1) Flag-flying across West Papua planned for 1 July; Police are ready to respond

1) Flag-flying across West Papua planned  for 1 July; Police are ready to respond

2) Ecumenical groups address issues in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea

3) Churches Report on acts of violence in May and June 2012. Part I

4) Local leaders want to divide Papua to save it

--------------------------------------

1) Flag-flying across West Papua planned  for 1 July; Police are ready to respond

Bintang Papua, 26 June 2012

The OPM has announced that it intends to fly the Morning Star flag on July 1, the anniversary of the creation of the TPN, the military wing of the OPM. The flag flying across the territory of West Papua will be accompanied by a fireworks display.

The announcement was made by Lambert Pekikir, general coordinator of  the TPN/OPM from his base, Victoria, on the border between West Papua and PNG. He said that troops of the TPN are preparing themselves for the flag-flying which will continue from 1 - 3 July. The OPM will also read out a statement which says among other things that the UN must accept responsibility for all the violations that have occurred in West Papua.

He also said that civilians throughout the territory, Papuans as well as non-Papuans,  are advised to stay at home so as to avoid any unnecessary things from happening.

In response to the flag-flying plans, the police force in Papua have announced that they are making preparations for this,  and will do everything possible to ensure that no Morning Star flags are flown. A spokesman said that Papuans should not play round with the flag, like children flying kites. The police say that they will take the persuasive approach  and have no intention of using firearms in anticipation of the flag-flying. Police spokesman, AKBP Yohannes Nugroho Wicaksono, appealed to those groups who intend to flag the flag not to do so.

The police chief has issued an order for no flags to be flown but if any flags are nevertheless flown, they will be pulled down without the use of violence. He also said that in advance of 1 July,  there will be sweepings  [of people's homes] and patrols by the police will be intensified.

[Translated by TAPOL

----------------------------------------------

http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=5763

2) Ecumenical groups address issues in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea

ENInews Staff 

26 June 2012

 

(ENInews). Two ecumenical groups -- the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) -- respectively highlighted initiatives in the Tanah Papua area of Indonesia and in Papua New Guinea, which shares the Pacific island of New Guinea. 

The WCC addressed the ongoing human rights crisis as the Papuan people seek greater self-determination and WACC said it is supporting a communications project to benefit villagers seeking to protect their river environment from mining activities. 

In Tanah Papua, WCC General Secretary the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit said that "we urge an end to the ongoing violence and impunity. We support the call for social and economic justice through serious dialogue and a concrete political process that seeks to address root causes of the present problems." 

The Papuan people have been demanding freedom of expression and the right to self-determination, but their demands have been suppressed by Indonesian authorities, sometimes violently. During his visit to Tanah Papua from 17 to 20 June, Tveit met with Indonesian and Papuan church leaders, according to a WCC news release. 

Tanah Papua has a prominent Christian presence, with more than 45 diverse denominations. The province has remained the focus of tensions between the authorities and the Papuan people. In February, the WCC's Executive Committee expressed concern over continuing violence and urged a peaceful resolution. 

"The Indonesian government must consider the realities of Papuan people and ensure a secure future for them," said Tveit. While in Tanah Papua, Tveit visited several churches including WCC member church the Evangelical Christian Church in Tanah Papua, Protestant Church in Indonesia, Evangelical Church in Indonesia, Baptist Church in Papua, Christian Church of Holy Word and the Christian Missionary Alliance. 

Tveit also met with government officials, representatives of non-governmental organizations, independent movements and interfaith networks for updates on the Papuan situation. The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (CCI). CCI General Chairman the Rev. A. A. Yewangoe noted that the "cultural and ethnic identity" of the Papuan people needs to be appreciated in addition to the socio-political situation. 

The Toronto-based WACC announced in late June that it is involved in a project in Papua New Guinea that will help villagers along the Sepik River identify communications tools as they assess the effect of a nearby copper-gold mine on their environment. 

