Thursday, June 25, 2020

1) Indonesian trolls target Tongan beauty Diamond Langi over Papuan solidarity


2) The Consultant: Why did a palm oil conglomerate pay $22m to an unnamed ‘expert’ in Papua? 
3) Selling Out West Papua 
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1) Indonesian trolls target Tongan beauty Diamond Langi over Papuan solidarity 
By Sri Krishnamurthi -  June 25, 2020





Beauty queen Diamond Langi ... “I shared [her video] because I wanted to bring awareness with what was happening with West Papuans, especially now with the Black Lives Matter movement." Image: Diamond Langi FB screenshot/PMC
By Sri Krishnamurthi, contributing editor of Pacific Media Watch
Miss Universe NZ 2019 beauty queen Diamond Langi is being trolled by thousands of Indonesians on social media for speaking up about discrimination against West Papuans.
“The post I had made was #FreeWestPapua with a video showcasing the discrimination West Papuans have had to endure for years,” she declared on Coconet TV’s Facebook and Instagram pages two days ago.
On her “Women of the Islands – Diamond Langi” webpage on the Coconet TV website, the Auckland-born Tongan beauty queen is quoted as saying:
“I shared it because I wanted to bring awareness with what was happening with West Papuans, especially now with the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I had kindly asked Miss Indonesia (Frederika Alexis Cull), who I had met last year in America while competing at Miss Universe, to speak to the president of her country [Joko Widodo] to free the seven activists who were found guilty of treason for protesting against racism. 

She says that from that one post she has been hounded by Indonesian trolls who still exist on her Facebook page.
While there was support for her stance, some of the abuse from some Indonesians bordered on plain hatred, whereas others claimed the Melanesian region of West Papua belonged to Indonesia [it was annexed by Jakarta in in 1969 in a disputed colonisation process that has resulted in armed struggle and peaceful resistance ever since – Pacific Media Watch].
‘My Instagram was flooded’
“From that one post, my Instagram was flooded with abusive comments (at least 10,000 comments in a day) and they also started abusing my family, close friends, and even organisations that I work with,” she says on her Coconet TV webpage.



“I was like, wow if this is happening to me just from making a post, imagine what is happening to the people of West Papua!
“I’ve had to deactivate some of my social media for a little bit but don’t worry I’ll be back,” she says.
But she also had support for her stance.
“Very concerning that our beautiful Pacific sister, Diamond Langi’s public Facebook page is under attack by a few propaganda-fuelled keyboard warriors from Indonesia, because she’s chosen to use her emerging platform and political freedom to stand in solidarity with our indigenous whanau in West Papua,” @Oceania Interrupted said on Facebook.
“Black Lives Matter all over the world, even in the Pacific – and bullying someone for standing in solidarity with indigenous people in our Pacific context, who continue to be brutally oppressed, exploited, silenced and killed in their own land is sickening!
“If you haven’t already, please go on her page, show some love for what she is standing in solidarity for; And if you know a thing or two about THE REAL WEST PAPUA [sic] situation, please school the ignorant bullies on her page and in our world,” the cultural activist group says.
Earlier this year, Langi acted in a Polish-American feature film titled, Sosefina. The film is written by Manu Tanielu and Namualii Tofa and directed by Hinano Tanielu.
The theme of Sosefina has been to tell the story of a marginalised and overlooked Polynesian community. The movie was released in the United States on 31 January 2020.

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(Note. Lots of photos etc. in article)

2) The Consultant: Why did a palm oil conglomerate pay $22m to an unnamed ‘expert’ in Papua? 
BY THE GECKO PROJECT AND MONGABAY 
ON 25 JUNE 2020 Mongabay Series: Indonesian Forests, Indonesian Palm Oil


  • In a year-long investigation with The Gecko Project, the Korean Center for Investigative Journalism-Newstapa and Al Jazeera, Mongabay traced a $22 million “consultancy” payment connected to a major land deal in Indonesia’s Papua province.
  • It took us from South Korea and Singapore to the heart of the largest rainforest left in Asia, to find out what role the payment played in making the Korindo Group one of the largest oil palm producers in the region.
  • Photography by Albertus Vembrianto.
This article was co-published with The Gecko Project. 

