Category: News alert

Leaked Letter Reveals Indon Army Scare Tactics

Exclusive Copies of the Scanned Letter are available for download at the end of this article. (Please note, any attempts to block access will result in significant multiplication across the internet)

at NewMatilda.Com

By Alex Rayfield

EXCLUSIVE: A leaked letter from an Army General reveals Indonesia’s attempts to disband a West Papuan church with threats of “assertive action”

From the outside looking in, the latest church conflict in West Papua might look like just another example of factional Protestant politics. A little sordid perhaps, but irrelevant to all but the parties involved.

Dig a little deeper, however, and one finds something far more disturbing.

A leaked letter from the head of the Indonesian Army in Papua obtained by New Matilda reveals that far from being an internal church matter, the conflict between Kingmi Indonesia, a Protestant church that has parishes across Indonesia, and the breakaway Kingmi Papua Church, goes to the heart of the Indonesian government’s attempt to repress movements for cultural pride and autonomy in the country’s restive Pacific periphery.

In a nutshell, the conflict turns on whether Kingmi Papua has the right to separate from Kingmi Indonesia and set up an autonomous synod, reverting to an arrangement that existed prior to 1982.

Major General Erfi Triassunu, TNI Chief, Kodam 17 (Papua) (photo discourtesy of TNI)

The question is this: why has the Indonesian Army become involved? Major-General Erfi Triassunu has waded into a conflict that he himself acknowledges is an internal church matter. In the letter (File Number: R/773/IV/2011) addressed to the Governor of Papua, Barnebus Suebu, dated 30 April 2011 and marked “secret”, Triassunu “respectfully requests” the Governor to arrange a meeting between Kingmi Indonesia and Kingmi Papua. The General also offers himself as a mediator.

The letter continues: “if the conflict cannot be resolved through discussion then assertive action must be taken”.

Let me translate “assertive action”. In East Timor when the Indonesian Army took “assertive action” against the Church, they murdered church workers, massacred parishioners, raped women and burnt churches to the ground. In West Papua too the Indonesian Army has a history of killing pastors from the Kingmi Papua Church, as well as other churches. This dates back to 1 May 1963 when the Indonesian government took administrative control of the territory and has continued up to the present.

Last October a video filmed on soldiers’ mobiles phones and circulated widely on the internet, showed several soldiers from Kostrad, the Indonesian Army’s Strategic Command — Triassunu’s own division — torturing a Papuan church worker by burning his genitals with a stick.

In the letter, Triassunu, who previously served in Aceh, makes a number of accusations. He accuses Kingmi Papua of trying to access as much money as they can from the government’s Special Autonomy programme in order to create new churches. However, the real purpose of building a network of churches, Triassunu insists, is “to strengthen Papuan civil society aspirations for freedom”. He then argues that the Kingmi Papua Church’s desire to be independent of the Indonesian Church is “just an excuse” for “the church to become a political vehicle” that supports Papuan independence.

Triassunu then goes on to make a number of recommendations. He specifically says that Kingmi Papua pastors should stick to Biblical “dogma” and not stray into politics. The General is on solid ground here, following in the footsteps of numerous dictators from Marcos to Pinochet, all notorious for their attempts to stifle meddlesome priests. Triassunu specifically names Reverends Benny Giay (the current moderator of the Kingmi Papua Church), Seblum Karubaba (the former moderator) and Noakh Nawipa (the Rector of the Pos 7 Theological College) as malcontents, mentioning several seminars organised by the trio where “Papua Merdeka” (freedom) was discussed.

All this has echoes of Suharto who systematically depoliticised (read: violently repressed and disbanded) all independent organisations, including religious ones, for fear they could become bases for organised opposition against the regime. Indonesian democrats may have overthrown Suharto but West Papua is not part of a new democratic Indonesia. What is deeply concerning is that in the Papuan context the label “separatist” is regularly applied to Papuan leaders as a pretext for justifying extra-judicial action by security forces.

This is where the plot thickens.

According to the letter, the General decided to become involved in the Kingmi conflict after a Kingmi Indonesia pastor, Reverend Karel Maniani, personally asked the Army to protect his parishioners. But Reverend Maniani himself was previously a member of “Group Nine” of the Papuan Freedom Movement (or OPM). In the 1980s Maniani was jailed for four years in the notorious Kalisosok Prison. What happened to Maniani on the journey from freedom fighter to Army petitioner?

