Commander of Military Resort 172/PWY, Brigadier General Izak Pangemanan, confirmed the attack.
“They were attacked from different directions, so 10 (soldiers) fell victim,” he said when contacted on his cellular phone.
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The slain soldier was identified as Lieutenant Iqbal, who served as a platoon commander, he said.
The task force comprised 250 soldiers from the Marine Infantry Battalion 3. Nearly 30 soldiers were on duty when the armed group attacked the post.
“It is unclear why the armed criminal group, allegedly led by Egianus, attacked them. The incident will be investigated,” he said.
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By Anauli Karima Fai’ai in Auckland
Papuan students are appealing for support in New Zealand after the Indonesian government terminated the autonomous West Papuan scholarships of 42 tertiary students across the country.
“We humbly ask Kiwis to support us in terms of financial support,” says masters degree student Laurens Ikinia.
“This is something that’s really worrying us.”
- READ MORE: West Papuan students in dire straits in NZ after Indonesia cuts funding
- West Papuan students fight to keep scholarships to study in Aotearoa
- Overcoming trauma, Papuan students in NZ now face new challenge
- Papuan students form global umbrella body, reaffirm campaign for education rights
- Papuan students succeed in NZ – ‘the golden generation from Papua’
- Mahasiswa Papua di luar negeri deklarasikan IAPSO – Tabloid Jubi [Bahasa Indonesian]
- Other reports on the Papuan education controversy
- WATCH: Te Ao Māori News video
Indonesia cut the scholarships in December, claiming that the students were either failing their studies or taking too long to finish their degrees.
Ikinia, one of the students affected, is trying to complete his master’s degree in communications at Auckland University of Technology.
“The claim that the government is using is baseless,” he told Tagata Pasifika.
“Some students are on their pathways to finish their programmes and, like myself, I’m just about to finish and this is my final month to complete the programme.”
Half close to completion
At least half of the students are close to completion and have thus defied Indonesia’s orders to be repatriated.
Now they have been left to fend for themselves.
“It’s really hard for us to purchase our grocery needs and also for us to pay for our rent so it’s really restraining us.”
Last week, affected students in Palmerston North approached Green MP Teanau Tuiono to help raise their concerns with the government.
“That’s deeply concerning that a student can get that far to completing their education qualification and get told that their funding’s cut and they’ve got to go home. That’s not cool,” Tuiono said.
The MP has already sent a letter to Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta requesting a scholarship fund, visa extensions and accommodation for the students.
“We totally support the cause to have refugees from Ukraine because it is an area under conflict, let’s see that for West Papua as well, which is also a region under conflict.”
Givealittle page
In the meantime, a givealittle page has been set up to help the students — many of whom are afraid to speak out.
Page creator and advocate Nik Naidu, who is originally from Fiji, says it is important for the wider Pacific community to get involved.
“You know we were always taught to listen and not just speak and not to ask for things, wait for things to be given to you but, even then, you decline it, you know.
“And so for us in our Pasifika culture, the important thing is to be aware of everybody’s situation to keep an eye out for all our whanau and our families and our children,” Naidu said.
Ikinia fears the possibility of having to leave New Zealand before finishing his studies and the impact it could have on his community back home.
“For me, I would love to learn here so that young people who would love to have an education, like myself, can think positively – that hope is there.”
Republished with permission.
Jakarta – The West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organisation (TPNPB-OPM) has rejected peace talks with the government if it is only mediated by National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM). They are also asking President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to be prepared to sit down with them at the negotiating table.
TPNPB-OPM spokesperson Sebby Sambom said that they want the peaceful dialogue or negotiations to be mediated by the United Nations (UN) because the armed conflict in Papua is already on an international scale.
"In principle we agree if the negotiations are in accordance with UN mechanisms, but we are not interested in Indonesia's methods"< said Sambom in a written release on Friday March 25.
Sambom said that they also do not want to hold the dialogue in Indonesia but want it to be held in a neutral country in accordance with UN mechanisms.
"The negotiations must be held in a neutral country, in accordance with UN mechanisms", he said.