Part 1: ‘Maybe they didn’t expect us to find it’

In April 2019, an Indonesian delegate stepped onto the stage at a conference hosted by Interpol, the international police organization, at its Singapore headquarters. Among the audience were dozens of law enforcement agents from across the world, there to learn about how white-collar crimes and corruption underpinned the ongoing destruction of the world’s rainforests.
Interpol’s interest in forest crime had been stimulated by the billions of dollars the World Bank had calculated developing countries were losing in tax revenues to the global trade in illicit timber every year. There was a growing recognition among enforcement agencies that the crime scene was not only in rainforests. It was also in the dark recesses of the global financial system, through which bribes were paid and profits laundered.
The delegate, from an Indonesian nonprofit, walked the audience through a “suspicious” $22 million payment made by a conglomerate, which she declined to identify in her presentation. In corporate filings, the transaction had been described as a “consultancy fee,” paid to an unnamed “expert” who had helped obtain the rights to develop a vast oil palm plantation in the Indonesian province of Papua………………..


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3) Selling Out West Papua 
In West Papua, Indonesia, we investigate allegations of fraud and human rights abuses in billion-dollar land deals. 
25 Jun 2020 15:53 GM

West Papua is home to Asia's largest remaining rainforests, Indigenous communities and unique species.
But this exclusive 101 East investigation reveals how Korean-run companies are allegedly engaging in questionable deals as they buy up forests to develop palm oil plantations.
Featuring rare access to a restive Indonesian province usually off-limits to journalists, we meet tribesmen who allege that Posco International and Korindo are plundering their land for a pittance.
Both companies deny all allegations including fraud and human rights abuses.
Selling Out West Papua was produced in collaboration with Mongabay, The Gecko Project and the Korea Center for Investigative Journalism.
Join the conversation @AJ101East
Source: Al Jazeera

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Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Stop confusing freedom of expression with treason in Papua: Activists



 Stop confusing freedom of expression with treason in Papua: Activists

Alya Nurbaiti The Jakarta Post  
Jakarta   /   Wed, June 24, 2020   /   01:01 pm

Human rights activists have slammed the government for what they deem the misuse of treason charges to prosecute Papuans, thereby threatening their freedom of speech and right to assembly.
The activists highlighted the recent imprisonment of seven Papuans following their arrest during antiracism protests in Jayapura, Papua, in August last year.
Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said people could exercise their freedom of expression legitimately if it was expressed without any violence, as was done by many Papuans during the protest.

“However, the state generalizes all kind of expression by Papuans as treason, even peaceful protests, due to its fear over an imagined threat to the country’s sovereignty,” Usman said during a virtual press briefing on Tuesday.
Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) chairwoman Asfinawati echoed Usman’s view, saying physical assault was necessary for charging someone with treason. “The treason article itself [in the Criminal Code inherited from the Dutch colonial era] is problematic due to its chronic errors in translation and use.”
She added the fact that Cenderawasih University student union head Ferry Kombo and other defendants had been handed prison sentences of less than one year demonstrated that they should never have been arrested in the first place.
“If they were truly guilty of treason, they should have been sentenced to at least two-thirds of the initial demand of five to 17 years’ imprisonment.”
Yorrys Raweyai, the head of the Papua and West Papua legislative council members forum, said the state’s attitude toward the freedom of expression in the country’s easternmost provinces was discriminatory, even though such rights were guaranteed in the Constitution.
“The judicial process against Papuans is deemed discriminatory as well,” Yorrys went on to say.
He highlighted a case when law enforcement officials arrested MG, a Papuan child suspected of premeditated murder. Police transferred him from Wamena to Jakarta, while he did not speak Indonesian and was not accompanied by legal representatives during the investigation. The court eventually acquitted him of all charges.
“The absence of justice by the state in many cases often causes trauma among Papuans,” Yorrys said.
On the other hand, Usman added, the perpetrators of racism against Papuans in many cases were sentenced to less than one year of imprisonment, including an individual who verbally attacked Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java, in August last year.
“Systemic racism in this country is reflected in unfair trials of Papuans,” Usman said.
The Law and Human Rights Ministry’s director general of human rights, Mualimin Abdi, argued that the problem lay with the law’s misinterpretation by law enforcement authorities, who interpreted the norms differently to the government’s initial intent upon formulating it.
Usman disputed Mualimin’s statement, saying the police initially had ensured the antiracism protest by Papuan students remained peaceful. They did not immediately detain the students for treason, even though some had been spotted waving the Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag, a symbol of the Papuan independence movement.
“The police made arrests only after several political elites had voiced their disagreement with any expression of Papuan self-determination,” he said, alleging that the police had lacked independence in conducting its investigation.
Asfinawati urged the government to evaluate its law enforcement, as discriminatory treatment of Papuans in legal proceedings violated the 2008 Law on the Elimination of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination.
She added that the state had failed to provide justice for Papuans who had been wrongly prosecuted as prisoners of conscience by not providing rehabilitation, including an acknowledgement of their innocence.
Mualimin admitted that the ministry had never evaluated this aspect of law enforcement. “I ag
ree that the government must be ready to provide reparation for trauma.”
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Tuesday, June 23, 2020

