The district government has expressed its readiness to facilitate their return to Kiwirok though the exact date for that is not yet available, Pegunungan Bintang Police chief Adjunct Sen.Coms. Cahyo Sukarnito said.
The security situation in Pegunungan Bintang's areas has relatively remained conducive though several Papuan separatist terrorists operating in the district keep attempting to pose a threat to locals, he added.
On October 24, 2021, for instance, several members of an armed Papuan terrorist group tried to torch the Okbibab junior high school building, Sukarnito said.
Their act of terror was, however, foiled by police's mobile brigade personnel conducting a routine patrol in the area, he said.
Related news: Some 11 other residents of Kiwirok evacuated to Oksibil
Over the past two months, the Papuan separatist terrorists operating in Pegunungan Bintang areas have repeatedly set buildings on fire, he noted.
The terrorists also launched black propaganda campaigns on social media platforms against Indonesian security personnel, accusing them of torching buildings and bombing areas, he said.
Sukarnito denied the allegations saying that if the security personnel did bomb the areas, they would be destroyed.
On the morning of September 13, 2021, several members of the Lamek Tablo-led separatist terrorist group had reportedly torched several public facilities, including a public health center, and homes in Kiwirok.
The Papuan terrorists reportedly assaulted and tortured several health workers from the Kiwirok Public Health Center.
As a result, one health worker, identified as Gabriela Meilan, died while four others sustained serious injuries. Meilan died after being tortured by the terrorists, said officials.
The separatist terrorists also got into a gunfight with Indonesian security personnel during which one army personnel sustained minor injuries on his right arm after a bullet ricocheted and struck him.
The wounded army personnel was identified as 1st Private Ansar from the 403/WP Infantry Battalion.
The deadly terrorist attack has resulted in the termination of healthcare services at the Kiwirok Public Health Center since September 13, according to a National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) official.
Related news: Two platoons of Brimob personnel dispatched to Papua's Dekai, Oksibil
Related news: Four men in Papua's Oksibil subdistrict nabbed for burning kiosks
Jayapura, Jubi – Papua Legal Aid Institute has called on the Papua and West Papua administration, as well as the Indonesian Red Cross, to immediately save civilians who were displaced due to armed conflict in a number of areas in Papua.
Emanuel Gobay of the Papua Legal Aid Institute said that the obligation for the government and the red cross to handle displaced people during conflicts had been stipulated in Government Regulation No. 7/2019 on Red Cross.
“Displaced people are all over the place in Papua, in Nduga Regency (2018), Intan Jaya Regency (2019 – 2020), Mimika Regency (2020), Maybrat Regency (2020), Puncak Regency (2021), , Tambrauw Regency ( 2021) and the Bintang Mountains Regency (2021). The Papua and West Papua Administrations must create a regulation to protect Papuan civilians who are displaced due to conflict or natural disasters,” Gobay said in a writing statement received by Jubi on Monday, Oct. 25. 2021.
Both administrations, according to Gobay, must immediately carry out their duties to find, accommodate, protect, and monitor displaced people in various areas. “As well as forming a regional regulation on the red cross. The red cross is [given a mandate] for emergency management, health services, and social services,” said Gobay.
Gobay emphasized that the government and the red cross must immediately handle the displaced people from four districts in the Bintang Mountains Regency, namely Kiwirok District, Oklib District, Okyob District, and Okika District. Residents in the four districts were reported to have fled after the security forces operation that occurred in the area on Oct. 10.
The operation took place following the attack on a health center and a crossfire between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and police and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) in Kiwirok on Sept.13. Civilians reportedly fled to a number of places, including Oksibil, the capital of the Bintang Mountains Regency, and to the border of Papua New Guinea.
Gobay said that the government and the Indonesian Red Cross were obliged to treat people not involved in the conflict humanely, including combatants who had stopped fighting, as regulated in Law No. 59/1958 on Indonesia’s Participation in All Geneva Conferences on Aug. 12, 1949.