To make things stranger, the conservative US-based evangelical Christian Missionary Association backs Maniani and Kingmi Indonesia against Kingmi Papua. At stake is not only valuable church property and access to Special Autonomy funds, it is also over influence of a broad Papua base. Kingmi Papua has half a million members. Virtually all of them are indigenous Papuans from the fractious Highlands, around a third of the entire Papuan population.

When I asked Benny Giay about all this his reply was revealing. For years he said he was part of a church that was more concerned with “saving souls” than the day-to-day oppression of the Papuans. “The Kingmi church has been complicit with the suffering of the Papuans. We need to confess our sins and follow the narrow path of Jesus. This Gospel is very clear; we must stand with the oppressed and work to alleviate their suffering. I hope we can cast off our fear and stay firm to this path.”

Giay has a vision for an independent Papuan church; a uniquely Papuan church that makes space for Papuans to begin to articulate their own theology, one that sees God present in Papuan history and culture. Giay and his colleagues are slowly building up a church that commits itself to solidarity with the poor and oppressed; one that is led by the Papuans themselves. That may not sound much to a reader unfamiliar with Papuan politics, but in West Papua it is a big deal.

Just ask the General.

SCAN OF ORIGINAL LETTER SIGNED BY MAJ-GEN ERFI TRIASSUNU



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Arrested for rallying people without permission

Bintang PPU, 4 July 2011

Jayapura: According to the police, the arrest of five activists who were attending the commemoration of 1 July, OPM Day, was because they had mobilised people but had done so without having the necessary permit.

”They were not praying at the time they were disbanded,’ said a police officer. ‘If they want to pray, they can go to any place but they don’t need to gather lots of people together nor do they need to unfurl banners,’ said police chief of Jayapura, AKBP Imam Sietiawan.

He said that the five activists, Marthen Goo, Herman Katmo, Bovit, Yulian and Sakarias Tamikai, had rallied people together without having the necessary permission to do so from the police.

‘When they saw this, my men arrested the five and took them to the police station, interrogated them for a while, and later that day, we sent them home.’ He said that a permit from the police is necessary if you want to rally people. He said that 20 or 30 people were holding up banners, although they said that they were only going to go to the grave of Theys Eluay to say prayers.

Asked about notification that had been given by the committee, he said that there was no notification about gathering together a lot of people in Abepura. ‘It would be okay in Sentani. If they want to carry out these activities, please go ahead and do so. But they shouldn’t all gather together and wave banners. That’s not right. That is what is not allowed,’ he said.

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West Papua Report July 2011

West Papua Topographic Map
Image via Wikipedia
This is the 87th in a series of monthly reports that focus on developments affecting Papuans. This series is produced by the non-profit West Papua Advocacy Team (WPAT) drawing on media accounts, other NGO assessments, and analysis and reporting from sources within West Papua. This report is co-published with the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN). Back issues are posted online at http://etan.org/issues/wpapua/default.htm Questions regarding this report can be addressed to Edmund McWilliams at edmcw@msn.com. If you wish to receive the report via e-mail, send a note to etan@etan.org.SummaryU.S. Congressmember Eni Faleomavaega has been named the 2011 winner of the John Rumbiak Human Rights Defenders Award. The award is given annually by the West Papua Advocacy Team (WPAT) to an individual or organization who has made significant contributions to the defense of human rights in West Papua. Congressmember Faleomavaega has long been active in the defense of human rights in West Papua, using his influential position in the U.S. House of Representatives to advance justice, good governance and development in West Papua. Thousands of workers at the Freeport McMoran mining complex in West Papua have gone on strike over wages, the firing of the union’s leaders, and other Freeport union-busting efforts. The strike takes place at a time of continued security concerns arising in part from the recent murder of two senior Papuan Freeport officials, possibly with military involvement. Papuan human rights organizations and religious groups have called on the Government of Indonesia to address issues of injustice arising from security force assaults on Papuans and also to protect human rights defenders and journalists from attacks by security forces. An Indonesian government minister’s visit to West Papua signals that a widely criticized development plan in the Merauke area is moving forward. Tapol notes that there has been no indication that Papuans whose lands will be seized for the project will be compensated. Amnesty International has appealed on behalf of a Papuan who was beaten by military personnel. Melanesian human rights and youth groups have issued an appeal on behalf of five Papuan youths detained since December 2010 for their roles in a peaceful protest. The Australian West Papua Association (AWPA) has called for Pacific Island Forum leaders to include the plight of West Papua on the agenda for their September 2011 meeting. The AWPA message also offers a harsh critique of Jakarta’s “special autonomy” policy.

