Jayapura, Jubi – Papuan respected figure, theologian and activist Benny Giay throws the question of why the Indonesian government has not wanted to engage in a dialogue with Papuans. Instead, the government always chooses a security approach by sending troops and police to the Land of Papua.
Benny Giay conveyed this in a public discussion “Imagination of Papuans as a Nation (Melanesians)” held online by the Regional Research Center of the Indonesian Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) on Thursday, May 19, 2022.
Giay emphasized that dialogue was important for the safety of the Papuan people. The Indonesian government must solve the problems in Papua like solving the problems that occurred in Aceh. Not by sending security forces.
“In the past, then vice president Jusuf Kalla went all-out in a dialogue with Free Aceh Movement [GAM] which was mediated by a neutral state,” he said.
Giay regretted that during President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s 13 visits to Papua, the government was not serious about dialogue with Papuans. Even with Jokowi’s visits after visits, the Papuan people continue to suffer more and more on their land.
“Should Papuans embrace Islam or become like Indonesians first then the Indonesian government wants to have a dialogue with Papuans?” Giay asked ironically. If so, he said, it only showed racism from the Indonesian government towards Papuans.
“They [Indonesian government] could negotiate with GAM but not with Papuans? Why?” Giay wondered.
Giay said sending security forces would not solve the problems in Papua. It will only make the Papuan people suffer even more and lead to their extinction.
In a report titled “The Hunt for Gold: Wabu Block Mining Plans Risk Aggravating Human Rights Violations in Papua”, Amnesty International Indonesia has documented an alarming increase in security forces in Papua since 2019, from only two military posts to 17 military posts.
Amnesty also noted that there were at least 12 cases of unlawful killings involving security forces, increasing restrictions on freedom of movement, as well as beatings and arrests that were often experienced by local Papuan people.
Previously, Chairman of the Papuan Customary Council Mananwir Yan Pieter Yarangga said that the central government must have the courage to conduct peaceful dialogue with Papuans. Peaceful dialogue is important to resolve all the problems experienced by Indigenous Papuans.
Yarangga said that the root of Papua’s problems could only be solved by peaceful dialogue involving all stakeholders and witnessed by all Indigenous Papuans living in Papua, Indonesia, or abroad. (*)
Jayapura, Jubi TV– The Papuan Customary Council of the IV Great Conference of Indigenous Papuans assessed that the government should impose restrictions on migration to the Papua land. Such restrictions can be stated in regional regulations, said Secretary-General of the Papuan Customary Council Leonard Imbiri on Saturday, May 14, 2022.
Imbiri said that migration restrictions were needed to ensure Indigenous Papuans enjoyed the development in Papua and the implementation of Papua’s Special Autonomy. According to Imbiri, if migration is not controlled, the rights to life, political rights, economic rights, and social rights of Indigenous Papuans are threatened.
“Because migration is closely related to land tenure, population composition, depopulation of Papuans. For example, the native people of Port Numbay only make 1.93 percent of the total population in Jayapura City,” he said. The 2020 Census recorded that the population of Jayapura City was 398,478 people.
Imbiri said that the change in the composition of the population had drastically reduced the number of Papuans occupying parliamentary seats.
According to Imbiri, if Indigenous Papuans continue to be excluded and become a minority group in their own land anyway, Papua’s Special Autonomy which has been amended to Law No. 2/2021 would be useless.
The Papua expansion plan was useless either, said Imbiri, as it actually exacerbated the flow of migration from outside Papua. Imbiri stated that migration restrictions could be contained in a regional regulation. For example, people who enter Papua must convey the purpose of their arrival in Papua.
Imbiri said his party received reports that people had even gotten jobs in Papua even though they lived outside Papua. “While us Indigenous Papuans find it very difficult to get a job,” he said.
Papuan Customary Council chairman Mananwir Yan Pieter Yarangga said the central government should listen to the aspirations of the Papuan people, including in the matter of Papua expansion.
Yarangga assessed that the expansion of Papua suggested by the central government would only become a tool to extract Papua’s natural resource wealth. “Today there is a transfer of land rights from the Indigenous Papuans to other people. This issue continues to occur in Papua,” he said. (*)
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Military's (TNI) Infantry Battalion 126/KC of Border Security Task Force discovered a marijuana field on Trans Papua Road at Jalan Jayapura-Wamena KM 139, Waris District, Keerom Regency, Papua. The discovery was based on public reports about the location on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
It was also the result of the vehicle inspection activities carried out by the Infantry Battalion 126/KC of the Papua-PNG Border Security Task Force or the Kalimao Post some time ago. During the sweeping, one person riding a motorbike and carrying five packs of marijuana was arrested.
The security personnel then conducted further investigation until people informed them that there was a marijuana field around Jalan Lintas Jayapura - Wamena KM 139.
“At the location, 21 marijuana trees at a size ranging from 3 to 5 meters were found and ready to be harvested. The evidence has been handed over to the Keerom Police for destruction,” said the commander of the Infantry Battalion 126/Kala Cakti of Papua-PNG Border Security Task Force, Lt. Col. Inf Dwi Widodo.
Dwi said his members continued to encourage the community to fight drugs together in border areas in order to create secure and peaceful regions.
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