The project, which includes a campaign on www.globalgiving.org, is intended to help indigenous people living in 50 small villages who "have been fighting to have their voices heard by the government and the management of a new mine," according to a WACC news release. 

The mine is a joint venture with the Switzerland-based mining company Xstrata plc (which owns an 81.8 per cent share), Highlands Frieda Ltd. and OMRD Frieda Co. Ltd. 

WACC said the villagers rely heavily on the Sepik River for water, food and transportation and they are worried about sedimentation of the water and heavy metal pollution from mining operations. 

The Sepik Wetlands Management Initiative (SWMI), a local wetlands management and community development organization, found an increase in silt in the river after test drilling, WACC reported. "The people anticipate environmental, social and cultural disruptions," said Jerry Wana, chairman of SWMI, according to WACC. 

"Communities need to be able to communicate their concerns and voice them to the rest of the world," said the Rev. Akuila Yabaki, President of WACC Pacific. 

Yabaki said that marginalized groups, like the villagers in Middle Sepik River, benefit from learning strategies to communicate the impacts of such mining projects with stakeholders such as the government and mining companies. He said that by learning about communication rights, communities in the Pacific can collaborate with partners across the globe facing the same issues. 

WACC's General Secretary, the Rev. Karin Achtelstetter, said the project merits support because "these villagers face issues that are not uncommon in other countries in the Pacific and across the globe."

-----------------------------------------

From Tapol

3) Churches Report on acts of violence in May and June 2012. Part I

[First section only of a nine-page report]

Violence, shootings and incidents by OTK (unknown persons) have become a daily event in Papua during the past three weeks. So-called petrus (mysterious killings) continue to occur, while the perpetrators have been identified in only a few of the cases. The following chronological reports  are about incidents that occurred in May-June 2012 with analysis by the KPKC, the Catholic Pedagogy and Catechism Centre.

A.    Mysterious shooting incidents and Violence against the civilian population during May.

1.    15 May shooting in Degeuwo.

       At 5.30 am, Selpius Kegepe, Lukas Tobeeta, Amos Kegepe and Yulianus Wagepa left the G 99  location for Location 45, for a game of billiards. Melkianus Kegepe followed suit.as they went on their journey to Location 45, Degeuwo.

       At 6am they arrived at the billiards hall where they met a woman called Ibu Ona. They told her that they wanted to play a game of billiards and asked her for some balls. She said she couldn't give them the balls until they had paid. The men said that they would pay later, but she refused to give them any balls. The men then went to a cupboard where the balls were kept, took out some balls and began to play. Melianus Kegepe arrived  later and stood by the door. At this point, Ibu Ona phoned the commander of the Brimob post at Kilo 99, not far from Kilo 45 location.. As they were playing billiards, Ibu Ona turned  off  the lights, so that they were playing billiards in the dark. The men asked her why she had turned  off the lights, when they had said that they would be paying.. As they were arguing, some Brimob troops appeared.

The commander of the troops arrived and went straight to the billiards hall. One of them  pulled out a pistol and shot Melianus Kegepe, chief of the Muda Clan.,in the side, with the bullet coming out on the other side. He died on the spot, as he was standing by the door of the billiard hall. The Brimob troops then started shooting the four youths in the hall, and hit Amos Kegepe. The first two shots seriously injured his left leg while the third shot hit him in the calf of his right leg. He was rushed to Nabire hopsital. Yulianus was shot in the back and the bullet is still in his body. Selpius  Kegepe was hit in three places, in the right arm and then  in the chest and then hit  in the right waist. Lukas Tobeta  was shot in the stomach and was rushed to hospital.

The victims:

Melianus Kegepe, was 23 years old, Protestant, with two wives. He died instantaneously, standing by the door of the billiard hall.

Four men were seriously injured.

Selvius Kegepe, 22 years, Protestant, bachelor. Leg seriously injured. Hit in three places of his body, and is now in Nabire Hospital.

Amos  Kegepe, 22 years, Protestant, bachelor, shot twice, hit in the waist. Is now in hospital.

