Wednesday, October 19, 2022

1) West Papua military command promises to secure road projects


2) Jayawijaya Regency involves 126 elementary schools and 70 pre-schools in Baliem language curriculum preparation
3) Bintuni Bay resident allegedly arrested by police
4) UNESCO Global Geoparks team members visit West Papua's Raja Ampat   

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1) West Papua military command promises to secure road projects 
 5 hours ago


Manokwari, W Papua (ANTARA) - The XVIII/Kasuari Regional Military Command is committed to securing the government's development programs in West Papua, including road projects in high-risk areas, a top military officer has said.

"To accelerate people's welfare in West Papua, all infrastructure development projects must go on," Commander of the XVIII/Kasuari Regional Military, Command Major General Gabriel Lema, said here on Wednesday.

One of the road projects that need to be safeguarded is the one connecting Mayerga village in Maskona Utara sub-district, Teluk Bintuni district, to areas in Maybrat district, he added.

The road project is being handled by the Public Works and Housing (PUPR)-West Papua Office, he said, adding that he will provide security support for construction workers if the provincial government requests it.

"Whether or not the security support is needed to avoid the recurrence of acts of violence against the construction workers in the past, I think it depends on the regional government's request," he said.

The XVIII/Kasuari Regional Military Command is ready to meet such a request, in accordance with existing regulations, Lema added.

Related news: Four West Papuan army officers murdered, one missing following attack

Regarding a recent deadly attack by Papuan separatist terrorists on construction workers on September 29, 2022, he urged locals who have information on the attackers' whereabouts to contact the police.

Lema said he supports the police's efforts to hunt down those responsible for the attack. "The police have put the perpetrators on their wanted list," he added.

The attack resulted in the deaths of four workers of CV Doreri Permai who were involved in the road project connecting Moskona in Teluk Bintuni district to Maybrat district's area, according to media reports.

ANTARA has reported earlier that West Papua province has been witness to a repeated cycle of violence over the past few years.

On September 2, 2021, for instance, members of an unidentified terrorist group had ambushed several soldiers while they were sleeping at Kisor military post in South Aifat sub-district, Maybrat district.

Four soldiers—2nd Sergeant Amrosius, Chief Private Dirham, First Private Zul Ansari, and First Lieutenant Dirman—had died in the attack, while two others had sustained serious injuries.

The bodies of three soldiers had been found at the post, while the body of another soldier had been discovered in the bushes not far from the post.

Owing to the incident, several local residents had fled their homes over security concerns.

The West Papua police named 19 suspects in connection with the September 2 attack.

Related news: West Papua police name 19 suspects in Kisor attack case
Related news: Two suspects arrested in connection with Kisor attack: army



Reporter: TA Santoso, 


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2) Jayawijaya Regency involves 126 elementary schools and 70 pre-schools in Baliem language curriculum preparation 
Baliem Language Curriculum - News Desk 
19 October 2022


Wamena, Jubi – The Jayawijaya Regency Education Agency held training for the preparation of the curriculum for the Baliem language as a local subject in primary education in 2022 in Wamena. The training was held for two days from October 17 to 18, 2022.

Otto Arianto Wibowo, chairman of the organizing committee, said that the training aims to develop the local subject, namely the regional language of Baliem.

“If we don’t preserve it through the curriculum, it will fade over time. Jayawijaya Regency has determined the local language, the Baliem language, as the local subject for this 2022/2023 school year,” he said at the Wamena Tongkonan Building on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.

Elementary school teachers throughout Jayawijaya are provided with training as not all of them are from the Baliem Valley. In fact, many are from outside the region. Therefore, through this training, they are expected to be able to teach local languages to their students.

“We also teach literacy or how to write in the Baliem language, we have duplicated the teaching materials and have distributed them to education units. We train teachers to develop syllabus and lesson plans (RPP) according to the level of education units,” he said.

“In this activity, we involve all schools in Wamena with a total of 126 elementary schools and 70 pre-schools in Wamena. The attendance rate yesterday only reached 80 percent but today, there has been quite an increase,” he said. (*)


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3) Bintuni Bay resident allegedly arrested by police   
Mysterious Arrest Of Civilian - News Desk 
19 October 2022

Jayapura, Jubi – Director of the Manokwari Legal Aid Research, Assessment and Development Institute (LP3BH Manokwari) Cristian Yan Warinussy said he received a report saying a civilian from Bintuni Bay Regency named Yunus Orocomma, 30, was arrested by police on Sunday, October 16, 2022.

According to Warinussy, Yunus Orocomna was a staff in the West Moskona District. Orocomna was arrested while on his way from Inokra Village to Bintuni City to complete his document of appointment as Civil Servant Candidates (CPNS).

“The family is confused because he went to the city to complete the file for his appointment as CPNS but on the way, he met members from Bintuni Bay Police then they immediately arrested him,” Warinussy said.

Warinussy said his party was trying to confirm Orocomna’s arrest with the Bintuni Bay Police but no information was conveyed so far. He suspected that Yunus was still being held there. “I contacted one of the officers and he said there was no information yet. He promised to give information,” said Warinussy.

He also forwarded to Jubi a video testimony from Hendrika Kutanggas, Yunus Orocomna’s wife. In the video, Hendrika Kutanggas testified that her husband was arrested while carrying her on a motorcycle from Inokra Village to the city. On the way, Yunus and Hendrika were followed by a white car.

“Orocomna said, ‘Why is this car chasing us?’ The people in the car immediately held us. A policeman I recognized as Rolan said, ‘Get in the car already’. But my husband said, ‘Why should I? I want to eat with my wife,” Kutanggas said in the video.

