Friday, July 30, 2021

1) Dangerous Papua Games


2) Vaccine resistance in West Papua as Covid-19 rages
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1) Dangerous Papua Games 

Editorial board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta   ●   Sat, July 31, 2021 

After chairing a Cabinet ministers meeting on July 13, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said the 20th National Games (PON) in Papua would go ahead as scheduled from Oct. 2 to 15. The subsequent National Paralympic Games are then to be held from Nov. 2 to 15. 

The government postponed the two sporting events last year over COVID-19 concerns – although it didn't seem too concerned when it pushed for regional elections in 270 regions last December. 

The President’s decision to allow the PON to go ahead was based on good intentions, such as giving an opportunity and pride to Papuan people to host a national sports event, a luxury that eludes many other regions. But at what cost? 

As in 2020, Papua today is still not free of the deadly disease and it may remain that way for the foreseeable future given the province’s poor testing, tracing and treatment capacity and very low vaccination rate. Therefore, we call on the government to once again delay the event until we can flatten the transmission curve of the coronavirus. The PON will only turn into a dangerous game to play. 

The President should listen to Mimika Regent Eltinus  Omaleng, who plans to send an official letter to the head of state to ask for the PON’s rescheduling because the regency, the mining site of PT Freeport, now is preoccupied with a rising number of COVID-19 cases The local government is also facing shortages of oxygen, medicines and patient beds. 

Papua Governor Lukas Enembe has shared the same concerns and will officially request a delay to the Games. 

The central government needs to listen to the local leaders, because they know very well the development on the ground. Youth and Sports Minister Zainuddin Amali is among the staunchest proponents of the PON in Papua, saying all sports venues and equipment would be 100 percent ready for the Games next month. Despite the minister’s confidence, however, it will be the Papuan leaders and people who will have to bear the brunt of all consequences if Jakarta insists the show must go on. 

Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto and National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo have also pledged their commitment to safety and security of all participants during the PON and Paralympic Games. But how about the threat of the deadly disease? 

According to the original plan, the PON will be held in Jayapura city, Jayapura regency, Mimika regency and Merauke regency. The four-yearly event will feature 37 sports and 6,400 athletes plus 3,500 officials from 34 provinces across the country. The Paralympics will be held in Jayapura city and Jayapura regency, featuring 1,935 athletes. 

With more than 12,000 people gathering, the risk of the Games becoming a new COVID-19 cluster should not be disregarded, even if the government bans spectators from all sports venues, and all participating athletes and officials are vaccinated before the PON begin.   

Papua can host the PON once we can rein in the pandemic. The President should not let unnecessary victims fall simply because he wants to show to the world the development progress in Papua. This is a matter of life in very real terms. 




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2) Vaccine resistance in West Papua as Covid-19 rages
8:30 pm on 30 July 2021 
Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific Journalist


A Papuan man receives a dose of the Sinovac Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine conducted by Indonesian navy medical team at Sorong seaport, in Sorong, West Papua, July 18, 2021. Photo: IRIANTI / AFP


As with much of Indonesia, the country's eastern-most provinces of Papua and West Papua are struggling to contain the spread of Covid-19, with the Delta variant on the loose.
In their latest update, health authorities in Papua province reported 33,826 confirmed cases of the virus to date, as well as 794 known deaths. In West Papua province, there were 18,027 confirmed cases and 278 deaths.

Earlier this week, the Papua provincial health spokesman Silvanus Sumule spoke to media outside a hospital in downtown Jayapura, explaining that hospital capacity had passed 100 percent, while they're short on oxygen tanks for Covid patients.
Patients were being treated in corridors or outside the building, the sort of desperate scenes being experienced across Indonesia, which has become the latest epicentre of the pandemic in Asia, with over 3.2 million cases and 90-thousand deaths from Covid.

But the health system in Papua is weaker than most other parts of the republic, adding to fears that the virus is on track to cause devastation in indigenous Papuan communities.
A human rights adviser to the Papuan People's Assembly, Wensi Fatubun, said that with the Delta variant rampaging through communities, Papua's provincial government sought a full lockdown for the month of August.
"So the local government announced for the lockdown. But the national government doesn't want Papua province locked down, but use different restrictions on community activities."
With Jakarta having overruled Papua's local government on the matter, the onus goes on how people respond to the restrictions on gatherings as well as safety measures. But adherence to these basic measures has been mixed in Papua during the pandemic.
"We are really worried with Covid-19. If it go to the remote areas, we don't know, maybe many many indigenous Papuans will die, because there's not enough doctors, nurses, and also health facilities," Fatubun said.
Across Jayapura, there's been a spate of burials in recent days - another sign of the surge in Covid-19 cases, which could be significantly higher than official statistics show.