Lukas Kegepe, 20 years, Protestant, bachelor, shot in the stomach.

Yulianus Wagepa, 24 years, Protestant, bachelor, hit in the back, with the bullet stll n his body.

Analysis

All the gold panning areas in Paniai and Nabire  is located on land occupied by traditional tribes but exploitation of the gold  is controlled by outsiders having paid a pittance for the land and in some cases, having paid nothing at all because the land is under the control of the security forces as a result of which the newcomers set up businesses and get involved in panning the gold, while being obliged to pay the security forces for their security.

As for Ibu Ona, she has opened the billiards hall under the protection of the security forces which can only be used by newcomers. She seems to have been

involved in business for a long time in Degeuwo. The young people there know her well and call her kakak (older sister). The youngsters who come there to play became the victims of shooting  by  the security forces, who adopt an uncompromising  attitude towards the local inhabitants, and dont even show any respect for the clan chief, the owner of the land where they must grow food for their upkeep.

These things happen in Degeuwo, killings and shootings of the local people, whose land is controlled by the newcomers.None of these cases in Degeuwo has ever been .solved. All that has happened is rotations of the personnel who are responsible for all the violence.

[Translated by TAPOL]

--------------------------------------------------

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/06/27/local-leaders-want-divide-papua-save-it.html

4) Local leaders want to divide Papua to save it

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura | Headlines | Wed, 06/27/2012 6:58 AM

Three regions in Papua and one in West Papua are looking to become new provinces in the hope of reversing sluggish development under former and current administrations.

The petitioners have urged the Papuan Consultative Assembly (MRP) to issue a recommendation approving their formation.

“We have received four proposals to form new provinces in Papua and the MRP has formed a special committee to study the proposals and determine whether or not it is feasible for them to split,” MRP special autonomy committee member Samuel K. Waromi told reporters at his office on Tuesday.



The four proposed provinces are named South Papua, Central Papua, Teluk Cendrawasih (Papua) and North West Papua (West Papua), each comprising several regencies and municipalities.

Since the introduction of regional autonomy over a decade ago, Indonesia has seen the formation of 205 new autonomous regions — seven provinces, 164 regencies and 34 municipalities. In total, the country now has 529 autonomous regions: 33 provinces, 398 regencies and 98 municipalities. 

The government declared a moratorium in 2009 against the formation of new regions in light of the fact that the new regions were largely under-performing in four areas: Good governance, public services, competitiveness and social welfare.



The declared moratorium, which is expected to end in December, was also triggered by an ugly conflict over a proposed province in North Sumatra that led to the death of then North Sumatra Legislative Council speaker Azis Angkat in 2008.

Despite the moratorium, proposals for additional regions have continued to be put forward and the House of Representatives agreed on bills for the creation of 19 new regions (one province and 18 regencies) in April.

Samuel said people’s desire to create new provinces was due to gaps in public service, so much so that despite special autonomy status being granted to Papua, people at the grassroots level had yet to benefit from the legislation. 

He likened the condition to grass roots becoming so dry that smoke starts to rise from it.

 

“Will the grass roots be ignored and left to dry and burn? Grass roots need water to survive and nourishment to thrive,” he said.

Earlier, in calling for the establishment of Central Papua province, former Nabire regent AP Youw; former Yapen Waropen regent Philip Wona; former Jayapura naval base commander Dick Henk Webiser; and the former head of the Mimika Legislative Council, Andarias Anggaibak, met interim Papua Governor Syamsul Arief Rivai to request his consent to form Central Papua province.



“We have prepared a draft to form the province of Central Papua and we only have to meet two more conditions: Approval by the governor of Papua as the parent province and approval from the MRP as mandated in the 2001 Law on Special Autonomy,” said Youw.

“We have minerals but we remain poor. So, we want to form Central Papua so that public services will cater to everyone,” Andarias said.

Papua’s caretaker governor said people had the right to express their aspirations but that the ratification for the formation of new provinces were the central government’s authority.

