambom said Jakarta’s plan to call TPNPB terrorists arose because Jakarta failed to get international support. “What Jakarta decides won’t get international recognition, because our political status is different,” he said.
Reporter: Benny Mawel Editor: Aryo Wisanggeni G
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Benny Wenda’s statement on issue
Interim President: The OPM is not a ‘terrorist’ group – the Indonesian state is.
https://www.ulmwp.org/interim-president-the-opm-is-not-a-terrorist-group-the-indonesian-state-is
Military mystery: How many security personnel are there in West Papua?
Jubi News Desk March 26, 2021
West Papua No. 1 News Portal | Jubi
Jayapura, Jubi – Escalating tensions between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the West Papua National Liberation Army, which have caused the deaths of civilians, have led many to question: how many security personnel are there in West Papua? “We don’t know,” deputy speaker I of Papua Legislative Council (DPR Papua), Yunus Wonda, said recently to Jubi. “I think even (Papua Governor Lukas Enembe) won’t know,” he said. He said DPR Papua never received any reports on nonorganic security personnel deployed to Papua Land or internationally known as West Papua.
Jakarta’s decision
He said the decision was fully in the hands of the central government. The security personnel themselves had their line of command, which was different from the civil bureaucracy, he said. “But we have told the central government to not deploy too many personnel. We have asked them to just utilize the existing (organic) security personnel here,” Wonda said. He said Papua Land does not need too many nonorganic security personnel as if Papua Land was at war.
Wonda suggested the central government to trust the provincial police chief and military commander to handle the escalating tensions because they knew better.
“Aren’t you ashamed of what the international world thinks of? We face our own people as if we’re at war (with foreign troops). The nonorganic security personnel did not understand the local people characteristics,” he said.
In late February and early March, Intan Jaya residents reported that a disabled man and a teenager were shot to death, allegedly by the TNI. The TNI claimed the teenager was a member of the TPNPB. Intan Jaya Legislative councilor, Oktovianus Wandikbo, said on March 7 that the teenager was a student. He said the look of mountain people in Intan Jaya were typical, so to eyes that were not discerning, they would look similar to TPNPB. “This kid was a school kid. But we in the mountains wore similar apparel: we wore orchid necklaces dangling on our chest, we had dreadlocks, overlarged jacket, boots for mud, brought noken, and some ate areca nuts. Security personnel who just arrived here had to learn this and to know the habits of the local people. Don’t mistake civilians with TPNPB, it’s fatally wrong,” he said.
A scholar from the School of Social and Political Sciences at Universitas Cenderawasih, Elvira Rumkabu, said researchers in Papua Land had a hard time getting the accurate data on the number of nonorganic security personnel sent to Papua by Jakarta. “We had asked our friends in Jakarta who focused on security personnel issues, but they could not get any data about it as well,” Rumkabu said in a recent seminar. Several public figures in Papua have called on the central government to pull out nonorganic security personnel from Papua Land. One of them was the coordinator of Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation of the Evangelist Church Synod in Papua Land, Pastor Leonora Balubun, who asked the central government to pull out the troops from Papua Land. “But they answered by sending more even though they knew that Papuans were afraid of the military personnel,” she said last month. MRP councilor, Ciska Abugau, said in the same meeting that Papua Land’s organic security personnel should have been enough to handle security in the region.
‘We only follow orders’
The deputy head of Legal Department of Cenderawasih Military Command, Lt. Col. Abdul Azis, told the MRP’s meeting that the TNI had several types of military operations: battle operation, security operation, territorial operation, and border security operation. He said the security policy in Papua Land was a “state political policy”, not TNI’s decision alone. He said what occurred in Papua at the moment were territorial and border security operations. He did not tell the meeting about the data of organic and nonorganic military personnel in Papua province, one of the two provinces in Papua Land. “There won’t be any operation without the approval of the state,” he said on March 19.
The Regional Supervisory Inspector at Papua Police, Sr. Comr. Alfred Papare told the MRP meeting on March 2019 that the National Police deployed the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) in “restive areas” in Papua, because Brimob had the capacity to handle armed groups. “That’s the headquarters’ strategy. Besides enforcing the law, we have 600 Brimob personnel,” he said. Papare said Brimob were deployed in Mimika, Puncak, Nduga, and Intan Jaya Regencies. “I am aware of the calls to pull out nonorganic personnel of Papua, but it’s not our decision to make but the leaders in the central (government). We only follow orders,” Papare said.