Contents:

Congressman Eni Faleomavaega Is Awarded “John Rumbiak Human Rights Defenders Award”

The West Papua Advocacy Team (WPAT) is pleased to announce that it is awarding the 2011 “John Rumbiak Human Rights Defenders Award” to the Honorable Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-AS), a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congressmember Faleomavaega has been an articulate and effective advocate for the defense of human rights in West Papua, and has long worked for a peaceful resolution of the serious problems confronting Papuans.

His extensive knowledge regarding West Papua and his manifest sincerity and good will have enabled him to draw on the respect accorded him by his Congressional colleagues and members of successive Administrations to alert them and the U.S. public more broadly to justice, good governance and development concerns in West Papua.

On September 22, 2010, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, Congressmember Faleomavaega convened the first hearing in the history of the U.S. Congress to include testimony from West Papua’s traditional and religious leaders. The hearing, Crimes Against Humanity: When Will Indonesia’s Military Be Held Accountable for Deliberate and Systematic Abuses in West Papua, also included testimony from scholars and administration officials from the U.S. Departments of State and Defense.

Driven by a sense of personal responsibility to carry forward the work of his Samoan relatives who are buried in West Papua and in honor of all those who have lived the struggle, Congressmember Faleomavaega continues to do all he can to hold the Indonesian government accountable so that a better way forward may be found for and on behalf of the people of West Papua.

Past recipients of the award include Carmel Budiardjo (UK) and TAPOL (2008); John M. Miller (U.S.) and the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) (2009), and Andreas Harsono (Indonesia) of Human Rights Watch (2010).

The award includes a plaque and a financial prize which Congressmember Faleomavaega has directed be donated to a charity selected by him. The award is named in honor of Papuan John Rumbiak, a renowned champion of human rights and founder of WPAT.

Labor Actions Could Shut Down Operations at Freeport

According to sources in Timika and media accounts over 13,000 workers at the giant Freeport McMoran copper and gold mining complex have gone on strike. The labor action threatens to shut down operations at the problem-plagued facility. Workers of the SPSI (Serikat Pekerja Seluruh Indonesia) PT Freeport Indonesia left the Tembagapura mine site and headed to the town of Timika over 40 kms from the mine. More than 20 buses transported striking miners from the site while others marched to Timika. Marchers from Tembagapura were at one point blocked from proceeding by police.

Workers are protesting over salary issues but have also raised security concerns. The murder of two prominent Papuan Freeport management level personnel on April 7, has raised tensions in the area (see WPAT’s West Papua Report June 2011.) The Straits Times’ John McBeth reported that two military personnel have been questioned after one of them was discovered to be in possession of a cell phone belonging to one of the murdered men.

Workers are also protesting Freeport McMoran’s termination of the union’s leaders and are reportedly angry about Freeport McMoran’s formation of a company union which they regard as an attempt to “bust” their legitimate union.

As of July 4, reports from Timika indicate that the protests have been peaceful although workers are constructing barricades in some areas.

Papuan Organizations Seek Justice for Past Security Force Assaults on Papuans, Demand Government Protection for Human Rights Defenders

In recent weeks, highly regarded West Papuan non-governmental and religious organizations have spoken out forcefully regarding the deteriorating human rights situation in the territory. In two separate statements, the organizations decried the failure of the Indonesian government to ensure justice for or protect Papuans who have been the victims of security force brutality, including extra-judicial killing, torture, abduction and imprisonment. The organizations have also called for protection of human rights defenders. The continuing violation of human rights starkly demonstrates the limits of ‘democratization’ in Indonesia.

In a June 14 press conference, two human rights NGOs, BUK (United for Truth) and KontraS-Papua (Commission for the Disappeared and the Victims of Violence), underscored the failure of the Indonesian justice system to address endemic violation of human rights by the military and police. Some cases have languished for over a decade they said and years of inaction by the Indonesian government regarding these cases have compelled them to appeal to “international mechanisms” to ensure that the Indonesian government brings these incidents before a court of law.

