Tag: Bintang Papua

A security force of 4,000 to guard Third Papuan People’s Congress

Bintang Papua, 5 October 2011Jayapura:  The Third Papuan People’s Congress [KRP] which is due to take place from 16 – 19 October will be provided with a security force of four thousand Papuans, according to the chairman of the KRP committee, Selpius Bobii, when he handed over the congress programme to Bintang  Papua.

The objective of the congress will be to make a frank evaluation of the realities in a number of sectors of life of the Papuan people in the Land of  Papua overall, with  particular attention to protection and to the principle of siding with and empowering the basic rights of the indigenous Papuan people in accordance with the Special Autonomy Law [UU21/2001] and to determine the seriousness with which the state, that is to say Indonesia,  is building Papua in conformity with human dignity.

In addition, to seek the mechanisms and correct measures for resolving the Papuan question with greater attention to the principles of justice, peace and well-being, in a dignified way. Preparations along the lines of the material conditions and security  are already in place.

According to Bobii, the KRP will be a large-scale festival of democracy for the Papuan people. What this festival  of democracy hopes to achieve is a common understanding of the realities in many fields of life for the people in the Land of Papua and to reach a proper understanding  of the  intentions of the Indonesian state in upholding the basic rights of the indigenous Papuan people, including their political rights, and to seek out the mechanisms and correct steps that need to be taken for a more peaceful, dignified and welfare solution of the Papuan problem, within the global community.

‘In order to achieve these objectives,  we have called on the community as a whole and the various organs to ensure a conducive atmosphere. And moreover, while the congress is in progress, there will be the need for internal consolidation between the various organs and consolidation at the base. And in order to safeguard the proceedings of the congress,  the committee has made arrangements for a Papuan security force of 4,000 people.

/Translated by TAPOL/

Related articles
12

Deal with the rectification of history first, says Indonesia

*“Deal with the rectification of history first”*Bintang Papua, 3 October 2011

JAYAPURA – The claim made by the Committee for the Third Papuan People’s Congress (scheduled for 16–19 October) that they already have the support of the government has received a pessimistic response from a member of the DPRP, the Papuan Provincial parliament, Dr. Johanes Sumarto. He said that the Papuan parliament is urging the Third Papuan People’s Congress Committee to deal first with the unfinished agenda of the Second Papuan Congress, then talk about the issue of a third congress. He said that as one point on the agenda remained unfinished, that is to say, the rectification of history had not yet been successfully dealt with, it was not the time to start dealing with more agenda items. Because of this, said Johanes, pushing ahead with the Third Papuan People’s Congress before outstanding agendas had been dealt with was a waste of time, funds and energy. “The [agenda of the] Second Papua Congress has not been finished and now they want to have a third – this is a waste of energy, money and so on,” said the representative of the Gerindra Party when contacted by Bintang Papua at his office at the Papuan local parliament in Jayapura on Monday (3/10).

According to Johanes, once the agenda of the Second Congress is finished, this should be reported to the government and along with the plan for the Third Congress. “This in no way diminishes the will to hold a Third Papuan People’s Congress. I value their desire to have this congress. But this is a question of efficiency of the activity,” he added.

The problem according to him was that the Second Congress received the blessing and financial support of the central government via former President Gus Dur [Abdurrahman Wahid), to the tune of one billion rupiah, whereas this Third Congress had not yet been approved by the government. “The central government hasn’t approved it yet, but neither have they opposed it,” he said.

As reported in this newspaper yesterday… [repeats article of 2 October 2011].

Translated by TAPOL

Related articles
4

Warinussy on the politics behind the recent conflicts in Papua

Bintang Papua, 14 September 2011Manokwari: Yan Christian Warinussy, a Papuan human rights lawyer and executive direction of LP3BH, believes that the road leading toward dialogue between Papua and Indonesia has become clearer in the past few months.

The recent escalation of violence in various parts of the Land of Papua. such as Jayapura, Biak, Nabire and Manokwari as well as the Central Highlands will not dampen the aspirations of the indigenous Papuan people, that which were proclaimed in the Papuan Peace Declaration drawn up at the Papuan Peace Conference held by the Papuan Peace Network (Jaringan Damai Papua) on 5-6 July this year in Jayapura.’From the record of conflicts that have occurred in the Land of Papua up to the present day, I have been able as a human rights activist to reach a better understanding of the specific characteristics and background of the reasons for the various violent conflicts that have occurred in the Land of Papua recently. Moreover, we now know who the persons who having been plotting these incidents are, along with their political purposes. All this has helped us to understand the motivation behind these strange incidents which has made it possible for us to draw conclusions about who it is who is behind all these criminal incidents,’ said Warinussy.

