2) Komnas HAM faces delays in Dogiyai civilian shooting investigations
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https://asiapacificreport.nz/2023/09/14/pngs-marape-makes-foreign-policy-gaffes-over-israel-west-papua/
1) PNG’s Marape makes foreign policy gaffes over Israel, West Papua
By David Robie
Prime Minister James Marape has made two foreign policy gaffes in the space of a week that may come back to bite him as Papua New Guinea prepares for its 48th anniversary of independence this Saturday.
Critics have been stunned by the opening of a PNG embassy in Jerusalem in defiance of international law – when only three countries have done this other than the United States amid strong Palestinian condemnation — and days later a communique from his office appeared to have indicated he had turned his back on West Papuan self-determination aspirations.
Marape was reported to have told President Joko Widodo that PNG had no right to criticise Indonesia over human rights allegations in West Papua and reportedly admitted that he had “abstained” at the Port Vila meeting of the Melanesian Spearhead Group last month when it had been widely expected that a pro-independence movement would be admitted as full members.
- READ MORE: MSG throws away golden chance to reset peace and justice for West Papua
- Other West Papua reports
The membership was denied and the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) remained as observers — as they have for almost a decade, disappointing supporters across the Pacific, while Indonesia remains an associate member.
Although Marape later denied that these were actually his views and he told PNG media that the statement had been “unauthorised”, his backtracking was less than convincing.
West Papua . . . backtracking by PNG Prime Minister James Marape. Image: PNG Post-Courier
In the case of Papua New Guinea’s diplomatic relations with Israel, they were given a major and surprising upgrade with the opening of the embassy on September 5 in a high-rise building opposite Malha Mall, Israel’s largest shopping mall.
Marape was quoted by the PNG Post-Courier as saying that the Israeli government would “bankroll” the first two years of the embassy’s operation.
Diplomatic rift with Palestine
This is bound to cause a serious diplomatic rift with Palestine with much of the world supporting resolutions backing the Palestinian cause, especially as Marape also pledged support for Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attending the inauguration ceremony.
Papua New Guinea has now joined Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo and the United States as the “pariah” countries willing to open embassies in West Jerusalem. Most countries maintain embassies instead in Tel Aviv, the country’s commercial centre.
Israel regards West Jerusalem as its capital and would like to see all diplomatic missions established there. However, 138 of the 193 United Nations member countries do not recognise this.
Palestine considers East Jerusalem as its capital for a future independent state in spite of the city being occupied by Israel since being captured in the 1967 Six Day War and having been annexed in a move never recognised internationally.
As Al Jazeera reports, Israel has defiantly continued to build illegal settlements in East Jerusalem and in the Occupied West Bank.
“Many nations choose not to open their embassies in Jerusalem, but we have made a conscious choice,” Marape admitted at the embassy opening.
“For us to call ourselves Christian, paying respect to God will not be complete without recognising that Jerusalem is the universal capital of the people and the nation of Israel,” Marape said.
Law as ‘Christian state’
According to PNG news media, Marape also plans to introduce a law declaring the country a “Christian state” and this has faced some flak back home.
In an editorial, the Post-Courier said Marape had officially opened the new embassy in Jerusalem in response to PNG church groups that had lobbied for a “firmer relationship” with Israel for so long.
“When PM Marape was in Israel,” lamented the Post-Courier, “news broke out that a Christian prayer warrior back home, ‘using the name of the Lord, started performing a prayer ritual and was describing and naming people in the village who she claimed had satanic powers and were killing and causing people to get sick, have bad luck and struggle in finding education, finding jobs and doing business’.
“Upon the prayer warrior’s words, a community in Bulolo, Morobe Province, went bonkers and tortured a 39-year-old mother to her death. She was suspected of possessing satanic powers and of being a witch.
“It is hard to accept that such a barbaric killing should occur in Morobe, the stronghold of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which has quickly condemned the killing.”
The Post-Courier warned that the country would need to wait and see how Palestine would react over the embassy.
“Australia and Britain had to withdraw their plans to set up embassies in Jerusalem, when Palestine protested, describing the move as a ‘blatant violation of international law’.
Indonesian ‘soft-diplomacy’ in Pacific
The establishment of the new embassy coincides with news that the Indonesian government plans a major boost in its diplomatic offensive in Oceania in an attempt to persuade Pacific countries to fall in line with Jakarta over West Papua.
Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Minister Wiranto – a former high-ranking Indonesian general with an unsavoury reputation — has asked for an additional budget of 60 million rupiah (US$4 million) to be used for diplomatic efforts in the South Pacific
“We are pursuing intense soft-diplomacy. I’m heading it up myself, going there, coordinating, and talking to them,” he told a working meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR) Budget Committee on September 5.
“We’re proposing an additional budget of 60 billion rupiah.”
Wiranto is annoyed that seven out of 13 Pacific countries back independence for West Papua. He claims that this is because of “disinformation” in the Pacific and he wants to change that.