'Many Papuans are dying'

To avert the death rate growing more out of control, the national government of Joko Widodo is focussing on efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible in the coming weeks and months.
So far around 22 percent of the eligible population of 208-million have had at least a first dose of the vaccine, and around 10 percent have had two doses.
The moderator of the Papuan Council of Churches, Reverend Benny Giay said many West Papuans were resisting the vaccine rollout, chiefly because of the role of Indonesian security forces who he said indigenous Papuans often mistrust.
"In the past few months, in several districts, it's the military and police who accompanied medical teams who go promoting the vaccines. But people turn them away. It's very difficult to convince the people," he said.
Given the ongoing violent conflict between Indonesian security forces and West Papuan independence fighters, as well as decades of human rights abuses and racism against Papuans, Reverend Giay said the resistance was understandable.
"The reality here is that they've gone through this crisis and violence, and the government is involving military and police to be part of this and we don't like that."
Reverend Giay wants his people to get vaccinated, and is urging people to not be dissuaded by misinformation propagated on social media. He suggested outside help is required.
"Many Papuans are dying. We've been calling international community for help - maybe International Red Cross, maybe a humanitarian intervention to convince our people (to get vaccinated)."
This proposal is highly unlikely to be accepted by Indonesia's government which has long restricted outside access to Papua.
Jakarta continues with a business-as-usual approach in the remote eastern region, and is sticking to its plans for Papua to host the Indonesia National Games in October which will bring in many people form other parts of the country.

Thursday, July 29, 2021

1) Human rights concerns cast shadow on Papua's history, legal standing


2) Outrage over Indonesian officers for stomping on disabled Papuan teen’s head 
3) KontraS Laments Use of Excessive Force by Authorities in Papua
4) Papua Incident; Air Force Pays Customary Fine
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1) Human rights concerns cast shadow on Papua's history, legal standing


Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) PREMIUM Jakarta   ●   Thu, July 29, 2021 

The history and legal standing of Papua and West Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost provinces, are final and binding, as far as government officials and many leading Papuan figures are concerned. 

However, analysts point out that the emphasis on human rights by separatists and their overseas lobbies, who exploit the controversial baggage that comes with the history of Papuan integration, still causes concern about how the Indonesian authorities should best handle the dire situation on the ground. 

The separatist conflict in Papua has for decades been a delicate issue with which the Indonesian government has had to contend. This year, authorities labeled armed separatist rebels as terrorists, while lawmakers voted on July 15 to revise and extend the 2001 Special Autonomy Law that underpins state-led development in the region. 

These actions have added to a long list of contentious issues that rights activists say the government must answer, which include the strong-handed approach by the security apparatus, a lack of accountability for past human rights abuses, allegations of racism and discrimination, and even a COVID-19 outbreak that is slowly gaining momentum. 

While Jakarta has poured ample resources into addressing the development gap in Papua, the state is aware that human rights and law enforcement challenges remain, said Tri Tharyat, senior adviser on political, legal and security affairs to the foreign minister. “Important progress is continuously being made, such as President Joko Widodo releasing a number of Papuan prisoners in 2015, the conviction of individuals guilty of racist acts in Surabaya in 2019, and more recently, the swift action taken by the Indonesian Military to dismiss and punish two personnel for a case of abuse in Merauke,” he said in a keynote speech at The Jakarta Post’s UpClose webinar on Thursday. The last incident referred to the excessive use of violence by Air Force personnel against a disabled man in Merauke this week. 

Read also: Air Force apologizes after video of violence against Papuan goes viral 

Papua, along with the other regions that make up modern-day Indonesia, formed the Dutch East Indies that came under Japanese imperial rule during the Second World War, at the height of the Indonesian independence movement. Following Japan’s defeat in 1945, the Netherlands attempted to restore control over its former colony. 


The Dutch and Indonesians eventually signed the New York Agreement on Aug. 15, 1962 that brought then-West Irian under Indonesia’s administrative and territorial rule. Indonesia consolidated the integration of West Irian in 1969, when select representatives of the local population voted unanimously for Indonesian rule in the controversial but legitimate Act of Free Choice (Pepera), which was monitored by United Nations observers and United States diplomats. Under the New York Agreement, Indonesia was obliged to “make arrangements [...] to give the people of the territory an opportunity to exercise freedom of choice,” in which consultations should be held with local representative councils on the procedures and appropriate methods “for ascertaining the freely expressed will of the people”. 

