Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)
AWPA Statement 7 November 2024
AWPA condemns the joint Australian and Indonesian exercise "Keris Woomera"
Approximately 2,000 personnel from the two nations, including Navy, Army, and Air Force personal are participating in the exercise which started on the 3 November 2024. The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said in a press release that the exercise is the “largest combined joint activity” by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) in recent history.
The Keris Woomera exercise will highlight the ongoing cooperation between Australia and Indonesia and culminate with a combined joint live-fire exercise consisting of tanks, artillery, infantry and attack helicopters.
Australian soldiers instruct Indonesian personnel in the use of the EF88 Austeyr rifle as part of Exercise Keris Woomera.(Supplied: Department of Defence)
Joe Collins of AWPA said, “no mention in the DoD releases about the fact that the TNI arrest and torture West Papuans”.
“No mention of the fact that there are regular crackdowns on peaceful demonstrations with West Papuan activists arrested and intimidated”
Or the fact there is an ongoing conflict in West Papua which has resulted in over 79,000 people becoming internally displaced because of military operations.
The election of President Prabowo Subianto is also causing major concern amongst West Papuans. Just days after his inauguration, it was announced for plans to resume the transmigration program in eastern Indonesia, particularly in Papua, saying it was needed for enhancing unity and providing locals with welfare. In fact, transmigration is a great danger for West Papuans who are in danger of becoming a minority in their own land.
Protests against the reintroduction of the program have already taken place.
Peaceful demonstration masses reject transmigration in Papua, in Jayapura City, Papua on Monday (11/04/2024).- Jubi/ Aida Ulim
Papuan People’s Solidarity members protest in Sorong against President Prabowo Subianto’s plan to resume a transmigration program, 30 October 2024. Photo: Eko Siswono Toyudho/BenarNews
Presumely the ADF are aware of the Indonesian Presidents past human rights record.
Extract from human rights watch
Prabowo, a former special forces commander, was dismissed from the Indonesian army in 1998 for kidnapping student activists. Earlier, he had been indicted for the Kraras massacre in East Timor in 1983 but failed to answer a summons from the UN Special Prosecutor’s Office in Dili. A UN-sponsored report on East Timor accused him of commanding massacres that resulted in the deaths of as many as 200 Timorese men, accusations that Prabowo denied.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/19/australia-raise-rights-concerns-indonesia-meetings
Joe Collins of AWPA said, “the ADF should be distancing itself from the Indonesian military while there are ongoing human rights abuses in West Papua , not increasing ties with the Indonesian security forces”.
The Australian Government should continue to urge Jakarta to follow up on its commitment to invite the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua and report on the human rights situation in the territory.
Ends
Source
Australia-Indonesia Defence Cooperation Agreement enables largest combined joint activity in recent history
-------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.