2) Military refutes allegations of Indigenous Papuan spy and condemns TPNPB brutality
3) South Papua govt collaborates on study for sustainable regional development
5) Wale slams PM’s hypocritical stand on West Papua
https://islandsbusiness.com/news-break/indonesias-msg-bid-on-back-burner-pm-marape/
1) Indonesia’s MSG bid on back burner: PM Marape
Leaders at the 22nd Melanesian Spearhead Group Leaders Summit in Vanuatu (Photo: MSG Secretariat/Facebook)
A one-year moratorium has been placed on Indonesia’s application to join the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).
Prime Minister James Marape said this was so that Pacific Island Forum could address the West Papua issue and specifically human rights allegations in the province.
Marape also said that the MSG received interest from Australia, France and Indonesia to join the group.
He explained that a date has not yet been set, but a group of leaders from the MSG would visit Indonesia to raise the West Papua issue.
“Representatives of all current member countries will make this visit and see for ourselves if the allegations of human rights abuse are true or not,” Marape said.
“We must also understand that every country has its own law and order issues, so we will be visiting Indonesia, to put to rest this issue, before we can start discussing Indonesia’s application to join the MSG.
“The MSG comes under the Pacific Islands Forum.”
Marape also said that the MSG agreed on a one-year moratorium on the applications of other countries who had showed an interest in joining the group, which included, Australia and France.
Meanwhile, The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has responded cautiously over the Melanesian Spearhead Group’s surprise denial of full membership at its leaders summit last week, welcoming the communique while calling for urgent action over Indonesia’s grave human rights violations.
In a statement released by President Benny Wenda after the second ULMWP leaders’ summit in Port Vila, the movement said the MSG had “misinterpreted” its founding principles based on the “inalienable right” of colonised countries for independence.
Strong speeches in support of the West Papuan struggle were made at the ULMWP summit by Vanuatu’s Ralph Regenvanu, the current Climate Minister and a former foreign minister, and Barak Sope, a former prime minister.
Wenda said the ULMWP agreed to the MSG chair asking the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) to ensure that the requested visit of the UN Human Rights Commissioner to Indonesia takes place, and to asking Jakarta to allow the commissioner to visit West Papua and have the report considered at the next MSG summit in 2024.
But he added the hope that the MSG chair would “honour” these commitments urgently, “given the grave human rights violations on the ground in West Papua, including the recent warnings on human rights issues from the UN Special Advisor on Genocide”.
The ULMWP also expressed:
*Scepticism about the impact of the renewed call for a UN visit, given that the visit had been continually denied in spite of the 2019 calls by the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS);
*Reservation on the possibility of future dialogue with the Indonesia government. Full MSG membership was a precondition;
*Reservation on the discussion of “closer collaboration” with the Indonesian government when the people of West Papua had asked for full MSG membership; and
*Reservation on the statement: “Membership must be limited only to sovereign and independent states, with special arrangements for FLNKS”.
On the FLNKS statement, Wenda said: “This appears to be a misinterpretation of the founding principles of the Melanesian Spearhead Group which state that, ‘having come together, the Melanesian Spearhead Group commit themselves to the principles of, respect for, and promotion of, independence as the inalienable right of colonial countries and people.’”
Meanwhile, as condemnation of the MSG’s position on West Papua has grown since the “disappointing” summit last week, Governor Powes Parkop of Papua New Guinea’s capital Port Moresby, has made renewed criticism.
“I am totally disappointed but I will never give up until my last breath,” he told Asia Pacific Report.
“Our heritage is that we defend our land and our people. For thousands of years we defeated the Melayu people of Indonesia or the various Muslim and Hindu empires which tried to enter our ancestral land.
“They never succeeded. We only were overwhelmed by European superior weapons and abilities in 1800s and subsequently Indonesians took over after arming themselves with these superior weapons left by colonial powers and the Japanese invading army,” said Parkop, who has long been a critic of Papua New Guinea’s failure to take a stronger stance over Indonesia.
“I will honour our heritage and our ancestors by continuing to challenge Indonesian rule over West Papua our ancestral land. We have lost many battles, heroes and heroines, but Indonesia has and will never win the war. “We are fighting for our rights, our dignity and our heritage and nothing Indonesia does will dent that drive and energy,” he said.
A one-year moratorium has been placed on Indonesia’s application to join the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).
Prime Minister James Marape said this was so that Pacific Island Forum could address the West Papua issue and specifically human rights allegations in the province.
Marape also said that the MSG received interest from Australia, France and Indonesia to join the group.
He explained that a date has not yet been set, but a group of leaders from the MSG would visit Indonesia to raise the West Papua issue.
“Representatives of all current member countries will make this visit and see for ourselves if the allegations of human rights abuse are true or not,” Marape said.
