2) Australian group calls for action over UN Indonesian ‘Papuan abuses’ report
3) Police probe killings of eight civilians in Puncak District's Beoga
1) Wenda likens Ukraine crisis to that of West Papua3:23 pm on 4 March 2022
West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda. Photo: RNZI/ Koroi Hawkins
A leading West Papuan activist is comparing the plight of his region to that of the crisis in Ukraine.Benny Wenda, who is the Interim President of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) says even as the world looks on in horror at Russia's invasion, West Papuans feel a special affinity to the Ukranian people."We feel their terror, we feel their pain and our solidarity is with these men, women and children. We see their suffering and we weep at the loss of innocent lives, the killing of children, the bombing of their homes, and for the trauma of refugees who are forced to flee their communities," Benny Wenda said.Benny Wenda said world leaders have spoken up to condemn the actions of Vladmir Putin and applauded the bravery and spirit of Ukrainians in their resistance; as they defend their families, their homes, their communities, and their national identity.But he questions why they have been silent about over half a century of conflict in West Papua."Between 60-100,00 people are currently displaced, without any support or aid. This is a humanitarian crisis," Benny Wenda said."Women forced to give birth in the bush, without medical assistance. Children are malnourished and starving. Our people have been suffering this, without the eyes of the world watching, for nearly 60 years.”Benny Wenda said Indonesia's permanent representative to the UN called the military attack on Ukraine unacceptable and called for peace.But he claims on the same day as that address, seven school boys were arrested, beaten and tortured by Indonesian military in West Papua and one of the boys, Makilon Tabunim Benny Wenda said has died from his injuries."The Indonesian military is deliberately targeting the young, the next generation. This, to crush our spirit and extinguish hope," he went on."These are our children that you are torturing and killing, with impunity. Are they not 'innocent civilians', or are their lives just worth less?"Benny Wenda said Indonesia must allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, humanitarian aid organisations and international journalists access to West Papua.He had a message for Indonesia "The international community is waking up and you cannot continue to hide your shameful secret any longer.""Like the Ukrainian people, you will not crush our spirit, you will not steal our hope and we will not give up our struggle for freedom," he said.The Indonesian Embassy has responded and it said "we deeply regret the misleading comments relating the aggression in Ukraine with the situation in the province of Papua in Indonesia, which clearly refuting the relevant historical and legal aspects surrounding it. The Government of Indonesia would also like to underline that measures have been taken in order to address allegations of human rights violations in accordance with the prevailing laws and regulations."
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https://asiapacificreport.nz/2022/03/04/australian-group-calls-for-action-over-un-indonesian-papuan-abuses-report/
2) Australian group calls for action over UN Indonesian ‘Papuan abuses’ report
UN report on Indonesia's "serious Papuan abuses", including the killing of children. Image: APR screenshot
Asia Pacific Report newsdesk
A West Papuan advocacy group in Australia has appealed to Foreign Minister Marise Payne to take the cue from a new United Nations Rapporteurs statement this week condemning the “ongoing human rights abuses” in the Indonesian-ruled West Papuan region.
Joe Collins of the Australia West Papua Association (AWPA) said there was an urgent need for Australia to speak out against the Indonesian military abuses in the two Melanesian provinces of Papua and West Papua.
“We are urging the Australian government to join with the UN Rapporteurs in raising concernsabout the situation in West Papua, publicly with Jakarta, condemning the ongoing human rights abuses in the territory,” Collins said in a statement.
- READ MORE: ‘Double standards’ claims as world reacts to Ukraine crisis, ignores Papua
- UN report calls for independent probe into ‘shocking’ rights abuses in Papua
- Other West Papua reports at Asia Pacific Report
- LISTEN TO ABC PACIFIC BEAT: Ukraine’s war with Russia has been making world headlines — so why isn’t the conflict in West Papua?
“We know the government has said it raises concerns about the human rights situation in West Papua with the Indonesian government, but have not seen any public statements of concern on the issue unlike the governments concerns about abuses in China and the situation in the Ukraine.
“The issue of West Papua is not going away.”
In a letter to minister Payne, Collins raised the UN rapporteurs’ concerns about the deteriorating human rights situation in Papua and West Papua, “citing shocking abuses against indigenous Papuans, including child killings, disappearances, torture and mass displacement of people.”
The association said it would not go into “all the grave concerns” about human rights abuses in West Papua “as we have written many times on the issue”.
But Collins quoted the rapporteurs’ statement: “Between April and November 2021, we have received allegations indicating several instances of extrajudicial killings, including of young children, enforced disappearance, torture and inhuman treatment and the forced displacement of at least 5,000 indigenous Papuans by security forces.”
It is estimated that the overall number of displaced people in West Papua since the escalation of violence in December 2018 is more than 60,000.
Collins said that “Urgent action is needed to end ongoing human rights violations against indigenous Papuans.”
He also reminded the minister about AWPA’s letter on 12 August 2021 raising concerns about West Papuan activist Victor Yeimo, the international spokesperson for the West Papua National Committee (KNPB).
“He is being charged with treason. We look forward to your reply on this matter.”
"The killers are members of an armed group, but investigation is still ongoing to know what the group is," Papua Police spokesperson Senior Commissioner Ahmad Kamal stated in Jayapura, the capital of Papua Province, on Thursday evening.
The assault resulted in the deaths of Palaparing Timur Telematika's (PTT's) eight workers, who were repairing a base transceiver station (BTS) tower of state-owned telecommunications operator Telkomsel, he remarked.
The civilians slain in the attack were identified as B, R, BN, BT, J, E, S, and PD, Kamal noted, adding that another worker, only identified by his initials as NS, had survived the deadly assault.
When the incident occurred, NS was not with his colleagues at their camp for repairing the tower. NS found them dead after returning to the camp, Kamal stated.
After knowing about the tragic event, NS appealed for help through the closed-circuit television (CCTV) installed at the BTS tower 3, he remarked.
Related news: Soldier injured in gunfight with Papuan separatists
According to Kamal, the bodies of the deceased were not yet evacuated on Thursday due to weather conditions on the ground.
The case of murder of PTT workers is not the first tragedy to have struck this eastern Indonesian province.
On December 2, 2018, a group of armed Papuan rebels had brutally killed PT Istaka Karya's 31 workers, who were engaged in construction and building the Trans Papua project in Kali Yigi and Kali Aurak in Yigi Sub-District, Nduga District, Papua Province.
The armed rebels, who launched the brutal killings, also slew a soldier named Handoko and injured two other security personnel, Sugeng and Wahyu.
Papua has borne witness to a repeated cycle of violence over the past few years, with armed groups in the districts of Intan Jaya, Nduga, and Puncak targeting civilians and security personnel.
Intan Jaya recorded its bloodiest month in September 2020 when armed groups launched a series of attacks in the area that claimed the lives of two soldiers and two civilians and left two others injured.
The acts of terror continued in 2021. On January 10, 2021, for instance, an Indonesian soldier died in a gunfight in the Titigi area of Intan Jaya District.
On April 25, 2021, Papuan separatists operating in Beoga ambushed State Intelligence Agency (Papua) Chief, I Gusti Putu Danny Karya Nugraha, and several security personnel during their visit to Dambet Village.
Nugraha died of gunshot wounds sustained during the attack.
Related news: Three villagers found dead following gunfight near Ilaga Airport
Related news: Armed civilians tortures, kills two in Papua's Sugapa district
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