“I asked my husband, ‘why are they arresting you?’. He did not answer and Rolan said ‘Go up first’. Another police held the motorcycle. They loaded me and my husband into the car and took us to the police station,” she said.

A few minutes later, the policemen dropped off Orocomna and Kutanggas. However, the policemen took away the Rp 3.5 million Orocomna was carrying, as well as two of his cell phones.

“When I got off with my husband, the policemen asked him something then my husband gave them the money from his bag. They took all his money, all Rp 3.5 million of it, and two cell phones,” Kutanggas said in his video testimony.

The police then ordered Yunus Orocomna and Hendrika Kutanggas to get into a car again and took them to the police station. Upon arriving at the police station, Orocomna was taken out of the car, while Kutanggas was told to stay in the car.

“They took my husband and tortured him. I remained seated and thought to myself, ‘Why do they take him inside and hit him? Why do they hit my husband? What did he do wrong that he got hit?’ They hid me inside [the car],” she said.

Kutanggas managed to get out of the car to buy some food. However, she was ordered by the police to cover her face with a jacket.

“They took me to the front of the station to buy food. The police told me to cover my face with a jacket. I wondered why. One person ran toward me and told me to get back inside but then he covered my face with my jacket,” Kutanggas recounted the incident.

Kutanggas said a policeman asked her to wait. She asked why the police arrested her husband. “The policeman said, ‘You wait here, we just take him for a while’. I asked them, ‘Where are you taking him? Are you going to shoot him? If so, just shoot me already’. But they replied with, ‘No, we just take him for a while’,” Kutanggas said, repeating the words of the policeman guarding her.

While Kutanggas was waiting for her husband, another policeman came to her. According to Kutanggas, the policeman told her that her husband had been shot dead. The policeman also told Kutanggas to go home and find a new husband.

“This person threatened me, he was holding a stone and making a gesture to throw it at me. I said, ‘Throw it to my face!’,” Kutanggas said in his video testimony.

Jubi has attempted to contact Bintuni Bay Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Junov Siregar to ask about the arrest of Yunus Orocomna and verify Kutanggas’ testimony in the video. However, until this news was published, we have yet to get any response. (*)

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4) UNESCO Global Geoparks team members visit West Papua's Raja Ampat 
2 hours ago

Sorong, W Papua (ANTARA) - Two members from the UNESCO Global Geoparks secretariat team have observed how locals are managing the Piaynemo Geosite in Raja Ampat district, West Papua, as a tourist destination, a Konservasi Indonesia officer informed on Wednesday.

During their visit last week, UNESCO’s Charalampos Fassoulas and Alireza Amrikazemi met with Pamembuk NGO activists and Jaga Laut (Guarding Sea) team members, who are seeking to preserve sustainable tourism in Piaynemo Geosite.

They observed and discussed the necessary issues with personnel from Pamembuk and Jaga Laut, Konservasi Indonesia's tourism and capacity building manager, Meidiarti Kasmidi, said in Waisai on Wednesday.

Konservasi Indonesia is a national foundation that aims to support the sustainable development and protection of critical ecosystems in Indonesia.

According to Kasmidi, Fassoulas and Amrikazemi visited Raja Ampat to assess the government's proposal for making the district's geosite a part of UNESCO Global Geoparks.

During their visit, they also talked to several native Papuan women who are producing and selling virgin coconut oil, skin moisturizer, and coconut hand-made soaps to tourists.

They lauded the management system applied in the villages of Saukabu, Saupapir, and Fam, which reflects the people-based tourism at the Piaynemo Geosite, Kasmidi said.

Related news: 32 foreign diplomats enjoy visit to Raja Ampat: Yembise

Meanwhile, Raja Ampat district head Abdul Faris Umlati said earlier that the visit of the UNESCO Global Geoparks personnel was aimed at evaluating a plan to make Raja Ampat a part of UNESCO Global Geoparks.

"We hope the Raja Ampat Geopark will be able to become a part of the UNESCO Global Geoparks so that our people can gain benefits from the status," he added.

According to UNESCO's official website, UNESCO Global Geoparks are "single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education, and sustainable development."

ANTARA reported earlier that Raja Ampat is often called "Heaven on Earth,” "Miracle of Papua,” "Underwater Paradise on Earth,” or "Real Wonder of the World" for its mesmerizing marine panoramas.

The district has a geopark that is touted to be more beautiful than the one in Halong Bay, Vietnam.

In 2012, Raja Ampat was included in the list of the Real Wonders of the World. It has been recognized as one of the world's 10 most beautiful diving sites, and rated number one for its rich marine flora and fauna diversity.

Raja Ampat district has around 1,700 islands, including the Isle of Wayag, which is made of karst or limestone from other isles.

The waters of Raja Ampat have approximately 603 hard coral species, representing 75 percent of the total coral reefs in the world, according to information posted on rajaampatlodge.com.

Based on various studies by global conservation agencies, such as Conservation International and Nature Conservancy, Raja Ampat’s waters are estimated to host 1,397 fish species. The waters of Raja Ampat are, therefore, also called the “Capital for Fish in the World.”

There are 60 varieties of crayfish, 699 types of soft animals or species of mollusks, comprising 530 species of snails (Gastropoda), 159 species of shells (Bivalvia), two species of Scaphopoda, five species of squids (Cephalopoda), and three Chiton species in the waters of Raja Ampat.

Related news: Creating a paradise for cenderawasih in Warkesi
Related news: Five giant leatherback turtles lay eggs on Raja Ampat's Yenbekaki


 
Reporter: EB Kakisina, Rahmad Nasution

Editor: Suharto

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