4) On Lake Sentani, village harbors hopes of sago-fueled growth
Nabire, Jubi – The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) accuses the Indonesian Military (TNI), namely the Infantry Battalion 330 division, of shooting three civilians in Sugapa District’s Titigi Village, Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua Province.
The shootings occurred on two separate occasions. The first incident took place on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, around 10:25 p.m. local time. Two civilians were shot, namely Selli Maiseni (17), who was wounded in the arm, and Makelon Hagisimijau (15), who was shot in the thigh.
The second incident occurred on March 1, 2024, when a civilian named Nelson Sani (16) was shot in the left arm, piercing through the abdomen, resulting in his death. This occurred during an exchange of fire between joint security forces and the TPNPB.
“We allege that the three were shot by the TNI’s Infantry Battalion 330, tasked with securing the elections, claiming civilian lives,” said TPNPB leader of the Kodap VIII Intan Jaya, Yosua Maiseni, to Jubi on Sunday (3/3/2024).
Yosua Maiseni reported that Selli Maiseni (17) and Makelon Hagisimijau (15) were shot while on their way to observe the vote counting for the Indonesian Legislative and Presidential elections in Titigi. They were shot en route.
Yosua stated that before the incident, the two youths had participated in the elections. However, without valid reasons, they were allegedly shot by the TNI.
“Hence, all members of the Infantry Battalion 330 throughout Intan Jaya should be immediately withdrawn to Jakarta. The TNI has carried out numerous shootings against civilians in Intan Jaya, from school-aged children to the elderly. Some were fatally shot, while others are still alive to this day, like Mainus Bagubau, who was shot in Jalai Village in 2020, among many other cases,” he said.
Yosua questioned why the TNI took over the police’s function during the elections in Intan Jaya, leading to shootings of Selli Maiseni and Mikalon Yoani.
“They (TNI) didn’t come to secure the elections but to kill civilians who know nothing,” he said.
Sugapa District Head Misael Sondegau confirmed the shooting of three civilians in Intan Jaya.
“It’s true that two civilians named Makelon Hagisimijau (15) and Selli Maiseni (17) were shot. They were shot while on their way from Watapa to Titigi. Currently, they are being treated by their families in Watapa,” he said.
However, Sondegau stated that he has yet to identify the perpetrator because the incident occurred far from Sugapa.
“I cannot confirm the shooter of the two civilians as the location is far from Sugapa,” he said.
Meanwhile, on March 2, chaos erupted during a plenary meeting, and security forces opened fire, hitting one civilian named Nelson Sani. He was shot in Mamba Village, Sugapa District.
“Nelson Sani was then taken from Sugapa to Timika. He died on the plane, and his body was transported from Timika to Nabire. Currently, his body is being laid to rest in Nabire,” he said.
Sondegau stated that the situation in Intan Jaya is still tense, with the TPNPB and the TNI on high alert.
TNI denies
XVII/Cenderawasih Regional Military Command Head of Information Lt. Col. Inf Candra Kurniawan denied information stating that TNI soldiers allegedly shot two civilians in Sugapa.
“The news is a hoax deliberately spread by the TPNPB and its sympathizers to defame the security forces,” said Chandra.
Chandra stated that there were no shootings or exchanges of fire in Sugapa District on Wednesday. “So, it was intentionally spread by the TPNPB and its sympathizers amid the ongoing General Elections,” he said. (*)
Asia Pacific Report
A West Papuan independence leader has called on the Dutch Parliament to support a United Nations visit to the Melanesian region ruled by Indonesia and says the recent election of Prabowo Subianto as the next President is a “frightening” prospect due to his notorious human rights record.
Addressing the Dutch Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee last week, United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) president Benny Wenda said that more than 100 separate countries had now demanded that Indonesia allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate in West Papua.
“Indonesia’s continued refusal to obey this demand is why we are here today,” Wenda said.
