Sunday, July 4, 2021

1) Security personnel continue to persuade Papuan insurgents: police


2) Papuan students, Indonesian People’s Front celebrate July 1 independence proclamation

3) Indonesia's endeavors to improve Papua, W Papua's human capital lauded 

4) Monitoring of incoming travelers tightened: West Papua police

5) Indonesian soldiers share bags of rice with native Papuans 

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1) Security personnel continue to persuade Papuan insurgents: police  
19 hours ago



                                                     Papua Police Chief Inps.Gen. Mathius Fakhiri. ANTARA/Evarukdijati

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Papua Police Chief Insp.Gen.Mathius Fakhiri said security personnel continue to persuade members of armed Papuan separatist groups to be willing to reunite with their families, and declare allegiance to Indonesia.

The efforts are mainly carried out by the Indonesian Defence Forces' (TNI's) village supervisory non-commissioned officers (Babinsa) and National Police's security and public order officers (Bhabinkamtibmas).

In carrying out the persuasive approaches, the Babinsa and Bhabinkamtibmas work closely with regional administrations because the separatists are local residents, Fakhiri said in a statement that ANTARA quoted here Sunday.

They continue coaxing members of the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) into reuniting with their families and communities, and to declare allegiance to the Montherland, he said.

To this end, those who quit the notorious separatist groups need to hand over their firearms to the Indonesian security agencies to prevent the weapons from getting misused in the future, he said.

Some districts in Papua Province witnessed a downward trend in security disturbances after several Papuan insurgents have reunited with their families, he said.

According to Puncak Jaya District Head Yuni Wonda, his district's areas have relatively been conducive, and he welcomes the OPM members with open arms for a dialogue.

By having a good communication with all components in the society at large, he hoped there would be no longer security disturbances in Puncak Jaya.

Over the past few years, armed Papuan groups have applied hit-and-run tactics against Indonesian security personnel and unleashed acts of terror against civilians in the districts of Intan Jaya, Nduga, and Puncak to instil fear among the people.

Construction workers, motorcycle taxi (ojek) drivers, teachers, students, street food vendors, and even civilian aircraft, among others, have been the recent targets of such acts.


Related news: Several armed Papuans in Mimika reunified with families: police

Related news: Bingki village head survives Papuan terrorists' shooting: police



On April 25, 2021, Papuan separatists, operating in Beoga, ambushed State Intelligence Agency (Papua) chief, Maj. Gen. I Gusti Putu Danny Karya Nugraha and several security personnel during their visit to Dambet Village.

Following Nugraha's fatal shooting, President Joko Widodo instructed the TNI and National Police to track down and arrest members of all separatist and terrorist groups operating in Papua, stressing there is no place for them within the Indonesian territory.

In response to the ongoing security disturbances, People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo has warned that the state must not allow armed separatists to continue to terrorize communities in Papua.

Related news: Villagers from Papua's Bingki seek refuge following armed attack

Related news: Unidentified gunmen fatally shoot 5 people in Papua's Yahukimo


It must ensure that the Papuans' rights to enjoy the outcomes of development programs in the country's easternmost province are not disrupted and hijacked by continued acts of terror, he stressed.

To defend the rights of Papuan people to enjoy the outcomes of development, the TNI and National Police personnel must remain present in Papua, Soesatyo emphasized in a recent press statement.

The areas of Ilaga, Nduga, Kenyam, and Intan Jaya remain vulnerable due to the threat posed by separatist terrorists, he stated.


Related news: Faced with rising infections, Indonesia doubles down on restrictions

Related news: Indonesia's daily COVID-19 cases hit another record, reach 27,913

Reporter: Evarukdijati, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf



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2) Papuan students, Indonesian People’s Front celebrate July 1 independence proclamation

 News Desk July 4, 2021 9:20 pm

West Papua No. 1 News Portal | Jubi
Jayapura, Jubi – Papuan Students Alliance (AMP) and Indonesian People’s Front (FRI) for West Papua held a rally in front of the West Java gubernatorial office in Bandung on July 1 to commemorate the declaration of Independence of Papua Land, or internationally known as West Papua, on July 1, 1971.
The rally began from Papuan student dorm Kamasan II and they walked to the gubernatorial office while wearing masks.

The rally spokesperson, Pakos Kossay, said that the native Papuans would continue their struggle for independence. “The state of West Papua will be fought for and we will achieve independence on our land and dignity as Papuans,” said Kossay to Jubi on July 3.