The NGOs described the consistent failure of justice in West Papua:

“With regard to the human rights violations that have been perpetrated in Papua at the hands of members of the Indonesian army (TNI) and the Indonesian police (POLRI), in all these cases, it has been virtually impossible to bring them before a court of law. In the case of those incidents that were actually taken to court, nothing was done to side with the victims; the perpetrators were protected with the argument that what had been done was in the interest of the security of the state.”

The NGOs made specific reference to particularly egregious incidents in which Papuans were killed, brutally tortured or disappeared. These include the Waisor and Wamena incidents, a police rampage in Abepura, and repeated military “sweeping operations” in West Papua’s central highlands in which civilians were driven from their homes into nearby forests where many died from a lack of food, shelter and access to medical care. The NGOs also detailed policies and practices which subject “many Papuans to discrimination, intimidation and extra-judicial punishment based” on groundless charges by government agencies that these Papuans or their family members are “separatists.”

The two NGOs issued the following demands:

1. The President of Indonesia should immediately resolve the Wasior and Wamena cases and in doing so recognize the fact that Papuans are citizens of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia, NKRI, which means that their standing and dignity within the state is in keeping with the values of the Papuan people as citizens of Indonesia.

2. The attorney-general’s office should end its machinations with regard to the Wasior and Wamena cases and co-ordinate with other state institutions and in so doing halt their activities which have resulted in reinforcing the cycle of impunity.3. The administration of the province of Papua, along with the DPRP (Provincial Legislature of Papua), KomnasHAM-Papua and the MRP (The Papuan Peoples Council) should act together as quickly as possible to ensure that the Wasior and Wamena incidents are brought before a human rights court in the Land of Papua.4. A Papuan human rights court should be set up immediately.5. If the government fails to deal seriously with the Wasior and Wamena cases, we, as representatives of all the victims of human rights violations in the Land of Papua, will bring these matters before an international court of law.In a separate June 17 press conference, the Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in the Land of Papua, consisting of leading human rights and religious organizations, spoke out against “acts of violence and terror that have been perpetrated against human rights defenders as well as against journalists.”

The coalition consists of 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. The groups were especially critical of the Indonesian military whose members were involved in five recent incidents of violence against Papuan civilians and whose actions they noted, contradict claims that the Indonesian military is reforming.

The Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in the Land of Papua statement called for the following:

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 KomnasHAM 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 (in West Papua) 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.

Plans for Massive Land Grab Move Forward in Merauke

The June 27 issue of the Papuan daily Jubi reports that Marie Pangestu, Minister of Industry and Trade, on a visit to the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE), has claimed that the customary rights of the local community should be dealt with first, by issuing certificates, in connection with the MIFEE project.” Pangestu also indicated that the project is moving forward: “Companies planning to invest can now go ahead to acquire the necessary licenses and start planting their crops.” He said that it was “now necessary to build the necessary infrastructure, in particular harbors to support the project once it gets underway.” For instance, he said, investors who intend to establish palm oil plantations will need harbors of their own.

TAPOL commented on the plan to issue “certificates” to those Papuans who will be displaced by the project:

“The central government will clearly be investing huge sums of money to promote the interests of companies planning to invest in MIFEE. Not at all clear what is meant by issuing certificates to the local communities whose customary rights to the land will be sacrificed as investors are invited to grab their land with little regard for the loss of their livelihoods based on hunting and fishing. No mention either about whether the rightful owners of the land will be granted any compensation for the loss of their land and the destruction of their livelihoods.”

Amnesty International Issues Alert Regarding Military Beating of Human Rights Activist

Amnesty International (AI) on June 17 issued a special alert on the beating of a human rights activist by military officer a few days earlier. According to Amnesty, Yones Douw was beaten by military officers and then denied medical treatment.

AI noted that Douw fears for his health and safety, based in part on the fact that he was previously detained and assaulted as a result of his human rights activities. Douw was part of a protest that took place at the 1705 District Military Command (Kodim) base in Nabire, Papua province, on the morning of 15 June. The protest focused on accountability for the stabbing and killing of Papuan Derek Adii on 14 May 2011, reportedly by military officers from the command (see West Papua Report June 2011).