“I can offer no promises in response to their wishes because all decisions belong to the central government,” Syamsul said.

-----------------------------------------------

1) Papuan Delegation Tells Its Side of the Story in Wake of Violence

1) Papuan Delegation Tells Its Side of the Story in Wake of Violence

2) KNPB members will surrender to the police.

3) Police urged to publicise the photo of Mako Tabuni's bag

4) Those who shot Tabuni must be brought to justice

---------------------------------

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/papuan-delegation-tells-its-side-of-the-story-in-wake-of-recent-violence/526944

1) Papuan Delegation Tells Its Side of the Story in Wake of Violence

Philip Jacobson | June 26, 2012

A group of Papuans was in Jakarta on Tuesday to give their own account of the recent escalation of violence in their home region, which they say has been distorted by imbalanced media coverage and statements by authorities who assert that separatists are behind it.

Meanwhile, reports of arrests continue to flow out of Papua as a police crackdown there intensifies, with the Jayapura Police chief announcing on Monday that his forces had detained three people responsible for “spreading fear and terror” in the province.



The three — Jefry Wandikwo, Zakius Saplay and Calvin Wenda — allegedly acted in conjunction with slain independence activist Mako Tabuni to perpetuate a series of shootings in Jayapura, including a seemingly random attack on a German tourist.

Mako, who was deputy chairman of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), was shot dead earlier this month by plainclothes police sent to arrest him.

Officers say they had to shoot Mako because he resisted arrest and made a grab at one of their guns. But witnesses interviewed by the National Commission on Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) say the police were in their cars when they gunned him down.

“This is nothing new, these gross human rights violations against those accused of being supporters of separatists,” Rev. Benny Giay, who was part of the delegation from Papua and spoke at Kontras on Tuesday, told the Jakarta Globe after the event. “This is how they try to weaken, try to control the civilians.”

Jayapura Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Alfred Papare said Calvin was involved in the shooting of the German tourist while Jefry and Zakius killed someone else and committed arson along with Mako.

The police are still looking for Andi Muk, Slamet Kosay and Dani Wenda, Alfred said.

“Although we arrested the three we believe are behind the act of violence and shooting, to this day we cannot conclude definitively the motive behind these acts. But what is certain is that they have spread fear and terror among residents,” Alfred said.

On Sunday, the Australia-based Institute of Papuan Advocacy and Human Rights (IPAHR) reported that the police had arrested five other KNPB members: Zakeus Hupla, Wayut Aspalek, Niel Kogoya, Niel Wolom and Ishak Elopere.

KNPB, which campaigns for a referendum on Papuan self-determination in coordination with international organizations like the Britain-based Free Papua Movement, is seen by Indonesian authorities as a dangerous separatist organization.

Its members and supporters, meanwhile, including Giay, say it acts peacefully.

An International Crisis Group report from 2010 said the organization consisted of “mostly university-educated students and ex-students who adopted a militant left-wing ideology and saw themselves as revolutionaries, fighting the Indonesian state and the giant Freeport copper and gold mine near Timika ... they increasingly saw that the only hope of achieving their cause lay in showing the world that Papua was in crisis — and that meant more visible manifestations of conflict.”

A rebuttal to that report authored by the University of Sydney’s West Papua Project that same year stated,

“We have found instead that the KNPB is primarily a media and information clearinghouse that expresses mainstream views held by a wide spectrum of Papuan civil society and political organizations ... the ICG report is biased and poorly conceived and researched.”

Benny Wenda, the Papuan exile who founded the Free Papua Movement, said the security forces saw Mako as a threat because of his advocacy.

“That’s why they killed him,” Benny told the Globe. “It really upset me, really.”

------------------------------------------------

fropm Tapol

2) KNPB members will surrender to the police.

