Photos of 1st December flag raising at Leichhardt Town Hall .
Statement. West Papuan flag raising
1st December 2023
On the 1st December we commemorate West Papuan National Flag day or National day.
The 1st December this year is the 62nd anniversary of the first official flying of the Morning Star flag in 1961, in the then Dutch colony of Netherlands New Guinea.
The Dutch were finally about to give the West Papuan people their freedom. However, it is one of the great tragedies that at their moment of freedom it was cruelly crushed and West Papua was basically handed over to Indonesia in 1963 by the international community. A betrayal of a whole people.
Sixty-two years later, the West Papuan people are still struggling for their right to self-determination.
And the human rights abuses continue today.
The situation in the territory continues to deteriorate. There are ongoing clashes between the security forces and the OPM (the Free Papua Movement), with casualties on both sides.
West Papuans continue to be arrested, intimated and killed by the security forces. A number of military operations have taken place in the past few years. During these operations house are burned, livestock killed, leaving local people traumatised and in fear for the lives.
These military operations have created large numbers of internal refugees. Human rights monitor, in its October update on internal refugees stated there are more than 70,000 IDPs in West Papua who remain without government aid, partially because of the ongoing conflict between the TPNPB and the security forces in these areas make it difficult.
Joe Collins of AWPA said, “ every 1st December, supporters around the world raise the Morning Star flag in a show of support for the West Papuan people. Civil society groups in West Papua traditionally commemorate the 1st December by holding rallies and flag raising events".
However, Jubi (Nov. 30th) reported that 450 security personnel are prepared in Jayawijaya to monitor the situation on the 1st December. A google translate (extract below)
Jayawijaya Police Chief, AKBP Heri Wibowo, had said that in anticipation of the 1 December 2023 social security calendar, the security forces alerted 189 personnel from the National Police, 120 TNI personnel, with a total of 450 personnel assisted by a number of people from Senkom and also regional government agencies, namely Damkar and Satpol PP.
"Later we will carry out increased routine activities, carrying out large-scale patrols to anticipate undesirable things," said Jayawijaya Police Chief. https://jubi.id/lapago/2023/450-personel-keamanan-disiapkan-di-jayawijaya/?fbclid=IwAR1Nzy9Zair0Oi-FSPYW8WSEcg6P61t3POGgYupjEOpmw2eUY0paKybrylY
Apel gelar pasukan dalam rangka antisipasi kalender kamtibmas 1 Desember 2023 di Kabupaten Jayawijaya yang dilaksanakan di depan Tugu Salib Wio Silimo Wamena, Kamis (30/11/2023). - Jubi/Islami
The roll call for troops in anticipation of the social security and order calendar for December 1 2023 in Jayawijaya Regency was held in front of the Wio Silimo Wamena Cross Monument, Thursday (30/11/2023). - Jubi/Islamic
Collins said "In the past the security forces have cracked down on peaceful rallies. Hopefully, this year on the 1st December , the West Papuan People will be allowed to celebrate their national day without interference from the authorities" .
Ends
Sydney West Papuan flag raising
The Australia West Papua Association thanks the Inner West Council in Sydney for supporting the raising of the West Papuan National Flag on its Leichhardt Town Hall on the 1st December at 9. 30am. This is the 17 year in a row that the flag has been raised on the Leichhardt Town Hall.
It’s the he 62nd anniversary of the first official flying of the Morning Star flag in 1961.
The event is an opportunity to show our West Papuan friends that they have supporters in Sydney and around the world who care about the human rights situation in their territory.
It’s a family friendly event and remember to keep covid safe. 9.15 for 9.30 . Leichhardt Town Hall Corner of Marion and, Norton St
WP Forum 30/11/2023
West Papuan flag raising 1st December
The Australia West Papua Association thanks the Inner West Council in Sydney for supporting the raising of the West Papuan National Flag on its Leichhardt Town Hall on the 1st December at 9. 30am
It’s the he 62nd anniversary of the first official flying of the Morning Star flag in 1961, in the then Dutch colony of Netherlands New Guinea.
