Asia Pacific Report newsdesk
The Papuan People’s Petition — “Petisi Rakyat Papua” — has called on the Indonesian government to release detained human rights advocate Victor Yeimo and to revoke the special autonomy law (version 2).
Yeimo, international spokesperson of the National Committee of West Papua (KNPB), was arrested by the Indonesian police in Tanah Hitam, Abupura-Jayapura. He was serving as spokesperson of the Papuan People’s Petition.
Yeimo is a prisoner of the Papua High Prosecutor’s Office and is currently being treated at the Jayapura Regional General Hospital Dok II.
Previously, he was detained in the detention cell of the Mobile Brigade Headquarters in Kota Raja Jayapura, Papua.
Yeimo has been receiving treatment at the hospital because of public pressure both nationally and internationally over serious concerns for his declining health.
The Petisi Rakyak Papua (PRP) is aimed to call upon the central government of Indonesia in Jakarta to revoke the special autonomy law (Otsus) that was passed prematurely by Jakarta in November 2021 without public hearings and considering the voices and demands of the Papuan people brought by 113 organisations.
The call of rejecting the extension of the special autonomy law which expired last year was echoed a few years ago.
No benefit for Papuans
The petition says that since the central government granted the special autonomy law, the indigenous people of West Papua have not benefited. The law itself has become controversial.
The national spokesperson for the petition, Jefry Wenda, said that apart from the 113 organisations making submissions, 718,179 votes of grassroots people opposed support for extension of the special autonomy law. However, the central government of Indonesia has refused to listen.
Before the widespread rejection of the law from the grassroots level, the provincial government of Papua had tried to negotiate with the central government many times, but Jakarta has been reluctant to consider the provincial government’s aspirations.
This year, the Papuan People’s Petition reaffirms the call by stating:
1. PRP is a manifestation of the political stance of the West Papuan people who reject the existence and sustainability of Otsus in West Papua;
2. The PRP will oversee the attitude of the people of West Papua in fighting for the right to self-determination peacefully and democratically;
3. PRP rejected Otsus and agreed to continue raising the Papuan People’s Petition (PRP) for the third stage;
4. The PRP rejects all forms of compromise and political representation outside of the attitude of the West Papuan people;
5. The PRP is committed to promoting democratic unity in the struggle for the national liberation of West Papua; and
6. PRP urges the release of international spokesman Victor Yeimo and all West Papuan political prisoners without conditions!
Jayapura, Jubi – The Papuan People’s Petition (PRP), consisting of 113 organizations, has launched on Wednesday, January 5, 2022 its third stage of raising support to reject the Papua Special Autonomy (Otsus) Law and demand the right to self-determination. This time, the petition is targeted to gain 2 million support from Indigenous Papuans.
PRP spokesperson Jefry Wenda said his party would continue raising support until December 2022. As of December 2021, the group has 718,179 people supporting the cause.
“The Papuan People’s Petition was first launched on July 4, 2020. The first stage took place from July to December 2020, the second stage from January to December 2021, and now the third stage, from January to December 2022,” Wenda said.
He said that every Indigenous Papuan who was at least 17 years old could participate in adding a thumbprint to support the petition, by contacting either the PRP Facebook Page, one of the 113 organization members of the PRP, or the contact persons in seven customary areas in Papua.
“We use thumbprints instead of signatures,” he said.
Wenda admitted that gathering support for the petition had its own challenges as the security forces tried to hinder the mobilization of support. One of the leading figures in the movement and international spokesperson for the Papuan People’s Petition, Victor Yeimo, was arrested on May 9, 2021, and brought to court on charges of being involved in anti-racism protests in Papua on August 29, 2019. Yeimo, however, has denied the allegation.
Spokesperson for the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) Ones Suhuniap stated that the Otsus status for Papua was only ‘political sweetener’ enjoyed by the political elites in Papua, not the Papuan people. He said that the Law No. 21/2001 on Papua Special Autonomy, or the “Otsus Chapter 1”, had failed to resolve the Papua problems. Suhuniap believed that the “Otsus Chapter 2”, or Law No.2/2021 on the amendment of Law No. 21/2001, would experience the same failure.
“We are not sure about the new law. If the previous law, which had given local governments authority to develop regions, did not work, what could be expected from the current law, which puts the central government in control?” he said.
Suhuniap emphasized there was no other solution to resolve the Papuan problem, other than mobilizing the Papuan people to demand the Right of Self-Determination. “The Papuan people must be aware of their ability to determine their own destiny. The people must not wait for anyone, they must determine their own future,” said Suhuniap. (*)
Reporter: Benny Mawel
Editor: Aryo Wisanggeni G
Deputy Mayor of Jayapura Rustan Saru stated here on Friday that the disaster had compelled some 200 residents in the area to seek shelter. Some of them took refuge at the Maranatha Church.
Furthermore, Manager of the Disaster Mitigation Operations Control Center of the Papua Provincial BPBD Jonathan Koirewoa reported that the disaster also hit several public facilities in the city, including the residents' settlements, Marthen Indey Hospital, and Jayapura Dok II Papua Governor's Office complex.
"Meanwhile, floodwaters of about 1.5 to two meters in height inundated those areas," he stated.
Koirewoa remarked that the floods arising due to heavy rains since Thursday, had compelled 160 families, including 80 children and eight toddlers, to evacuate in Gurabesi Village, North Jayapura Sub-district.
"South Jayapura, Heram, Abepura, and Muara Tami sub-districts are also struck by the floods," he noted.
Currently, his side is still recording the impact of flooding in the regions.
"We still need supporting logistics, equipment, and personnel," he stated.
Furthermore, he noted that the Jayapura City BPBD had received a report of landslides in North Jayapura Sub-district in which six people suffered injuries while seven lost their lives.
Meanwhile, Deputy Head of the Jayapura Resort Police Adjunct Senior Commissioner Suprapto noted that the landslides killed three people in Nirwana area, two in the Bhayangkara Village, and one each in the Apo Bengkel and Klofkam areas.
The bodies were taken to several hospitals in the city, including Bhayangkara Hospital, he stated.
The disaster was also reported to have caused power outages.
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