1) MAF fights food insecurity in Papua, Indonesia


2) Remote Papuan regency records first COVID-19 case

3) Indonesia calls for more action against racism as issues persist at home
4) A Starchy Palm Tree Extract May Be Indonesia’s Answer to Rice  Bloomberg  
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1) MAF fights food insecurity in Papua, Indonesia

By Kevin ZellerJune 23, 2020
Indonesia (MNN) — COVID-19 lockdowns mean many people in rural Indonesia aren’t earning wages and can’t buy food for themselves.
The lockdowns have largely contained the spread of the virus in certain countries and US states. But in developing countries, the lockdown measures lead to a lot of food insecurity.
To address this problem, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) adopted a voucher program designed to help people in the Papua province of Indonesia.

The program

Liza Baikole, who runs the store that accepts the vouchers, says, “The isolated areas in the interior of Papua are reached by MAF and other planes. These people in the interior are dependent on rice as their main source of food, brought by planes … But since COVID-19 began, products have been difficult to obtain … Many people have lost their jobs and business.”
With many in dire straits, the voucher program helps people buy groceries for at least one month. So far, the program has supplied 85 vouchers.
Leigha Gandy, who spearheads the program, says people can use the vouchers to buy things like oil, eggs, and flour. “We’ve heard stories of people buying things like feminine products for their neighbors, milk for their babies, and things like that,” she says. “So, it really covers a lot of different kinds of needs.” Many people have even bought seeds with their vouchers.
That’s good because Baikole says this program won’t permanently fix food scarcity. “For people who have a garden, it is very good if they can be assisted with the planting of seeds so that they can develop in the future in order to meet the nutritional needs of the family to be healthy and have a strong immune system.”
The response of the Church
Christians in Papua continue to help each other battle through the food crisis, even as many churches have only been able to meet online. Gandy encourages Christians to pray that COVID-19 will pass, and the economy can thrive. Many pastors and other Christians are not receiving their wages. Pray they can continue supporting each other.
Finally, pray that many in Papua will be drawn to Christ through the witness of the Church. Gandy says, “I think we’re really excited that the vouchers are an opportunity to share the Gospel. Pray with us, that we would encourage believers in their faith during this time to trust God [and] to reach out to unbelievers.”
In the header image, a view of Papua, Indonesia from the window of a MAF plane. (Photo courtesy of MAF via Facebook.)

