2). Papua police seeks to tighten control at Indonesia-PNG border
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1) I was involved in talks to free a kidnapped Kiwi pilot in West Papua. With negotiations stalled, what happens now?
Disclosure statement
Damien Kingsbury has advised a number of separatist organisations on negotiations to end conflict, most notably in Aceh in 2005.
New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has now been held hostage in West Papua for four months. Stalled attempts to negotiate his release, and an unsuccessful Indonesian military rescue attempt, suggest a confused picture behind the scenes.
Members of the West Papua National Independence Army (TPNPB) kidnapped Mehrtens on February 7, demanding Indonesia recognise West Papua’s independence. The Nduga regency, where Mehrtens was taken and his plane burnt, is known for separatist violence and military reprisals.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said: “We’re doing everything we can to secure a peaceful resolution and Mr Mehrtens’ safe release, including working closely with the Indonesian authorities and deploying New Zealand consular staff.”
Meanwhile, the Indonesian military (TNI) has continued its military operation to hunt down the TPNPB – including by bombing from aircraft, according t
Early negotiations
From late February, I was authorised by the TPNPB to act as an intermediary with the New Zealand government. This was based on having previously worked with pro-independence West Papuan groups and was confirmed in a video from the TPNPB to the New Zealand government.
In this capacity, I communicated regularly with a New Zealand Police hostage negotiator, including when the TPNPB changed its demands.
The TPNPB had initially said it would kill Mehrtens unless Indonesia recognised West Papua’s independence. But, after agreeing to negotiate, the TPNPB said it would save Mehrtens’ life while seeking to extract concessions from the New Zealand government.
Its current position is that New Zealand stop its citizens from working in or travelling to West Papua, and also cease military support for Indonesia. In late May, however, frustrated by the lack of response, the TPNPB again said it would kill Mehrtens if talks were not forthcoming.
My involvement with the New Zealand government ended when I was told the government had decided to use another channel of communication with the group. As events have unfolded, my understanding is that the TPNPB did not accept this change of communication channels.
Latest in a long struggle
The TPNPB is led by Egianus Kogeya, son of Daniel Yudas Kogeya, who was killed by Indonesian soldiers in an operation to rescue hostages taken in 1996. The TPNPB is one of a small number of armed separatist groups in West Papua, each aligned with a faction of the pro-independence movement.
The West Papua independence movement grew out of Dutch plans to give West Papua independence. Indonesia argued that Indonesia should be the successor to the Dutch East Indies in its entirety, and in 1963 assumed administration of West Papua with US backing. It formally incorporated West Papua in 1969, after 1,035 village leaders were forced at gunpoint to vote for inclusion in Indonesia.
As a result of Indonesians moving to this “frontier”, more than 40% of West Papua’s population is now non-Melanesian. West Papuans, meanwhile, are second-class citizens in their own land. Despite the territory having Indonesia’s richest economic output, West Papuans have among the worst infant mortality, average life expectancy, nutrition, literacy and income in Indonesia.
Critically, freedom of speech is also limited, human rights violations continue unabated, and the political process is riven by corruption, vote buying and violence. As a consequence, West Papua’s independence movement continues.
There have been a number of mostly small military actions and kidnappings highlighting West Papua’s claim for independence. “Flag-raising” ceremonies and street protests have been used to encourage a sense of unity around the independence struggle.
These have resulted in attacks by the Indonesian military (TNI) and police, leading to killings, disappearances, torture and imprisonment. Human rights advocates suggest hundreds of thousands have died as a result of West Papua’s incorporation into Indonesia.
Illustrating the escalating conflict, in 2018 the TPNPB kidnapped and killed more than 20 Indonesian workers building a road through the Nduga regency. It has also killed a number of Indonesian soldiers, including some of those hunting for Mehrtens.
Negotiations stalled
TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom has said foreigners were legitimate targets because their governments support Indonesia. Despite Kogeya’s initial claim that Mehrtens would be killed if demands were not met, Sambom and TPNPB diplomatic officer Akouboo Amadus Douw had responded positively to the idea of negotiation for his release.
Since talks broke down, however, the TPNPB has said there would be no further proof-of-life videos of Mehrtens. With the TPNPB’s late May statement that Mehrtens would be killed if New Zealand did not negotiate, his kidnapping seems to have reached a stalemate.
The TPNPB has told me it is concerned that New Zealand may be prioritising its relationship with Indonesia over Mehrtens and has been stalling while the TNI resolves the situation militarily.
At this stage, however, Mehrtens can still be safely released. But it will likely require the New Zealand government to make some concessions in response to the TPNPB’s demands.
Meanwhile, the drivers of the conflict remain. Indonesia continues to use military force to try to crush what is essentially a political problem. And, while the TPNPB and other separatist groups have little hope of removing Indonesia from West Papua, they feel they have run out of options other than to fight and to take hostages.
