Month: June 2011

THOUSANDS OF INDIGENOUS WEST PAPUANS TO GATHER IN SERUI TO SUPPORT WEST PAPUA NATIONAL AUTHORITY (WPNA) AT TASSC ‘ABOLISH TORTURE WEEK’ IN WASHINGTON DC

by West Papua National Authority Foreign Affairs office

David Abon, Governor of the West Papua National Authority in Yapen-Waropen-Mamberano, says that having two representatives in Washington participating in ABOLISH TORTURE WEEK in Washington DC is a source of inspiration for all West Papuans.

Herman Wainggai has been invited by the Coalition of International Torture Abolition and Survivors Support (TASSC) to participate in its seminars at George Washington University and Catholic University of America, a Vigil to End Torture in front of the White House, and Congressional Briefings on Capital Hill.

“Herman’s presence at this international gathering shows the world that West Papua’s independence is an international issue, and well beyond the capacity of the Indonesian government to deal with” said Mr Abon in Serui.

“When the US Congress hears about the latest Indonesian military activities in West Papua, they will be listening closely” said Rev. Terrianus Yoku, President of WPNA Congress, as thousands welcomed him in Serui for the rally today.

In the distinguished tradition of non-violence, the WPNA rally in Serui on begins with a long march (called “jigjog” in local slang) from Wombai Park on the beach to the People Representatives Office (DPRD).

“All West Papuans want is justice and democracy” said WPNA’s Jacob Rumbiak in Australia, himself a victim of torture and long-term incarceration. “Is President Yudhoyono brave enough to follow President Obama’s signature on self-determination for Puerto Ricans”.

“Releasing our political prisoners would be a good start” he added.

RALLY INTERVIEWS:  contact details for on ground spokespeople available to bona fide journalists – please contact West Papua Media on +61450079106 or editor<@>westpapuamedia.info .  West Papua Media will be be monitoring the situation closely.

CORRECTION: AN EARLIER POST SAID THAT KNPB (KOMITE NASIONAL PAPUA BARAT) WILL ALSO BE HOLDING RALLIES IN JAYAPURA IN CONJUNCTION WITH THESE DEMOS.  WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT THIS IS INCORRECT, HOWEVER PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES FOR KNPB ACTIONS.

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Students call on police chief to explain action regarding the shooting in Moanemani 3 months ago

JUBI, 19 June 2011

AMPTPI. the Association of Students from the Central Highlands, has
urged the DPRP to summon the police chief in Papua to ask him about how
the investigation into shooting in Moanemani , the district of
Dogiyai is proceeding.

‘The chief of police should inform the public about whether any progress
has been made in this case, said Andreas Gobay, chairman of the
association in Eastern Indonesia.

The association has the impression that the case which involved
shootings and the destruction of resources belonging to the people has
stagnated. It even seems to be the case that nothing is being done to
secure justice in this case.

‘What we want to know is how the case is being processed and the
possibility of compensation for the victims.. We may be wrong but what
we have seen so far is that those who were responsible for the shooting
are enjoying the protection of the forces of law and order,’ said Andy.

He pointed out that the Moanemani tragedy occurred three months ago but
nothing is as yet known about any legal processes. This is in spite of
the fact that it is generally understood that the police force in
Moanemani were involved. ‘This means that the DPRP should summoned the
chief of police in Papua about the case.’

There were at least four casualties in the case. Apart from Dominikus
Auwa, 24, and Aloysius Waine 24, who died, three other sustained serious
injuries, Otniel Yobee, 26, Agus Pigai, 24 and Wilibrodus Iyai. At the
same time, the local community also suffered losses, the destruction of
six homes with all the furniture, the loss of three pigs, two motorbikes
and 6 genzet (?) units.

Andreas also said that this case of human rights violations of civilians
in Dogiyai was the work of the security forces. The association along
with members of the families of the victims have also held discussions
about the case with the leaders of the DPRP.

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Magai: ‘Papuan officials are destroying Papua.’

JUBI, 19 June 2011The chairman of Commission A of DPRP. Ruben Magai has warned that the destruction of Papuan resources  is being intensified by the activities of a number of senior officials in the Land of Papua. Some of these officials are ‘playing games’, shielded by a variety of problems which continue to  play havoc with the lives of the  Papuan people. There is no question of these people taking sides with the  weakest people in society. All they are interested in is furthering their own interests.’

