2) KPU delays voting in Paniai after residents burn election materials
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https://en.jubi.id/papua-police-assures-election-security-amidst-tpnpb-disturbances/
1) Papua Police assures election security amidst TPNPB disturbances
News Desk - 2024 Elections 14 February 2024
Jayapura, Jubi – Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Mathius Fakhiri stated that the security disturbances by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) in the Mountainous Papua and Central Papua provinces are not related to the 2024 General Election.
“Hopefully, the implementation of the Presidential and Legislative Elections in Papua will proceed as scheduled. The recent events have no connection to the elections,” Fakhiri said in Jayapura City on Wednesday (7/2/2024).
According to Fakhiri, the people of Papua are eager to progress and be on equal footing with other regions in Indonesia. Therefore, he urged individuals who reject the implementation of elections in Papua for personal interests to cease their actions.
“I hope those who always resort to violence or exploit Papua issues for personal gain will stop,” he said.
Fakhiri stated that the security for the distribution of the 2024 election logistics involves 8,000 police personnel. They are ready to carry out security duties to every polling station available.
“Six thousands police personnel are stationed at each police precinct, while 2,000 will be deployed from the Papua Police according to the schedule determined by the General Election Commission (KPU). Certainly, the police will be assisted by the Indonesian Military (TNI) for security,” he said.
Fakhiri mentioned that all infrastructure owned by the Papua Police is ready to be utilized to ensure that the elections on February 14, 2024, proceed safely, peacefully, and according to the schedule set by the KPU. (*)
"Of course, I deeply regret the incidents of the burning of government resources and election logistical materials in Paniai that occurred just one day before [the election]," said Mathius. The Central Papua KPU has said the incident was caused by false information suggesting that the C1 vote tallying forms inside the boxes were fake.
"We believe that families in Paniai have been misled by irresponsible hoax information, leading to such actions," said Central Papua KPU chair Jennifer Darling Tabuni on Tuesday. She added that the residents had suspected the C1 forms were fake because they lacked the holographic markings of the forms for the 2014 and 2019 elections. This year’s C1 forms employ barcodes rather than holographic markings.
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Jayapura, Jubi – The independent election monitoring network, the Alliance for Democracy for Papua (ALDP), is set to monitor the voting process of the 2024 General Election in Papua Province, Mountainous Papua Province, and South Papua Province. This was conveyed by the Coordinator of ALDP, Antoni Ibra Nalaki on Saturday (10/2/2024).
“This marks ALDP’s third experience in monitoring the voting process since 2014, 2019, and now 2024. It’s the third time,” he said.
Ibra stated that the alliance is the only independent monitoring organization from Papua accredited by the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) to monitor the voting process in Papua.
The ALDP will conduct monitoring in Papua Province, including Jayapura City, Jayapura Regency, Keerom Regency, Sarmi Regency, and Mamberamo Raya Regency. Meanwhile, in Mountainous Papua Province, monitoring will occur in Jayawijaya Regency, and in South Papua Province, it will be in Merauke Regency.
Ibra mentioned that they are involving 80 individuals for monitoring the voting process, distributed across Jayapura City (22 individuals), Jayapura Regency (10), Keerom Regency (10), Mamberamo Raya Regency (2), and Sarmi Regency (3). In Jayawijaya Regency, Mountainous Papua Province (6 individuals), and in Merauke Regency, South Papua Province (27).
He emphasized that the involvement of the ALDP in independent monitoring of the voting process aims to ensure that the 2024 election organizers conduct it directly, publicly, freely, secretly, honestly, and fairly.
“Monitoring of the voting process is crucial to ensure that the election organizers comply with clean and democratic election regulations,” he said.
Ibra pointed out that the selection of monitoring locations is due to the high level of vulnerability to violations during the voting process. For instance, in Papua Province, violations range from money politics, identity politics, mass mobilization, to the involvement of underage individuals in voting.
He stressed the importance of active involvement from all parties in monitoring the voting process on February 14.
“Based on ALDP’s experience, the level of vulnerability to violations during the voting process is very high,” he said.
The General Election Supervisory Board has officially accredited 158 election monitoring institutions for the 2024 elections, comprising 155 domestic monitors, including 61 national-level monitoring institutions, 38 provincial-level, and 56 district-level institutions. Three monitoring institutions are from overseas.
There has been a significant increase in the number of domestic election monitors for the 2024 elections compared to the 2019 elections, which had 138 monitoring institutions.
Coordinator of Prevention Division, Community Participation, and Public Relations at Bawaslu Papua, Yofrey Piryamta N Kebelen, stated that the accreditation of election monitoring institutions for the 2024 elections was conducted by the Central Bawaslu.
“ALDP is the only election monitoring institution in Papua,” he said. He added that Bawaslu appreciates the Alliance for Democracy for Papua for once again becoming an election monitoring institution. (*)
Rebels in Indonesia’s West Papua region have released a video of New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mehrtens, in which he tells his family he loves them and is being treated well by his captors.
Mehrtens, a former Jetstar pilot, was taken hostage by the West PapuaNational Liberation Army a year ago as a bargaining chip for its push for independence from Indonesia. The video was filmed on 22 December – prior to the army announcing last week Mehrtens would soon be freed, but not confirming when.
“I love you both lots and miss you both lots and hope to be able to talk with you soon.”
