Jayapura: The Second Secretary for Political Affairs at the US Embassy in Jakarta, James P. Feldmeyer, declared that he will pay close attention to any information or complaints, however small he receives from Papuan people.He urged NGOs in Papua not to despair and to continue to provide information to his embassy about developments in Papua. He said that any information he received from NGOs in Papua would be passed on to officials of the US Government.
He was speaking at the office of Foker (Co-Ordinating Forum) of NGOs in Papua when he made this comment.
According to information obtained by Bintang Papua, the US diplomat held a private meeting at the Foker office, when he was accompanied by a female colleague. From there, they visited the office of ELSHAM – Papua.
The Executive Secretary of a Papuan NGO, Lienche F. Maloali said that the aim of the meeting had been to urge NGOs in Papua not to stop providing information to the US Embassy about the situation in Papua including information about various human rights violations that continue to occur in Papua.
Mr Feldmeyer made it clear that they are always keen to get the most up-to-date information from those who are members of various Papuan organisations which could be sent to senior officials at the embassy or to members of the House of Representatives or the Senate. Such information would also be made available to members of the US Congress and possibly also to the President of the USA.
Lienche, as Malioli is known to his friends, said that they felt very frustrated because they continue to send information about the latest situation in Papua, but they had never received any serious response.
‘Initially we felt frustrated because information about human rights violations, however great or small, has been sent to people abroad. Now we are being told not to feel frustraated and to continue to provide information about the latest events in Papua.’
One member of Foker – Papua, Bas Wamafma said that the US Government should urge the Indonesian Government to provide the space for democracy in Papua and to allow foreign journalists to have the freedom to carry out their journalistic activities in the Land of Papua.
31 July, 2013LP3BH-Manokwari, an organisation which advocates human rights for the people of the Land of Papua, strongly supports the move which has been taken by the MRP (Papuan People’s Council) to call for peaceful dialogue between Papua and Indonesia.
This move is very much in accord with Law 21/2001 on Special Autonomy for the Province of Papua which grants full powers to the MRP as the cultural representative of the indigenous Papuan people.
It is crucially important for the dialogue to take place in 2013 because this is the best way to secure a peaceful and dignified solution to the conflict and the many substantial problems in the Land of Papua.
A number of leaders of countries such as the UK, the USA, New Zealand, Australia and several European countries, as well as the United Nations, have also called on the Government of Indonesia to agree to a peaceful dialogue as the way to resolve the problems in Papua. Bearing all this in mind, the LP3BH believes that there are strong reasons for the Government of Indonesia under the leadership of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to provide the space for such a dialogue to take place.
Moreover, it is unconstitutional for the Ministry of the Interior and other government ministries in Jakarta to press for an evaluation of of the Special Autonomy Law as this is in violation of Articles 77 and 78 on the evaluation or amendment of the law.
The LP3BH once again expresses full support for the moves by the MRP for Papua and West Papua for the holding of a dialogue between Papua and Indonesia and various people’s representative bodies bodies such the DPR-Papua and the DPR-West Papua to support such a move.
The Yerisiam people living in Kampung Sima, Nabire Regency, Papua are still waiting for oil palm plantation companies PT Nabire Baru and PT Sariwana Unggal Mandiri to give clarification and compensation to local indigenous people.
This was the message of a press release written by Simon Petrus Hanebora, a Yerisiam tribal leader, which was received by tabloidjubi.com on Tuesday (30/7) morning. “Thousands of commercially-valuable trees from 32,000 hectares of the Yerisiam indigenous people’s ancestral land have been logged by the oil palm company,” it reads.
Hanebora continues to explain the various attempts he has taken to resolve this issue. He wrote to the forestry service on 31st July 2012, to ask for clarification of how many cubic meters of wood were contained on PT Nabire Baru and PT Sariwana Unggal Mandiri’s plantation concession. He also wrote to the Nabire Regency Environment Agency on 31st July 2012 requesting a deferral of PT Nabire Baru’s plan to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment.
