2) Acting Regent of Intan Jaya takes peaceful walk to reassure residents amidst recent armed conflict
3) Mongabay Series: Indonesian Fisheries
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1) Jayapura Bishop urges peaceful dialogue for resolving conflicts in Papua
News Desk - Papua Conflict 30 January 2024
A seminar entitled "Quo Vadis Papua, Land of Peace?" organized by SKPKC Fransiskan Papua in Jayapura City, on Monday (29/1/2024). - Jubi/Theo Kelen
Jayapura, Jubi – Jayapura Bishop Yanuarius Theofilus Matopai You emphasizes that violence and conflict in Papua can only be resolved through peaceful dialogue. This sentiment was expressed during a public discussion organized by the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Secretariat of the Franciscans in Papua, held in Jayapura City on Monday (29/1/2024).
The Bishop of Jayapura highlighted that Papua has witnessed the longest history of armed conflict in Indonesia. He pointed out that the armed conflict between the security forces (TNI/Polri) and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has resulted in violence, murders, displacement, and disrupted harmony among the residents of Papua.
“In many places where violence and even homicides occur, there is displacement. People are compelled to leave their villages, moving elsewhere.The plight of these displaced people is heartbreaking as they lead challenging lives. Meanwhile, their areas are controlled by military or police forces, constantly in conflict with the TPNPB,” he added.
Yanuarius stressed the importance of peaceful dialogue to address the root causes of conflict in Papua. According to him, the root causes of the Papua conflict have been formulated by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI, now the National Research and Innovation Agency or BRIN) in the Papua Road Map document.
LIPI identifies four root causes of the Papua conflict: development failures, marginalization and discrimination against indigenous Papuans, state violence and allegations of human rights violations, and controversies over the history and political status of Papua.
“People should be given the opportunity to speak. Dialogue means leaders of the country sitting together with the people, listening to their thoughts and feelings, and vice versa. Dialogue provides an opportunity for people to speak, then find the best solutions,” explained Yanuarius.
The Bishop emphasized that the government must open a space for peaceful dialogue to resolve conflicts in Papua. Bishop Yanuarius stated that dialogue is a part of respecting the dignity and honor of the people of Papua.
“Why are we at fault? What have we done wrong that the central government and the president let us live in these conditions? So far, the government has had the notion that if there is a dialogue, Papua will become independent. Do not jump to conclusions; we need to have a dialogue first. There will be statements in the dialogue that can be accepted, and some that cannot be accepted; it depends on the authority of the government,” Bishop Yanuarius urged.
Bernada Materay, a History lecturer at Cenderawasih University, emphasized that it is time to break the chain of conflict. However, Materay cautioned that all parties must thoroughly understand the issues in Papua before taking action.
“We need to speak honestly for a proper and correct resolution. It is time to stop the violence,” she stated.
Nursalim Arrozy, a figure from Nahdlatul Ulama in Papua, emphasized that peaceful dialogue must be accompanied by sincerity and must not involve hypocrisy. Arrozy stressed the need for active involvement of both indigenous Papuan and non-Papuan communities who have long resided in Papua.
“A serious dialogue is necessary. So far, it has only been discourse that remains unimplemented. Without dialogue, genuine peace is impossible in Papua,” he asserted. (*)
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2) Acting Regent of Intan Jaya takes peaceful walk to reassure residents amidst recent armed conflict
News Desk - Armed Conflict In Papua 30 January 2024
Nabire, Jubi – In an effort to alleviate the fear among the residents following the armed conflict escalation in Intan Jaya, the Acting Regent of Intan Jaya, Apolos Bagau, took a walk around Sugapa, the capital of Intan Jaya Regencyon Friday (26/1/2024). Bagau also visited civilians taking refuge in Catholic churches and government offices in Sugapa.
Bagau was accompanied by the Head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency, the Head of the Population and Civil Registration Office, the Head of the Tourism and Culture Office, the Head of Sugapa District, the Parish Priest of Bilogai Catholic Church, Protestant religious figures, the Chief of Intan Jaya Police, and a representative of the military.
Bagau and the entourage walked from Bilogai Pastorate to Tigamajigi, Yokatapa, the intersection near the Regent’s Office, and back to the pastorate.
“[I walked] to dispel the fear of the community and traders in Sugapa after the gunfire exchange between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Police and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) from January 19 to 23, 2024,” said Bagau.
Bagau stated that the casual walk was aimed at reassuring residents to resume their activities. “So that the community and traders can carry on with their usual activities,” he remarked.
He conveyed to the community that the recent armed conflict was rooted in the rejection of the construction of a statue of Jesus Christ in Bilogai and opposition to the mining plan in Wabu Block in Intan Jaya.