According to AI, some of the demonstrators attacked the military center prompting Douw to go to the base to calm the protesters. (WPAT Note: It is not clear whether those attacking the center were demonstrators or possibly provocateurs organized by the authorities. According to the AI report, the violent “demonstrators” arrived in three trucks after the demonstration was underway.) Responding to the assault, the military fired shots into the air and started beating the protesters. Douw was struck on the head many times and also sustained injuries on his shoulder and wrists from the beatings. As he was beaten, he heard the military threaten to shoot the protesters saying “these animals should be taught a lesson.” A military officer also hit the father of Derek Adii, Damas Adii. After the beatings, Douw travelled to the Siriwini hospital for treatment and to obtain a medical report, but was told by medical staff that he required a letter from the police before they could treat him. He then decided to go home and is still suffering from the injuries.

Amnesty notes that Yones is a respected human rights activist in Papua and has been documenting human rights violations by the police and military over the last decade.

Amnesty International called for messages to Indonesian officials that:

  • Urging the authorities to take immediate action to ensure the safety of Yones Douw, in accordance with his wishes, and ensure his immediate access to medical care;
  • Calling for an immediate, effective and impartial investigation into the beatings and the threats against Yones Douw, with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice in fair trials;
  • Calling on the authorities to initiate an independent investigation into the possible unlawful killing of Derek Adii, and ensure that, should the allegations be verified, those responsible be brought to justice in fair trials and the victims receive reparations; and
  • Calling on the authorities to ensure that all members of the police and military are made aware of the legitimate role of human rights defenders and their responsibility to protect them, as set out in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

A Plea From Melanesians On Behalf of Detained West Papuan Students

In a demonstration of the growing concern among across Oceania regarding the plight of the Melanesian Papuan people, a group of youth and human rights organizations in Melanesia, based in Fiji, wrote an “ open letter” to the “government of Indonesia, Indonesian Youth Activists, Indonesian Human Rights Defenders and Organizations, and the People of West Papua.”

The letter expressed concern about the imprisonment and secret court proceedings surrounding the arrest of five young activists arrested last December 14 for raising the West Papua Liberation flag during peaceful demonstration by approximately 200 people in Manokwari. When the Papuan flag was raised, Indonesian military attacked the crowd, firing shots and beating people with batons. The five young Papuans, and two others, were arrested at that time.

The five are charged under the notorious “subversion” and “rebellion” articles (106 and 110) of the Indonesian Criminal Code which date to the Dutch colonial era. The articles were key tools for repression during the Suharto dictatorship.

The Melanesian groups noted that the health and safety of these five young Papuan activists was a concern as was media censorship and intimidation of witnesses related to the incident. They also said that there was a heightened sense of fear fueled by the continued presence of a 1000 plus military presence that were ordered into the area after the incident.

The Melanesian organizations urged intervention to “ensure the release of the five youth activists and to make a public commitment that there will be no further arrests of individuals purely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression, opinion, belief or association.” Specifically, the letter added, “we seek to ensure that laws concerning ‘rebellion’ (Articles 106 and 110 of the Indonesian Criminal Code) are not used against people who have engaged only in peaceful activities.”

Emphasizing that the groups “do not seek to advocate a particular position on the political status of West Papua,” they nonetheless asserted their belief that “the right to freedom of expression includes the right to peacefully advocate referenda, independence or other political solutions under a free media.”

“These rights must be upheld and respected,” the letter concluded.

AWPA Calls for Pacific Islands Forum to Discuss West Papua; Criticizes “Special Autonomy”

The Australia West Papua Association (AWPA) has written to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders urging them to discuss the human rights situation in West Papua at their summit in Auckland in September.

In a June 30 letter, AWPA asserts, “the time is now right to bring the Melanesian people of West Papua back into the Pacific community. (A West Papuan representative attended the first SPC Conference, and West Papuans continued to participate in the SPC meetings up until the Dutch ceded their authority to the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) in 1962.)” This year is the 40th anniversary of the Forum.

AWPA urges the PIF Leaders to include the West Papua on its agenda at the September summit and to make a public statement of concern regarding the “deteriorating human rights situation” in the territory as well as “send a fact finding mission to West Papua to investigate the human rights situation.” AWPA also urges the PIF to raise human rights concerns human rights with the President of Indonesia and “to urge the Indonesian President to release all West Papuan political prisoners as a sign of good faith.”

AWPA said PIF should “grant observer status to genuine representatives of the West Papuan people who are struggling for their right to self determination.”