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2) Remote Papuan regency records first COVID-19 case

News Desk The Jakarta Post  
Jakarta   /   Tue, June 23, 2020   /   03:16 pm
Puncak Jaya regency in the remote Pegunungan Tengah area of Papua reported its first case of COVID-19 on Monday.
Papua COVID-19 task force spokesperson Silwanus Sumule said the patient exhibited light to moderate symptoms and was being treated at the Mulia General Regional Hospital.
"He's in stable condition and there is no indication that he needs to be transferred to another hospital," he said on Monday, as quoted by kom
With the discovery of the case, 16 of Papua's 29 regencies and municipalities now have confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Siliwanus said he had no idea where the patient contracted the disease as no flights had been permitted to the regency since March.
"We have urged health workers in Mulia city to carry out contact tracing, tests and treatment to find out how the disease spread to Puncak Jaya," he said.
According to 2018 Statistics Indonesia data, Puncak Jaya has a population of 123,591 people and a population density of 50.52 people per square kilometer.
The announcement of the case came only two days after Yalimo, another regency in Pegunungan Tengah, recorded its first two cases of COVID-19.
As of Tuesday, four of the eight regencies in the Pegunungan Tengah mountain range have recorded COVID-19 cases – Jayawijaya and Puncak Jaya with one case each and Central Mamberamo and Yalimo with two cases each.
According to the government count, Papua had confirmed 1,498 COVID-19 cases with 16 fatalities and 709 recoveries as of Monday. (nal) 
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3) Indonesia calls for more action against racism as issues persist at home
By  - 
  
By Apriza Pinandita in Jakarta


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Monday, June 22, 2020

1) Papuan journalist Angela Papuan: people always get suspicious of us


2) Papuan political prisoners still found guilty though their sentences reduced
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https://en.jubi.co.id/papuan-journalist-angela-papuan-people-always-get-suspicious-of-us/

1) Papuan journalist Angela Papuan: people always get suspicious of us
Published 1 day ago on 21 June 2020 
By Admin1

Makassar, Jubi – Editor-in-Chief of Jubi Koran and jubi.co.id Angela Flassy refers to Papua as a home to protect.
She revealed this analogy in an online discussion on “Papua issues from the perspective of journalists’ organised by Jubi on Wednesday (06/17/2020).

For journalists (primarily indigenous Papuans), according to her, to cover stories of their home is very comfortable but it does not always mean easy.
Multiple groups often suspect journalists in Papua. If they report good things about the government, people turn suspicious of them. Still, if they conversely wrote about the community, the government gets suspicious of them even though journalists must be neutral and cover both sides.

“But that’s not a problem for me. For us, Papua is not only a place to work but home to protect for the next three years, five years [from now and so on],” said Flassy.
According to her, all Papuans including indigenous Papuan journalists, want Papua always to be peaceful, tranquil and no riot. If Papua is unrest, Papuans cannot go anywhere.
“So, if people accused us of being separatist, what is the reason? This stigma comes around only to silencing people to speak up, mute them,” she said.
Furthermore, she revealed that voicing the truth to the public in a conflict area is tough for journalists as they must stand on their ethic of conduct and journalistic independence. By doing this, it would raise stigma and suspicion from multiple groups of people. However, this is their exam to analyse their independence in addressing these conflicts of interest.
Moreover, Flassy said journalists should be professional in doing their journalistic work and be brave to have different views from the government for the sake of people.
Be a journalist, said Flassy, it is more than writing a journal or the government’s event, like many journalists have done in Papua, and then ignoring many problems occurred in Papuan society.
“I respect my fellow journalists out there (outside of Papua). They can write whatever they want, even on their social media. If I wrote like the way they have done, I cannot imagine what would be going to happen to me,” she said.
In the same forum, Emir Chairulla from Media Indonesia said people could see Papua from many perspectives, not only from the viewpoint of human rights or security.
“it can be the economy, social or other aspects. We can cover Papua from various aspects,” said Emir.
Further, in his view, indigenous Papuans are barely given space in the media. “The critical concept of coverage is it should be cover both sides of the story and be objective in describing the highlighted issue,” he said,
Do not use the perspective of Jakarta in observing Papua
The Jakarta Post editor Evi Mariani in the same discussion stated the national media should put themselves in the perspective of Papua instead of Java or Jakarta when reporting Papua.
And she admitted that as a national based media, the Jakarta Post is sometimes facing difficulty in accessing information related to particular issues of Papua. However, we (editors in the Jakarta Post) are attempting to employ Papua’s perspective properly in our coverage.
“The perspective is very important; therefore, we should go to the field (to cover the issue). But if the perspective still holds to the view of Java or Jakarta, it’s still problematic, though, for example, we conducted an interview directly with a source from Papua,” said Marani.
Therefore, according to her, it would not be comprehensive enough, if in covering Papua, media only take the issue of culture, investment or the natural beauty of Papua. Media needs to tell the stories of Papuans from the perspectives of humanity and of justice.
The online discussion lasted for almost two and a half-hour hosted by a senior Papuan journalist and Director Jubi Victor Mambor featuring other speakers including Emi Chairulah, a journalist from Media Indonesia; Lucky Ireew, Editor in Chief of Cenderawasih Pos; and Arnold Belau, Editor in Chief of Suara Papua. (*)
Reporter: Arjuna Pademme
Editor: Maizier Pipit
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https://en.jubi.co.id/papuan-political-prisoners-still-found-guilty-though-their-sentences-reduced/

