Tag: Australian military training

Australian Greens: Government fails to cut ties with torture unit

Australian Greens

Government fails to cut ties with torture unit

Media Release | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam

Wednesday 8th December 2010, 4:46pm

The Australian Greens have criticised the Government for failing to take action in response to allegations an Indonesian unit supported by Australian authorities has used torture against peaceful protestors.

On November 4 this year Greens legal affairs spokesperson, Senator Scott Ludlam, called on the Government to stop funding Detachment 88, an Indonesian “counter-terrorism’ unit that has been linked to a series of human rights abuses.

“Demonstrators arrested in Ambon, in Maluku, unveiled their independence flag at an event at which the Indonesian president was present – this had nothing to do with terrorism whatsoever. They were subsequently jailed and many of them tortured and hospitalised,” Senator Ludlam said. “70 political activists in Maluku have been imprisoned since 2007.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade reported this week that the total Australian Federal Police financial support for counter-terrorism initiatives in South East Asia in the 2009/10 was $16.3 million. DFAT said while the AFP is not directly involved in Detachment 88 operational activities, the AFP’s support to the Indonesian National Police includes that unit.

Senator Ludlam said that while Australian officials provide support to Detachment 88, it is not enough to leave investigations of the unit’s conduct in the hands of the Indonesian authorities.

“We are told the AFP does not have the power to investigate what Detachment 88 has done, but it does have the power to stop funding and supporting the unit,” he said. “The United States introduced a ban on training or assisting Detachment 88 members in Maluku in 2008 after the allegations of torture first emerged in 2007, but our Government has not issued a similar ban, which is much-needed.”

Detachment 88’s major facility at the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Co-operation was established in 2004 with almost $40 million of Australian funding. According to its website, most of the counter-terrorism seminars at the Centre are run by the AFP, and it is a major beneficiary of $16.3 million in annual funding allocated to the AFP to combat terrorism in south-east Asia.

http://scott-ludlam.greensmps.org.au/content/media-release/government-fails-cut-ties-torture-unit

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AWPA calls on Julia Gillard to raise the human rights situation in West Papua on her visit to Indonesia

The Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)

Media release   25 October   2010

AWPA calls on  Julia Gillard  to raise the human rights situation in West Papua on her visit to Indonesia

The Australian Prime Minister will visit Indonesia on the 1 and 2 November to discuss ways to further strengthen the bilateral relationship and increase cooperation across a number of economic, security, development and environmental challenges.

Joe collins of AWPA said “in light of the recent reports of torture of West Papuans we are calling on the Prime Minister to raise the human rights situation in West Papua with the Indonesian President.
We are also calling on the Prime Minister  to send a parliamentary delegation on a fact finding mission to West Papua  to investigate the human rights situation in the territory”.

AWPA has regularly  raised concerns that any aid or training given to the military could be used against the West Papuan people  and we  again urge the Prime Minister   to put a moratorium on the training, funding and any ties between  the Australian military and any Indonesian units found to have been involved in human rights abuses.

Although the Indonesian military said they would investigate the incident we believe  a full independent inquiry held  by a relevant United Nations human rights organisation will be the only
inquiry
acceptable
to the West Papuan people and are urging the Prime Minister  to call for such an inquiry.

Info. Joe Collins Mob. 04077 857 97

————————————–

Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)
PO Box 28, Spit Junction, Sydney, Australia 2088
Email: bunyip@bigpond.net.au

The Hon Julia Gillard MP
Prime Minister
Parliament House
Canberra
ACT 2600

25 October 2010

Dear Prime Minister,

On behalf of the Australia West Papua Association (Sydney),  I am writing to you concerning your coming trip to Indonesia on the 1 and 2 November. AWPA would like you to raise the human rights situation in West Papua[1] during your talks with President Yudhoyono

I am sure  you are aware of the recent media reports on the torture of West Papuans by the Indonesian military in the Puncak Jaya region of West Papua. The torture of the West Papuans by the Indonesian military  was captured on video and shows in one scene a Papuan  man having a plastic bag forced over his head and screaming in pain as a burning stick is held to his genitals.  The horrific video has been seen around the world and rightly condemned. The Indonesian military has  confirmed that members of the TNI did torture the West Papuans.