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Deputy Chief of the Papua Regional Police Brigadier General Ramdani Hidayat stated in Jayapura on Friday that the police will also intensify its coordination to ensure security in the border region.
On Thursday (June 8), Hidayat visited the Skouw cross-border post (PLBN) at the Indonesia-PNG border region in Jayapura City.
"On Thursday (June 8), we conducted a visit to the border region and sought to strengthen coordination in a bid to eliminate human trafficking practices," he remarked.
During the visit, he said, the regional police conveyed its plan to station its personnel on illegal paths and also to deploy bloodhounds to detect forbidden goods.
"The Papua Provincial Police will keep bloodhounds on standby. If we cannot permanently station them, then we will just regularly bring them to the locations in question," he noted.
According to Hidayat, two bloodhounds will be dispatched according to the crossing hours on the paths from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Indonesian Standard Time (WIT).
"The Papua Police will also provide support by stationing personnel at the Skouw Local Police Station after it is officiated, to form the border sector police, akin to the one formed in Sota, Merauke District," he revealed.
Hidayat said the provincial police will station at least 15 officers at the police station.
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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Carstenz Peace Operation Task Force revealed that the Papuan armed group or KKB, Free Papua Organization (OPM), obtained money to purchase weapons through the government’s village funds.
The task force spokesman Sr. Comr. Donny Charles Go said that investigators are handling several cases regarding the source of illegal guns for the separatists. Those arrested said they managed to purchase black-market firearms from village officials.
“There was the arrest of perpetrators who had guns and ammunition. They said the source of the money was from village officials,” Donny told Tempo on Friday, June 9, 2023.
Apart from being given by village officials, Donny explained that there were also cases of robbery of village funds. “The perpetrator [of the robbery] is KKB and had been caught. The perpetrator admitted that [the funds] were used to buy guns,” he added.
The task force head Sr. Comr. Faizal Ramadhani told Reuters that 40 percent of illegal firearms cases investigated by the authorities involved village funds.
Previously, the task force arrested the district head in Kenyam, Nduga Regency for providing financial assistance to OPM. It is not known yet whether the perpetrator, MM, siphoned village funds to buy guns for OPM. yet MM was found to use his salary and profits from selling fuels to help OPM.
“Based on the suspect's statement, he [helped OPM from] profits from the fuel sale and his salary as district head,” said Donny Charles Go on May 8, 2023.
Donny also said that the district head was a member of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB-OPM).
EKA YUDHA SAPUTRA | REUTERS
Jayapura, Jubi – The trial of three students accused of treason continued at the Jayapura District Court on Thursday, June 8, 2023. The defendants, Yoseph Ernesto Matuan, Devio Tekege, and Ambrosius Fransiskus Elopere, were charged with treason for organizing a free speech at the Jayapura University of Science and Technology (USTJ) on November 10, 2022, where they raised the Morning Star flags.
During the hearing, linguist Robert Masreng testified as a witness presented by the public prosecutor. He said the Morning Star flags displayed in the event were merely an expression.
The students organized a protest to voice opposition against the Papua dialogue plan initiated by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). However, the event was dispersed by the police, resulting in the arrest of several participants.
Robert Masreng, a faculty member at Cenderawasih University’s Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, clarified the definitions of treason, independence, Morning Star, conspiracy, and the meanings of writings displayed during the free speech.
Robert said that according to the Indonesian thesaurus dictionary, “treason” refers to engaging in deceitful actions or manipulating others to achieve personal objectives. It can also denote rebellion, expressing a desire to prevent something from happening. Additionally, Robert noted that treason could signify an intention to commit murder.
In court, Robert explained that treason involves deceptive actions, rebellion, and an intention to commit murder. He emphasized that the Morning Star flag is a symbol that gains meaning when it is used for a specific purpose. Without a clear intention behind its use, the flag loses its importance.
Robert mentioned that the Morning Star flag is often used as a symbol to express ideas. He emphasized that the meaning of the flag can be understood based on how it is used in different situations, and different people may interpret it in their own unique ways.
Furthermore, he clarified the term “independence” by explaining that it represents a perspective of freedom that has a wide-ranging and abstract significance when it is used. The understanding of the word relies on the specific situation and how different people perceive it, especially in relation to the core concept of freedom.
Robert explained that this means when someone realizes or expresses themselves, it implies being free from criticism and oppression.
He also provided an interpretation of the chant “referendum yes, dialogue no.” He stated that the chant conveys a decision to the general public without involving parliament. Rejecting dialogue is an expression of the speaker’s unwillingness to engage in a dialogue.
Regarding the statement requesting the intervention of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Papua, Robert said it signified that the problems in Papua were not limited to domestic concerns but were matters that should be acknowledged by the international community.
