2) MRP DISCUSSES ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE IN PAPUA WITH TNI AND POLICE
3) MRP AND PAPUA LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL PLAY IMPORTANT ROLE IN BUDGET PLANNING: HOME MINISTRY
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1) Indonesia: Government should investigate shooting of children in Intan Jaya, Papua
- Two children were shot, one fatally, during a gunfight between armed groups and Indonesian security forces in Intan Jaya regency, Papua province
- Local residents told Amnesty International they believed shots came from nearby military command post
- Hundreds of residents fled to churches
The Indonesian government should promptly, thoroughly, independently, transparently and effectively investigate the death of one child and the injury to another after two children were shot amid a gunfight between armed groups and Indonesian security forces in Intan Jaya regency, Papua Province, said Amnesty International today.
Amnesty International talked to seven persons about the recent gunfight in Intan Jaya regency. They said that one of the victims, a two-year-old child, died hours after the shooting. The sources also told Amnesty International that they believed the shots that struck the victims came from the direction of a nearby military command post.
“Authorities must conduct a prompt, thorough, independent, transparent and effective investigation into the shooting,” said Amnesty International’s Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid.
“Anyone suspected to be responsible must be brought to justice in fair trial. Authorities must ensure access to justice and effective remedies for the victims and their families.”
Children caught up in gunfight
The two children were shot during a gunfight between Indonesian security forces and armed groups on the evening of 26 October 2021.
Local sources told Amnesty International that the victims were at home in a residential area near the Koramil (military command) post in Sugapa district when the shooting took place. The Koramil post is situated in an elevated area, while the houses are about 200 metres away on lower ground.
One of the victims, a two-year old child (NS), was hit in the stomach. Photos obtained by Amnesty International show a bullet wound in the child’s stomach. According to local sources, he died the following morning. The second victim, a six-year-old child, was shot in the back. Amnesty International obtained photos showing the injury.
The two children were reportedly brought to the local health unit immediately after being shot, but they did not receive medical treatment because no health workers were present. Local sources told Amnesty International that the six-year-old survivor is currently in hospital.
Local sources have expressed concern that Indonesian military forces may have entered the residential area to seek retribution after a soldier was injured in a shootout with an armed group in the area earlier on Tuesday. According to monitoring by Amnesty International, when a shootout between the military and Papuan armed groups results in military casualties, security forces often seek out members of armed groups in nearby residential areas, which often results in civilian deaths.
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The government should protect civilian lives, including children, during security operations and provide medical and humanitarian assistance to those affected
Richard Pearshouse
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The Papuan police claimed on Wednesday that the two children were shot by an armed group while they were outside their homes.
The situation in Sugapa district remains tense. Local sources told Amnesty International that the gunfight between armed groups and Indonesian security forces started on Monday evening (25 October) and continued on 29 October. As the conflict escalated, hundreds of villagers in Intan Jaya fled their homes to churches.
“The government should protect civilian lives, including children, during security operations and provide medical and humanitarian assistance to those affected,” said Richard Pearshouse, Head of Crisis and Environment for Amnesty International.
The intensification of conflict in Intan Jaya
This incident is the most recent civilian casualty in a wider intensification of armed conflict in Intan Jaya over the last two years.
Since early October 2021, Sem Kobogau, a civilian resident in Sugapa district, has been missing. Local media reported that Sem Kobogau was arrested by four TNI (Indonesian military) members on 5 October 2021.
In September 2020, Rev. Yeremia Zanambani, a 68-year-old senior pastor in Intan Jaya, was allegedly shot, stabbed and killed by an Indonesian soldier. The National Commission on Human Rights’ investigations stated that members of the military were involved in the killing. The authorities have conducted an autopsy on his body, but are yet to announce the result. Yeremia’s family are demanding that the case be brought to Indonesia’s human rights court. A criminal investigation into the killing, however, has stalled for nearly a year.
“The increasing number of civilian casualties shows that the current approach is clearly ineffective in maintaining security in Papua,” said Usman Hamid.
