Vanuatu’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jotham Napat, said he is considering visiting Suva, Honiara and Port Moresby to personally get a “yes or no” answer as to whether or not their Governments support the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) full membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) before the MSG Summit in Port Vila later this year.
The Minister spoke of his intention in his Office, when the seven strong Lobby Team led by ULMWP Interim President, Benny Wenda, appealed for his support this week.
The Minister said he had met with senior officials from the MSG Secretariat to brief him on the processes towards the Application by United Liberation Movement for West Papua for full membership of the MSG.
Following the answers to his queries from the MSG Secretariat, the Minister said he plans to personally tour all member countries of MSG to get each one to come out clear as to whether or not they support ULMWP’s Application for full membership of MSG in the next MSG Summit in Port Vila.
The Lobby Team Leader, Benny Wenda, briefed the Minister on the plight of his people and the killings of approximately 500,000 Melanesians in the last half a century.
He asked how the military of such country could be involved in astronomical human abuse while being allowed to sit as an Associate Member of a Melanesian political organisation.
Former Prime Minister, Joe Natuman who with the involvement of the Pacific Council of Churches and Malvatumauri Council of Chiefs, witnessed the birth of the first ever West Papua “male child” called United Liberation Movement of West Papua in 2014.
Natuman reiterated the late Prime Minister, Father Walter Lini’s emphasis which said Vanuatu would not be completely free until West Papua and Kanaky became free from colonialism.
President of Vanuatu Free West Papua Association, Elder Job Dalesa compared West Papua’s historical plight to Israelis “crying in the wilderness until God heard their cry” and freed team.
In the same way, Vanuatu heard the cry of the people of West Papua and stepped up to stand up with them to “amplify” their cry for freedom.
It resulted in the successful formation of the UMWP in the ‘nasara’ of the Chiefs’ Nakamal in November of 2014.
“Our target is for ULMWP to become a full member of MSG,” he said.
Since MSG is recognised by the United Nations, Dalesa said ULMWP would be able to sit on the same table to talk on equal footing with Jakarta. “It would open the door for West Papua and Indonesia to talk to each other,” he said.
The Lobby Team appealed to the Minister to use his networks to influence support for ULMWP to be accepted for full membership of MSG. “With your support, my team wishes to meet with all relevant Ministries including the Office of the Prime Minister this week if it is possible,” he said.
Mr. Wenda said his people have been isolated from the rest of the world for 57 years. “When we go to Europe and Africa to lobby internationally, they always ask us, ‘What about your neighbour countries in Melanesia?’
“So we are confused and are looking for our Melanesian nakamal. In the last 50 years, Indonesia has massacred 500,000 men and women,” he said.
“It is hard to explain (but) we have been killed because of our Melanesian race and because we are Christians. Seven of our pastors have been killed including our bible prominent translator in Dunga two years ago.
“Under international law, Indonesia’s occupation of West Papua is illegal so it has no right to control our country. The occupiers have illegally banned international media, Amnesty International and the Red Cross from entering our country for the last 57 years.
“Only a few people were lucky to escape from Indonesia. I myself was lucky enough to escape a 25-year prison term simply for flying our West Papua flag.
“I hope that with your Government’s involvement, we would become a full member of MSG to sit down with Indonesia to talk about our future. That is what we ask.”
The Interim President said it is their prayer that they would be able to sit face to face to talk with Indonesia.
Internationally, Wenda says 83 countries have agreed for Indonesia to allow a United Nations Human Right Commissioner to visit West Papua. Jakarta has turned a blind eye to the request.
“And here they come, the Indonesians are pretending that they are clean of any wrong doing, talking to Melanesians in MSG while ULMWP is left out in the cold.
“ULMWP under my leadership – we are ready to engage with Indonesia. In 2019, I signaled Jakarta that I was ready to meet with the President of Indonesia. I am still waiting”.
It is his prayer that through the MSG Summit, they would be able to speak up for their God-given rights to govern themselves.
Jayapura, Jubi – The families of the victims of Mimika murder and mutilation consider the Military Prosecutor’s demand that four soldiers of the Raider 20/Ima Jaya Keramo Infantry Brigade be sentenced to life imprisonment is appropriate.
One of the family members, Aptoro Lokbere, appreciated the steps taken by military prosecutor Col. Chk Yunus Ginting who charged First Pvt. Rahmat Amin Sese, First Pvt. Risky Oktav Mukiawan, First Pvt. Robertus Putra Clinsman, and Chief Pvt. Pargo Rumbouw with life imprisonment. He hopes that the panel of judges led by chief judge Col. Chk Rudy Dwi Prakamto with member judges Lt. Col. Chk Slamet Widodo and Lt. Col. Chk Arie Fitriansyah will impose the same sentence as the charges.
“We appreciate the prosecutor who has seen us, the community and the families of the victims. At least, our wounds can be healed a little because the charges given are appropriate,” Lokbere said on Monday, February 6, 2023, after attending the reading of the charges that took place at the Military Court III-19 Jayapura.
The four soldiers were defendants in the murder and mutilation of four Nduga residents that occurred in Settlement Unit 1, Mimika Baru District, Mimika Regency on August 22, 2022. The four victims were Arnold Lokbere, Irian Nirigi, Lemaniel Nirigi, and Atis Tini.
On December 12, 2022, the defendants were charged with joint premeditated murder.
During the trial on Monday, the prosecutor asked the panel of judges to find the four defendants guilty of joint premeditated murder. He also asked the panel of judges to find the four defendants guilty of burying, hiding, carrying away or removing dead bodies with the intention of concealing the deaths of their four victims.
Lawyer to the victim’s families Gustaf R Kawer said that the prosecutor’s charges were in accordance with the facts of the trial. “The charges are in accordance with the facts and chronology presented by the four defendants, both from the planning to the end, which are all proven,” he said. (*)
Merauke, Jubi – Rector of Musamus State University Beatus Tambaip inaugurated 121 students who participated in the Teacher Professional Education program batch III in 2023 at Swiss-Belhotel Merauke on Monday, February 6, 2023.
Beatus Tambaib said it was an honor to inaugurate these students as it could contribute to the development of human resources and improve the quality and capacity of teachers in South Papua Province.
On that occasion, Beatus revealed that around 50 percent of teachers in South Papua, which consists of Merauke, Boven Digoel, Mappi and Asmat Regencies, have not been certified. The number of teachers spread across the southern region of Papua as of today according to Basic Education Data is 7,866 people.
“About 50 percent of which have not been certified, not yet qualified as professional teachers. In Mappi there are 1,480 teachers, Asmat 1,376, Merauke 3,818, and Boven Digoel 1,118,” said Beatus.
“In Asmat, 200 teachers have not been certified. This is certainly a barrier to improving the quality and welfare of teachers,” he continued.
Beatus said his university is collaborating with the Yogyakarta State University through Recognition of Past Learning (RPL) program to improve teacher education, wherein teachers with high school diplomas being encouraged to hold a bachelor’s degree.
“We hope that through our Teacher Professional Education program, we can realize our goal of synergizing with the government in producing professional teachers, who have the qualifications and competencies in certain fields of study expertise,” he concluded. (*)
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