The event is a photo opportunity to show our West Papuan friends that they have supporters in Sydney and around the world who care about the human rights situation in their territory.
It’s a family friendly event and remember to keep covid safe.
9.15 for 9.30 . Leichhardt Town Hall Corner of Marion and, Norton St
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Indonesian Consulate
Posted on FB By Anthony
Hi notice of a proposed protest outside the Indonesian consulate Marouba
1000 -1200noon Friday 1st DEC ALL WELCOME
https://www.facebook.com/groups/192956290738045/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=7304063266293943
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During the National Study Conference in Denpasar, Bali, activists from 46 PMKRI branches across Indonesia joined in supporting this crucial initiative.
Tri Natalia Urada, Chairperson of the PMKRI ST Thomas Aquinas Central Board, affirmed the organization’s commitment to social justice and solidarity.
“We support the humanitarian pause as an effort to prevent more casualties in the Land of Papua,” she said, highlighting the dire need for peace efforts amidst escalating conflicts.
Tri also highlighted the distressing impact of law enforcement and military operations on civilians caught in conflict zones, specifying regions affected by armed conflicts.
“Armed conflicts in Papua are spread across Nduga Regency, Intan Jaya Regency, Bintang Mountains Regency, Yahukimo Regency, Puncak Regency, and Maybrat Regency,” Tri emphasized.
The plea for a humanitarian pause aims to mitigate the ongoing turmoil and pave the way for constructive dialogue towards a lasting resolution. PMKRI condemned all acts of armed conflict, urging an immediate halt and advocating for neutral mediation to address the core issues in Papua.
Meanwhile, Thalia Ohoitimur, Chairperson of the PMKRI St. Efrem of Jayapura Branch, reiterated the urgency of a Humanitarian Pause to address pressing humanitarian crises.
“We of the PMKRI Jayapura Branch have acted by sending books, clothes, stationery, milk, and baby food to the displaced people in Bintang Mountains Regency,” she said. (*)
He pointed out ongoing instances of violence directed at various segments of society in Papua, encompassing women, children, and even cases involving security forces like the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Police. Despite their involvement in assisting these cases, justice remains hard to find, with no redress through ethical hearings or military courts.
“Beyond the physical violence, there is widespread criminalization, like the mistreatment of palm oil workers in Keerom as well as Indigenous Papuans,” said Gobay.
He further criticized the non-inclusive process of issuing environmental permits, indicating potential corruption and a disregard for good governance principles. Ultimately, this chaotic system leads to the erosion of indigenous rights.
Gobay a;sp shed light on the consistent criminalization of activists advocating for human rights in Papua, extending to students facing charges under treason articles. He highlighted the prevalence of this issue across various sectors in 2023, with some cases going unaddressed.
LBH Papua invites the public to report instances of violence and criminalization, offering both online and offline avenues for complaints. Gobay’s aspiration is for this initiative to empower victims to stand up for their rights and seek justice. The aim is to gather complaints from across Papua, recognizing the ongoing challenges and striving to support those affected by these injustices.
JAKARTA — Researchers have credited a strong spirit of collaboration for the success of an expedition in Indonesia’s Cyclops Mountains that uncovered new sightings of a rare egg-laying mammal and multiple unidentified species.
The highlight of the recently published findings was camera-trap images of Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi), which, like the distantly related but better-known platypus, is one of just a handful of egg-laying mammals in existence. The species hadn’t been sighted by scientists since an initial specimen collected in 1961, and for decades was thought to have gone extinct.
Much of the success of the four-week-long Expedition Cyclops has been attributed to the collaboration between international and local researchers, conservation authorities, NGOs, and the Indigenous groups who have persistently protected the region’s biodiversity against external threats.
“We built a strong relationship with the community of Yongsu Sapari, who own part of the northern Cyclops, over three years,” James Kempton, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford who first proposed the expedition in 2019, told Mongabay in an email.
“I think the trust between the expedition team and the community was important in the success of the expedition, and a lack of trust may have contributed to former searches being less successful,” he said.