Pro-independence groups argue that the agreement specifically mentioned that all adults, male and female, who were not foreign nationals, were eligible to participate in the act of self-determination – that is, the 1962 Pepera. However, out of the 800,000 Papuan population recorded in 1962, only 1,205 people voted in the Pepera, resulting in resentment, even though the election was accepted by the international community under UN General Assembly Resolution 2504, which reaffirmed as legal fact that West Irian had always been a part of a nascent Indonesia. 

Jakarta’s legal experts say that Papuans could not legally demand another referendum based on alleged violations of human rights or their political, economic and social rights, because Indonesia has already guaranteed these rights in the Special Autonomy Law, which gave the people of modern-day Papua and West Papua provinces the means to manage the region. 

Read also: RI woos South Pacific nations with ‘meaningful’ engagement 

Freddy Numberi, a Papuan leader and a former governor of Papua supported this view of Papua’s legal standing, and that Dutch maneuvers at the time resulted in the effective forfeiture of Papuans’ right to self-determination. Even so, he also suggested that there should have been ways to make the Act of Free Choice more credible. 

The Foreign Ministry’s director general for legal affairs and international treaties, Damos Dumoli Agusman, said the New York Agreement was essentially a bilateral dispute settlement between Indonesia and the Dutch and had nothing to do with self-determination in “normal terms”. “Self-determination is an international law issue, it must be considered in those terms. Unfortunately in many cases observers introduce the term in a very loose manner and even without applying any legal criteria as prescribed by international law,” he said. Damos suggested further that human rights issues could not be used as justification for self-determination, which was already clearly defined under international law on the pretext of preserving one’s territorial integrity. 

Read also: Papua intelligence chief killed in weekend rebel attack

 “Self-determination only exists under the colonial context, which Indonesia achieved in 1945,” he said during the webinar. Richard Chauvel, an Indonesian history professor at Melbourne University, however, pointed out that separatist groups such as the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) had been intricately conflating human rights and self-determination in their campaigns to gain support, especially among Pacific island nations – which are culturally similar to the people of Papua – both in regional forums and at the UN. “If we look at the sort of arguments that [ULMWP leader] Benny Wenda and others have been using to promote their cause in the Melanesian Spearhead Group, they’re essentially arguments related to the New York Agreement, the Pepera and the broader legal and moral issue of self-determination. 

Those arguments in essence really haven’t changed since the 1960s and have been an important part of the international lobbying,” Chauvel said on Thursday. “What does change, and I would argue the dynamic of the ULMWP lobbying campaign, is the issue of human rights abuses, which according to the ULMWP continue to occur, in the sense [that they provide] momentum and energy to the campaign,” he said. International access to Papua and West Papua remains tightly regulated due to security concerns, with tensions still simmering and bouts of fighting between the military and armed rebels still breaking out sporadically and sparking human rights concerns. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD reiterated during a briefing with Indonesian ambassadors earlier this month that in terms of handling issues relating to Papua, the government was pursuing dialogue to address separatism and taking a peaceful and welfare-based approach for developing the region. He also said it was important to "guarantee the protection of the people of Papua from the threat of terrorism”. 

Editor's note: Updated with context of government policy.

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2) Outrage over Indonesian officers for stomping on disabled Papuan teen’s head 
By APR editor -  July 29, 2021

SPECIAL REPORT: By Yamin Kogoya

Shocking video footage showing a brutal and inhumane assault on a deaf Papuan teenager named Steven has emerged from the Merauke region of Papua and sparked outrage.

This assault occurred on Monday, July 26, 2021, around Jalan Raya Mandala, Merauke (Jubi, July 27).

The video shows an altercation between the 18-year-old and a food stall owner. Two security men from the Air Force Military Police (Polisi Militer Angkatan Udara, or POMAU) intervened in the argument.

One of the officers grabbed the teenager and pulled him from the food stall. The victim was slammed to the pavement and then stomped on by the Air Force officers.

The two men, Serda Dimas and Prada Vian, trampled on Steven’s head and twisted his arms after knocking him to the ground. The young man was seen screaming in pain, but the two men continued to step on his head and body while the officers casually spoke on the phone.