‘It is a public secret,’ he said, ‘that Jakarta is continuing to manipulate things, causing the continued destruction of  Papua. There is no space for democracy, the  policies being pursued  have nothing whatsoever to do with promoting the welfare of the Papuan people here.’

Ruben said that Papuan bureaucrats should be fighting to promote the interests of the people, but this is simply not happening. ‘Papuan officials are also contributing to the destruction of Papua,’ he said.

The general view here in Papua is that OTSUS, the special autonomy law, has failed  The government should be opening itself up, making an evaluation of the situation and providing space for these discussions. ‘But nothing of the kind is happening which means that the issue will continue to be raised in demonstrations, in seminars, in media reports and other forums.’

The Papuan people have for many years been raising their voices about the failed implementation of OTSUS, calling for OTSUS to be returned to Jakarta. At the very least, there should be some response. Last Thursday, dozens of people in the Coalition of People United  for Justice (KRPBK) expressed these views.

The Papuan people’s aspirations are regarded by the government as matters of no importance. The DPRP went to Jakarta to raise these issues but to no avail. ‘As representatives of the people, we feel extremely unhappy with this situation. All the efforts we have been making have led nowhere. On one occasion, we submitted  a concept to Commission A of the Indonesian parliament, the DPR,  which was accepted at the time, but there was no follow-up at all. This was a great disappointment,’ he said.

The Land of Papua continues to be turned upside down, with unpopular measures, with acts of violence, with human rights violations which are never resolved, with the abuse of freedom of expression, with the introduction of laws which are unacceptable, as a result of which the rights of civil society are never upheld.

‘This is the reality of the situation in Papua today,’ said Magai.

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Statement of deep concern by Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in Papua

Bintang  Papua, 17 June 2011Human rights defenders in Papua very worried

Acts of violence and terror that have been perpetrated against human rights defenders as well as against journalists have led to a  sense of deep concern among human rights NGOs and religious organisations which are members of the Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in the Land of  Papua

The following NGOs held a press conference in Jayapura  on Friday 17 June, to convey their problems:

KomnasHAM- Papua, the Synod of the Kingmi Church in Papua, the Synod of the Baptist Church in Papua, Foker NGO (NGO Working Group) Papua, Kontras Papua, LBH – Legal Aid Institute in Papua, and BUK, United for Truth.

Foremost among the agencies criticised was the TNI, the Indonesian army whose members were involved in a number of acts of violence. They drew attention in particulate to five incidents that had occurred during the past five months in which members of the TNI were involved:

‘Up to June this year, there have been at least five incidents which reflect the  arrogance and random actions perpetrated by members of the TNI,’ said Olga Hamadi, the co-ordinator of Kontras Papua. Others present at the press conference included the Rev. Benny Giay, chairman of the Synod of the Kingmi Church in the Land of Papua, Mathius Murib, representative of Komnas HAM-Papua, Eliezer M, LBH-Papua, Julian Howay of the ALDP, and a number of human rights activists.

They said that the much-vaunted  reforms within the TNI were rarely reflected in the activities of members of the TNI on the ground. ‘Is this what the commander of the TNI was praising so profusely during his recent visit to Papua,’ wondered Rev Giay.

Mathius Murib  said that the incident that occurred in Puncak Jaya a few months ago had drawn a great deal of public attention, nationally as well as internationally. [This refers to the acts of torture against Papuans that were circulated by video.]

‘All their talk about Love and Peace is far from been applied by members of the security forces on the ground. Isn’t it time for them to change their tune?’

They said that the continued occurrence of acts of violence and intimidation by members of the TNI is a clear indication that no actions have been taken against members of the TNI who have violated the law.

‘We are concerned about the impact this is having on the reputation of the Indonesian state and wonder  what is being done to protect the rights of human rights defenders,’ said Olga Hamadi.

She said that in cases where members of the TNI had been involved in acts of violence, all that had happened was that they had been moved sideways. ‘Or, in those instances where they had been taken to court, they had appeared before a military tribunal and the verdicts were often unclear or had had little if any effect.,’ said Peneas Lokbere, co-ordinator of BUK.

The Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in the Land of Papua therefore issued the following statement:

1. Protection is needed for human rights defenders in Papua in carrying out their humanitarian activities throughout the Land of Papua. Such protection can be provided by the introduction of a special law, while at the same time setting up an independent commission at state level for the purpose of monitoring and advocacy as well as taking sanctions against those individuals who commit violence against human rights defenders.

