2) Papua welfare acceleration program to continue in 2025: KSP
3) All passengers, crew safe after plane incident in Indonesia's Papua
4) West Papua Flag Displayed In Pope Francis’ Visit
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1) Slowly goes the Forum leaders’ agenda
by Tess Newton Cain
9 September 2024
Between the earthquake at the beginning and the communiqué kerfuffle at the end, the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM) ran smoothly enough and presented as a largely harmonious affair. It was one of the biggest, with over 1,000 delegates, activists, observers, and journalists travelling to Nuku’alofa from across the world. Of the 18 Forum member countries, all were present bar one: President Taneti Maamau of Kiribati was unable to attend as his country is in the midst of elections.
In his opening address to the meeting, Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa stated “the time for talking is now over – we need to see action”. While these words were largely directed to Forum partners, they also provide a benchmark against which the outcomes of the PIFLM can be judged.
As reported by Kalafi Moala, one of the most significant action points for the PIF was the establishment of the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF). But attempts to persuade extra-regional partners to contribute to the capitalisation of this facility are meeting with mixed results. The European Union remains a non-starter – the EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, said “we are exploring opportunities” to be able to contribute to the PRF and, according to a senior UK official, “the UK has committed technical assistance to the value of £1.3 million (US$1.72 million) to setting up and structuring the PRF … UK funding and budgetary processes prevent us from a direct pledge to the PRF until it is fully established, and financial formalities are finalised”.
There were several additions to the Forum’s agenda at this meeting. The situation in New Caledonia was high profile and has been discussed extensively elsewhere. Perhaps less headline-grabbing was the addition of both health and education as standing agenda items, as proposed by the incoming chair, Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni of Tonga. The communiqué’s only substantive action point in these areas was an agreement to “develop a comprehensive region-wide health workforce strategy that focuses on quality training and retention measures for consideration by Pacific Health Ministers” (s.16).
There is no denying the importance of these issues in the Pacific. However, loading them onto the leaders’ agenda appears to go against the spirit of the Morauta review of 2013, which was to use this annual summit for issues that required collective political decision-making at the highest level. It should be recalled that in 2015, as part of the implementation of the Framework for Pacific Regionalism (FPR), the submission and filtering process for agenda items was such that a group of just five made the cut: climate change, fisheries, West Papua, ICT, and cervical cancer.
It is not surprising that the elements of the leaders’ agenda have changed in the years since then. Cervical cancer has faded away. Many other items have made their way through a variety of officials’ and ministerial processes to end up in front of the leaders. However, if Morauta’s principles are to be preserved, there should be a renewed commitment to handing off issues – including those that are the pets of the chair – to better homes. They could be pursued through an appropriate ministerial meeting or as part of the work program of a more technical regional agency such as the Pacific Community.
The creeping flabbiness of the agenda, combined with the disruption caused by geopolitical competition, has led to important issues not being progressed in a timely manner. Last year in Rarotonga, leaders requested that the Review of Regional Architecture be concluded for their consideration this year; this has not been achieved. Also last year, leaders considered the idea of a “Zone of Peace” as put forward by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka of Fiji and tasked the Secretariat to further develop it for their consideration in 2024. Come this year’s communiqué and the concept has advanced little. It is now termed the “Ocean of Peace”, and the Secretariat is requested to develop a draft concept for consideration ahead of the gathering next year in Solomon Islands.
As these deferrals and timeline extensions accumulate, the ability of the Pacific Islands Forum to maintain focus and achieve political outcomes is undermined. The case of West Papua provides a striking example. In this year’s communiqué, it merits just one line in which the report of the special envoys (prime ministers James Marape of PNG and Rabuka of Fiji) was “noted”. At the closing press conference, the troika (comprising the leaders of Cook Islands, Tonga and Solomon Islands) said that they were “planning to make sure” a visit to West Papua by Forum special envoys took place before the next meeting. The details of how they are going to make that happen have not yet been disclosed.
This is a blog in an ongoing series of Pacific Island Forum Leaders’ Meeting analysis by Tess Newton Cain.
"The people's welfare development in Papua for 2025 has been prepared by the government and is a quick-win program of President-elect Prabowo Subianto and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka," he said in a statement received here on Monday.
He informed that in 2025, the Papua welfare development program will cover the nutritious meal program, which will be implemented nationally with a budget of Rp71 trillion (US$4.5 billion).
Meanwhile, the National Nutrition Agency will manage nutritious and healthy meal provision to pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and school students at all levels of education.