Finally the group offered a strong critique of Jakarta’s “special autonomy” policies:

A number of governments have supported the autonomy package for West Papua stating that it is the best way forward for the West Papuan people. Although funding for the autonomy package has flowed to West Papua it has only benefited some elites and the bureaucrats with no benefit for the majority of West Papuans, which is why it has been rejected. We believe that it is pointless for governments to keep saying the autonomy package is the best way forward. Even a revised Special Autonomy in whatever form it might take will never satisfy West Papuans demand for self determination. West Papuans have lost trust that Jakarta will ever develop West Papua for the sake of the Papuans. The Forum can help by urging Jakarta to dialogue with the Independence Movement to find a lasting solution.

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Thousands of Freeport Indonesia mine workers start 7-day strike
			

									
											
							
 
					

				


Grasberg mine
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/04/us-freeport-indonesia-strike-idUSTRE76309R20110704


By Samuel Wanda


TIMIKA, Indonesia | Sun Jul 3, 2011 10:27pm EDT


(Reuters) – About 8,000 workers at Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc’s Indonesian unit kicked off a seven-day strike on Monday, a union head said, in a move that could potentially disrupt operations.


Freeport said it was not anticipating any impact on production at the mine it claims on its website contains the world’s largest single gold reserve.


Freeport’s Indonesia unit runs the Grasberg mine in the remote Papua province, where a separatist insurgency and struggle over resources has lingered for decades.


The workers have called for a re-negotiation of their working contract, demanding a wage rise from $1.5 to $3 per hour, since they said other Freeport workers around the world are paid at least $15-30 per hour, a union official said.


“We see that from eight companies Freeport owned, Indonesia is the biggest contributor in terms of revenue … We deserve something more,” Virgo Solossa, the organisational head of Freeport Indonesia’s Labor Union, told Reuters by telephone.


“We are not going to rally, we are just going on a strike, sitting tight doing nothing,” Solossa added.


Thousands of workers marched from Timika city to Kuala Kencana, the Freeport town complex, on Monday morning, although many have yet to reach the Freeport complex since roads are being blockaded by police.


“We are not anticipating any impact to production,” Freeport’s Jakarta-based spokesman Ramdani Sirait said in an emailed statement, in response to a question on potential disruption to gold and copper output.


“The management calls all employees to keep working … the company sees there is no legitimate justification for any form of strike, therefore it is unlawful because it is not due to failed negotiation nor the company’s unwillingness to negotiate,” Sirait said.


Freeport, which also has mines in North America, South America and the Democratic Republic of Congo, expects its copper output to fall 17 percent this year to about 1 billion pounds by weight.






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Papuan students demonstrate outside UNCEN, Jayapura
			

				
Bintang Papua, 30 June 2011

An announcement on Thursday about the selection of students at the

state university led to a demonstration being held by students who also

blocked off the Cenderawasih university campus in Waena. The entry to

the campus was blocked off while a small bonfire was burning in the

middles of the road. The demo was organised by the chairman of the

Students Association of Tolikara, supported by students of the faculty

of law at the university.


Speeches were made and leaflets were stuck on the walls, with demands to

the rector of the university.


One of the leaflets said: ‘Why is it that year after year, indigenous

Papuans account for less than 20 percent of the total while the other 80

percent are non-Papuans?


‘We are asking the rector to account for this, bearing in mind an

earlier promise that Papuans would account for 80 percent,’ said Terius

Wakor, co-ordinator of the action. This was a promise made by the rector

of UNCEN, Prof Dr B Kambuya.


‘We indigenous Papuan students feel very disappointed about this

because the rector promised that priority would be given to indigenous

Papuans with 80 percent of the places. Yet what has happened is that

only 5 percent of the Papuans were accepted into the university.’


Another of the students, Thomas CH Syufi, who also took part in the

demo, said: ‘We as representatives of the Executive Board of the

Students, the BEM of the Faculty of Law, strongly support the views of

our colleagues.’


Following the announcement about the students who were selected, he said

that they hoped that the rector would take account of the views of the

indigenous Papuan students, in view of what the rector promised last

year. ‘We very much hope that the rector will take some action with

regard to the Papuan students who did not pass the selection test. He

suggested that there should be another round of testing for a second

group of students to be accepted to the university.


Meanwhile the deputy rector said that while no promises had been made,

there had been a commitment to increase the percentage of indigenous

Papuan students. He said that at this level (the SNMPTN), it was

difficult to have an effect on the selection of students. He told

Bintang Papua that not enough Papuans were available from the IPS, and

very few had registered with the IPA programme.


[Apologies for not knowing what these initials stand for. TAPOL]


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