“As our former coloniser, it is very important that you understand the situation in West Papua and show support for our struggle,” he said, thanking the Parliament for the opportunity to speak.
Addressing last month’s presidential election in Indonesia, Wenda strongly condemned the election of Prabowo Subianto, describing this as a “concerning and frightening” development for West Papua.
“Let’s be clear: Prabowo is a war criminal. He is complicit in crimes against humanity and in genocide in East Timor and West Papua,” Wenda said.
‘Never held accountable’
“He has never apologised or been held accountable for the many atrocities he has been involved in. This is a man who was considered too brutal even for the Indonesian army.”
Prabowo was the only presidential candidate who did not comply with a human rights record questionnaire from Human Rights Watch prior to the election.
Last month, Wenda publicly called for an international arrest warrant against Prabowo.
“Because of his past, his ideology, and because of statements he made during his election campaign, we have good reason to fear that Prabowo will further escalate the militarisation of West Papua,” Wenda told the Dutch parliamentarians.
“We are already suffering ecocide and genocide. The situation will only get worse.”
Wenda said they had already seen the first atrocity of the new Prabowo era.
Last month, the Indonesian military arrested and tortured two Papuan teenagers in Yahukimo.
Torture ‘trophy photos’
“They then took photos with these two innocent children as trophies. Indonesia has repeatedly shown they will target children — the new generation of West Papuans,” Wenda said.
Torture in West Papua had become so common that it was being described as a “mode of governance”.
“With Prabowo as President, there must be a renewed campaign for a UN fact-finding mission in my country. The world must pay attention to our plight.
“Human rights do not exist in West Papua.”
In six years since Indonesia had first invited the UN to West Papua more than 100,000 Papuans had been displaced from their homes and made refugees in their own land, said Wenda.
“Over 75,000 of my people remain displaced to this day. Over 1400 have been killed. It is no coincidence that this violence has happened while Indonesia has sent 25,000-30,000 extra troops to occupied West Papua.”
Indonesia refused aid
Indonesia had also consistently refused to let aid reach displaced people, meaning that many had died of hunger or thirst in the bush.
“No UN visit, no aid workers, no journalists allowed. West Papua is becoming the North Korea of the Pacific,” Wenda said.
In West Papua, there were two crimes — genocide and ecocide, he said.
While the UN had not been allowed in, Indonesia had increased its destruction of West Papuan ancestral land – “our mountains, rivers and forests”.
A new gold mine – “the size of Jakarta” — was now being built called Wabu Block, while BP had completed its expansion of the Tangguh gas field, which would provide 35 percent of Indonesia’s gas.
Indonesia had also rejected a tribal land claim in Boven Digoel.
4) On Lake Sentani, village harbors hopes of sago-fueled growth
- March 4, 2024 19:57 GMT+700
The village is well-known on account of its unique setting: as it sits on Lake Sentani, it does not have any land area, unlike other villages. In addition, almost all homes in the village float on the lake, connected by a network of wooden bridges.
In recent years, Yoboi, which lies close to Papua New Guinea (PNG), has come to be known as a colorful village since almost all the bridges, houses, and public and private facilities in the village are painted in a patchwork of colors.
Given its uniqueness, Yoboi was registered as a tourist village by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy through Pesona Indonesia in 2021, following the visit of Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno to the area.
The village has since received several national awards, including the 2022 Indonesian Tourism Village Award (ADWI).
Visitors to Yoboi Village are treated to the sight of buildings that still reflect local wisdom and values. Houses in the village are still made of wood and built on water.
Tourists coming to the village can carry out activities on the water through boards that serve as both bridges and roads.
The lush green sago forests that surround the village are also a feast for the eyes.
For the local people, sago is a staple food that has been passed down from the ancestors of the Sentani tribe or coastal Papuans.
Sago has been the staple diet of the inhabitants of Kampung Yoboi and the Sentani community since ancient times.
