Tuesday, June 8, 2021

1) Return displaced people in Puncak to their homes: Indonesian rights body


2) Police to autopsy Pastor Yeremia’s body for further investigation

3) Police allegedly shoot three civilians in Papua’s Ilaga: Rights activists
4) What Can Australia Do To Prevent Human Rights Abuses in West Papua? 
———————————

https://en.jubi.co.id/return-displaced-people-in-puncak-to-their-homes-indonesian-rights-body/

1) Return displaced people in Puncak to their homes: Indonesian rights body
 News Desk June 7, 2021 7:24 pm

Jayapura, Jubi – The National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Papua has suggested the government return the refugees of armed conflict in Puncak Regency back to their respective hometowns.

 

“I have talked to Puncak regent Willem Wandik and the Puncak Police chief. The regent agreed to visit the refugees this week.  Maybe later there will be a meeting between the government and the refugees to discuss about sending them back to their villages,” Komnas HAM Papua head Frits Ramandey said on Thursday, June 3, 2021 after visiting the Puncak refugees earlier this week.

The rights body has recorded 3,019 refugees from 23 villages comprising nine villages in North Ilaga District, four villages in Ilaga District, five villages in Gome District, and five villages in North Gome District. These people left their homes to avoid armed conflict between the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) and the Indonesian Military (TNI) and police who chased after the TPNPB soldiers.
According to Ramandey, the main problems found in the refugee camps were the lack of clean water and health workers. “When they live in refugee camps, it creates a humanitarian problem including health problems, as well as restriction to their activities. That is why it is better to return the refugees home so that they can return to their activities,” he said.

 

Ramandey said the Papua provincial government should help the Puncak government in handling refugees. “It is important for both provincial and Puncak government to collaborate [to return refugees home]. Especially because the TPNPB has guaranteed not to continue armed violence [in villages] in Puncak,” he said.

 

Ramandey said he had talked with one of the TPNPB leaders who said he would guarantee the safety of the refugees who wish to return to their villages. “They said they did not want any more war. If there is war, it’s not them,” he added.

 

Ramandey, however, did not mention the name of the TPNPB leader he met several days ago. “It was off the record but [the TPNPB leader I met] sure has a big influence in the TPNPB,” said Ramandey.

 

Reporter: Arjuna Pademme
Editor: Edho Sinaga


————————————

https://en.jubi.co.id/police-to-autopsy-pastor-yeremias-body-for-further-investigation/

2) Police to autopsy Pastor Yeremia’s body for further investigation

 News Desk June 7, 2021 7:31 pm


Jakarta, CNN Indonesia – The National Police is going to autopsy the body of Pastor Yeremia Zanambani, who was allegedly shot dead by Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel in Intan Jaya Regency in September last year.

 

Intan Jaya Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Sandi Sultan said the autopsy would be carried out by a joint team of the TNI and police in the Hitadipa District on June 5, 2021.

“The autopsy of Pastor Yeremia Zanambani will be carried out on June 5,” Sultan said on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.

The police, Sultan said, had checked the area to smooth the autopsy process, as well as preparing a plan to secure vulnerable points.

 

“The TNI and police team is led by me and 501/BY battalion commander Lt. Col. Inf. Arfa Yuda. We are also assisted by 46 personnel to secure eight vulnerable points,” he added.

 

Meanwhile, Police’s Nemangkawi Operation chief Sr. Comr. Iqbal Alqudusy said the autopsy would provide more evidence to the investigation of the fatal shooting and other cases. Prior to his death, Zanambani was involved in an investigation to find two of his relatives, Luther Zanambani and Apinus Zanambani, who were declared missing in April 2020 after being arrested by military officers in a “COVID-19 raid”.

 

Military Police later named nine soldiers suspects of torturing Luther and Apinus to death and burning their bodies to hide the crime. Meanwhile, in November 2020, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) reported that Zanambani was allegedly shot by Hitadipa military district deputy commander Alpius after the pastor questioned the disappearance of his family members.