Kossay said people had to understand the history surrounding West Papua’s inclusion to Indonesia in 1969, which to many Papuans was forced through fraudulent practice. To them, the year 1969 was the beginning of West Papua colonization under Indonesia.

 

“Indonesia began to secure the area and smother West Papua independence movement organized by Free Papua Organization (OPM) through diplomacy and guerilla,” he said.

 

Kossay said July 1, 1971 was a historical day for Papuans because that day some fighters proclaimed West Papua’s independence in Waris village in what is now called Jayapura Regency.

 

The proclamation was conveyed by Seth Jafet Rumkorem as the President of West Papua, accompanied by Jakob Prai as the speaker of the Senate (the people’s representatives), Health Minister Dorinus Maury, National Liberation Army (Tepenal) chief of staff Philemon Tablamilena Jarisetou Jufuway, and Tepenal commander Louis Wajoi.

 

The rally coordinator in Bandung, Sey Bomanak, said July 1 was a legal and factual moment to mark West Papua’s independence.

 

Bomanak said the proclamation invited all Papuans, from Numbai to Merauke, from Sorong to Balim (Bintang Mountains), and from Biak Island to Adi Island, to declare independence.

 

Bomanak said the spirit of July 1, 1971 was still alive, and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) continued to return Papuan nation’s political rights. He said the spirit of July 1, 1971 was the continuation of another declaration of independence on Dec. 1, 1961.

 

On Dec. 1, 1961, Papuan fighters raised the Morning Star flag and sang “Hai Tanahku Papua” as the national anthem.

 

On June 30, Indonesian nationalist faction, the Red and White group, issued a press release rejecting July 1 as the commemoration of West Papua declaration of independence. They wanted to instead celebrate July 1 in West Papua as the National Police’s anniversary, called Bhayangkara Day.

 

Reporter: Abeth Ayou
Editor: Aryo Wisanggeni G

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3) Indonesia's endeavors to improve Papua, W Papua's human capital lauded  
16 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University (UIN Syarif Hidayatullah) Rector Amany Lubis lauded the government's endeavors to enhance access to education among native Papuans to improve the quality of Papua and West Papua's human capital.

"The government's efforts to invest in education sector and human resources development will make Papua (and West Papua) better in the future," she said in a statement that ANTARA quoted here on Sunday.

The government has equally provided Papua and West Papua with special facilities to improve the quality of their human resources as evidently shown by a variety of scholarship programs offered to native Papuans.

Thanks to the government's scholarship programs, such as LPDP, Bidikmisi, and affirmative actions for secondary and post-secondary education, they get better access to quality education, she said.

The Papuan students could pursue higher education in various areas of studies, including anthropology, mining, engineering, social and cultural sciences, and religious studies.

"These efforts are aimed at preparing native Papuans for becoming the agents of change," said Lubis who became one of the speakers at the "Understanding Papua Series #1" webinar on Friday.


Related news: Bingki village head survives Papuan terrorists' shooting: police

Related news: Papua preparing for Pacific Exposition 2021


She suggested that the efforts need a synergistic collaboration between the central and provincial governments in promoting sustainable regional development in Papua and West Papua.

By doing so, the whole communities' welfare could be improved so that their quality of life could also be improved, Lubis said.

"Local wisdoms are necessarily adopted to boost the regional development programs to make the outcomes better," she added.

Despite receiving a significant amount of central government funds, Papua and West Papua are still struggling to improve the quality of their human capital, as indicated by their scoring below the national average of 71.94 on Indonesia's 2020 Human Development Index.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Papua and West Papua scored 60.44 and 65.09, respectively, on the 2020 Human Development Index. Their scores remained lower than Aceh province, which got 71.94 points.

BPS data released in February this year has pegged poverty rates in Papua and West Papua at 26.8 percent and 21.7 percent, respectively.

Development outcomes also remain inequitable for native Papuan communities, as indicated by low income levels and lack of access to education and health services.

Amid this challenging reality, the government has hinted its intention of extending the allocation of special autonomy funds to Papua and West Papua by another two decades to accelerate efforts to close the development gap and bring prosperity to all communities in the region.

Related news: Security personnel continue to persuade Papuan insurgents: police

Related news: Several armed Papuans in Mimika reunified with families: police

 

Reporter: Sigit P, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf


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4) Monitoring of incoming travelers tightened: West Papua police 
15 hours ago

Manokwari, W Papua (ANTARA) - The West Papua police tighten the monitoring of travelers arriving at airports and seaports across the province to ensure that they have obtained COVID-19 rapid antigen tests.