‘Revise special autonomy law’
The head of Social Affairs, Population, Women Empowerment, and Child Protection in Papua province, Ribka Haluk, said on March 19, 2021, during a coordinating meeting with Papuan People Council (MRP) that as long as the Special Autonomy Law was not revised, Papuans’ calls to the central government on security matter would fall on deaf ears. She said there were several things that were in the central government jurisdiction according to the Special Autonomy Law. One of them was security matters. “If we want no more outside deployment of personnel in Papua, we first revise the special autonomy law,” she said.
On March 9, 2021, the Cenderawasih Military Command welcomed 1,350 soldiers at a Navy port in Jayapura, Papua. The TNI said the personnel were to secure Indonesia and Papua New Guinea borders and the troops replaced another 1,350 deployed in July 2020. A popular video on TikTok showed the soldiers boarded off a war ship and the video sent uneasy feelings among many native Papuans who had been traumatized by violence allegedly done by security personnel. In 2018, Amnesty International released a report about unlawful killings, revealing that from January 2010 to February 2018, there were at least 95 deaths, and “The perpetrators have been both police officers and soldiers, and none of them have been subject to criminal investigation by an independent institution, “ wrote Amnesty Indonesia’s director, Usman Hamid, in July 2018.
Reporter: Arjuna Pademme Editor: Dewi Wulandari
ULMWP confident for West Papua to become MSG member
By Len Garae Vanuatu Daily Post Mar 31, 2021
The Executive Committee of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) has welcomed the Melanesian Spearhead Group Virtual Meeting with Port Vila MSG Secretariat and remind them of their sacred responsibility to make West Papua a full member of MSG.
Speaking at its urgent meeting on the PMC Presbyterian Church premises before yesterday, ULMWP Chairman Pastor Alan Nafuki and all members of his Committee present unanimously agreed to remind the MSG Leaders of the importance of elevating West Papua to its God-given status of full membership of MSG.
The call comes on the heels of an exclusive interview given by Vanuatu’s former Roving Ambassador, Barak Sope who said, then Prime Minister Father Walter Lini (now deceased), pioneered the original Melanesian member countries of Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and the Solomons to become the first ever member countries of MSG in Port Vila, before they convinced Fiji to join them.
Sope says at the time he was First Secretary of Foreign Affairs while Father Lini was also Minister of Foreign Affairs along with being Prime Minister. “For those that do not know and keep making false statements regarding Vanuatu and the MSG, Father Walter Lini and his Government initiated the idea which explains why the MSG Secretariat along with ULMWP are located in Port Vila”, Sope said.
In the latest development on the heels of Sope’s interview, ULMWP wishes to express its confidence that the MSG Chairman, Prime Minister Bob Loughman, would speak in the same spirit of MSG vision as the catalyst against colonialism and continuing human right abuse of Melanesians in West Papua, to enable West Papua to become a full member of MSG.
Furthermore, West Papua Struggle Leader and Global Campaigner Benny Wenda, has contacted ULMWP by telephone this week, to confirm his interest to visit Port Vila to discuss the importance for West Papuans not to visit Port Vila on a tourist visa but a longer stay, since the ULMWP International Head Office is located in Port Vila. The ULMWP Executive have endorsed such an arrangement.
Govt 'missing' opportunity to review Papua’s special autonomy
Tri Indah Oktavianti The Jakarta Post Jakarta Fri, April 2, 2021
With special autonomy funding for Papua approaching its expiration date this year, the government has called for a limited legal revision to allow money to keep flowing and to begin new development projects in the region. Critics, however, believe the government is missing a grand opportunity to review the effectiveness of Papua’s special autonomy status after two troubled decades.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD announced on Tuesday that the government had proposed revising two articles of the 2001 law granting Papua special autonomy – Article 34 on special autonomy funds and Article 76 on regional expansion. “The special autonomy status was implemented in 2001, and it does not need some kind of extension. What needs to be extended is the funding – the special autonomy funds,” he said at an online workshop with the Supreme Audit Agency, according to a press statement.
The law stipulates that special autonomy funds for Papua expire in November 2021, which is 20 years after their inception. Special autonomy was granted to Papua and West Papua in an attempt to close the development gap between them and the rest of Indonesia, and as a means to pursue political compromise and conflict resolution. But critics contend that the government has largely failed to bring welfare and stability to the restive region.
Dismissing criticism regarding the effectiveness of the special autonomy status, Mahfud noted that rampant corruption and misuse of funds by elites from the region had hampered the government’s development goals. With a proposal to increase the allocation of state funds to the General Allocation Fund (DAU) from the current 2 percent to 2.5 percent, Mahfud promised stronger oversight to prevent corruption. Moreover, the government proposed that three new administrative regions be established in the provinces of Papua and West Papua as part of a strategy to ensure the distribution of wealth and delivery of services from the government to the Papuan people.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the House of Representatives formed a special committee to deliberate Papua’s special autonomy bill and named 30 politicians to serve on the committee.