2) Papuan political prisoners still found guilty though their sentences reduced
Published 1 day ago on 21 June 2020
 By Admin1

Jayapura, Jubi – The Balikpapan District Court in East Kalimantan held a verdict against seven Papuan prisoners charged with treason on Wednesday (06/17/2020).
The seven political prisoners are Combo Fery, Alexander Gobay, Buchtar Tabuni, Irwanus Uropmabin, Hengky Hilapok, Steven Itlay and Agus Kossay. They were arrested regarding their roles in an anti-racism demonstration to protest racism towards Papuan students last year.

The panel judges found Steven Itlay and Alexande Gobai guilty and demanded them to get respectively 11 months and ten months sentences.
Itlay, the Chairperson of KNPB Mimika, was previously charged with 15 years, while the President of USTJ Student Executive Board Gobai demanded ten years in prison.

Meanwhile, the Second Chairman of the Legislative Body of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, Buchtar Tabuni gets 11 months (previously 17 years). The Chairperson of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), Agus Kossay gets 11 months (previously charged for 15 years). Meanwhile the Chairman of Cenderawasih University Student Executive Board, Ferry Kombo gets ten months (previously five years); and two Cenderawasih University students Hengky Hilapok and Irwanus Uropmabin get respectively ten months ( previously five years).
Concerning this, Steven Itlay expressed his gratitude for the verdict and started to think about whether accepting or rejecting it.
A member of the Law and Human Rights Enforcement Coalition for Papua Gustaf Kawer, as a legal advisor to the political prisoners, said the panel of judges are neutral in taking a verdict lower than the prior indictment by the Public Prosecutor. Kawer stated support from many groups of people to the seven political prisoners made it possible to solve the issues facing Papua, including many cases of human rights violations in Papua.
“We express our gratitude because the judges were neutral in taking the decision. If they were not, I am sure we cannot find any difference in the execution,” Kawer said in Jayapura on Wednesday (17/6/2020).
Students stand in solidarity
Hundreds of Papuan students in Jayapura City staged a peaceful demonstration at the entrance of Cenderawasih University (Uncen) to urge the unconditional release of the Papuan Political prisoners.
The solidarity action called ‘Papua Students in Solidarity’ urged President Joko Widodo to release the seven Papua political prisoners immediately.
“The president must immediately release them because they are not political prisoners but the prisoners of racism, and we know the world hates racism.”
But today, we still see racism in Indonesia, so we, the Papuan Students in Solidarity, ask the government to release them immediately,” said the protest coordinator Ones Busop in his oration.
Solidarity is social capital
Gustaf Kawer said support towards the seven political prisoners reflect people’s movement to combat racism against Papuans. “These supports come from different regions in Papua and raised at the national and international level, ” said Kawer.
Moreover, he said support from the community, local elites, national and foreign supporters are an excellent capture in bringing Papua to a better direction.
‘I think that this enthusiasm should be maintained, not only ahead of the trial, but to unite the Papuan grassroots to elites to push the release of (the political prisoners). “If we can maintain this spirit, it’ll change everything in Papua. For example, human rights violations, discrimination, as well as violations that occurred in the past. Let’s go together (to solve the problems),” he said. (*)
 
Reporter: Hengky Yeimo and Piter Lokon
Editor: Maizier Pipit
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