In response to this assault, the commander of POMAU in Merauke, Colonel Pnb Herdy Arief Budiyanto, apologised for the actions of the two military policemen.

In a press statement released on Tuesday, July 27, Colonel Herd stated that his men had overreacted and acted as vigilantes. The victim (Steven) and his adoptive mother, along with Merauke Police Chief, Untung Sangaji, and Vice-chairman of the regional People’s representative, Marotus Solokah, attended Tuesday’s press briefing (Jubi, July 27).

Military policemen detained
Kadispenau from the Air Force stated that the two men had now been detained under Commander J.A. Merauke’s supervision while POMAU Merauke investigates the incident.

Kadispenau said: “The Air Force army does not hesitate to punish according to the level of the wrongdoings.”

Papuan human rights defender Theo Hesegem said the two Air Force officers’ actions were unprofessional and should immediately be dealt with in accordance with the law applicable in the military judiciary in Papua, not outside Papua.

“They should be dismissed and fired,” Hesegem said.


Natalius Pigai, Indonesia’s former human rights commissioner, slammed the incident as “racist”.

Pigai said on his Twitter account: “Not only members of the security forces, but Indonesia’s high officials who are racist should also be punished.”

“Unless,” Pigai added, “Indonesia’s president Jokowi nurtures the racism committed by his tribe.” (Warta Mataram, July 27).

Suitable place for the ‘lazy’
Recently, Tri Rismaharini, Social Affairs Minister of Jokowi’s government, said that “lazy people” in the state civil service would be moved to Papua. Inferring that Papua was a suitable place for lazy, useless, and low-IQ humans.

The racism issue will not be solved if people like Tri Rismaharini are not punished for their offensive remarks to Papuans.

Pigai remarked as such because of countless denigrating comments and statements from Indonesia’s highest office, in which he himself is often the target of racism.

But still, the country’s justice system fails to deliver justice for Papuan victims and hold the perpetrators accountable.

These incidents are not isolated incidents – they are just the tip of the iceberg of what Papuans have been facing for 60 years under Indonesian rule. Tragic footage like the one in Merauke attracts public attention only because someone captured it and shared it.

Most inhumane treatment in Papua’s remote villages rarely get recorded and shared in this way.

Growing up in a highland village, I witnessed these barbaric behaviours by members of Indonesia’s armed force. They were walking around in uniforms with guns; they did many horrible things to Papuans — just as they wished, without consequence.

Submerged in dirty fishpond
One elder from my village was forced to stay underwater in a dirty fishpond. They military tied a heavy log to his legs so that his body remained underwater all day.

I also remember that my cousin, a young girl aged 13 -14 with whom I went to school, often provided sexual services to a nearby Indonesian military post.

Many soldiers would have their way with her. Not just her, but many young female children face the same fate throughout the villages.

The video of the inhumane treatment of deaf Papuan youth Steven a few days ago in Merauke by Indonesia’s Air Force officers reminded me of many horrible things I had witnessed in the highlands of Papua.

Unfortunately, these crimes hardly get resolved, and perpetrators walk free while victims get punished.


This inhumane treatment brings to mind the tragic killing of George Floyd after a white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes as he lay face down in the street on 25 May 2020.

However, in this case, the four officers involved were dismissed from their jobs and prosecuted. Derek Chauvin was sentenced to more than 20 years for the killing on June 25, 2021.

Rarely face justice
Tragically, in Papua, the perpetrators of these sorts of crimes rarely face justice and may even get promoted despite their atrocious acts.

Although Jakarta has already apologised for the Merauke atrocity, Jakarta elites are delusional, thinking that empty apologies alone will solve Papua’s protracted conflicts.

If anything, this cheap word “sorry” does more damage and rubs even more salt in the Papuans’ wounds.

Jakarta’s favourite word, “sorry”, has its own value when used appropriately in a specific place and time, like when you accidentally tip over your friend’s coffee cup.

Papuans and Indonesians protracted wars are not fought over spilling a cup of coffee; these wars are fought are over serious gross human rights violations committed by Indonesia’s state-sponsored security forces, supported by Western powers.

Hence, neither Papuans’ wounds nor their dignity can be healed or restored with a cheap apology. Papuans need and demand justice.

Yamin Kogoya is a West Papuan academic who has a Master of Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development from the Australian National University and who contributes to Asia Pacific Report. From the Lani tribe in the Papuan Highlands, he is currently living in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.