Bintang Papua, 25 June

MEMBERS OF KNPB WILL SURRENDER T O THE POLICE

Jayapura: Victor Yeimo, the international spokesperson of the KNPB, the  National Committee of West Papua. has announced that members of the KNPB will soon be surrendering en masse to the police in Papua.  He said that they are absolutely convinced that  the series of violent actions that have occurred in Jayapura  were nothing to do with the KNPB. He said that the series of shootings and acts of violence were part of a big scenario  the mastermind of which is not yet known.

This is why the KNPB has decided to put pressure on the police  to investigate these incidents that were the work of  'mysterious ' or unknown people. 'The police need to investigate this As yet, they have not be able to say who was responsible and have not made any arrests. The KNPB suspects hat this is all part of a huge scenario by the state authorities  which has quite deliberately been stirred up by the police and the military.'

With regard to the shooting of Mako Tabuni, this was a violation of the law of the land. 'If the state has respect for human beings the case of Mako would have been handled according to due process, and not resulted in loss of life.'

He went on to say that the shooting of Mako Tabuni is clear evidence that the law here in this country does not side with the  Papuan people. There are no grounds whatever for allegations that the KNPB was responsible. Such activities are not part of the policy of the KNPB which has from the very start declared its  intention to struggle along with the Papuan people in accordance with the principle  of respect for human life  and has totally rejected the path of violence.

This is why all members of the KNPB will gather together and surrender to the police. The KNPB is not a terrorist organisation. If it were to be proven that someone from the KNPB  was indeed involved, this would be in order to stigmatize the organisation which  is waging  a struggle for independence and for a referendum. 'This is why we will be surrendering in the near future,' he said, without mentioning any date.

[Translated by TAPOL]

---------------------------------------

3) Police urged to publicise the photo of Mako Tabuni's bag

JUBI,  26 June 2012

The Papuan people are still very concerned about the shooting of Mako Tabuni on 14 June. Alius Asso, chairman of the Nayak Asrama  in Abepura, has called on the police to publicise the photo they took of Mako Tabuni at the time of the killing, which shows the bag that he was carrying at the time.

'We want the security forces to show us the photo of the bag he was carrying. This is very crucial because the police have alleged that Tabuni had a pistol and bullets in his bag.'

The photo was taken as Tabuni was standing eating a snack at Perumnas III Waena, Asso said: 'This is very strange  How would he have got hold of a pistol and bullets? It is up to the police to prove this,' he said.

He also denied that Mako Tabuniwas was in any way responsible for the shooting of a German at Base G and for the series of shootings that occurred at the time. 'What proof do the police have of this? They should have arrested Tabuni and questioned him instead of shooting him dead.'

Asso went on to say that Mako Tabuni was not a terrorist. On the contrary he was involved in the struggle of the Papuan people.

It should be recalled that the police told journalists that they had been forced to shoot Tabuni because he was trying to resist as they arrested him. They alsoalleged that they found 16 calibre 38 bullets in his bag.

---

4) Those who shot Tabuni must be brought to justice

JUBI, 25 June 2012

According to the Network for Law Enforcement and Human Rights in the central highlands, JAPHPT, the Criminal Code requires that those who were responsible for shooting Mako Tabuni should be brought to justice.

If the police believed that Tabuni was the mastermind of all the shootings, they should have arrested him and produced evidence of this. The chairman of the JAPHPT,  Theo Hesegem, said that the way the police had handled the arrest, along with the shooting of Tabuni, had eliminated any evidence  they might have had about what Tabuni was carrying.

They have also, in the processs, demonised the Papuan people and damaged Indonesia's reputation in the international community.

Indonesia is a state that recognises the rule of law and should act in accordance with the Criminal Code regarding the person who shot Tabuni.

Meanwhile, the chief of police  of Jayapura City, AKB Alfred Papare now admits that its reputation has been damaged by the shooting of Tabuni. He went on to say however that the police  had acted in accordance with police procedures because of reports that the victim was in possession of a firearm

Translated by TAPOL

-------------------------------

Did Timor teach us nothing?

Did Timor teach us nothing?