 

“We need a visum et repertum to be presented in the court. The visum et repertum is a written report from the result of the autopsy which will be used to solve a crime,” Alqudusy said.

———————————————-

3) Police allegedly shoot three civilians in Papua’s Ilaga: Rights activists

 News Desk June 7, 2021 7:21 pm
Nabire, Jubi – Rights activist Yones Douw said his party had received a testimony from a number of residents in Ilaga District, saying three civilians from Nipuralome Village were shot dead by the Police’s Nemangkawi task force on Friday, June 4, 2021.

 

Meanwhile, the Nemangkawi task force claimed on Saturday that the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) was the one who did the shooting and killed the chief of the Nipuralome Village, Patianus Kogoya (40) and his wife, Paitena Wakerkwa (35), as well as a village official named Erialek Kogoya (50).

 

According to Nemangkawi task force chief  Sr. Comr. Iqbal Alqudusy, the fatal shooting happened after security forces raided the Aminggaru Airport in Ilaga, which was occupied by the TPNPB, and engaged in gunfire with the armed group. Alqudusy said three civilians were shot dead by the armed group. His statement has been quoted and published by the media.

Douw, however, refuted the police’s claim and demanded the police to explain the fatal shooting chronologically. “Don’t hide the crimes they have committed themselves. One day the crime will be exposed to the public,” Douw said on Saturday.

 

Douw said that according to a number of eyewitnesses, the shooting occurred after Patianus Kogoya, Paitena Wakerkwa, and Erialek Kogoya met with security forces in Ilaga. The victims were leaving their village because of gunfire that had occurred in Nipuralome Village since Friday morning.

 

According to the eyewitnesses, Douw said, Patianus Kogoya had shown his ID card to the security forces but the security forces ripped it up and shot the three dead. “This is a testimony from the family and local residents who witnessed the shooting themselves,” Douw said.

 

Further, Douw said there were three other civilians who got injured in the same crossfire in Ilaga on Friday, namely Mendinus Murib (5), Mama (mother) Manimbo (26), and Yudes Wanimbo (34).

 

Former commissioner at the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Natalius Pigai supported Douw, saying the various evidence that had been obtained by the activists had spoken the truth. “The Nemangkawi task force has spread a hoax,” Pigai said.

 

Reporter: Hengky Yeimo & Abeth You
Editor: Aryo Wisanggeni G
-----------

The Asia-Pacific Journal Japan Focus

4) What Can Australia Do To Prevent Human Rights Abuses in West Papua? 
Camellia Webb-Gannon, Michael Westaway, Jaime Swift, Nathan Wright and Richard Adams
May 15, 2021 Volume 19 | Issue 10 | Number 2 Article ID 5601

Abstract: West Papua, Australia’s near northern neighbour, has for nearly six decades experienced widespread human rights abuses by the Indonesian state and military. In this article we argue that Australia has the responsibility and the expertise to do more to ensure that West Papuans’ human rights are being upheld. First, in a situation as serious as that of West Papua, Australia, as a member of the United Nations, we contend, has a political duty to intervene under the United Nation’s ‘responsibility to protect’ doctrine. Second, we put forward that Australia also has a historic and moral obligation to the territory: West Papuans provided vital assistance to Australian troops in 1944 during World War 2. In the 1960s, however, Canberra betrayed its neighbour’s preparations for self-determination but we argue Australia now has a chance to right this historical wrong by intervening in West Papua’s struggle against Indonesian oppression. Third, we argue that because Australia has set a precedent of intervention when it led the humanitarian intervention in East Timor in 1999-2000, we know that intervention is possible and that the necessary political will can be mustered. Whereas Australia’s involvement in the East Timor crisis led to long term diplomatic tension between Australia and Indonesia, however, we propose that in this case, Australia’s contribution to addressing human rights in West Papua could ultimately strengthen ties between the two countries. 


-------------------

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.