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3) KontraS Laments Use of Excessive Force by Authorities in Papua
 Translator: Ricky Mohammad Nugraha  
 Editor: Laila Afifa 
29 July 2021 20:38 WIB 

TEMPO.COJakarta - The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) on Thursday spoke up about the latest incident regarding authorities using excessive force in Merauke, Papua, where two air force (TNI AU) personnel forcefully tackled a civilian on the ground. This unfortunate incident was recorded by a bystander and went viral on Tuesday, July 27.

KontraS legal affairs coordinator Andi Rezaldy argues that authorities’ approach of using violence is not a solution to tackle issues of violence in Indonesia's easternmost province. 

“The string of violences happening in Papua proves that the mobilization of security forces and using violence will not solve the root problem,” he said to Tempo on July 29. “The country should be able to read into the situation in Papua and see the substance of the problem.”

From the policy perspective, there is no accountability and transparency in the security mobilization through the Armed Forces (TNI) personnel even though Law No.34/2004 on Indonesian National Soldiers mandates mobilization of forces must be under the President’s orders. 


“However, the President never announced it and there are no documents that can be accessed in public corroborating that,” said Rezaldy.

He recalled KontraS requesting information transparency on the TNI and National Police mobilization to Papua but has yet received any response.

The watchdog recorded 16 cases of violence from January this year alone; with 17 people injured, 73 were arrested, and 10 deaths. The victims were dominated by activists with 25 people, followed by non-job civilians with (15), and students (5). 

Read: Police Members Reportedly Beat Papuan Following TNI Violence Case

EGI ADYATAMA

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4) Papua Incident; Air Force Pays Customary Fine

Translator: 
 
Editor: 

Laila Afifa

TEMPO.COJakarta - Steven (17) is a man with disabilities in Merauke, Papua, who went viral on social media after he was subdued on Monday by two TNI's Air Force members. One Air Force personnel pinned him to the ground while the other stepped on the man’s head on a sidewalk.  

Immediately after this incident, the commanders of military districts, air bases, and military police met with religious figures, public figures, Papuan youth figures, and the relatives of Steven. 

Presidential special staff of politics, law, and human rights, Sunarman Sukamto said the meeting produced a peaceful solution, especially with the victim’s family. However, he asserted that the two personnel who committed the degrading act will be legally prosecuted.

“As part of the peace deal, the Indonesian Air Force has given a pig, staple food, and an amount of money,” Sunarman confirmed to Tempo on July 29. 


The mutual agreement took place on Wednesday also had both parties agree not to conduct any follow up measures. 

Just hours after the video went viral, the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) commander issued a public apology and offered an apology on behalf of the two Air Force personnel who acted outrageously in pacifying a prior situation that led to the incident. 

Both the Air Force’s sergeant and private involved have been named suspects and are undergoing legal proceedings in Papua. 

Read: KontraS Laments Use of Excessive Force by Authorities in Papua

CHETA NILAWATY P

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Saturday, July 24, 2021

1) Indonesian Forces Arrest Papuan Rebel Who Escaped from Prison in 2016


2) Papua struggles to bring COVID-19 cases under control 

3) As COVID cases spread, Papuans urged to remain vigilant 
4) PON National Games can boost Papuan economy: Indef researcher 
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https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/papua-rebels-separatist-arrested-07232021132103.html

1) Indonesian Forces Arrest Papuan Rebel Who Escaped from Prison in 2016


Ronna Nirmala Jakarta. 2021-07-23 

Updated at 3:26 p.m. ET on 2021-07-23


Papuan activists attend a protest in Surabaya to mark the Free Papua Organization’s anniversary in Indonesia, Dec. 1, 2020.


Indonesian police arrested a Papuan separatist leader who was on the run after he escaped from a prison in Papua with several others in 2016, while serving a life sentence for the killings of three police officers, officials said Friday. 

Osimin Wenda (also known as Usmin Telenggen) was picked up while riding a motorcycle in Puncak Jaya regency on Thursday morning, Papua province police spokesman Ahmad Musthofa Kamal said.

“The team stopped him in the Wandigobak village and immediately arrested him,” Kamal told BenarNews in a statement.

Osimin, 30, was arrested in 2013. The next year, a Papua court sentenced him to life in prison after finding him guilty of premeditated murder, aggravated robbery and arson attacks.

Kamal said his crimes included participating in an attack on a police station in Lanny Jaya regency that killed a local police chief and two of his subordinates in November 2012.

During the same month, Osimin and other rebels ambushed an entourage led by then-Papua police chief Tito Karnavian – now Indonesia’s minister of home affairs – in Lanny Jaya, Kamal said. There were no casualties.