Tightening the monitoring of incoming travelers demonstrates the West Papua police's seriousness in curbing coronavirus transmission, West Papua Police Chief Tornagogo Sihombing said.

On Saturday, some 13 incoming passengers partaking in the antigent tests received reactive results so that they were required to get polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, he told journalists on the sidelines of his visit to Rendani Airport in Manokwari, the capital of West Papua Province.

Their PCR test results would determine whether or not they had suffered the COVID-19 symptoms, Sihombing said.

To contain the COVID-19 spread, he urges locals to keep complying with the 5M health protocols -- wearing mask, washing hands, practicing physical distancing measures, avoiding crowds, and reducing mobility.

The COVID-19 pandemic initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 and subsequently spread across the globe, including to countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Indonesian government announced the country's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.

Since then, the central and regional governments have striven incessantly to flatten the nation's coronavirus curve by applying healthcare protocols and public activity restrictions.

Related news: Indonesia looks to India for lessons amid second COVID wave

Related news: Indonesia moves to protect children as COVID-19 cases spike



As part of the efforts to win the fight against COVID-19, the Indonesian government has also been conducting a nationwide vaccination program to contain infections since January 13, 2021.

Amid the government's ongoing vaccination drives, Indonesia has been hit by the second wave of new COVID-19 cases.

The country saw a record increase in daily COVID-19 cases on Saturday (July 3, 2021), with 27,913 new infections reported across the country, which took the total tally to 2,256,851.

The COVID-19 Response Task Force noted that with 493 people dying of COVID-19, the death toll reached 60,027. The number of deaths showed a decline on Saturday compared to that on Friday which stood at 539.


Related news: Association asks president to protect workers' rights during PPKM

Related news: Faced with rising infections, Indonesia doubles down on restrictions

 

Reporter: HA Kapisa, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf


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5) Indonesian soldiers share bags of rice with native Papuans 
16 hours ago
Merauke, Papua (ANTARA) - Seven Indonesian soldiers donated bags of rice to native Papuans in Baidub Village, Ulilin Sub-district, Merauke District, Papua, as part of their sharing is caring program in the midst of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"We share a little bit of what we get with our Papuan brothers and sisters," Commanding officer of the 611 Infantry Battalion/Awang Long's Indonesia-Papua New Guinea Border Security Task Force Lt.Col. Albert Frantesca said.

The community service is aimed at upholding the unity of the task force personnel stationed in the Bupul 12 security checkpoint with the Baidub villagers, he said in a press statement that ANTARA quoted here Sunday.

The bags of rice the border security checkpoint's personnel, headed by Second Lieutenant (2d Lt) Nyoman along with six soldiers, hopefully became a little help to ease the villagers' burden, he said.

"We keep striving to help locals near the Indonesia-PNG border areas," he added.


Related news: Security personnel continue to persuade Papuan insurgents: police

Related news: Several armed Papuans in Mimika reunified with families: police


ANTARA had reported on Indonesian soldiers deployed in Papua that were helping locals through community services, such as healthcare, mobile library, voluntary teaching, and street cleanup programs.

In February this year, for instance, several personnel from the 756/WMS Infantry Battalion's security task force offered a mobile health service to people residing in Beanekogom Village, Tembagapura Sub-district, Mimika District.

The health service has routinely been conducted as part of the task force's community services to ensure that locals are in good health.

The task force's commander, Major Marolop Edison Bala Hutapea, stated that the Indonesian Defence Forces (TNI) is mindful of the difficulties faced by local residents and maintain an emotional connect with them.

Sincerity in conducting community services and tending to the needs of local communities would make the TNI security posts useful to them, according to Hutapea.

Meanwhile, personnel of the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea Border Security Task Force in Mosso Village had ever initiated a street cleanup program in the village of Muara Tami Sub-district, Jayapura City.

Along with the villagers of Mosso, several members of the task force cleared dirt and debris from the village's streets.

The soldiers, who participated in the community service, belonged to the Army Strategic Reserves Command's (Kostrad's) Raider 413 Mechanic Infantry Battalion.


Related news: Indonesia's endeavors to improve Papua, W Papua's human capital lauded

Related news: Faced with rising infections, Indonesia doubles down on restrictions

Related News: Indonesia moves to protect children as COVID-19 cases spike

Reporter: Muhsidin, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf

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