“We urge the government to reconsider its security tactics in Papua to end the cycle of violence that has caused so many civilian deaths.”
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2) MRP DISCUSSES ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE IN PAPUA WITH TNI AND POLICE
News Desk November 1, 2021 3:30 pm
Jayapura, Jubi – The Papuan People’s Assembly or MRP held a meeting with the Commander of the XVII/Cenderawasih Military Command and the Papua Police Chief in Jayapura City on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. The meeting discussed the escalation of violence in Papua.
MRP chairman Timotius Murib said that the meeting was held so that the MRP sat down with the Commander of the XVII/Cenderawasih Military Command and the Papua Police Chief and discussed the security of Papua.
Murib emphasized that the state has a responsibility to provide a sense of security for every citizen, including Indigenous Papuans.
“The state and the government have a responsibility to bring a sense of comfort and peace to the people. In addition, MRP accommodates aspirations from the community, students, and various people from conflict areas. It is our responsibility to realize a common solution and create peace in the land of Papua, our home,” Murib said on Thursday.
Murib hoped that the meeting would produce a solution to create peace in Papua. “So that all the Papua problems be solved together. That’s our most important agenda,” said Murib.
According to him, the MRP will form a large team to resolve the problems in Papua. “We will form a big team to solve [various] problems in Papua. [The problem in Papua] needs to be resolved together with all stakeholders in Jakarta. We will continue to discuss so that the problems that the people in Papua struggle with, more specifically the Indigenous People [can be resolved],” explained Murib.
Meanwhile, Papua Police Chief Insp. Gen. Mathius D Fakhiri said that resolving conflicts and violence in Papua was not solely the responsibility of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and police.
“The Papua problems must be resolved together. If the community can participate in maintaining security, that would be better. As for past problems, we really need to sit down and talk about it,” he said.
Fakhiri appreciated MRP’s action to hold a coordination meeting with the TNI and police. He said that his party had listened to various MRP findings.
“We need to evaluate our security approach. Hopefully, in the future there will be things that we can fix, better and more appropriate security measures so that there will be no more conflicts [caused] by the TNI and Polri,” he said (*)
Reporter: Yance Wenda
Editor: Aryo Wisanggeni G
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3) MRP AND PAPUA LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL PLAY IMPORTANT ROLE IN BUDGET PLANNING: HOME MINISTRY
News Desk November 1, 2021 12:37 pm
Jayapura, Jubi – Director of Planning, Evaluation and Regional Information at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nyoto Suwignyo, says that the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP) and the Papuan Legislative Council (DPRP) play an important role in ensuring that the regional budget for Papua is based on the aspirations of Indigenous Papuans.
Both MRP and DPRP, Suwignyo says, should encourage budget planning that is consistent with development planning at the local and national levels.
“The MRP and DPRP are expected to push for quality development planning. Including the aspirations of Indigenous Papuan people in the national development planning system will result in an integrated national and regional development that can advance the Papuan people,” Suwignyo said in a training held by the National Secretarial of the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) in Jayapura City on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021.
Suwignyo encouraged members of the Papuan MRP and DPRP to oversee the preparation of regional development planning documents as well as budget preparation. “The MRP and DPRP’s oversight function should not only be on the substance of Provincial Regulations or Special Regional Regulations. What is more important is ensuring the consistency of financial planning and budgeting in the region,” said Suwignyo.
Lawmaker of DPRP John NR Gobai said his party had drafted a number of Special Regional Regulations (Perdasus) to increase protection for Indigenous Papuans. The draft was based on the aspirations of the Indigenous People in Papua. He hopes that the Perdasus can be finalized and issued soon.
Gobai mentioned an example of the regulation content that took into account the needs and wishes of Indigenous Papuans. “For example, we regulate the trade system for Indigenous Papuans so that their crops will certainly be absorbed by the market,” he said.
“Such arrangement can provide an opportunity for Indigenous Papuans to efficiently sell their products so that they can spend more time with their families,” he added. (*)
Reporter: Hengky Yeimo
Editor: Aryo Wisanggeni G
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