Five years ago, Osimin and 13 other inmates, including several separatist rebels, escaped from the Abepura prison in Jayapura, the provincial capital. Authorities blamed the prison break on a shortage of guards.

While on the run, Osimin allegedly was involved in an attack that killed a motorcycle taxi driver in Lanny Jaya regency in 2018, Kamal said.

Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the West Papua National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, could not immediately be reached for comment on the arrest.

Before his first arrest in 2013, Osimin was part of a group of guerrillas under the command of Lekagak Telenggen, a rebel chief in Puncak regency.

Earlier this month, security forces arrested an alleged guerrilla, Yoniku Murib, and four others under Lekagak’s command.

While being interrogated in custody, Murib revealed that the Lekagak Telenggen group was responsible for some attacks in Puncak this year, according to Faisal Ramadhani, director of general crime investigations at the Papuan police.

A low-level separatist insurgency has simmered for decades in Indonesia’s far-eastern Papua region, which makes up the western half of New Guinea Island and comprises two provinces: Papua and West Papua.

In 1963, Indonesian forces invaded Papua and annexed it. The region, whose population is mainly Melanesian, was incorporated formally into Indonesia after a U.N.-sponsored ballot called the Act of Free Choice in 1969.

Locals and activists said the vote was a sham vote because only about 1,000 people took part. However, the United Nations accepted the result, which essentially endorsed Jakarta’s rule. 

The natural resource-rich region remains among Indonesia’s poorest and underdeveloped ones.


Police honor guards stand near the coffin of one of their officers in Mimika, Indonesia, a day after he was killed in a gun battle between police and separatist rebels in the Papua region, April 28, 2021. [AFP]


Recent violence

Kamal said the security situation had improved in Papua after a spate of rebel attacks on civilians and clashes between insurgents and security forces in the past few months.

“Thank God, the past few days have been calm,” Kamal said. 

“Investigations, arrests and operations to hunt armed criminal groups are still being carried out by joint forces.”

In the latest incidents, rebels opened fire on security personnel who were guarding food supplies in Nduga regency on July 6, wounding three soldiers, Jayapura military commander Brig. Gen. Izak Pangemanan told the state-run Antara news agency.

On July 11, a police officer was wounded in a shootout with insurgents in Yahukimo regency. A day later, two soldiers were injured in a shootout with another group of rebels in Nduga, said regional military chief Maj. Gen. Ignatius Yogo Triyono.

Late last month, suspected separatist rebels killed four construction workers and took four people hostage in Yahukimo regency. Police said the hostages were later freed.

In April, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo ordered security forces to step up efforts to eradicate the armed groups after separatist insurgents assassinated an army general, who was also the regional chief of Indonesia’s intelligence agency.

As part of the crackdown, the government declared the separatist rebels a terrorist group. The designation alarmed rights activists who said it could lead to more human rights abuses against Papuan people.

Cahyo Pamungkas, a researcher on Papua at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, said the designation of separatists as terrorists meant that dialogue was increasingly out of reach.

“The result is that the authorities will become more and more overzealous in anti-insurgency operations. There are no more overtures for dialogue and violence and military force has become a solution,” Cahyo told BenarNews.







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2) Papua struggles to bring COVID-19 cases under control 
 5 hours ago

Papua has been struggling to cope with a drastic rise in COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks, with the Delta variant of the coronavirus beginning to tighten its grip on Indonesia's easternmost province.

 
Cases of the more contagious and transmissible Delta variant in Merauke district were confirmed quite recently by the Health Ministry's Health Research and Development Agency (Litbangkes).

 
As disclosed by the Merauke COVID-19 task force spokesperson, Neville Maskita, on July 20, 2021, the cases of the Delta variant were confirmed based on lab tests of samples sent to the agency's laboratory.

 
"The Litbangkes announced on Monday evening (July 20, 2021) that the COVID-19 Delta variant had spread to Merauke, Papua, based on the lab test results of samples sent to the agency," Maskita said.

 
On July 22, the task force recorded 421 COVID-19 cases, with the majority of patients placed in self-isolation and 40 hospitalized at the Merauke public hospital.

 
To deal with the COVID-19 surge in the district, the task force has asked the Health Ministry to deliver more medical oxygen and ventilators. "May the ministry meet our request," Maskita said.

 
Currently, coronavirus infections have spread to 18 districts and cities across the province, according to the Papua COVID-19 task force.