The Jayapura city government in Papua carried out the meal program trial in collaboration with UNICEF, Litaay said.
"The result of the program tryout is very good as it can protect children of vulnerable groups from malnutrition and stunting," he added.
The welfare development program will also offer free health checks for determining blood sugar levels and other disease risks in 2025.
He informed that so far, cases of infectious diseases have been detected Papuan villages, which could affect productivity, economy, and human resource quality.
In view of this, the program will also cover the construction of Type D and Type C hospitals with sufficient health equipment in Papua.
The presence of Type C hospitals in Papua would ensure affordable health services at the city, district, sub-district, and village levels.
In 2025, the government will also begin school and classroom renovations and provision of clean toilets and bathing facilities.
Related news: Southwest Papua needs well-prepared human resources : minister
Related news: Government committed to building Merauke as food barn
Translator: Muhsidin, Kenzu
Editor: Arie Novarina
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3) All passengers, crew safe after plane incident in Indonesia's Papua
September 9, 2024 18:59 GMT+700
Jakarta (ANTARA) - All passengers and crew of the Trigana Air ATR 42-500 aircraft (registration PK-YSP), which skidded off the runway at Stevanus Rumbewas Airport in Yapen Islands, Papua, were transported to a hospital.
The aircraft was carrying 41 adult passengers, one infant, and six crew members. It was en route to Sentani Airport in Jayapura, the province's capital.
"They have been evacuated to the Serui Regional General Hospital for medical treatment due to injuries and trauma sustained in the incident," said Kusworo, the head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), on Monday.
He noted that the local SAR team at the scene of the incident ensured that all passengers were safe and there were no casualties.
Trigana Air Deputy Area Manager Irwan Rochendi said that the incident occurred at around 10:35 a.m. local time.
The airline reported that the aircraft, with a total baggage capacity of 270 kilograms, is severely damaged.
The cause of the incident remains under investigation. However, the airline has confirmed that the aircraft was in good condition prior to takeoff.
"We are still awaiting information from the pilot regarding the exact cause of the aircraft skidding," said Trigana Air's Director of Safety, Security, and Quality, Captain Lalu Yuniza.
A statement from the Transportation Ministry revealed that the aircraft was in a standing position for takeoff at 10:21 a.m. At 10:35 a.m., it began taxiing on the runway. However, one minute later, the aircraft skidded off the runway to the left, approximately 1,200 meters from the starting point.
Related news: WW II plane wreckage found in Papua's Intipapo forest
Related news: Papua police search for attackers of Wing Air plane in Wamena
Translator: M Prasetyo, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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https://neonmetin.info/buletin/2024/09/09/west-papua-flag-displayed-in-pope-francis-visit/
Dili, Timor-Leste – a solidarity group for the independence of West Papua raised West Papuan flag during Pope Francis’ visit to Timor-Leste. The Morning Star flag was displayed on the Human Rights Avenue, in Motael neighborhood, one of the road passed by Pope Francis from the Dili International Airport to the Nunciature where he will stay for his three day visit to the country.
A pro west Papua solidarity activisit managed to climb up to a roof top of a house along the Avenue, and displaed West Papuan Morning Star flag as Pope Francis drove by as an act of solidarity with the freedom of West Papua. Pope Francis, while blessing the crowds on the street who greeted and welcomed him, quickly looked at the flag before turning and blessing people on the side of the street opposite the West Papuan flag.
Pope Francis was greeted with the “Viva Il Papa” shouts while “Viva Papua” was also heard from within the crowd.
While publishing this article Neon Metin journalist could not manage to interview the movement for safety reason.
This movement was actually anticipated early by the government authorities and security forces with relative heavy presence of security apparatus on the first day of the visit of Pope Francis. Yet, the solidarity group managed to stage the action with the security forces seemingly caught off-guard. Timor-Leste government had publicly and repeatedly expressed intolerance of any solidarity protest, issuing warnings about the pro-West Papua movement, even classifying it as a national security threat.
The solidarity movement is categorized as a security threat rather than as an act of international solidarity, which ironically Timor-Leste enjoyed while the country was under foreign occupation.
A week ago, Nelson Roldão, a Timorese human rights activist supporting the pro-West Papua movement, was arrested at Timor-Leste the Prezidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili, Timor-Leste, while accompanying West Papuan activist who was traveling back to his home country. His arrest sparked protests but was released in the afternoon of the same day by the Timor-Leste National Police Investigation Unit after being investigated.
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