Jennifer Robinson June 24, 2012 OPINION

                       

Escalating violence ... a motorcycle is set on fire in Papua. Photo: Reuters

As violence escalates in West Papua, one cannot help but recall East Timor and wonder how much worse it must get before Australia and the international community will act.

Tensions are at breaking point in the easternmost province of Indonesia after the police shooting of independence activist Mako Tabuni.

Human rights activists report Tabuni was unarmed when shot six times by the

Australian-trained Detachment 88 forces. Tabuni was deputy chairman of the West Papua National Committee, an organisation advocating independence and the right to self-determination under international law. Tabuni had also been campaigning for an investigation into a recent spate of military killings.

The shooting follows years of violence. At least 16 people have been killed in the past month, according to human rights groups, and hundreds of homes raided, with many burnt to the ground. Thousands are reported to be evacuating, seeking refuge in the forest or heading for refugee camps in Papua New Guinea. Credible reports of human rights violations by Indonesian security forces have emerged, including torture, excessive use of force and extrajudicial killings.

Yet Indonesia's State Intelligence Agency chief, Lieutenant-General Marciano Norman, placed blame on the Free Papua Movement, ''foreign agents'' and local residents for the violence. The President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, played down the events. As Indonesia obfuscates and Australia remains silent, West Papua bleeds. While most Australians are proud of our role in ending 24 years of bloody Indonesian occupation in East Timor, we should not forget it came after a long history of accepting Indonesian assertions of sovereignty while ignoring human rights abuse on our doorstep.

After East Timor, we cannot claim any wide-eyed innocence regarding West Papua.

Australia is now bidding for a place on the United Nations Security Council on the basis of our alleged ''human rights-based foreign policy'', highlighting our role in East Timor while trying to keep a lid on our history of inaction there.

The federal Attorney-General has refused freedom of information requests for the release of diplomatic cables dating to the 1970s - cables that a University of NSW professor, Clinton Fernandes, says will show Australian complicity in concealing the mass starvation of Timorese.

Are we now making the same mistakes with West Papua? Few are aware of Australian and UN involvement in West Papua 30 years before the intervention in East Timor. Like East Timor, West Papua was annexed by Indonesia in circumstances that violated international law. Comparisons are made, and with good reason. Both territories are made up of distinct minorities. Both are rich in natural resources. Both have struggled for self-determination. Like East Timor, West Papua had a UN vote for self-determination, only the outcome could not have been more different.

In 1999, East Timor got a proper vote and won independence (not before an estimated 200,000 Timorese had died). But in 1969, West Papua got a sham vote and became part of Indonesia.

Last month, East Timor celebrated 10 years of independence or, as the Timorese say, 10 years since the international community recognised their independence. But an estimated 400,000 Papuans have now been killed after more than 40 years of Indonesian oppression and abuse.

This year, Indonesia faced international condemnation for the imprisonment of West Papuan leaders for peacefully calling for independence. When asked if Australia had raised concerns with Indonesia, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Bob Carr, responded by admitting that ''before I could raise the subject … the Indonesian Foreign Minister nominated that they have a clear responsibility to see that their sovereignty is upheld in respect of human rights standards'', and Carr ''was impressed by that''.

In responses eerily similar to statements made by Gareth Evans about East Timor during Indonesian rule, Carr warned members of Parliament ''against foolishly talking up'' West Papuans' right to self-determination because it ''threatens the territorial integrity of Indonesia'' and ''would produce a reaction'' towards Australia. It would be a foolish foreign affairs minister who did not learn from our mistakes in East Timor.

Australia should, at a minimum, reconsider military aid to Indonesia and call for them to allow media and international organisations access to West Papua to investigate abuses and facilitate peaceful dialogue.

East Timor should remind us of the hefty price of turning a blind eye to repression in the mistaken belief that it serves stability in our region. As a Deakin University academic, Scott Burchill, has long argued, it is not only ''a dereliction of our ethical duty, it is politically short-sighted and usually results in blowback''.

Jennifer Robinson is an Australian human rights lawyer in London.

----------------------------------------