Related news: Papua planning partial lockdown in August: official

 
Six of the affected areas are located in Papua's mountainous regions in the districts of Jayawijaya, Lanny Jaya, Tolikara, Pegunungan Bintang, Paniai, and Puncak Jaya, the task force's spokesperson, Silwanus Sumule, said.

 
The 12 other affected regions comprise Jayapura City and the districts of Jayapura, Merauke, Boven Digul, Asmat, Mappi, Mimika, Biak Numfor, Supiori, Kepulauan Yapen, Nabire, and Keerom.

 
On July 21, Papua recorded 570 additional cases, bringing the total number of infections since the pandemic struck the province last year to 31,204 .

 
Of the total number of COVID-19 patients, 24,825 have fully recovered from the infection, 688 others have succumbed to the virus, and 5,691 remain hospitalized, Sumule informed.

 
"Local residents are again requested to keep complying with the government's health protocols anytime they do outdoor activities," he said.

 
Amid the alarming spike in infections, the Papua administration has asked residents to be prepared for a month-long lockdown in August, 2021 after the micro-scale public activity restrictions (PPKM Mikro) end on July 25.

 
During the lockdown, all entry points to Papua province would be closed to curb an exponential increase in COVID-19 infections in communities, spokesperson for the Papua governor, Muhammad Rifai Darus, said earlier.

 
The detailed rules of the lockdown, which would entail the closure of airports and seaports from August 1 to August 31, 2021, were deliberated at the Papua COVID-19 task force's meeting on July 21, he informed.

 
On July 19, 2021, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe and his counterparts from all over Indonesia held a virtual meeting with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to discuss the country's COVID-19 pandemic situation, he said.

 
Following the meeting, Governor Enembe initiated a meeting with his subordinates to discuss Papua's COVID-19 pandemic situation, he added.

 
Enembe also issued a letter, No.440/7736/SET, notifying the enforcement of PPKM Mikro until July 25, 2021, Darus said.

Related news: Prepare for lockdown in August, Papuans warned

 
Though the Papua administration has been regularly evaluating the enforcement of the PPKM Mikro, the governor has instructed all authorities to intensify coordinated COVID-19 mitigation efforts, he added.

 Papua has come under the spotlight of Indonesia's media outlets as it is scheduled to host this year's PON National Games and National Para Games (Peparnas).

 
The PON National Games will take place in Jayapura City and the districts of Jayapura, Mimika, and Merauke from October 2 to October 15, while the Peparnas will be held from November 2 to November 15.

 
At least 6,400 athletes and 3,500 officials from 34 provinces across Indonesia are expected to participate in Papua's PON National Games, which will feature 37 events.

 
Meanwhile, 1,935 athletes and 740 officials will take part in the National Para Games in Jayapura City and Jayapura district, which will feature 12 events.


Related news: As COVID cases spread, Papuans urged to remain vigilant

 
To ensure the safety of athletes and officials participating in the PON National Games and National Para Games, President Widodo has asked the concerned agencies to inoculate all athletes.

 
The President has also instructed that local residents living near all venues of the sporting events and athletes' villages be vaccinated, according to Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali.

 
The Papua administration is striving to flatten the COVID-19 curve though the situation seems to have become quite challenging for the province's healthcare system, with several hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

 
To address this situation, Papua cannot work alone. The central government and all related stakeholders must assist the province to bring the soaring COVID-19 cases under control.

 
It is time to show the spirit of "gotong royong" (mutual cooperation) and a true sense of Indonesianness to the Papua administration and people in dire need of help in the province.


Related news: Papua PON to boost local economy: Jayapura District Head

Related news: PON National Games can boost Papuan economy: Indef researcher

By Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf


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3) As COVID cases spread, Papuans urged to remain vigilant 
 8 hours ago




Several COVID-19 patients are treated outside the Jayapura Public Hospital's intensive care unit facilities, as a temporary measure, as the hospital has run out of beds. (ANTARA/HO/pihak ketiga)

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - The Papua COVID-19 task force has asked locals to remain vigilant as coronavirus infections have currently spread to 18 districts and cities in the province amid the continued threat posed by the Delta variant.

Six of the affected areas are located in Papua's mountainous regions in the districts of Jayawijaya, Lanny Jaya, Tolikara, Pegunungan Bintang, Paniai, and Puncak Jaya, task force spokesperson Silwanus Sumule informed.