Just days after the release of the video  another report surfaced of the burning of Bigiragi village, in the  Puncak Jaya district by officers from the police’s Mobile Brigade. An official from the Papuan Customary Council (DAP) told the Jakarta Globe  he had received graphic images of the destruction of Bigiragi village.

These incidents of human rights abuses committed by the Indonesian security forces are unfortunately not unusual and reports of  the Indonesian security forces conducting military operations looking for the OPM in the Puncak Jaya region  have been ongoing for years leaving the local people in fear and traumatised.

We understand that the whole island of New Guinea will always be strategically important to Australia and it is in the interests of the Australian Government to have a stable region to our north.  However, in West Papua, the policies of the Indonesian Government, compounded by the actions of the Indonesian security forces will lead to the very instability the Australian Government is trying to avoid.  Although Indonesia has made great progress towards democracy in recent years, unfortunately this has not translated to an improvement in the human rights situation in West Papua as the above incidents show.

AWPA and other civil society organizations have written regularly to Australian Governments over many years about our country’s ties with the Indonesian military. We have recently written to you concerning the torture of peaceful activists in Maluku. We have raised concerns that any aid or training given to the military could be used against the West Papuan people  and we again urge  you to put a moratorium on the training, funding and any ties between  the Australian military and any Indonesian units found to have been involved in human rights abuses.

Although the Indonesian military said they would investigate the incident we believe  a full independent inquiry held  by a relevant United Nations human rights organisation will be the only  inquiry  acceptable to the West Papuan people and urge you to call for such an inquiry.  We also urge you to send an Australian parliamentary delegation on a fact finding mission to West Papua  to investigate the human rights situation in the
territory.

Yours sincerely

Joe Collins
Secretary
AWPA (Sydney)

[1] AWPA (Sydney) uses the name “West Papua” to refer to the whole of the western half of the Island of New Guinea. “West Papua” at this time is divided into two provinces, Papua and West Papua.

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AWPA calls on AusGov to hold inquiry into use of military aid and training to Indonesia

The Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)

Media release   19 October  2010
AWPA calls on the Australian Government to hold an inquiry into how our military aid and training is being used by the Indonesian security forces

In September the Indonesian counter terrorism unit Detachment 88 was accused of the  torture of activists in Maluku  and now  footage has shown  the torture of Papuans in the Puncak Jaya region of West Papua by the Indonesian Security Forces.
Joe Collins of AWPA said “how does the Australian military and the Government justify training these people? In light of these reports it’s time for  the Government to hold an inquiry into how our aid and training is being used by the Indonesian security forces.”
“Any idea that somehow the professionalism of the Australian military will rub off on the Indonesian security Forces is now shown to be a failure.  What psychological cost is there for our troops knowing they may have trained with these people “?

Info. Joe Collins Mob. 04077 857 97




			

		
	
	

					
					



	
 

	


	


	


		
AWPA (Sydney) Urges Moratorium on Australian aid to Detachment 88 torturers
			

				
 


Australia West Papua Association, Sydney


PO Box 28, Spit Junction, Sydney, Australia 2088


 


 


The Hon Julia Gillard MP


Prime Minister


Parliament House


Canberra


ACT 2600


 


 


15  September 2010


 


 


Dear Prime Minister,


 


On  behalf of the Australia West Papua Association  (AWPA),  I am writing  to you concerning the recent media reports about the torture of  activists in Maluku by members of the Indonesian counter-terrorism  unit Detachment 88. Detachment 88 also operates in West Papua where they  have  also  been accused of human rights abuses. In December 2009  the  West Papuan  leader Kelly Kwalik who was of great symbolic importance   to the West Papuan people was killed  by the Indonesian security forces   which included members of  Detachment 88.  We will not go into great  detail of the human rights abuses committed by this unit and that of the  other Indonesian Special Forces unit,  Kopassus.  These human rights  abuses have been documented in numerous reports and the activities of  the Indonesian security forces  are well know to the Australian people  from their past history in East Timor, Aceh and the ongoing abuses in  West Papua.  A recent Human Rights Watch report titled “What Did I Do  Wrong?” Papuans in Merauke Face Abuses by Indonesian Special  Forces,”  documents a number of cases of West Papuans who were tortured  by Kopassus troops. 