“We’ve been forgetting, we’ve been negligent, that there are many countries there which could potentially threaten our domination — Papua is part of our territory and it turns out that this is true,” said Wiranto.
But for many critics in the region, it is the Indonesian government and its officials themselves that peddle disinformation and racism about Papua.
Wiranto lacks credibility
Wiranto has little credibility in the Pacific.
According to Human Rights Watch: “The former general Wiranto was chief of Indonesia’s armed forces in 1999 when the Indonesian army and military-backed militias carried out numerous atrocities against East Timorese after they voted for independence.
“On February 24, 2003, the UN-sponsored East Timor Serious Crimes Unit filed an indictment for crimes against humanity against Wiranto and three other Indonesian generals, three colonels and the former governor of East Timor.
“The charges include[d] murder, arson, destruction of property and forced relocation.
“The charges against Wiranto are so serious that the United States has put Wiranto and others accused of crimes in East Timor on a visa watch list that could bar them from entering the country.”
Australian human rights author and West Papuan advocate Jim Aubrey condemned Wiranto’s “intense soft-diplomacy” comment.
“Yeah, right! Like the soft-diplomatic decapitation of Tarina Murib! Like the soft-diplomatic mutilation and dismemberment of the Timika Four villagers! Like Indonesian barbarity is non-existent!,” he told Asia Pacific Report.
“The non-existent things in Wiranto’s chosen words are truth and justice!”
Conflicting reports on West Papua
When the PNG government released conflicting reports on Papua New Guinea’s position over West Papua last weekend it caused confusion after Marape and Widodo had met in a sideline meeting in in Jakarta during the ASEAN summit.
According to RNZ Pacific, Marape had said about allegations of human rights violations in West Papua that PNG had no moral grounds to comment on human rights issues outside of its own jurisdiction because it had its “own challenges”.
He was also reported to have told President Widodo Marape that he had abstained from supporting the West Papuan bid to join the Melanesian Spearhead Group because the West Papuan United Liberation Movement (ULMWP) “does not meet the requirements of a fully-fledged sovereign nation”.
“Indonesia’s associate membership status also as a Melanesian country to the MSG suffices, which cancels out West Papua ULM’s bid,” Marape reportedly said referring to the ULMWP.
Reacting with shock to the report, a senior PNG politician described it to Asia Pacific Report as “a complete capitulation”.
“No PNG leader has ever gone to that extent,” the politician said, saying that he was seeking clarification.
The statements also caught the attention of the ULMWP which raised their concerns with the Post-Courier.
https://en.jubi.id/komnas-ham-faces-delays-in-dogiyai-civilian-shooting-investigations/
2) Komnas HAM faces delays in Dogiyai civilian shooting investigations
News Desk - Civilian Shooting In Dogiyai
13 September 2023
Jayapura, Jubi – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has accumulated pending tasks related to its investigation of alleged civilian shootings in Dogiyai Regency. In addition to not conducting field investigations regarding the reported shooting of Dogiyai civilians on July 13, 2023, Komnas HAM has also not yet concluded its inquiry into the alleged shooting of Dogiyai civilians that occurred on January 21, 2023.
Johana Tukayo, coordinator of Human Rights Advancement at the Representative Office of Komnas HAM Papua, has stated that their office is still in the process of finalizing the investigation into the shooting on January 21 in Totoke Tagia, Tugomani Village, Dogiyai.
On January 21, 2023, Yulianus Tebai, who worked as a member of the Dogiyai Civil Service Police Unit, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the right back. Meanwhile a civilian, Vincen Dogomo, was also allegedly shot in the thigh and received treatment at the Nabire Regional General Hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Tukayo mentioned that a Komnas HAM Papua team had visited Dogiyai from June 5-10, 2023, to investigate the shootings of Yulianus Tebai and Vincen Dogomo. However, the investigation remains incomplete due to several uninterrogated witnesses, including former Dogiyai Police Chief Comr. Samuel D Tatirattu and former Dogiyai Police Chief Second Brig. Fauzi Dwi Romadhon. The team has also yet to consult the forensic doctor regarding Vincen Dogomo’s injuries.
Tukayo admitted to being unaware of the examination schedules for Tatirattu and Romadhon, or the forensic doctor. “So far, there is no examination schedule because the commissioner’s schedule is busy,” she said.
Frits Ramandey, head of the Komnas HAM Papua, noted that several police officers had been questioned by the Papua Police. However, he was uncertain about the number of officers questioned.
“I communicated with the Papua Police; some members have been questioned. But they did not mention [how many members were questioned],” said Ramandey.
As of now, Komnas HAM has also not conducted field investigations regarding the alleged shooting of civilians in Dogiyai on July 13, 2023. During that incident, a civilian named Yosua Keiya (20) allegedly died from shots fired by mobile brigade personnel in Idakebo Village, North Kamu District.
The Legal Aid Institute Talenta Keadilan Papua (LBH-TKP) and the Human Rights Advocacy Network reported that the shooting of Yosua Keiya was followed by another incident on the evening of July 13 in Dogiyai’s Moanemani, which resulted in the deaths of Yakobus Pekey (20) and Stepanus Pigome (19).
