Sunday, July 18, 2021

1) West Papua residents urged to maintain peace ahead of Idul Adha


2) Papua special autonomy law 'from, by and for Jakarta': Veronica Koman
3) COVID-19 crisis in Papua and West Papua on the brink amid fears of the Delta variant entering the community

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https://en.antaranews.com/news/179662/west-papua-residents-urged-to-maintain-peace-ahead-of-idul-adha
1) West Papua residents urged to maintain peace ahead of Idul Adha  
18 hours ago



On Saturday (July 17), West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan symbolically handed over one of the donated cows to the Al Hijrah Borobudur Mosque manager, La Hada, in Manokwari City.  ANTARA/HO


Manokwari, W Papua (ANTARA) - West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan has urged all residents to maintain peace and harmony as their Muslim brothers and sisters across the province will celebrate Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice), which is set to fall on July 20.

The celebrations are taking place in the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced the West Papua Provincial Government to impose the emergency public activity restrictions in Manokwari District and Sorong City, he said.

"I urge all religious communities in West Papua to keep practicing tolerance ahead of the Idul Adha festivity that our Muslim brothers and sisters will celebrate on July 20," he said.

During the enforcement of the partial lockdown amid growing threats of Delta variant, the Ministry for Religious Affairs has called on Muslim communities in Indonesia to perform the Idul Adha prayers at home.

In his capacity as the chairman of the West Papua chapter of National Democratic Party (Nasdem), Dominggus Mandacan said he has donated 80 cattle to be distributed to 11 districts and cities across the province.

On Saturday, Mandacan symbolically handed over one of the donated cows to the Al Hijrah Borobudur Mosque manager, La Hada, in Manokwari City.

The Nasdem party's executive board members, legislators, and cadres in West Papua participated in buying the cattle to be donated so as to show their solidarity and care for Muslim communities, he added.

The cattle are donated to several mosques in the districts of Manokwari, Manokwari Selatan, Teluk Wondama, Teluk Bintuni, Kaimana, Fakfak, Sorong, Sorong Selatan, Tambrauw, and Raja Ampat, as well as Sorong City.

Related news: COVID-19: Partial lockdown enforced in West Papua's Manokwari, Sorong

Early this week, Dominggus Mandacan had announced the commencement of the partial lockdown to help the provincial government cope with a resurgence of infections.

The decision to impose the partial lockdown from July 12 to July 20 was made after considering the recent surge in infections, the conditions in hospitals, and the vaccination rates in Manokwari and Sorong, he said.

The imposition of the partial lockdown is supported by assessment level 4 criteria such as hospital bed occupancy, which has exceeded 65 percent, and a significant spike in COVID-19 cases, he informed.

Vaccination rates in the two areas, which have remained below 50 percent, are also among the parameters considered for the lockdown, Mandacan said, adding that West Papua remains categorized as a red zone, or an area with a very high risk of infection.

People are prohibited from outdoor activities. Essential sectors such as banking, healthcare services, energy and staple food supplies, and export-oriented industries are exempt from the partial lockdown.

Those involved in logistics, food industries, transportation, construction, disaster mitigation, nation's strategic projects, and provision of basic necessities will be allowed to operate, but in compliance with health protocols, the governor said.
Related news: W Papuan hospital buckles amid COVID surge, stops admitting patients
Related news: Police tighten entry curbs in West Papua's Manokwari, Sorong

 

Reporter: HA Kapisa, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto

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2) Papua special autonomy law 'from, by and for Jakarta': Veronica Koman

CNN Indonesia – July 16, 2021

Jakarta – Lawyer and Papua advocate Veronica Koman has criticised the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government for ratifying the Special Autonomy (Otsus) Law on Papua, saying that the law only represents the interests of the government.

Koman said she regrets that the law was ratified when it has been rejected by Papuans and that the interests of the Papuan people were not considered in the law.

"The extension of Papua Otsus is from Jakarta, by Jakarta and for Jakarta, because the MRP [Papua People's Council] has already said that the majority of Papuan people reject Otsus", said Koman in an SMS message sent to CNN Indonesia on Thursday July 15.

Koman also highlighted a number of revisions to the law, one of which is article 76 on regional decentralisation in Papua.

She said that the article will make it easier for the central government to create new administrative regions in Papua. Yet in terms of legislation, the population density requirements for this have not been met. In addition to this, it will also have the potential to give rise to conflicts.

"Regional decentralisation in Papua is one of the tactics of divide et impera which has been effective in marginalising Papuans. This would mean that there will be new administrative regions, and there will be talk of transmigration again", she said.

Koman also criticised the removal of paragraphs (1) and (2) from Article 28 which stipulated the Papuan people's right to establish local political parties.

Koman said that the removal of these two paragraphs will make it impossible for Papuans to create local parties. Yet in other special regions such as Aceh, this is allowed.

"Even prior to this it wasn't implemented because of the huge stigma and pressure from Jakarta so local parties in Papua have never existed in Papua. Moreover, now in black and white it no longer exists", said Koman.

Earlier today the government and the DPR agreed to enact the Draft Law on Papuan Special Autonomy which revised Law Number 21/2021.

The revised law contains 20 articles, 18 of which represent revisions to the existing law. Two other articles meanwhile are new to the law. (dhf/wis)

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Veronica Kritik UU Otsus Papua: Dari, Oleh dan Untuk Jakarta".]

Source: https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20210715135941-20-668254/veronica-kritik-uu-otsus-papua-dari-oleh-dan-untuk-jakarta


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https://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/programs/pacificbeat/west-papua-covid/13448000?utm_medium=social&utm_content=sf247706374&utm_campaign=abc_radio_australia&utm_

source=m.facebook.com&sf247706374=1

3) COVID-19 crisis in Papua and West Papua on the brink amid fears of the Delta variant 

entering the community


By Reporter Mackenzie Smith on Pacific Beat

Hospitals in Indonesia’s Papua and West Papua provinces are being overwhelmed by the devastating 

COVID-19 outbreak which is spreading across the country.

Until now, Papua and West Papua have largely been spared the brunt of Indonesia’s outbreak—which 

spiked at more than 54,000 cases on Thursday—but there are fears the situation will worsen.

Indonesia’s Health Minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, has warned that the spread of the Delta variant to r

egions like Papua was concerning given a lack of access to healthcare.

The latest figures from Papua Province stand at more than 27,000 since the pandemic began last year, 

but with limited hospital beds, a health worker in West Papua’s Raja Ampat regency, Audryn Karma, 

said many of the sick were being cared for

 at home.

She said there was still capacity in her regency, but in nearby Sorong, West Papua’s largest city, every 

hospital was full.

“The government need to campaign more about vaccination because people still get afraid to get vaccine 

until right now. And we're still not getting the target number for the vaccination. So it’s really [frustrating] too.”

Sorong City and Manokwari regency went into an eight-day lockdown on Monday, but these restrictions 

are yet to be imposed elsewhere.

In the capital of Papua Province, Jayapura, Victor Mambor, Chief Editor of the tabloid Jubi newspaper 

says hospitals are being put under strain because they are providing both COVID-19 testing and care for patients.

Pro-independence protests broke out in Jayapura this week as Indonesia’s parliament moved to extend

 the special autonomy laws that govern Papua and West Papua.

The laws direct national funding and administrative responsibilities to the provincial government, but critics 

argue it’s used to reinforce Jakarta’s political control over the region.

Mr Mambor said 33 students were arrested on Wednesday, and there are reports several people were injured in

 clashes with police. 

The police said the protests were shut down because they were in breach of COVID-19 restrictions. 

Duration: 4min 4sec

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