Tuesday, August 15, 2023

1) Police brutality leaves 20 hurt in Indonesia’s Papua


2) Holding a demonstration, 16 KNPB Sentani activists were beaten by the police
3) MSG Leaders' Summit next week 

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1) Police brutality leaves 20 hurt in Indonesia’s Papua



1) Police brutality leaves 20 hurt in Indonesia’s Papua


The demonstrators called for a review of 1962 New York Agreement that made Papua a part of Indonesia
By UCA News reporter Published: August 15, 2023 12:07 PM GMT

At least 20 people were injured when police used batons, water cannon and tear gas to disperse hundreds of people who joined rallies in Indonesia’s restive Papua region on the 61st anniversary of an agreement that made the region part of Indonesia.

The US-brokered 1962 New York Agreement allowed Indonesia to annex the Christian-majority region after the end of Dutch colonial rule.

Riot police attacked peaceful demonstrators in three locations near the provincial capital Jayapura, on Aug. 15, alleged Emmanuel Gobay a Catholic and official of the Papua Legal Aid Institute.

The demonstrators called on the international community to review the agreement and take action to end ongoing violence and repression in the region.

"In fact, they only held peaceful demonstrations," Gobay who joined one of the rallies UCA News.

He stated that more than 20 people were beaten, with one of them later being treated in hospital.

"One person was seriously injured and was immediately transported to the hospital for treatment," he said.

Videos and photos obtained by UCA News showed police attacked with water canons and fire tear gas when people were listening to speeches from leaders of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), the protest organizer.

Gobay said that though the authorities view the KNPB as a separatist group "they should have the right to express their opinion" as guaranteed in the nation’s constitution.

"Moreover, they submitted an official letter notifying police about the program beforehand," he added.

He slammed the use of water cannon and tear gas on demonstrators.

These should only be for anarchic demonstrations, "not peaceful demonstrations," he said.

He alleged that police committed criminal offenses by torturing and beating protesters, and called on the Papuan police chief to immediately prosecute the perpetrators so that there is a deterrent effect.

Father Bernard Baru from the Jayapura Diocese's Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission said that this repressive action was a repetition of the discriminatory treatment of Papuans by the state.

“In Papua, police actions like this are considered normal. This only deepens discrimination against Papuans," he said.

Police officials were not available for comments.

KNPB spokesman Ones Sahuniap issued a statement to condemn the police brutality and claimed those who were beaten suffered serious head injuries and bled profusely.

Suhuniap said the police used rattan and batons to beat and break up the demonstration.

The KNPB simultaneously held demonstrations in Papua and in other parts of Indonesia, asking the United Nations to review the 1962 New York agreement.

During the rallies, KNPB leaders called the New York Agreement “a violation of human rights of Papuans” sponsored by Indonesia, the Netherlands and the United States and the United Nations.

As per the agreement, later added to the agenda of UN General Assembly, the Netherlands agreed to transfer the control of West Papua New Guinea to Indonesia, pending an UN-administered referendum.

The Papuans were not party to the agreement and it paved the way for the 1969 Act of Free Choice, an independence referendum favoring Indonesian rule in Papua was largely known as a sham.

Indonesia’s annexation of Papua and use to force to crush dissent sparked an armed separatist movement.

Thousands of civilians, soldiers and rebels have been killed and tens of thousands have been displaced due to the conflict in the easternmost region in the past decades.


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Google translation.
Original Bahasa link

2) Holding a demonstration, 16 KNPB Sentani activists were beaten by the police
Police Violence, KNPB, New York Agreement 1962, Commemoration of the New York Agreement
August 15, 2023

Jayapura, Jubi – 16 activists from the West Papua National Committee or KNPB were beaten by the police while holding a demonstration commemorating the New York agreement in Sentani, Jayapura Regency, Tuesday, 15/8/2023. As a result of the beating they were injured.
Sixteen KNPB activists who were beaten were EK (23), IM (20), RE (19), OK (18) DK (20), ET (21), NT (19), and YW (21). There were also those who were hit, namely ET (20), EH (21), KP (23), TP (20), MW (17), MA (21), MB (19), and YS (20).

Spokesperson for the West Papua National Committee or KNPB Center, Ones Suhuniap, said most of those who were hit suffered serious head injuries and were bleeding quite a lot. Suhuniap said that the police used rattan and batons to beat and break up the KNPB demonstration in Sentani.

"Use rattan and batons," said Suhuniap to Jubi via the WhatsApp message service, on Tuesday afternoon.

Suhuniap said demonstrations commemorating the New York agreement were carried out peacefully throughout the Land of Papua. However, Suhuniap said that the police instead carried out the disbandment by firing water cannons and hitting the KNPB demonstrators.

"The Jayapura Resort Police mobilized their full power to break up the demonstration by beating the demonstrators," Suhuniap told Jubi via the WhatsApp message service, on Tuesday afternoon.

Suhuniap said that the forced dispersal by beatings violated the authority of the police. Suhuniap said the police should properly oversee the demonstrations.

"The police carried out acts of physical violence that abused the authority of the police as protectors of the people," he said.

The West Papua National Committee or KNPB simultaneously held demonstrations in the Land of Papua and in other parts of Indonesia. This action was to ask the United Nations to review the 1962 New York agreement.

The 1962 New York Agreement was an agreement between the Netherlands and Indonesia which agreed to transfer control of the Land of Papua from the Netherlands to Indonesia, and to hold a referendum for every adult Indigenous Papuan to determine the choice of the future of the Papuan people, or one man one vote.

The agreement signed on August 15, 1962 was made without involving Indigenous Papuans. The agreement to hold a referendum was finally reduced to the Popular Opinion Opinion in 1969 which replaced the one man one vote mechanism with deliberations which were only attended by appointed representatives to express their opinions.(*)
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3) MSG Leaders' Summit next week 
By Anita Roberts  \11 hrs ago

The 22nd Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Leaders’ Summit will be held in Port Vila next week.

The summit was supposed to be held from July 17 to 21, however it had to be rescheduled to this month because Solomon Islands had a clash with their Parliament sitting and Vanuatu was also busy hosting the Melanesian Arts and Festival (MACFEST), alongside the arrival of the French President.

Vanuatu’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Matai Seremiah, confirmed the new date for the summit to the Daily Post yesterday, after being briefed on the event.

He said the summit will be held from Wednesday to Thursday following the Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting and the officials’ meeting.

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