Sambom remarked that President Widodo must be aware and must have the courage to sit down at the negotiating table with the TPNPB-OPM's negotiating team. He also reminded Widodo that the UN is an international institution which can act as a mediator in resolving armed conflicts.
"In the statement to Jakarta we are asking that Indonesian President Jokowi be aware and have the courage to sit at the negotiating table with the TPNPB-OPM's negotiating team together with all the delegates from the organisations which are struggling [for independence]", he said.
Earlier, the Komnas HAM claimed it would initiate peace talks between the government and the OPM. The Komnas HAM also claimed that the proposal for talks had been agreed to by the government, ranging from President Widodo, Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud MD to the TNI (Indonesian military) and Polri (Indonesian police).
Last week, Komnas HAM along with the Komnas HAM Papua representative office began sounding out peaceful dialogue by meeting with a series of groups in Papua on March 16-23.
In the initial stage, Komnas HAM is endeavoring to hear and ask for the views of key parties on the issue, especially the OPM, both those within the country as well as those overseas. The other key people are religious, traditional community and intellectual figures. (yla/fra)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "OPM Tolak Dialog Damai Ide Komnas HAM, Hanya Mau di PBB".]
Foodstuffs will be distributed and assistance provided for the development of local people’s businesses under the KAT program, chief of the Jayawijaya District Social Affairs Office, Nikolas Itlay, informed in Wamena on Friday.
"Three out of 40 sub-districts in Jayawijaya have been chosen for the KAT program since the government finds it difficult to reach the districts. So, we will commence the program this year,” he said.
The three sub-districts are Trikora, Tailarek, and Walaik. The sub-districts are difficult to reach by vehicles and the vast majority of local residents are natives of Jayawijaya.
The KAT program will be financed with special autonomy funds managed by the social service office.
“We will also assist people’s businesses in remote areas. The assistance is not to develop new businesses but to assist the existing businesses in the sub-districts so that the people can again increase their economic activities,” Itlay said.
The business assistance will be provided along with training courses or entrepreneurship, he added.
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According to Dwikorita, the shrinkage will have been caused by an acceleration in climate change. “This is despite a global agreement for a change of no more than 1 degree Celsius by 2030.
Dwikorita also stated that ice currently remained on only 2 square kilometers or 1 percent of the 200 sq. km of Puncak Jayawijaya, a far cry from its previous state. Other peaks in the Jayawijaya Mountains have already lost their ice, including Puncak Trikora which lost its ice cap between 1936 and 1962. Puncak Jayawijaya is a limestone mountain standing 4,884 meters above sea level and is the highest island mountain peak on earth.
Jayapura – The Jayapura city municipal police arrested Buchtar Tabuni and Bazoka Logo along with five others for attacking police officers in the Heram district of Jayapura on Thursday March 24.
Tabuni and Logo are members of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) which his chaired by Benny Wenda.
"Correct, Buchtar Tabuni and Bazoka Logo along with five other people were arrested", said Papua regional police chief Inspector General Mathius D Fakiri in an SMS message on Thursday.
Police officers assaulted
Jayapura city municipal police chief Senior Commissioner Gustav Urbinas explained that the seven were arrested for assaulting police officers.
According to Urbinas, police personnel initially received information that Tabuni and Logo were holding a private meeting at Tabuni's residence.
Because there were suspicions that the meeting conflicted with the state ideology, First Brigadier Dedi Hermawan went to Tabuni's home to make an appeal [for the meeting to stop].
The move however in fact ended in the seven attacking Hermawan. "The perpetrators were holding a private meeting, when the police officer arrived and an attack took place against the officer", said Urbinas.
When police tried to arrest Tabuni, they encountered resistance and they became involved in a fist fight with the police officers.
"There were two of our officers who were also hit by the group, but all of them are okay", he said.
Urbinas also asserted that the seven will not be detained but will be released immediately after being questioned.
The ULMWP is one of two organisations cited by former Indonesian police chief General Tito Karnavian as being the masterminds behind the rioting in Jayapura city and Jayawijaya in 2019.
The other organisation is the West Papua National Committee (KNPB).
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Nekat Pukul Anggota Polisi di Papua, 2 Tokoh UMLWP Ditangkap".]
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