“We must also understand that every country has its own law and order issues, so we will be visiting Indonesia, to put to rest this issue, before we can start discussing Indonesia’s application to join the MSG.
“The MSG comes under the Pacific Islands Forum.”
Marape also said that the MSG agreed on a one-year moratorium on the applications of other countries who had showed an interest in joining the group, which included, Australia and France.
Meanwhile, The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has responded cautiously over the Melanesian Spearhead Group’s surprise denial of full membership at its leaders summit last week, welcoming the communique while calling for urgent action over Indonesia’s grave human rights violations.
In a statement released by President Benny Wenda after the second ULMWP leaders’ summit in Port Vila, the movement said the MSG had “misinterpreted” its founding principles based on the “inalienable right” of colonised countries for independence.
Strong speeches in support of the West Papuan struggle were made at the ULMWP summit by Vanuatu’s Ralph Regenvanu, the current Climate Minister and a former foreign minister, and Barak Sope, a former prime minister.
Wenda said the ULMWP agreed to the MSG chair asking the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) to ensure that the requested visit of the UN Human Rights Commissioner to Indonesia takes place, and to asking Jakarta to allow the commissioner to visit West Papua and have the report considered at the next MSG summit in 2024.
But he added the hope that the MSG chair would “honour” these commitments urgently, “given the grave human rights violations on the ground in West Papua, including the recent warnings on human rights issues from the UN Special Advisor on Genocide”.
The ULMWP also expressed:
*Scepticism about the impact of the renewed call for a UN visit, given that the visit had been continually denied in spite of the 2019 calls by the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS);
*Reservation on the possibility of future dialogue with the Indonesia government. Full MSG membership was a precondition;
*Reservation on the discussion of “closer collaboration” with the Indonesian government when the people of West Papua had asked for full MSG membership; and
*Reservation on the statement: “Membership must be limited only to sovereign and independent states, with special arrangements for FLNKS”.
On the FLNKS statement, Wenda said: “This appears to be a misinterpretation of the founding principles of the Melanesian Spearhead Group which state that, ‘having come together, the Melanesian Spearhead Group commit themselves to the principles of, respect for, and promotion of, independence as the inalienable right of colonial countries and people.’”
Meanwhile, as condemnation of the MSG’s position on West Papua has grown since the “disappointing” summit last week, Governor Powes Parkop of Papua New Guinea’s capital Port Moresby, has made renewed criticism.
“I am totally disappointed but I will never give up until my last breath,” he told Asia Pacific Report.
“Our heritage is that we defend our land and our people. For thousands of years we defeated the Melayu people of Indonesia or the various Muslim and Hindu empires which tried to enter our ancestral land.
“They never succeeded. We only were overwhelmed by European superior weapons and abilities in 1800s and subsequently Indonesians took over after arming themselves with these superior weapons left by colonial powers and the Japanese invading army,” said Parkop, who has long been a critic of Papua New Guinea’s failure to take a stronger stance over Indonesia.
“I will honour our heritage and our ancestors by continuing to challenge Indonesian rule over West Papua our ancestral land. We have lost many battles, heroes and heroines, but Indonesia has and will never win the war. “We are fighting for our rights, our dignity and our heritage and nothing Indonesia does will dent that drive and energy,” he said.
-----------------------------------
https://en.jubi.id/military-refutes-allegations-of-indigenous-papuan-spy-and-condemns-tpnpb-brutality/
2) Military refutes allegations of Indigenous Papuan spy and condemns TPNPB brutality
News Desk - Michelle Kurisi Ndoga Murder
1 September 2023
Jayapura, Jubi – Spokesperson of the XVII Cenderawasih Military Command Lt. Col. Inf Johanis Parinussa refuted the statement of Sebby Sambom, the spokesperson for the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), which claimed that the TPNPB Ndugama group had murdered an Indigenous Papuan named Michelle Kurisi Ndoga in Kimbim, Jayawijaya Regency. Ndoga was said to be working as an intelligence officer for the military.
“The TNI has never employed Indigenous Papuans as spies or informants,” Parinussa said on Wednesday. He emphasized that Michelle Kurisi Ndoga had no connection to the TNI’s intelligence operations and was simply a civilian who had been tragically killed by the TPNPB while attempting to assist refugees in Nduga.
According to Johanis, there has been a series of brutal acts by the TPNPB against civilians from 2022 to 2023. Most recently, such violence was directed at workers in a mining camp in Bintang Mountains Regency, resulting in the deaths of two residents and serious injuries to five others. He condemned the TPNPB’s actions as barbaric.
In a previous statement, the TPNPB claimed that one of their units had successfully eliminated a spy named Michelle Kurisi Ndoga on Tuesday, August 28, 2023. According to the TPNPB, the act serves as a warning to other Indigenous Papuans who might collaborate with the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Police in Papua.
https://en.jubi.id/south-papua-govt-collaborates-on-study-for-sustainable-regional-development/
Jayapura, Jubi – The South Papua Provincial Government is currently designing a comprehensive study focused on sustainable development within its region. This initiative reflects their commitment to promoting sustainable development.