“The government will invite all parties to attend and participate in a meeting at the Regent’s Office on January 27, 2024. Any other matters related to today’s situation or other issues that the government needs to know, please communicate. We hope that all parties can attend the mentioned meeting,” he added. (*)
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3) Mongabay Series: Indonesian Fisheries
Indonesia invites Turkish investors to develop tuna farms in Papua
by Basten Gokkon on 30 January 2024
- Indonesia has invited Turkish investors to participate in offshore tuna farming in the Papua region’s Biak Numfor district, aiming to make it a hub for tuna exports.
- The Indonesian fisheries ministry said Turkish fisheries operators can bring innovation to enhance productivity and ensure sustainability of the tuna fishery.
- Indonesia, a significant contributor to global tuna production, faces sustainability challenges due to excessive harvesting of wild tuna.
- The outreach to Türkiye is the latest in efforts to get foreign investors to help develop Indonesia’s various fisheries, including a similar offer earlier in January for Vietnam to invest in lobster farms.
JAKARTA — The Indonesian government has invited Turkish investors to help develop an offshore tuna farm in the country’s eastern Papua region, which it aims to turn into a major tuna export hub.
The move is the latest outreach by Indonesia’s fisheries ministry to other countries to invest in and develop its fisheries potential. Earlier in January, the minister made a similar offer to Vietnam to invest in lobster farming.
On a recent visit to Türkiye, the Indonesian fisheries minister, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, said Turkish investment and aquaculture technology could help kick-start tuna farming in the waters of Biak Numfor district in Papua province. The minister spoke at a fish-fattening farm in the Türkiye’s Gulf of İzmir, where various marine fish species, including Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), are held in pens after being captured from the wild and fed to increase their weight.
“Some of our territorial waters are habitat for tuna, so we need innovation to increase the productivity of this commodity and ensure its sustainability,” Trenggono said in a statement published Jan. 24.
At the start of his second term in office, in 2019, President Joko Widodo ordered the fisheries ministry to boost the country’s aquaculture productivity. Indonesia’s tuna fishery is an important source of livelihood for coastal communities in the Southeast Asian nation and a key source of food for consumers around the world, contributing about 16% to the total global tuna production.
However, the excessive harvesting of wild tuna in Indonesian waters has rendered the fishery unsustainable. A substantial portion of the country’s fishing areas in the Pacific and Indian oceans has been fully utilized, leading to overfishing of numerous tuna species.
Trenggono said Turkish investors were specifically interested in Biak Numfor, located within the biodiverse Cenderawasih Bay and part of the Pacific Coral Triangle, the leading hotspot for marine biodiversity.
“This is the most suitable area because it borders the northern Pacific waters, so the most suitable location is Biak [and] Kupang which is very close to the Indian [Ocean] waters,” Trenggono told Mongabay on the sidelines of an event in Jakarta.
The Papuan district last November opened its first so-called modern fishing village with key infrastructure for tuna fisheries, such as ice factories, cold storage, catch-landing shelters and docking yards, all built by the central government. Other supporting facilities include a training center, clean water installation, drainage, street lighting, waste water management installation, and management office.
The tuna fishery in Biak Numfor is a rich source of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), with officials estimating it could produce up to 1 million metric tons annually. There are also plans to expand direct export by air from Papua to Japan, one of Indonesia’s top tuna buyers. Currently, there’s only one flight a week flying that route. There were 29 freight shipments between January and August 2023, with a total of 140.4 metric tons of tuna sent to Japan from Biak Numfor, according to the district fisheries agency.
Indonesia’s waters are also home to several other species of commercially valuable tuna, including longfin or albacore (T. alalunga), bigeye (T. obesus) and southern bluefin (T. maccoyii).
In 2021, Indonesia caught 791,000 metric tons of tuna, with a total value of about $1.4 billion. About a fifth of this catch was exported, primarily to United States, Japan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, the European Union, Australia, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines.
The growth of Indonesia’s fisheries is part of a global trend in aquaculture, which expanded by 527% between 1990 and 2018, with Indonesia one of the top contributors. In the third quarter of 2021, Indonesia’s aquaculture output reached 12.25 million metric tons, reflecting a 6% rise from the same period in 2020. The aquaculture sector has also grown in economic importance, generating revenue in excess of government targets, according to the fisheries ministry.
The ministry has implemented various initiatives to maintain sustainable levels of tuna production. These include implementing harvest controls, monitoring specific species in selected fisheries areas, regulating the use of fish-aggregating devices, and pushing for international-standard sustainability certification among fishers. Developing tuna farms is the latest in efforts to ease the pressure on wild stocks.
The government is also pushing for more tuna fisheries in Indonesia to achieve sustainability certification and eco-labeling. Numerous programs are available to ensure the certification of sustainable fish stocks, minimize environmental impacts, uphold labor rights, establish transparency and traceability in the supply chain, and govern management according to best practices.
Basten Gokkon is a senior staff writer for Indonesia at Mongabay. Find him on 𝕏 @bgokkon.
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