Author: westpapuamedia

Independent Journalism from West Papua to the World

Bishop wants Papuans to hold dialogue before any dialogue with Indonesia

Bintang Papua, 20 July, 2012Mgr Leo Laba Ladjar , the Bishop of Jayapura, believes that the Papuan people should hold a dialogue between themselves before entering into dialogue with Indonesia. He acknowledged that this dialogue would be quite difficult. He was speaking during a meeting of all Catholic clerics with representatives of the police force to build a  partnership for security and order in Papua.

He said that Papuan people should sit together and discuss how to promote development in Papua.

Response to KNPB calls

In response to the desire of the KNPB – National Committee of West Papua for all its members to surrender to the police and to call on the Bishop to mediate,  he said that this was quite acceptable  as long as the organisation’s intentions were genuine and it was not simply seeking to meet the Bishop which might cause people to suspect their intentions.

He described the KNPB as an organisation that has rejected all the programmes of the government such as Special Autonomy, UP4B and other things

‘I have the impression that the KNPB refuses to listen to anyone. I would not want to listen to things that they are doing  at a time when they are becoming ever more determined and radical. I dont know how long the KNPB will continue to reject any improvements. Perhaps they are seeking to get something that they have not been able to get so far.’

[COMMENT from Tapol: Perhaps what the Bishop describes as radical is the recent call by the KNPB for a referendum to be held in West Papua.]

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Yusak Pakage questioned by police for possessing a pocket knife

 

JUBI and Bintang Papua, 23 July 2012

Former political prisoner taken to police command post

The former political prisoner, Yusak Pakage, was taken to a police station in Jayapura for questioning after an incident that occurred while he was sitting in court, waiting for the  second hearing in the trial of Buchtar Tabuni on 23 July to begin.

The JUBI report says that, while sitting there, he was showing his anger [presumably feeling incensed at the fact that a man of Buchtar Tabuni’s stature and reputation was facing charges in court].

[Note: Yusak Pakage was arrested together with Filep Karma in 2004 and sentenced to 15 years for unfurling a Morning Star Flag and was released a year ago.]

Feeling infuriated, he is said to have kicked a spittoon, the contents of which splashed the trousers of an official of the local administration who was sitting next to him. The official responded angrily and moved away, in the direction of some police officers who were present in court.

A police officer then approached Pakage and searched him and say that he was found to be in possession of a pocket knife. The police officer then grabbed him roughly and forced him into a police vehicle outside to take him in for questioning for carrying a sharp implement allegedly with the intention of stabbing someone.

The JUBI report makes it clear that he was not holding the knife in his hand at the time but the knife was found in his pocket when he was searched.

The Bintang Papua report identifies Yusak Pakage as the co-ordinator of the Papuan Street Parliament and in entitled ‘Street Parliament co-ordinator could go back to prison’. It states that the local police chief said that he would be interrogated ‘because his behaviour was seen as a threat to someone’s security’ and said that he could be charged under Emergency Regulation 12/1951 for posing a danger to another person’s safety and could face up to five years.

Two reports summarised by TAPOL]

[COMMENT: This incident shows how  insecure  former political prisoners are in West Papua, even after having served their sentence.]

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Trial of Buchtar Tabuni postponed

 

JUBI, 23 July 2012

The second hearing in the trial of Buchtar Tabuni did not proceed as planned because a witness who was due to appear failed to turn up,

Buchtar Tabuni is the chairman of the KNPB, the National Committee of West Papua, and is facing charges for having allegedly inflicted damage on the Abepura prison where he is currently being held and for exchanging harsh words with prison warders.

The prosecutor told the court that they intend to summon ten witnesses. The first to be summoned was the  former director of the prison, Liberti Sitnjak who is now the director of a prison in Ambon.  This was the witness who failed to turn up.

Before the hearing was postponed, one of the lawyers of the defendants, Gustaf Kawar, called on the judge to insist that the prosecutor guarantee that witnesses appear as planned and ensure that the next hearing is not postponed. After an exchange between the lawyer and the judge, the hearing was postponed.

The next hearing is due to take place on 26 July.

The defendant is on trial together with Dominggus Pulalo.

The hearing was attended by dozens of members of the KNPB.

[Translated by TAPOL]

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UNCEN students organisation condemns the education situation in Papua

 

JUBI, 20 July, 2012

The Executive Board of the Cenderawasih University students organisation, UNCEN BEM, believes that the decline in education in Papua is evidence of the failure of the Indonesian government, in particular its Education Service.

BEM has called on the provincial administration to pay serious attention to this issue. It believes that manipulations have conceal the failings of the administration.

Nason Ngelia, the organisation’s head of public relations, said: ‘All the top-level personnel  in the education sector throughout Papua should be sacked.’

He went on to say that in kampungs everywhere, the teachers can’t be bothered to do any teaching.  They even allow students who have not reached the right standard to pass the grade. ‘Most government employees  do nothing all day but they still receive their salaries. They don’t do any teaching but keep busy organising projects,’ said Leo Himan, a member of Uncen BEM.

‘We have no confidence in the people working in the education service at the SMPTN unit  at Uncen. There are two problems that we cannot accept. The national testing is not appropriate for Papuans because the education system here is different from that in the rest of Indonesia. The education system here needs to be overhauled,’ said Yoan Alfredo Wambitman, chairman of  the BEM branch at the Faculty of Technology.

In its press release, Uncen BEM appended  the results of the Survey of Political and Economic Risk Consultants (PERC) which states that the quality of education in Indonesia is inferior to education elsewhere in Asia and is at the bottom of the list of the twelve countries in Asia; it is even worse that Vietnam. ‘This  relates to education in Java.  If the situation in Java is that bad, how much worse it is in other places,’ said Nason.

Recently, the Jayapura branch of the Alliance of Independent Journalists published the results of a two-week research project in eight districts in Papua. The heading of the section on education is ‘It’s the same old song which everyone keeps singing’. So who is to blame?’

BEM called on the candidate in the election for governor of Papua to give top priority to the question of education in this the land of Cenderawasih..

[Translated by TAPOL]

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State must safeguard the health of political prisoners, says Parjal

 

JUBI, 19 July 2012
[Comment: Just see how many Papuans are serving life sentences or twenty years. TAPOL]Papuan Street Parliament says state must guarantee the heath of tapols

Jayapura, 19 July, 2012

The  Papuan Street Parliament (Parjal) insists that it is the responsibility of the Indonesian government  to safeguard the right to life of Papuans who are still behind bars.

Yusak Pakage, the spokesperson of Parjal, said that as a former political prisoner himself, he knows that prisoners suffer many difficulties as a result of the use of violence. ‘The state should be responsible for medical treatment and for the prisoners’ right to life,’ he said.

The director of the district office of the Department of Law and Human Rights , Daniel Biantong announced last January that there were 23 Papuan political  prisoners, of whom 16 were being held in Wamena prison, three were being held  in Biak and  two  in Abepura. The two in Abepura were Philip Karma [usually spelt Filep] and Samuel Yaru.

Those being held in Biak are Numbuga Talenggu and Yafrai Murib who are both serving life sentences, while Kimanus Wenda and Linus Hiluka  in Nabire prison have been sentenced to 20 years and in Biak, Apotnagolik E. Lokobal has been sentenced to 20 years.

Other tapols who are serving sentences of  20 years are Kanius Murib who is being held in Wamena, while Samuel Yanu  who is being held in Abepura is serving a sentence of three years.

‘Because I  have myself spent time in prison in Wamena, I have a sense of solidarity with these political prisoners. It is the duty of the state to help them,’ he said.

[Translated by TAPOL]

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