This study involves the South Papua Development Planning, Research, and Innovation Agency (Bapperida) and in partnership with Gadjah Mada University’s Center for Land Resource Management Studies, Musamus State University in Merauke, Cenderawasih University in Jayapura City, and the WWF Indonesia Foundation.
The study began with a public consultation that engaged representatives from local governments in South Papua Province, as well as members of academia, indigenous peoples’ organizations, non-governmental organizations, and civil society. The primary goal of this consultation was to gather recommendations for future development planning.
Dionisius Way, Assistant III for General Affairs of the South Papua Provincial Government, emphasized the necessity of involving indigenous peoples in the planning process to ensure their interests are incorporated into the execution and oversight of sustainable development projects.
Way further explained that the development planning process will prioritize ecological concerns, the welfare of indigenous communities, and their traditional knowledge. This holistic approach also encompasses considerations for green infrastructure, disaster management, hydrology, local food sovereignty, climate change, and various stages of planning and management.
“Supervision is carried out in a participatory and inclusive manner based on scientific data,” Way emphasized.
Ulmi Listianingsih Wayeni, the head of the South Papua Bapperida, stressed the importance of considering the recommendations presented in the design study in the future development planning of South Papua Province.
Wika Rumbiak, acting head of the Forest Wildlife Program Papua at WWF Indonesia, also commended the collaborative efforts for producing a study that prioritizes ecology, the welfare of indigenous peoples, and biophysics in support of sustainable development.
South Papua emerged as one of the new provinces following the division of Papua Province. The province boasts unique and rare ecosystems. For instance, the Merauke region features diverse ecosystems, including river, mangroves, savannas, and monsoon forests. In the Mappi Regency, the land ecosystem exhibits several types of vegetation, such as swamp forests (both permanent and seasonal), mangroves, savannas, and lowland tropical forest vegetation. Among these, swamp vegetation stands out as the most unique and rare.
Meanwhile, in Boven Digoel Regency, the lowland forest ecosystem is closely tied to the hydrology of rivers like Digoel River, Kao River, Mandobo River, and other small streams. Finally, Asmat Regency comprises mangrove forest ecosystems, rivers, and brackish water swamp ecosystems.
Jayapura, Jubi – On Thursday, August 31, 2023, security forces located Michelle Kurisi Ndoga’s lifeless body in Kolawa District, Lanny Jaya Regency, Mountainous Papua Province. Brig. Gen. Ramdani Hidayat, deputy of the PapuaPolice, disclosed this information in Jayapura City.
Michelle Kurisi Ndoga, a local resident, had been killed by a group suspected to be associated with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB). The incident garnered significant public attention due to the circulation of a video showing Michelle Kurisi Ndoga undergoing interrogation.
Ramdani mentioned that the security forces who discovered the body did not find any evidence of the culprits at the scene. The police have refrained from confirming whether TPNPB was indeed responsible for Ndoga’s death.
“It is still uncertain whether the perpetrators were affiliated with TPNPB or not. What we can confirm is that the security forces transported Ndoga’s body to Wamena Regional General Hospital,” Ramdani stated on Thursday.
The murder case came under intense scrutiny after a video related to the murder circulated widely on Tuesday. Sebby Sambom, the TPNPB spokesperson, claimed his party was responsible for Michelle Kurisi Ndoga’s death.
LEADER of Opposition Hon Matthew Wale has expressed disappointment with the Prime Minister’s stand on the West Papua issue labelling it as ‘hypocritical’.
Hon Wale said the current Prime Minister used to be a strong supporter and advocator for West Papua in the past but he has taken a 180-degree on the issue.
“I am actually not surprised that the Prime Minister has changed face on the West Papua issue. It is a shame and hypocritical of him because he was a very strong supporter in the past,” Hon Wale said.
The Opposition Leader has reaffirmed his view that West Papuans themselves should be afforded the opportunity to express their vote on self-determination under an internationally supervised referendum.
Based on the membership criteria set by MSG, Hon Wale has also questioned how Caledonia’s FLNKS are measured against those?
“It is hypocrisy to stand with New Caledonia for independence from France and then support Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua. Why the double standard?” he questioned.
Hon Wale said MSG Leaders need to rethink their stand and the Prime Minister should have maintained Solomon Islands stand on West Papua.
The Opposition Leader said both the FLNKS and West Papuans are Melanesian peoples and both desire independence.
He said West Papua has been under very oppressive schematic & systematic Indonesian colonial rule, far worse than anything New Caledonia has suffered and MSG Leaders know better.
– Opposition Press
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