2) Police officers arbitrarily detain Papuan man in Nabire
In the bustling border town of Jayapura, Papua Province, Dr Samuel J. Kambuaya and his team at the Skouw Primary Health Care Center (Puskesmas) are making waves in the fight against polio. Their efforts not only protect Indonesian children but also extend a shield of immunity to those in neighbouring Papua New Guinea (PNG).
The urgency of their mission is clear. With complete polio vaccination rates in Papua Province as low as 44.42% in 2023, reaching the target of 95% coverage for children aged 0-7 years seemed daunting. Recent polio outbreaks in neighbouring provinces of Greater Papua have raised alarm in both Indonesia and PNG. With WHO’s assistance, Dr Samuel's team rose to the challenge, implementing innovative strategies that have had far-reaching impact.
“We used to wait for people to come to the Puskesmas,” Dr Samuel explains. “But many families struggle with transportation costs. Now, with WHO assistance, we actively go into the villages. Our vaccination coverage showed substantial growth afterward.”
On 27 May 2024, only 46 children were vaccinated, which is 13% of the 347 children who should receive this protection from Puskesmas Skouw team in the first round of the 2024 polio campaign. Support from WHO helped enable the Puskesmas to vaccinate 442 children by the end of the campaign on 21 June 2024, well above the targeted coverage.
The team conducts its work in key areas around the Cross-Border Post (PLBN) Skouw RI-PNG. On average, 100 people pass through the border post daily, with numbers rising to approximately 1000 on Saturdays, when the nearby market is open for trade. These locations, where communities exist across national boundaries, have become central to the team's efforts.
"We realized that many families in our area have roots on both sides of the border," Dr Samuel says. "Children often cross back and forth with their parents. By vaccinating these mobile populations, we're not just protecting Indonesian children, but also creating a buffer of immunity that extends into PNG."
WHO's assistance has been crucial in enhancing the skills of healthcare workers to implement the polio campaign and address cross-border challenges. This has enabled Dr Samuel's team to vaccinate children who might have otherwise been overlooked.
As the campaign continues, Dr Samuel remains committed to this broader vision of public health. "Every child we vaccinate here could prevent an outbreak there," he says, pointing towards the PNG border. "We're not just fighting polio in Indonesia; we're contributing to the global eradication effort."
His team stands ready to vaccinate children from PNG if they are present in the Skouw area, in alignment with National immunization guidelines. The guidelines stipulate that all children encountered during vaccination activities are eligible to receive immunization, regardless of their country of origin.
In this corner of the world, where borders are fluid and communities interconnected, Dr Samuel and his team are building a healthier future for children on both sides of the border, one vaccine at a time.
This activity is supported by the US Government through USAID.
Written by Olivi Silalahi, National Professional Officer of Routine Immunization, WHO Indonesia.
2) Police officers arbitrarily detain Papuan man in Nabire
Chief of the joint military-police Cartenz Peace Operation Task Force 2024, Brigadier General Faizal Ramadhani, stated that the late pilot's forensic report had been completed at the Mimika Regional General Hospital before his repatriation.
"The Task Force is committed to supporting the repatriation process for the late Glen Malcolm Conning to New Zealand through Jakarta," Ramadhani said in his written statement on Wednesday.
The task force chief emphasized that the repatriation process would be his unit's current priority and expressed hope that it would run smoothly so that the late pilot's family in New Zealand could convey their last respects sooner.
Meanwhile, the Cartenz Task Force's Public Relations department chief, Senior Commissioner Bayu Suseno, confirmed that Conning's employer, Intan Angkasa Air Service, assisted with the transportation process to Jakarta.
"At 11:10 a.m. local time, the coffin of the late pilot Glen Malcolm Conning departed Timika's Mozes Kilangin Airport for Jayapura's Sentani Airport before being flown to Jakarta," Suseno noted.
The pilot, who works for aviation company Intan Angkasa Air Service, was intercepted and shot when he landed the MD 500 helicopter in Alana Sub-district, Mimika District, Central Papua, on Monday at 10 a.m. local time (UTC +9).
After killing Conning, the criminal group set on fire his lifeless body along with the helicopter. The task force confirmed that the four passengers who boarded the helicopter during the incident had survived.
Conning's death is the latest incident in a history of attacks by separatists on civilian aircraft and their crew members in Papua.
In February 2023, a Susi Air plane was burned by the armed criminal group in Nduga District, Highland Papua. The pilot, Captain Philip Mark Mehrtens, also a New Zealand national, was taken hostage. Despite ongoing efforts, his whereabouts remain unknown.
Related news: OPM kills pilot from New Zealand in Mimika, Papua
Related news: Papua Peace Network condemns murder of New Zealand pilot in Mimika
Translator: Agustina Estevani, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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