 


AWPA  and other civil society organisations have written regularly to  Australian Governments over many years about our ties with the  Indonesian military. We have raised concerns that any aid or training  given to the military would be used against the West Papuan people who  are struggling for their right to self-determination. 


 


Many  of the NGO submissions to the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties  (JSCOT) concerning  the Lombok treaty, also raised  concerns about the  past history of  the Indonesian military’s treatment of civilian  populations.  Unfortunately these concerns have proven yet again  justified in the case of the treatment of activists in West Papua and  Maluku. 


 


During  the occupation of East Timor by Indonesia, the Australian Government  appeared to believe that by continuing ties with the Indonesian military  that  the professionalism of the Australian military would  rub off on  the Indonesian military.  However, this  proved to be wishful thinking  and a complete failure  as  was shown  by the behavior of the Indonesian  military at the time of the referendum in East Timor. It is also a  failure now.  To quote from the Human Rights Watch Report  “The cases in  this report illustrate how violence thrives when a culture of impunity  persists in  the heart of what is supposed to be one of Indonesia’s best  trained fighting units”. 


 


AWPA  is urging you to put a moratorium on the training, funding and any ties  between  the Australian military,  Detachment 88 and the special forces  unit  Kopassus, until a full inquiry is held into the activities of  these units in relation to  human rights abuses in the archipelago. 


 


Yours sincerely


Joe Collins 


Secretary


AWPA (Sydney)







 


CC The Hon Kevin Rudd MP


Minister for Foreign Affairs


The Hon Stephen Smith MP


Minister for Defence


Various human rights organisations




 


 


 


 


 


 


 





			

		
	
	

					
					



	
 

	


	


	


		
SMH: Activist's death blamed on anti-terrorism squad 'abuses'
			

									
											
							
 
					

				
Activist’s death blamed on


anti-terrorism squad ‘abuses’



Yusuf Sipakoly ... ‘I have rights to express my opinion.’Yusuf Sipakoly … ‘I have rights to express my opinion.’




JAKARTA: In his last interview, the  Malukan political prisoner Yusuf Sipakoly, said: ”I believe the truth  will surely arrive, although it walks slowly.”


Mr Sipakoly, who died on Monday, was one of many  activists in the eastern Indonesian province to allege gross human  rights abuses by Detachment 88, the Indonesian anti-terrorism unit  partly funded by Australia.


Sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2007 for possessing a small separatist flag, the Herald spoke to him less than two weeks ago while he was in an Ambon hospital hooked to a dialysis machine.


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”I was tied with nylon [by the Detachment 88 officers]  and my head was covered with a bucket,” he said. ”Then they started  beating me until I urinated in my underwear …


”Another police officer, not Detachment 88, hit me with a wooden block while another officer hit me all over my body.”


Mr Sipakoly also alleged he was forced to drink hot water infused with carbon paper.


The 52-year-old father’s subsequent kidney and stomach ailments were a result of the mistreatment, he said.


”I didn’t commit subversion; I never carried gun and  pointed it at anyone or anything; I never launched any violent attack  against the state, but I only wanted to prove that I have rights to  express my opinion.”


Although no action was ever taken against those who  allegedly beat him, Mr Sipakoly was among 70 people interrogated in 2007  and given long prison sentences.


Another dozen men were arrested last month for planning a peaceful protest and alleged similar abuses.


Yesterday the Indonesian police chief, Bambang Hendraso  Danuri, confirmed police would investigate the new claims of torture,  highlighted in a Herald investigation this week.


A prominent human rights lawyer, Johnson Panjaitan, said  that despite several attempts to raise the alleged abuses with  Indonesian authorities, this was the first time they had agreed to  launch an investigation into the alleged abuses.


But he said the exercise was pointless unless the  investigation was independent and undertaken by the Indonesian  government’s human rights and police watchdogs.


“This is an important case,” Mr Panjaitan said.


However, Indonesia’s Co-ordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security, Djoko Suyanto, said he doubted the claims were true.

			

		
	
	

					
					



	
 

	

			
 
			
			
	
 

 


	 


	

		


			

				
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