Simon also wrote to the Papuan police chief on 03 June 2013 to complain about the wood and rattan on PT Nabire Baru’s oil palm concession. “The way PT Nabire Baru and PT Sariwana Unggal Mandiri ignore the Yerisiam indigenous peoples rights is not compatible with legal provisions and violates national and international law on indigenous people’s rights”, he said.
According to Simon, the meeting to discuss the Environmental Impact Assessment involved relevant government bodies and the company (PT Nabire Baru) but not one member of the Yerisiam indigenous community from the two affected villages was involved. “None of the Yerisiam people have ever been involved in any of the meetings between the Environmental Impact Assessment commission and PT Nabire Baru. What makes it worse is that the people feel the harassment even more strongly as they have no protection whatsoever,” he explained.
Simon sincerely hopes that all community leaders, NGOs, indigenous and religious leaders, can make a positive contribution through advocacy or investigation of how PT Nabire Baru and PT Sariwana Unggul Mandiri have ignored the Yerisiam indigenous people’s rights. “I hope all competent institutions can give advocacy or investigate this problem,” he said.
(Yapen) In dramatic scenes outside a remote West Papuan prison in Serui, Yapen island, local community leaders on Monday forced the Indonesian police to release two independence activists jailed on charges of rebellion.
Earlier in the day the two activists, Edison Kendi (37) and Yan Piet Maniamboy (35) were sentenced to 2 years and 18 months respectively in a Yapen Island court house on trumped up charges of rebellion, an antiquated law used extensively by the Suharto regime to repress dissent in Indonesia. Although Suharto was overthrown in May 1998, the legislation remains on the statute books, and is regularly employed by Indonesian police to repress dissent.
According to West Papua Media’s local stringer Kendi was abused and dragged naked into the court room by police and three members of Kopassus, Indonesia’s notorious Special Forces. Kendi told West Papua Media that the Kopassus commander went by the name of Mr. Baskoro. “He did not treat me well or respect my human rights” Kendi told West Papua Media via an intermediary.
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Scenes from Kendi’s and Maniamboy’s trial, and demonstrations that forced their release in Yapen on Monday (Photos: West Papua Media)
Over a thousand people from Serui, other villages on Yapen, Biak Island and other places were present at the trial. Some arrived by boats decked out in large Morning Star flags, the banned symbol of West Papuan independence. Scores more waved Morning Star flags in the crowd or wore clothes with the flag on it, while the police appeared unable or unwilling to do anything.
Both Kendi and Maniamboy said they were denied legal representation despite requesting it. As the two men were taken back to prison, a large crowd gathered outside the jail and demanded the men’s release. After intense negotiations between the men’s lawyers, police in charge of the prison, and protest organiser George Ayorbaba, Kendi and Maniamboy were released to a jubilant crowd pending their appeal. Ayorbaba later told West Papua Media that “Papuans need freedom, just like other people struggling for their right to self-determination.”
Edison Kendi and Yan Piet Maniamboy were originally detained by Indonesian police on 9 August 2012. The two activists were arrested for organising a nonviolent march in support of the United Nations International Day of Indigenous People. Kendi and Maniamboy were part of a large protest group from the West Papua National Authority, a mass-based pro-independence group allied with the Federal Republic of West Papua.
Their case will be heard in absentia in the Jayapura court on Friday 2 August. Depending on the decision of the court on Friday the two men will either be free or a warrant will be issued for their arrest.
Maniamboy was reportedly appointed chief of Yawama Regency and Kendi Governor by the Federal Republic of West Papua, after that group declared the restoration of independence at the Third Papuan People’s Congress in October 2011.
According to Papuans Behind Bars, who profile Kendi and Maniamboy on their website, at the end of June 2013, 57 Papuan political prisoners were in jail for nonviolently expressing their political opinions.
Australian Aboriginal Elder, Kevin Buzzacott from the Arabunna nation in South Australia, together with Jacob Rumbiak, Foreign Affairs Minister for the Federal Republic of West Papua and a large group of West Papuans and Australian supporters are currently travelling by land and sea to West Papua where they plan to meet pro-independence activists.
Activists from the West Papua National Authority are planning a welcoming ceremony. Both Buzzacott and Rumbiak say the Freedom Flotilla is part of a plan to revitalise ancient cultural ties between Australia and West Papua. “We have a responsibility to care for our brothers and sisters from across the water” said Buzzacott.