On July 19, 2023, Papua Police spokesperson Sr. Come. Ignatius Benny Ady refuted information regarding the alleged shootings that led to the deaths of three civilians in Dogiyai on July 13.
He stated that the data collected by various police units did not confirm any fatalities or injuries during the handling of mass disturbances in Dogiyai on July 13-14, 2023.
The discrepancies in reported data have prompted several human rights advocacy organizations to urge Komnas HAM to dispatch a team to Dogiyai to determine the veracity of the claims regarding fatalities or injuries during the incident.
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy has spoken out about the poverty rate in Papua which has not been declining. He attributed this to the lack of direct monitoring of the affected region by policymakers.
“This is our shortcoming, that a lot of officials create policies with a helicopter view. They observe [the problem] from afar,” Muhadjir said at the national seminar on resilient coasts for Indonesia Onward, on Wednesday, September 13, 2023.
He stressed that dealing with a thousand poor people in Papua is more difficult than dealing with 10,000 poor people in Jakarta. The cost is also higher. This is because the cost of logistics distribution to the country’s easternmost province is more pricey. For example, the price of rice in Papua reaches Rp60,000 per kg.
This means that the cost of eradicating poverty in Papua is greater than in Java. Therefore, Muhadjir said, if the social assistance provided by the government to the people of Papua is of the same value as that provided to the people of Java, the results will not be optimal.
“And that is one of the reasons why the poverty rate [in Papua] has not decreased,” Muhadjir remarked.
Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded that in March 2023, Papua had the highest poverty rate at 26.80 percent. Meanwhile, Bali had the lowest rate of 4.25 percent. The number of poor people in Indonesia reached 25.89 million or 9.36 percent.
"One of our biggest weaknesses is that many officials create Jakarta-centric or Java-centric policies," he pointed out here on Wednesday.
Citing an example, Effendy highlighted that the way to provide social assistance to the Papuan people is often equated with social aid distribution in Java, when on the contrary, it should be different.
According to the minister, handling a thousand poor people in Papua is more difficult than handling 10 thousand poor people in Jakarta due to the even steeper costs of logistics transportation and limited access.
Drawing attention to another example, he noted that the price of rice in Papua had reached around Rp60 thousand per kg.
Hence, he stated that if social assistance provided to Papuan people is the same as that for the residents of Java, then the results will not be optimal.
Related news: West Papua forms task force to tackle extreme poverty, stunting
"And that is what is happening now, (since) one of the reasons (poverty) does not decline there is because it is considered the same as dealing with the poor here (Jakarta)," he remarked.
After having inspected the famine in Agandugume District, Central Papua, only small aircraft could land there, and each aircraft could only carry 900 kg of logistics aid or cargo.
In addition, the cost for one rental flight to Agandugume comes up to Rp35 million, with a maximum of nine passengers abroad.
Effendy pointed out that for building schools, even a budget of Rp10 billion will not be sufficient for constructing educational facilities in Papua.
In conclusion, he emphasized that the approach of development in Java Island cannot be applied in the disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions.
Meanwhile, he believed that moving the capital from Jakarta to Nusantara Capital City in East Kalimantan is one way to address inequitable development.
Related news: Southwest Papua allocates US$2.6 mln for tackling extreme poverty
Related news: Village Fund can help alleviate poverty in Southwest Papua: Ministry
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Transportation Ministry through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, held a forum group discussion with the theme of "Advancing Together to Improve Civil Aviation Safety in Papua" on September 11-12, 2023 in Timika, Papua.
The Civil Aviation DG Maria Kristi Endah Murni explained that the FGD is a platform to unite perceptions in order to improve aviation safety, security, service, and obedience. Thus, she believes collaboration is necessary.
"Synergy between Civil Aviation DG as the regulator and all stakeholders is critical to seek solution over the challenges faced in the field and to evaluate what needs to be done," Kristi wrote in a statement quoted on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.
Previously, a similar FGD was held last year, resulting in Circular Letter No. 7 of 2022 on Improvement of Aviation Safety. As a follow-up, and referring to data and reports of civil aviation in Papua, this year's FGD conducted a more detailed evaluation, especially in regard to operational challenges.
Papua terrain is dominated by mountains, which necessitated aviation as a transportation mode to reach every corner of the province. "Ensuring aviation safety is a fundamental focus," Kristi said.
Kristi also alluded to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) mandates in the Global Aviation Safety Plan which targeted zero aviation fatalities, thus asking all stakeholders to actively participate in the efforts to realize aviation safety. The measures include supervision as a preventive measure to achieve zero fatalities in national aviation services
Meanwhile, the result of the present FGD will be drafted into a consensus concerning the measures that need to be taken as a mutual commitment between all related parties. "I hope [all parties] could commit, so aviation safety in Papua could be realized," she concluded.
MOH. KHORY ALFARIZI
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