In a second video that was also released, Mehrtens said the Komadan was able to help order “a couple of things for me”, requesting two ventolin inhalers and an ebook reader with “as many English books as possible”.
“That would be very much appreciated,” he said in the video. It’s unclear who the second video was directed at.
On 7 February, a year to the day since Mehrtens was kidnapped after he landed a small commercial passenger plane at Paro airport in Nduga (epicenter of the growing Papuan insurgency), the army announced Mehrtens would be freed “to protect humanity and ensure human rights”.
In a statement announcing the release, the chief of general staff of the West Papua National Liberation Army, Terianus Satto, criticised the Indonesian and New Zealand governments for not meeting the terms for peace negotiations to begin between Indonesia and West Papua in exchange for Mehrtens’ release.
In May last year, the army threatened to shoot Mehrtens if the Indonesian government did not meet its demands to begin independence talks.
Mehrtens’ kidnapping has renewed attention on the long-running and deadly conflict that has raged in West Papua, which makes up the western half of Papua New Guinea, since Indonesia took control of the former Dutch colony in 1969.
The Free West Papua Movement, of which the West Papua National Liberation Army is the armed wing and regularly engages in skirmishes with Indonesian security forces, has continued to demand a fair vote on self-determination.
Peaceful acts of civil disobedience by Indigenous West Papuans, such as raising the banned “Morning Star” flag, are met with police and military brutality and long jail sentences.
In 2022, UN human rights experts called for urgent and unrestricted humanitarian access to the region because of serious concerns about “shocking abuses against Indigenous Papuans, including child killings, disappearances, torture and mass displacement of people”.
On the same day the army announced Mehrtens would be released, New Zealand’s minister for foreign affairs, Winston Peters, released a statement appealing for Mehrtens to be freed immediately, adding the government had been working with the Indonesian authorities to secure his release.
“Let me be absolutely clear. There can never be any justification for hostage taking,” Peters said.
Jayapura, Jubi – Flights to Bilogai Airport in Sugapa, the capital of Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua Province, have resumed following the assessment of the security situation in Intan Jaya as conducive. Previously, flights to Bilogai were suspended due to the escalation of armed conflicts in Intan Jaya since January 19, 2024.
This was announced by the Papua Police chief, Insp. Gen. Mathius Fakhiri, in Jayapura City, Papua Province, on Friday (9/2/2024).
“The security situation [in Intan Jaya] is gradually returning to normal. I hereby authorize the reopening of flights to facilitate the distribution of logistics for the 2024 General Election. We will fully support its security,” said Fakhiri.
According to Fakhiri, the security situation in Intan Jaya has improved since the shootings and arson attacks on several government facilities by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB).
“Intan Jaya is starting to become more peaceful. I urge the local police [of Intan Jaya] to strengthen and prepare security measures there,” he said.
Fakhiri explained that he has also communicated with the Acting Governor of Central Papua, Ribka Haluk, to request that the Acting Regent of Intan Jaya, Apolos Bagau, personally engage with the community. This effort is expected to ensure that the implementation of the polling process for the 2024 General Election proceeds peacefully and smoothly.
“I have asked the Acting Governor to instruct Mr. Bagau to engage directly with the community, so that all final stages of the election can proceed smoothly,” he said. (*)
Jayapura, Jubi – John Magal, the chairman of the Amungme Community Institution (LEMASA) or Amungme Nagawan, expressed regret over the visit of a team from the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) failing to meet and observe residents directly affected by tailings from PT Freeport Indonesia‘s mining activities.
“They should have also seen the conditions of residents around the mining area, such as those living in Banti, Tsinga, and Arwanop. It is the duty of the state to observe the conditions of every Indonesian citizen,” said John Magal via WhatsApp to Jubi on Thursday (8/2/2024).
He added that as a citizen and leader of LEMASA, he deeply regrets that the visit was only to Freeport’s reclamation area in Tembagapura District, Mimika Regency, Central Papua Province.
“They should have directly observed the conditions of the people at locations directly affected by tailings and also residents around the mining area,” he added.
John Magal mentioned having sent a letter to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the Directorate General of Forestry and Environmental Planning, the Directorate of Environmental Impact Prevention of Business and Activities in Jakarta in June 2023.
“The ministry has responded to the letter because our request was for the Environmental Impact Analysis (AMDAL) to be suspended temporarily as it did not involve representatives of affected communities,” said Magal.
He personally wrote to the Minister of Environment and Forestry in Jakarta and until now, their request to meet with KLHK officials in Jakarta has not been fulfilled.
“Yes, I wrote to KLHK in Jakarta, and someone else met with them,” he said.
He stated that for nearly 50 years, their community as landowners has remained spectators, witnessing the wealth extracted from the bowels of Amungsa in Nemangkawi.
“Yes, we have been mere spectators for a long time,” he said.
Meanwhile, through its release, the Secretary of the Directorate General of Forestry and Environmental Planning, Herban Hendrayana, explained that Freeport has made various efforts in environmental management, and they hope this will continue and improve.
“The team planted Dechampsia Klossii, an endemic grass species found in Grasberg. Planting was done at Batu Bersih Grasberg at an altitude of 4,300 meters above sea level,” said Herban.
The KLHK and Bappenas team visited Mimika from Saturday, February 3 to Monday, February 5, 2024, to get a closer look at environmental management in mining areas and review community empowerment programs at PT Freeport Indonesia. (*)
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