Each of these incidents has occurred without leaving any trace of who was involved. This impression has been further strengthened by the fact that the police force throughout the land of Papua have been unable to identify who was behind each incident. It is also apparent that  the police have been unable to discover any significant evidence to reveal the perpetrators of these incidents.

In fact, he went on to say, each of these incidents have occurred without anything left behind that might help to identify the perpetrators. This would suggest that the criminal perpetrators are part of  a special unit that have undergone intensive training  and have been trained even to commit murders without leaving a single trace and in this way make it difficult for the police to conduct any criminal investigations. These crimes  have resulted in the Papuan people feeling more afraid to take actions in conformity with their rights to freedom of expression and freedom of opinion.

The intention appears to be to show to the central and local governments and to the international community that the security situation in West Papua is not safe because of the presence of the TPN/OPM. Yet, we have heard nothing at all from the TPN/OPM about who they think are behind these recent incidents. This has been aimed at thwarting the deeply felt aspirations of the indigenous people for dialogue with the Indonesian government.

Vested interests in the Land of Papua have for years pursued a strategy  within the context of development and general governance aimed at causing frictions  between those vested interests. This is something that needs to be discussed openly between all those involved, including the indigenous Papuan people, in order to find a peaceful solution and realise the aspirations for a Papuan land of peace as quickly as possible.

Related articles
8

Komnas HAM is gathering data about the 15 arrests in Skyline

Bintang Papua. 8 September 2011Although thirteen of the fifteen Papuans who were arrested on 31 August have since been released, the National Human Rights Commission’s  (Komnas HAM) Papua branch is continuing to pay serious attention to what happened, said Mathius Murib, deputy chairman of the commission. ‘We have been paying close attention to what has happened from the start up to the present moment,’ he said.

‘The proper procedures were not followed and the people who were detained were subjected to mal-treatment, and what is even more disturbing is that a child of 7 or 8 years old was kidnapped at the same time,’ he said.

After receiving complaints from the families of the victims, Komnas HAM decided to investigate the case.’Since receiving these complaints we have been conducting investigations which are still on-going.’

Commenting on allegations by the KNPB – National Committee for West   Papua –  that the events in Papua that preceded the arrests had been deliberately set up, especially the incidents in Jayapura, he said that we would need to have evidence that this was true. ‘People can express their opinion about this but everything needs to be based on careful investigations which can be properly accounted for.’

‘We need to know who was responsible, what the motivation was and whether the incidents were deliberately set up or not.’ When asked whether the incidents were being comprehensively investigated, he said  he said that a number of incidents had occurred one after the other, almost daily, cases that need to be handled by the police.Moreover, some people were involved in several of the incidents. ‘Is this a matter for the police or for the NGOs or for the Komnas HAM? Whatever the case, they must be dealt with, and it is mainly the responsibility of the police to do so.’

Asked whether the Komnas HAM was conducting its own investigations, he said that this would depend on whether it falls within its authority to do so. The procedure requires that there should be an official request. Komnas HAM could make recommendations but that is all. But basically it is the responsibility of the police.’

As yet, the government and the legislature have said nothing.  ‘Up until now, those who have been expressing their concern about the cases are the NGOs, the churches and Komnas HAM. But issuing statements is not enough; bodies need to do whatever  is within their authority in order to change things for the better.  This is a matter for the legislature which should exercise its powers to do so.’

Related articles
2

The Observatory: Indonesia: Brutal attack against journalist Banjir Ambarita

URGENT APPEAL- THE OBSERVATORY

IDN 001 / 0311 / OBS 049

Attack

Indonesia

March 25, 2011

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has received new
information and requests your urgent intervention in the following
situation in Indonesia.

Description of the situation:

The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources of the brutal
attack against Mr. Banjir Ambarita, journalist, after the publication of several of his articles in the local newspaper Bintang Papua of Jayapura, Papua province, and in the Jakarta Globe, denouncing sexual abuses committed by police officers in Jayapura.