“It means an expression of asking the government to be open to the international community, allowing them to enter Papua and observe the dire human rights situations in the region,” he said. (*)
https://www.ulmwp.org/president-wenda-calls-for-all-west-papuans-to-support-msg-full-membership
We are at a historic moment for the West Papuan people. At the upcoming Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) leaders’ summit, we firmly believe that the Melanesian nations will decide to accept the ULMWP as a full member of the Group. On behalf of the ULMWP, I call on all West Papuans, whether in exile, behind bars, in the bush, or in the refugee camps, to support our application and pray for its success.
At a meeting on Sunday in Jayapura, the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative wings of the ULMWP together launched our campaign for MSG full membership. I welcome their endorsement: with all three branches of the ULMWP speaking, our whole movement stands united in support of this goal. As ULMWP Prime Minister Edison Waromi stated during the meeting, our agenda is now totally focused on consolidating support for full membership.
We have made extraordinary progress over the past decade, but full membership of the MSG would be our movement’s greatest diplomatic victory yet. For the first time, West Papuans would be able to fully represent ourselves in an international forum. As full members, we will be able to sit around the table with Indonesia and discuss the political status of West Papua on an equal footing. Indonesia should have no cause for concern about our application, as it is these mechanisms that will allow us to reach a peaceful solution to the West Papuan issue.
Since the ULMWP’s formation in 2014, West Papuans have been praying for the successful realisation of this goal. As observer members of the MSG, we have proved ourselves as a state-in-waiting, as well as responsible and active group members. But observer membership does not allow us to engage with Indonesia as equals: we can only speak quietly, with half our voice. Achieving full membership will mean we can speak with a full voice.
For the past sixty years, we have often felt voiceless and alone as we have struggled against racism, ethnic cleansing, and colonial genocide. All West Papuans know that we are not safe with Indonesia. But for our liberation struggle to advance, we first need the backing of our Melanesian brothers and sisters. Melanesian solidarity is in the MSG’s DNA: since its creation in 1988, the MSG has been committed to “the entire decolonization and freedom of the Melanesian countries and territories.” And as one of the greatest Melanesian leaders, Vanuatu’s first Prime Minister Walter Lini, said, Melanesia is not free until West Papua is free.
I hope that at the upcoming summit Melanesian leaders remember this proud tradition, and act in this spirit of Melanesian solidarity. ULMWP full membership is the right decision for Melanesia, the Pacific, and for regional stability and peace. After sixty years in the wilderness, it is time to bring West Papua home to its Melanesian family.
I therefore call on all West Papuans, of all ages, genders, all tribes and political affiliations, whether you are Melanesian or an Indonesian migrant: unite behind this goal. We also need our international solidarity groups, our Pacific religious and civil society organisations, including the West Papuan Council of Churches, to support our application. Full membership is the pathway to peace and self-determination. With one voice, we must all shout: West Papua for MSG!
Benny Wenda
President
ULMWP
INDONESIA. Papua: Officials claim that separatists in Papua, an Indonesian province where a New Zealand pilot was taken hostage in February, have been using government aid money to buy weapons on the illicit market for a deadly guerrilla conflict.
President Joko Widodo introduced the “Dana Desa” village fund in 2015, and it was valued at $4.7 billion this year. It has long been condemned for being prone to corruption.
Papuan separatists have been fighting for independence more than 3,000 kilometres (1,800 miles) from Jakarta since the area, which is rich in copper, gold, nickel, and natural gas, was annexed by Indonesia after a vote in 1969.
Lawyers and court records claim that the rising insurgency is occurring at the same time as a rise in the illegal weapon trade in the area, with the village fund serving as a major source of funding.
In 2015, only one instance of the illegal trade in firearms and ammunition was documented in Papua, according to court records and reports. By 2021, the number had climbed to 14.
In Nduga, where Susi Air pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been kept hostage for over three months, police are so concerned that the village fund is being used to purchase guns that they have requested that the central administration withhold the $14 million allocated to the area this year.
According to a Papua police spokesperson, if the police don’t stop it, the village fund will flow to the village and the rebels may continue to solicit for money to buy food or weapons.
A spokesman for the Nduga district government, Otomi Djiwangge, said that Dana Desa was “not supported by the right monitoring” and that the local government lacked the power to oversee it.
Djiwangge told the media that it is reasonable if the village fund is used loosely and anyone can do whatever they want with it.
He did not make any remark on the claim that the fund is used by rebels, as it was merely a presumption, according to media reports. It is not clear how much of the $337 million in village grants designated for the Papua area in 2023 is being used for armaments.
However, Faizal Ramadhani, the head of the Cartenz Peace Operations unit that is in charge of Papua’s security, said that approximately 40% of the illicit arms cases he looked into contained money from the Dana Desa project. He declined to give more information.