“They must be treated with humanity and without any adverse distinction based on race, color, religion, belief, sex, ancestry, or wealth. The Red Cross Law should apply in all of Papua and West Papua where armed conflicts between the TNI and police and the TPNPB occur, such is currently happening in the Bintang Mountains Regency,” Gobay said.
He added that the situation experienced by displaced people from four districts in the Bintang Mountains indicated the suspicion of widespread and systematic attacks directed against the civilians in the form of forced displacement and deprivation of liberty.
Further, Gobay said that the National Commission on Human Rights must carry out the duties of observing the implementation of human rights in Papua, investigating alleged violations of human rights, and reporting the results to the public.
Editor: Aryo Wisanggeni G
Wamena, Jubi – The Jayawijaya Regency Administration will run its poverty reduction program in five districts suffering from extreme poverty according to Statistics Indonesia’s data this year.
Jayawijaya deputy regent Marthin Yogobi said that the local government working unit would match data and ensure that residents in each village who are considered extremely poor have IDs so that assistance can be given on target.
“This was highlighted by the vice president some time ago. We will do it in the next two months,” said Yogobi during a meeting with the local government working unit at the Jayawijaya Regent’s office on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021.
The five targeted districts are Wesaput, Wouma, Bolakme, Asologaima, and Usilimo. Data sampling will be done in five villages in each of the five districts. There will be 25 villages in total for data matching.
In dealing with extreme poverty, said Yogobi, the local government would provide social assistance for people in targeted districts for two months. “So far, assistance has also been available from the central government such as the Direct Cash Assistance,” he said.
The poverty rate in Jayawijaya, based on Statistics Indonesia’s data, stood at 30, which means 84 percent of the Jayawijaya population or 67,720 people fall into extreme poverty.
According to Yogobi, there are several indicators to determine an area as extremely poor, namely the availability of clean water and basic services such as education and health. “The five districts show extreme poverty due to very limited access to basic services,” he said.
In addition, people’s per capita income also affects indicators for determining extreme poverty, wherein each family member is measured how many calories from food are consumed according to the United Nations standards.
Head of the General Division of Statistics Indonesia’s Jayawijaya Office, Arther Ludwig Purmiasa said that Statistics Indonesia’s data was the result of the National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas), which was conducted twice a year in March and September.
“For Susenas, we use an approach of census block units. We then obtain the poverty rate from the survey results from the Susenas. In addition, we look at the expenditure of the people’s basic needs,” he said. (*)
Reporter: Islami Adisubrata
Editor: Kristianto Galuwo
JAKARTA, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Indonesia's decision to block internet access during periods of social unrest was lawful, its constitutional court ruled on Wednesday, in a move activists said sets a dangerous precedent for internet freedom in the world's third largest democracy.
During 2019 demonstrations in the country's easternmost region of Papua, Indonesian authorities throttled internet access in what the government said was an attempt to prevent violence that could have been sparked by the rapid spread of online disinformation.
Rights groups said the curbs violated freedom of expression and were enacted to suppress civil unrest, a view upheld by an administrative court last year.
But such moves were "within reason", given the threat to public order, and were in line with Indonesia's constitution, said Constitutional Court judge Enny Nurbaningsih, one of a panel of nine sitting judges, seven of whom ruled in the government's favour on Wednesday.
"This could threaten our freedom of press, and eventually our democracy could backslide," said Sasmito Madrim, chairman of Indonesia's Alliance of Independent Journalists, which was part of the coalition of civil society organisations that filed last year's judicial review.
Indonesian communications ministry spokesman Dedy Permadi said the government would study the ruling, which is final and binding, and use it to guide its decision to "prevent the spread of internet content that violates the law".
The sometimes violent 2019 demonstrations broke out in a number of cities from after Papuan students on Java island were allegedly taunted with racist slurs and some demonstrators called for Papua to be independent from Indonesia.
Access to some local media, including the Suara Papua website, was blocked during the protests.
The government also restricted internet access in the capital Jakarta in 2019 after deadly protests erupted following a divisive presidential election.
Arif Nur Fikri, from civil society organisation Kontras, said he was concerned the arbitrary restriction of local media could recur.
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