The Indonesian government has not yet made a public statement about whether the Freedom Flotilla will be allowed to enter West Papua.
(Jayapura) Four activists were arrested by police and nine de-arrested by West Papuan women at pro-independence rallies in Jayapura.
According to witnesses, twenty West Papuan women jumped into a police truck as police prepared to take three men and six women to the police station. A witness told West Papua Media via phone that “the police were confused” by the women’s spontaneous response and immediately released the seven detained activists.
The de-arrest occurred at a demonstration in Jayapura calling for intervention in West Papua by the Melanesian Spearhead Group and the Australian and US governments. The protesters also expressed support for the Freedom Flotilla, a land and sea convey currently travelling from Lake Eyre in South Australia to West Papua.
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The rally was organized by West Papua National Authority (WPNA), West Papua Melanesian Women Solidarity (SPrMPB), West Papua Melanesian Youth Solidarity (SPMPB), West Papua Child (AWEPA), the Secretariat of Regional Yapen Territory, the Papua Prayer Team Solidarity, Papua Youth Student and Jayapura University of Cenderawasih (UNCEN) Students. The groups are all aligned with the National Federal Republic of West Papua (NFRPB) who declared independence from Indonesia on 19 October 2011.
From beginning to end, the rally was marred by police violence. Reports from a local stringer via SMS to West Papua Media confirmed that at 7:45am local time, fully armed police blockaded the front of the UNCEN gate entrance, in Waena; where the rally was due to depart from. The police forcefully arrested Benny Sage (23), a student activist and field coordinator of the rally, according to the WPM stringer.
As the rally approached the roundabout at Abepura, several kilometers later, around fifty police personnel, three police trucks and one prisoner police van stopped the march. Police fired several shots into the air to disperse the crowd.
At the Roundabout Mr. Markus Yenu, Governor of NRFPB, Domberai III regency, told demonstrators to stand their ground as he negotiated with police. Yenu told West Papua Media by phone that the police began to forcibly break up the march while he was still negotiating with the police. According to witnesses the orders to disperse the crowd were carried out by Head of local Police Command, Mr. B Rumbiak, and his Deputy, Mr. Kiki Kurnia.
Three activists, Usama Yogobi (37), Alius Asso (30) and Yon Selegani (24), were arrested by police and taken away to Polda Papua headquarters in Jayapura for questioning. It was at this point, as police arrested and beat nine more demonstrators and loaded them into a police van, that the women intervened and jumped into the police trucks and ordered the police to release those detained.
Mr. Yenu told West Papua Media that he deeply regrets the arrest of the three men at the rally and of Benny Sage earlier in the day. “The police should not have done this. Our action was peaceful and honourable. The police were not professional in the way they carried out their duty. Indonesian government must show that it is a democratic country and should allow democratic space for the protesters,” said Yenu.
Those beaten included, Martinus Wandamani, Abner Inngimur, another man and six women from SPrMPB, whose names were not available at the time of writing. Injuries have been reported but no particulars are yet available.
At the same time as police dispersed the rally at the roundabout in Abepura, demonstrators who gathered near Nayak dormitory located at Garuda Kamkei road, were forcibly detained by fifteen police officers who pointed firearms at the demonstrators.
Human rights workers described the police behaviour throughout the day as “vicious”. One person told West Papua Media that there was “no democratic space for peaceful demonstration”.
The Governor of Papua Province, Mr. Lukas Enembe, an indigenous Papuan, has vowed to crack down on all street protests in West Papua. The Governor’s order has received widespread condemnation from activists and human rights groups in West Papua who say it is a violation of people’s democratic right to peacefully protest.
A group of 12 elderly Papuan citizens went to Polda Papua to negotiate for the release of the four activists later, at 4:00pm. Human rights workers had expressed fears for their safety. However, by the time this article was published, the four activists – Benny Hisage (23), Alius Asso (30), Usman Yogobi (37), and Johanes Elegani (24) – had been released after a team of elders negotiated with police.
Demonstrations also occurred in the town of Fak Fak on the North-Western coast of the country on the same day.
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