So far, the extraction of sago powder, especially in Yoboi Village, has involved a traditional technique called ‘tokok’ and the use of traditional tools.
Now, the residents of the village are set to receive a large number of sago processing tools from the representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO-UN) for Indonesia given the abundance of sago trees in the area.
The assistance program is expected to improve the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Yoboi Village and serve as a pilot for modern sago processing in Indonesia.
FAO-UN survey
Following a series of surveys, FAO-UN conducted a direct survey in Yoboi Village, accompanied by the ranks of the Jayapura Regency Plantation and Animal Husbandry Office, to see how the residents make sago flour.
After the surveys, FAO-UN held workshops and public discussions with environmentalists, traditional leaders, community leaders, and MSME actors to directly gather their opinions about the plan for providing assistance for sago processing equipment.
All the participants expressed their gratitude for the assistance.
Further, FAO-UN wants Kampung Yoboi to set an example in large-scale processing of sago sustainably. The sago flour produced in the village under the assistance program would not only be used for daily needs, but would also be marketed.
The FAO-UN representative for Indonesia-East Leste, Rajendra Arya, said that he will help MSME actors in Yoboi Village manage the processing of sago in large quantities.
The sago processing equipment provided by the agency would be used to produce a large volume of sago flour and could be used to increase MSME activities and support sago export to areas outside Papua and even abroad.
Sago flour would be packaged in attractive packaging and sent to Papua Mountains, Central Papua, South Papua, and South West Papua, where it would be sold in supermarkets.
The step is a breakthrough to develop sago processing into a large industry so that sago products can be enjoyed not only by the Papuan people, but also by people living outside Papua.
The people of Yoboi Village would process sago flour into a variety of foods and drinks with high economic value and a fairly low sugar content value.
FAO-UN's support for efforts to develop the local sago industry is believed to stimulate the economic growth of the Papuan community.
The government of Jayapura District is enthusiastic about the FAO-UN's support for sustainable sago management.
"This is very good, in order to change the mindset of the community to process sago, not only limited to making papeda or sago porridge, but can be developed into processed with high economic value," acting head of Jayapura Regency's Plantation and Animal Husbandry Office, Jenny S. Deda, said.
Sago Hamletor
In the period from 1960 to 2000, Sago Hamletor or sago forest in Jayapura Regency covered a wide swathe of land. However, it is now starting to shrink due to a change in the function of some of the land into residential areas, among others.
In 2019, Bappeda pegged the estimated area under sago forests in Jayapura District at 3,302 hectares. The sago forests cover six subdistricts: Sentani 1,964.5 hectares; East Sentani, 473.0 hectares; West Sentani, 74.6 hectares; Waibhu, 138.9 hectares; Unus Guay, 277.3 hectares; and Demta, 374.6 hectares.
The local government is now trying to keep the sago forests from shrinking by changing the community's perspective to ensure that sago groves or forests continue to be well-preserved.
Sago is not only a source of food, but can be used to make a variety of food preparations, which can improve the family economy. The people of Papua used to consume papeda or sago porridge, and various types of tubers as staple foods. However, in the 1980s, they started to turn to rice-based foods.
Papuan customary figure Ramses Wally expressed strong support for FAO-UN's endeavor to help the people of Kampung Yoboi process sago sustainably improve community welfare.
"Sago is our identity in Papuan society because sago means we exist. Sago is so old with the customs and culture of the Papuan people," he remarked.
Sago, when managed properly and developed through technology, would help improve the welfare of the community since it can not only be used to make papeda, but also sold in the market in the form of clean and quality sago flour.
"Our duty as indigenous Papuans and as customary leaders must protect and convey to the people to return and maintain sago groves, not to be sold for a moment's pleasure, but (to be preserved so as not) to make grandchildren suffer for life," Wally added.To maintain sago land, the community must strive to preserve forests overgrown with various plants as the main food source of the people in Papua. In addition, forests where animals reside can also serve as a source of protein.
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Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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