In addition to the producing new records of the echidna, the expedition also found other rare and potentially new-to-science species, including Mayr’s honeyeater (Ptiloprora mayri), a bird scientists haven’t seen since 2008; an entirely new genus of tree-dwelling shrimp; countless new species of insects; and a previously unknown cave system.
The team also collected more than 75 kilograms (165 pounds) of rock samples for geological analysis, which they say should give them further insight into the creation of the Cyclops Mountains.
“It represents one of the earliest explored mountain ranges in Indonesian New Guinea, and lies next to the major urban centers of Papua, and yet Expedition Cyclops still rediscovered Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna there, and discovered many new species of insect, two new species of frog, and a new genus of shrimp that lives on land,” Kempton noted.
Covering some 31,400 hectares (77,600 acres) in northeastern Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost region, the Cyclops Mountains encompass primary and secondary dryland forests and provide water to inhabitants of the surrounding region. The coastal range has been designated as a nature reserve and is dominated by two main peaks, Rara and Dafonsoro.
The nature and biodiversity of the Cyclops Mountains also have cultural significance for the community of Yongsu Sapari that has lived in the region for 18 generations and holds the land as sacred. Community beliefs hold that the mountains are stewarded by a female spirit who can take the form of a tree-kangaroo.
The region’s wildlife has also inspired a unique conflict-resolution mechanism in the community: when there’s a disagreement, the rival parties split up into groups, one setting off to search for an echidna up in the mountains, and the other heading out to sea to find a marlin. Because both creatures are so elusive that it can take years or even a whole generation to spot one, the conflict effectively remains on hold for that time. And once they’ve spotted the animals, that marks the end of the conflict and a return to peaceful relationships in the community.
Malcolm Kobak, a co-founder of the Indonesian NGO Yayasan Pelayanan Papua Nenda (YAPPENDA), said the expedition team first visited the Yongsu Sapari in 2020 and continued to regularly visit the community and the forest to understand their culture, their concerns for the Cyclops, and their desires.
“This has resulted in us collaborating with the community not just for the expedition but for ongoing conservation efforts,” Kobak told Mongabay. “The village are even helping us by propagating tree seedlings for our tree nursery, eventually to be planted in deforested areas on the southern slopes of the cyclops.
“We simply could not have done the expedition without their support and blessing. They were excellent guides who helped determine where to place cameras, build camps, find clean water, etc.,” he added.
The researchers say they hope the expedition’s recent findings will boost existing efforts to protect the Cyclops from encroaching environmental damages, such as poaching and deforestation, and social challenges, like internal migration.
The rapid growth in the Papua region’s urban centers, including the cities of Jayapura, Weana and Abepura, has attracted highlanders from a neighboring mountain range seeking economic opportunities. In 2015, for instance, nearly half the population of Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, were permanent migrants from elsewhere in Papua, according to the Indonesian government’s statistics agency. These outsiders have been blamed for logging the forest and using fire to clear land for agriculture, encroaching on terrain that communities like the Yongsu Sapari consider sacred.
“The Cyclops Mountains symbolize the extraordinary biodiversity of New Guinea, the world’s most biodiverse island, and suggest what is yet to be discovered there, let alone rediscovered,” Kempton said.
“They represent what must be protected in the provinces of Tanah Papua, provinces over which 83% of old growth rainforest is still intact and which we must protect before disasters like those in the Amazon and the Congo,” he added.
Basten Gokkon is a senior staff writer for Indonesia at Mongabay. Find him on 𝕏 @bgokkon.
See related:
6) Benny Wenda back as ULMWP president, but faces factional friction
Factional friction seems to be dividing the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.
In a congress last week, Benny Wenda was re-appointed as President of the Papua Liberation group after losing the top job at a conference in Vanuatu three months ago.
The group's first congress in Jayapura last week was sparked after widespread discontent over Mr Wenda's demotion and ended in a leadership election.
However, parts of the ULMWP don't recognise the latest Jayapura election results, and still see his replacement Menase Tabuni as the leader of the group.
FEATURED:
Benny Wenda, ULMWP
Octovianus Mote, ULMWP
Cammi Webb-Gannon, lecturer at the University of Wollongong