Lawmakers from nine political factions on Tuesday also unanimously agreed to appoint Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Komarudin Watubun as the head of the committee, alongside the Golkar Party’s Agung Widyantoro, the Gerindra Party’s Yan Parmenas and the National Awakening Party’s (PKB) Marthen Douw as deputies. Upon his appointment, Komarudin vowed to speed up the bill’s deliberation on the two proposed articles, especially with the House entering another recess beginning April 10. He also promised to schedule official visits to Papua in order to gather local perspectives on the special autonomy status.
As reported by tempo.co, House Deputy Speaker Azis Syamsuddin said the committee would discuss whether or not to renew the 2001 law and to study its possible impacts. It will also study the viability of expansions of cities, regencies and provinces, as well as to review the development strategy in the region. Ani Soetjipto, a lecturer and Papua expert from the University of Indonesia, said, however, that regional expansion in Papua would bring little change and could end up fuelling new security problems. “Papuans think that this expansion idea is a mere attempt of manipulation by Jakarta. Expansion also means more military command centers are established with more deployment of police and soldiers to the region,” Ani told The Jakarta Post. “They always fail to bring peace.”
Indonesia has been widely criticized for the cycle of violence in its easternmost provinces. Experts say the unrest is the consequence of an outdated, security-oriented approach to Papuan issues, characterized by the mass deployment of military and police personnel. Despite the heavy presence of forces, conflict has continued to occur, killing both armed combatants and unarmed civilians.
Sem Awom, spokesperson for Petisi Rakyat Papua (Papuan People’s Petition) and Papua coordinator at the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), described Papua’s current situation as “dreadful”, especially after last year’s Intan Jaya killing saw more security personnel to be deployed to the region. He said many women and children were now forced to live in shelters as violence occurred around them on the regular. Trust in the government and the military had been eroded among Papuans, Sem said.
“The special autonomy law was proposed as a middle path to bridge political tensions in Papua. But all that Jakarta can think of is [throwing money at Papuans],” he said in a recent interview. “That is not what Papuans need. [...]. Jakarta needs to open room for discussion.” According to a 2020 report from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Papua and West Papua scored lowest on the human development index among the nation’s provinces. The low scores reflect low development in terms of income, health and education, among other indicators.
BPS also noted that Papua and West Papua struggled with the highest rates of illiteracy and poverty in the country. The plan to revise some provisions of the prevailing law would only serve to leave Papuan people behind, said Rosinta Dewi, Papuan studies researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). “Papuans want to use it [the expiration date of the funds] as a moment to evaluate the special autonomy policy, including the impact of the program on Papua’s development,” she told the Post this week.
Protesters say racism against indigenous Papuans flourishing in Indonesia
Suara Papua – March 31, 2021
Anti-racism rally at Elin intersection in Sorong city – March 29, 2021 (Suara Papua)
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/
Opinion pieces/reports/media releases etc.
Oil palm growers’ misdeeds allow an opportunity to save West Papua’s forests
https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/palm-oil-west-papua-license-audit-kpk/
Palm oil firm Digoel Agri said to clear Papuan forest without Indigenous consent
In Indonesia, pulp and paper firms stoke demand that may drive deforestation
https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/indonesia-pulp-paper-new-investment-demand-deforestation/
A million hectares of Papuan forest licensed for clearing, report shows
https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/papua-forest-licensed-for-clearing-future-deforestation-report/
Deforestation in Indonesia hits record low, but experts fear a rebound
Helping Papuans protect Indonesia’s last frontier: Q&A with Bustar Maitar
West Papuan Genocide Continues – Can Diplomacy And International Institutions Redeem Themselves?
Dear editor, we have you in our sights for reporting ‘the truth’ on Papua
Assange lawyer Jennifer Robinson’s plan to correct imbalance between public and private school education
West Papua: Rape The Women To Rape The Land
https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/03/21/west-papua-rape-the-women-to-rape-the-land/
Anger after Indonesia offers Elon Musk Papuan island for SpaceX launchpad
Papua support group praises Meg Taylor for UN rights statement
PAPUA 2021 1-15 Maret (In Bahasa)
https://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2021/03/papua-2021-1-15-maret-in-bahasa.html
The two Papua reports for February in English
[translation from Indonesian]
https://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-two-papua-reports-for-february-by.htmll
Previous update No. 1/2021
https://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2021/03/awpa-update-no-1-2021.html
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