While denying the claim that Papuan separatists have been embezzling money, the finance ministry, which is in charge of distributing Dana Desa, claimed that procedures were in place to ensure the funds were used as intended, as per reports.
The fund was linked to 154 cases of alleged corruption in 2021, the most of any government spending, according to the NGO Indonesia Corruption Watch.
Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, denied that rebels had used village funds but acknowledged that the state had unintentionally funded the organisation in part.
“We have a rich land, so we do it our way. We can make money through gold mining and timber, as well as many government payments. We have a right to use that money,” he said.
Dana Desa, which was designed to promote economic growth, has more than tripled in size since 2015, yet others in Papua claim that little has changed as a result.
A tourist official in Intan Jaya, stated that he had “never seen a project funded by the village fund, not at all.” Instead, he claimed, fatal clashes that were once restricted to the wilderness now take place in the centre of the city.
Recent images made public show the increased firepower of Papua’s separatists, coupled with a threat to shoot Mehrtens if independence discussions don’t start within two months.
Deka Anwar of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) said that the rebels in Nduga were armed with a grenade launcher, several machine guns, and 18 assault rifles, including ones made by the government’s Pindad arms manufacturer.
He claimed that the days of Papuan rebels saving ammunition were over. He went on to say that they may now shoot for days. He stated that in the highlands of Papua, local revenues are used as a “revolutionary tax,” taken either through threats and coercion or voluntarily by pro-independence activists.
In the Papuan highlands, village heads frequently distribute the funds in cash after depositing them directly into village bank accounts.
Rebels in Papua have a lot of money, so buying guns is easy, according to another director of the Democracy Alliance for Papua (AIDP) and an attorney who handles cases involving illegal weapons purchases.
According to her, to make matters worse, rebels are largely buying weapons from unscrupulous military and police officers.
Author
"This is an integrated child protection service training that is in line with the government's commitment to providing services and assistance to women and children, who fell victims to violence," Head of the Women and Children Protection Division at Papua's Office of Social, Population, Women Empowerment, and Children Protection Yosephine Wandosa stated in Biak, Friday.
Wandosa affirmed that the government is committed to assisting victims of violence by providing them with several services, such as health and medical treatments and psychological examination services that involve clinical psychologists.
In addition, the government is providing legal assistance and safe houses to child victims.
"The training is expected to help the government handle violence cases and assist the children, who fell victim to such cases," Wandosa noted.
Meanwhile, the representative from Biak District Semuel Rumaikeuw stressed that the efforts to handle and protect child victims of violence required cross-sectoral collaboration.
"It should be noted that the handling of such a problem cannot be done by the government alone. This matter requires collaboration," he remarked.
Bearing that in mind, support and cooperation between all related regional governmental apparatus institutions (OPDs) and stakeholders at the central, provincial, district, and village levels are of the essence, Rumaikeuw stated.
"Such a collaboration is essential to provide a sense of safety to the child victims of violence in this region as well as properly and comprehensively handle their conditions," he affirmed.
Rumaikeuw noted that the child protection service training is taking place on June 9-10 through cooperation between UNICEF, the University of Indonesia, regional governments, the prosecutor's office, and the police.
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"Bappenas appreciates this strategic step because the government is making efforts to prioritize the elderly community," said Adhi Rachman, Director of Poverty Reduction and Community Empowerment at Bappenas, on Friday.
He explained that the Paitua Program is a strategic measure to reduce the poverty rate in the region.
He emphasized that the program is in line with Presidential Regulation No. 88 of 2021 on the National Strategy for Senior Citizens.
"Indonesia is preparing to enter an aging society, where the number of elderly people will increase, and this could lead to an increase in poverty," Rachman stated.
The Paitua Program is expected to assist the elderly in maintaining independence and prosperity, thus helping to reduce the poverty rate in the region.
On a separate occasion, Acting Governor of Southwest Papua, Muhammad Musa'ad, explained that the provincial government will provide assistance to 22,448 elderly individuals aged 65 and above through the Paitua Program.
"Each elderly person will receive a monthly cash allowance of Rp150 thousand (around US$10), which will be sourced from the provincial budget," explained Musa'ad.
The program will prioritize indigenous Papuans as part of the implementation of the Special Autonomy Law.
According to Musa'ad, the regional government needs to facilitate several senior citizens in Southwest Papua.
"This program will begin in August 2023," he stated.
The Southwest Papua Provincial Government is currently preparing various steps for the program, including the conceptualization, business process, regulations, and institutional aspects.
"In the near future, we will coordinate with district and city governments for data collection," he remarked.
Comprehensive data collection and verification should be conducted to ensure accurate recording of program beneficiaries.
"We will work together to prepare all aspects in order to optimize the program's implementation," affirmed Musa'ad.
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