Twelve other affected regions are Jayapura City and the districts of Jayapura, Merauke, Boven Digul, Asmat, Mappi, Mimika, Biak Numfor, Supiori, Kepulauan Yapen, Nabire, and Keerom, he said.

On July 21, 2021, Papua added 570 COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections since the pandemic hit the province last year to 31,204, he said in a statement received by ANTARA on Saturday.

Of the total COVID-19 patients, 24,825 have fully recovered from the infection, 688 others have succumbed to the virus, while 5,691 remain hospitalized, Sumule informed.

"Local residents are again requested to keep complying with the government's health protocols anytime they do outdoor activities," he said.

Amid the alarming trend in infections, the Papua administration has asked residents to be prepared for a month-long lockdown in August, 2021 after the micro-scale public activity restrictions (PPKM Mikro) end on July 25.

Related news: Prepare for lockdown in August, Papuans warned

During the lockdown, all entry points to Papua province would be closed to curb an exponential increase in COVID-19 infections in communities, spokesperson for the Papua governor, Muhammad Rifai Darus, said earlier.

The detailed rules of the lockdown, which would entail the closure of airports and seaports from August 1 to August 31, 2021, were deliberated at the Papua COVID-19 Task Force's meeting on July 21, 2021, he informed.

On July 19, 2021, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe along with his counterparts from all over Indonesia held a virtual meeting with President Joko Widodo to discuss the country's COVID-19 pandemic situation, he said.

Following the meeting with President Widodo, Governor Enembe initiated a meeting with his subordinates to discuss Papua's COVID-19 pandemic situation, he added.

Related news: Papua planning partial lockdown in August: official

Enembe also issued a letter, No.440/7736/SET, notifying the enforcement of PPKM Mikro until July 25, 2021, Darus said.

The Papua administration has been regularly evaluating the enforcement of the PPKM Mikro, but the governor has instructed all authorities to intensify coordinated COVID-19 mitigation efforts, he added.

Papua will host this year's PON National Games, which are scheduled to take place in Jayapura City and the districts of Jayapura, Mimika, and Merauke from October 2 to October 15, 2021, as well as the National Para Games (Peparnas) that will be held from November 2 to November 15.

Related news: Indonesian women's doubles pair Polii-Rahayu win Olympic opening match

Related news: Mimika government urges president to consider about hosting PON XX

Reporter: Evarukdijati, Rahmad Nasution

Editor: Fardah Assegaf


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4) PON National Games can boost Papuan economy: Indef researcher 
 7 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Convening of the 2021 PON National Games in Papua could drive the local economy if economic events take place in concert with the Games, Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) researcher Bhima stated.

"The continuation of construction projects (in Papua) is one example of a project that could be synchronised with the PON event," Indef researcher Bhima noted here today.

Bhima particularised that proper supporting infrastructure, encompassing athletes lodging and reliable internet connection facilities, were required to hold the Games, thereby making the local construction sector crucial. The locals will also be offered new job opportunities in the construction sector.

Moreover, the Indef researcher noted that the local food and beverage industry offered business opportunities for entrepreneurs to promote local foods. He cited an example from the 2018 Asian Games hosted in Jakarta and Palembang when demand for Palembang’s local delicacy of fried fishcake pempek had spiked significantly.

"Papua also has other unique local delicacies, such as lontar milk pie cake, bagea sago cake, Manokwari's roasted fish, and papeda sago congee. (Entrepreneurs) are required to only prepare an eye-catching packaging and engage in aggressive promotion at online marketplaces for market survival after the conclusion of the Games," Bhima explained.

Related news: Mimika government urges president to consider about hosting PON XX

Apart from construction and food industries, Bhima also suggested local car renting companies to join the economy bandwagon during the Games, consequently kickstarting the recovery of local transportation businesses.

The Papuan government also expects economic development sparked by the PON National Games, scheduled in October 2021, to continue after the conclusion of the Games, particularly in the local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.

Papua Province Regional Secretariat Deputy for Economy and People's Welfare Muhammad Musa'ad stated that the 2021 PON National Games should offer a momentum for entrepreneurs to develop their businesses.

"As in arranging an orchestra, we are striving to first create synergy and fusion from all business sectors (in Papua) for our economic development," Musa'ad stated in Jayapura on Tuesday (July 13). 
Related news: Papuan entrepreneurs roped in for PON, Peparnas: MSMEs Office
Related news: Obeying health protocols is key to successful convening of Papua's PON


   

Reporter: M Baqir Idrus, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto

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