According to the information received, on March 3, 2011, Mr. Banjir
Ambarita was riding his motorcycle in front of the Jayapura Mayor?s
office, when two unknown men on a motorcycle reportedly approached him, stabbed him twice in the chest and stomach and fled. As he began to bleed, Mr. Banjir Ambarita drove to the nearby police station. Police officers took him to the Marthen Indey Hospital in Aryoko, Jayapura, where he underwent surgery. He has reportedly recovered since then.

The Papua Regional Police and the Jayapura Police have set up a joint
force to investigate the case, but to date, perpetrators remain unknown.

Mr. Banjir Ambarita had recently written articles in the Bintang Papua and in the Jakarta Globe about two alleged rape cases involving the police.

In the first article, he had written that four police officers and three
civilians allegedly raped and tortured a 15 year old girl in February
2011, in Biak, Papua province. The last article, dated February 27,
2011, covered a second case in which three police officers forced a
woman detainee to perform oral sex on them from November 2010 to January 2011 at the Jayapura Police Detention Centre in Papua province. The media coverage of this incident led to the resignation of the Jayapura’s Police Chief, Mr. Imam Setiawan, and to the sentencing to 21 days of jail for the officers involved.

The Observatory expresses its deepest concern about the attack on Mr. Banjir Ambarita, which seems to merely aim at sanctioning his
denunciation of human rights violations, and urges the authorities to
ensure his protection and to promptly investigate into the
above-mentioned facts.

Actions requested:

The Observatory urges the authorities of Indonesia to:

i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological
integrity of Mr. Banjir Ambarita, as well as all human rights defenders
in Indonesia;

ii. Carry out a prompt, effective, thorough, independent and impartial
investigation into the above-mentioned events, the result of which must be made public, in order to prosecute and try the perpetrators of these violations before a competent, independent and impartial tribunal;

iii. Conform in all circumstances with the provisions of the Declaration
on Human Rights Defenders, adopted on December 9, 1998 by the United Nations General Assembly, in particular:

– Article 1, which states that ?Everyone has the right, individually or
in association with others, to promote the protection and realization of
human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels;

– Article 6, which provides that: “Everyone has the right, individually
and in association with others: (a) to know, seek, obtain, receive and
hold information about all human rights and fundamental freedoms (?);
(b) freely to publish, impart or disseminate to others views, information and knowledge on all human rights and fundamental freedoms”;
(c) to study, discuss, form and hold opinions on the observance, both in law and in practice, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and, through these and other appropriate means, to draw public attention to those matters”,

– Article 12.2 which provides that “The State shall take all necessary
measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of
everyone, individually and in association with others, against any
violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence
of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration”;

iv. Ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and with international and regional human rights
instruments ratified by Indonesia.

Addresses:

  • HE. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia, Presidential Palace, Istana Merdeka, Jakarta 10110, Indonesia; Fax: +6221 345 2685/526 8726
  • Mr. Gamawan Fauzi. Minister of Home Affairs, Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara No. 7, Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia, Fax +62 21 385 1193 / +62 21 384 6430, Email: pusdatinkomtel@depdagri.go.id⁢mailto:pusdatinkomtel@depdagri.go.id>
  • Mr. Patrialis Akbar, Minister for Justice and Human Rights, Department of Justice and Human Rights, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav No. 4-5, Kuningan – Jakarta Selatan 12950, Indonesia,
    Fax: + 62 21 525 3095/ 310 4149/ 522 5036,
    Email: rohumas@depkehham.go.id
  • Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights, Jl. Latuharhary No 4B, Menteng, Jakarta Pusat 10310, Indonesia, Fax : +62 21 392 5227, Email: info@komnasham.go.id
  • Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia in Geneva, Rue de Saint-Jean 16, Case Postale 2271, 1211 Geneva 2, Suisse, Fax: +41 22 345 57 33, Email: mission.indonesia@ties.itu.int
  • Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of Belgium, Boulevard de la Woluwe 38, B-1200, Brussels, Belgium, Fax +32 27 72 82 10, Email: primebxl@skynet.be

Please also write to the diplomatic representations of Indonesia in your
respective countries.

***
Geneva-Paris, March 25, 2011

* *

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this
appeal in your reply.

The Observatory, an OMCT and FIDH venture, is dedicated to the
protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete
support in their time of need.

To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:

· E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org

· Tel and fax OMCT + 41 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29

· Tel and fax FIDH + 33 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80

Related Articles
0

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

Up ↑