2. As a short-term measure, we regard it as important to set up a special bureau within Komnas HAM to focus on the protection of human rights defenders.

3. In view the many acts of intimidation and violence perpetrated by members of the armed forces, we urge the military commander of  Cenderawasih XVII military command  to take firm measures in the law courts and administration against all violations perpetrated by members of the TNI on the ground.

4. To provide moral guidance  to all officers of the armed forces  as well as disseminate an understanding of human rights so as to ensure that acts of violence  perpetrated by members of the armed forces are not committed against civil society or against human rights defenders in the Land of Papua.

[Translated by TAPOL]

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‘If You Mess With Us You’re Dead’

via NewMatilda.com

By Jason MacLeod

indo soldier in west papua

There was nothing clandestine about the beating of human rights activist Yones Douw in West Papua last week. Jason MacLeod reports on the latest in a long pattern of public violence by the Indonesian military

“You can mess with the police,” said the Indonesian soldiers, “but if you try it with us, you’re dead.”

According to witnesses that was what was said to Yones Douw, a 42-year-old Papuan human rights defender as he was beaten with lumps of wood by soldiers from Kodim 1705, Nabire’s District Military Command in the Indonesian province of Papua. Immediately after the beating Douw went to the local Siriwini hospital but was refused treatment. Local staff demanded a letter from the police before they would treat his wounds. Douw now fears for his safety and has gone into hiding.

The incident occurred on the 15 June. Douw, a church worker with the Kingmi Church’s Bureau of Justice and Peace in Nabire, heard that a protest was going to take place at the 1705 District Military Command (Kodim) base in Nabire, Papua province, and he went to the base to monitor it. Thirty minutes after he arrived, a group of protesters turned up in three trucks, broke into the front entrance of the base and started to shatter the windows and throw objects. Douw immediately rushed into the base to calm the protesters.

In response, the military fired shots into the air and started hitting the protesters. Douw was struck on the head with pieces of wood many times. He also sustained injuries on his shoulder and wrists from the beatings. The protesters fled the scene, pursued by members of Kodim 1705 and armed troops from neighbouring Battalion 753. This is what gave Douw time to escape.

Yones Douw was not the accidental victim of some random act of violence. And the protesters he was defending were not some random mob of outraged Papuans or an attack by the Papuan Liberation Army, Papua’s lingering guerrilla force. The attack on the Nabire District Military Command was an expression of a grief stricken family angered at the senseless killing of one of their own. The family wanted to hold the military accountable for the killing of Derek Adii, a man who was beaten to death by soldiers a few weeks earlier.

In mid-May Douw, a chronicler of human rights violations in the troubled Paniai region for some years now, published a report that was picked up by Jubi, West Papua’s only independent news service. Douw’s report detailed the killing of Derek Adii on 14 May 2011. Adii, a 26-year-old Nabire man had just completed his application to join Papua’s burgeoning civil service.

According to Douw’s report, Adii was boarding the crowded passenger vessel KM Labobar at Nabire’s dock when he was beaten by six members of the military. One of the soldiers allegedly pulled out a bayonet and stabbed Adii in the head. The six men then threw his body overboard. Adii died at the scene.

Douw believes he was beaten by the military for retribution — not only for reporting Adii’s killing but also for continuing to shine a spotlight on human rights abuses in West Papua, an area the Indonesian police and military are trying to close off from international scrutiny by locking out journalists and even diplomats.

The circumstances surrounding Adii’s very public murder and Douw’s public beating in the front yard of a military base located on a main road in the middle of a town is typical of the patterns of human rights abuses in West Papua. Australian National University scholar and former Director of the Catholic Office of Justice and Peace in West Papua, Br Budi Hernawan OFM who is studying torture in West Papua, says that torture and human rights abuses in Papua are a kind of “public spectacle”.

In the 400 odd cases of torture that Hernawan has studied it is mostly poor and innocent Papuan civilians are rounded up and publicly abused. The perpetrators are nearly always the Indonesian military and police. It is classic state terror, the purpose of which is to violently pacify the population, to enforce the security apparatus’ control over human bodies and the body politic — and to intimidate and silence Papuan dissent.

It is a script that Yones Douw has refused to buy into. In the meantime other Papuans have stepped into Douw’s shoes. They are now chronicling the military’s attack on him and sending reports out to a domestic and international network in the same way that Douw has been ceaselessly reporting on the human rights abuses of others.

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