Tag: brutality

Front Pepera PB: “Stop the Joint Indonesian Military/Police Operation against civilians in Dogiyai Regency”

Press Release Report

WEST PAPUAN PEOPLE’S UNITED STRUGGLE FRONT – NATIONAL EXECUTIVE

(EKNAS FRONT PEPERA PB)

Secretariate: Padang Bulan II – Abepura – Jayapura – Papua

=============================================================================

“Together for the History of the Star of the East”

Press Release

“Stop the Joint Indonesian Military/Police Operation against civilians in Dogiyai Regency”

On Wednesday April 13, 2011 at 2:30 PM local time, a bloody incident took place in Moanemani (capital of Dogiyai Rgency). This incident started with a protest by civilians objecting to the behavior of the local Police chief along with police officers in Moanemani, who seized toggle (gambling) money from local people.  According to the information obtained from trusted sources, the toggle site is owned by the Police chief and some police officers.  Police officers trust some local people to manage the gambling site.  Yesterday around midday, some local people were playing toggle near Moanemani market; at the time, a few police officers approached them and along with the Police chief, took away all of the toggle money that was in a plastic bag.  The toggle seller did not accept this behavior and went to face the Police chief, but one civilian named Domin Auwe (25 yrs) was shot dead in front of the local Moanemani police station; another civilian named Otin Yobe (23 yrs) was shot in the chest, with the bullet piercing the body beneath the armpit; and Amon Pigai (23 yrs) was shot in the waist and the chest.

Local people did not accept this brutal action.  Some local people burned down part of the local Moanemani Police station and burned some shops owned by Police officers.  A joint Military/Police unit was then deployed, attacking locals’ homes in Moanemani and environs.  According to information we have gathered so far, four civilians’ homes were burned by the joint Military/Police operation; locals were terrorized, intimidated, beaten and shot; locals’ herds and gardens were destroyed.

During the night, at midnight local time, two of the civilians who were shot during the day, Amon Pigai and Otin Yobe, were brought to the Nabire hospital for treatment; both are in critical condition.  Meanwhile, the joint Military/Police units were brought to Moanemani from nearby locations including Nabire so as to expand the local operation.  Transmigrant (Indonesian) populations were evacuated to Nabire and the surrounding region.

On April 14 2011 at 8 AM local time, a local person named Aloisuis Waine (35 yrs) was shot dead by a joint Military/Police arbitrary sweeping operation in Iikebo – Moanemani, Dogiyai Regency.

Moanemani, the capital of Dogiyai Regency, is in a state of violent terror.  Most local inhabitants have already escaped to nearby villages for safety; meanwhile those remaining are staying in their homes, while some are even hiding in bushes and forest.  To respond to this bloody tragedy, we firmly demand that:

1.      The arbitrary sweepings by Military and Police against civlians in Moanemani (capital of Dogiyai Regency) and surrounding area cease immediately;

2.      Papua Police Chief and Regional Mlitary Commander for XVII Cenderawasih command immediately accept responsibility for the shooting deaths of two civilian (Domin Auwe and Aloisius Waine) as well as the two other shooting victims (Amon Pigai dan Otin Yobe) who remain in critical condition at Nabire Hospital, and also other victims of shootings and beatings carried out during sweepings.;

3.      Local Police chief and Military Commander as well as soldiers and Police officers in Moanemani who have arbitrarily brutalized local people immediately be disciplined sternly (fired from their positions with Military or Police) and brought to justice and sanctioned in accordance with the level of brutality they have enacted;

4.      Papua Police Chief immediately ban gambling and specifically Toggle in Papua;

5.      Governor of Papua Province and Dogiyai Regency Government accept responsibility over the loss suffered by local people, including the burning of shops by locals as well as the burning of homes by the Military and Police, in addition to other damages;

6.      Papua Province Legislature immediately form a Humanitarian Team to advocate around the tragedy that has gripped the people of Moanemani, Dogyiai Regency;

7.      National Human Rights Commission immediately advocate for the victims of the bloody Moanemani tragedy.

That is our press release that we express with all sincerity in the hopes of follow-up action by all relevant actors.

Demikian siaran pers ini kami buat dengan sesungguhnya untuk ditindak-lanjuti oleh pihak-pihak terkait.

Jayapura, Thursday, April 14 2011

“Unity Without Limits, Struggle Until Victory”

SELPIUS BOBII

(Public Head, WPPUSF (Front PEPERA PB))

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4 Residents Shot Dead By Indonesian Police in Dogiay, West Papua

by Victor Yeimo, KNPB

[Dogiay, West Papua] – 4 residents, namely Dominikus Auwe, Pinsen Tigi, Alwisius Waine, and Matias Iyai from Dogiay (near Paniai, West Papua ) have been shot dead by Indonesian Police on 13 April 2011 at 3.00 AM.  During this operation, some others residents were injured.

According to local witnesses, this incident began when police wanted to disperse some people who were playing a gambling game.   These people were immediately attacked by the police, without giving any warning to the victims.

Until now, several houses (in DOgiyagi) have been burned down by police. About 2,000 residents fled to the forests because of last night, there are 7 companies of police were brought in from Nabire last nigh at 3.00 AM.

(WPMA NOTE: these are preliminary figures based on witness reports.  WPMA has no way of independently verifying these numbers at present, but given the severity of the operation the numbers would be accurate.  1 Company of Police would be approximately 100-150 men, depending on the unit)

Local people claim that AKP (Inspector) Marji Marpaun is immediately responsible for this incident.

MORE INFORMATION AS IT COMES TO HAND.

Photos by ALIANSI-MAHASISWA-PAPUA(AMP) 

http://myspecialdocumentaries.blogspot.com/  (tested, legitimate link)
=============

Victor F. Yeimo,
International Spokesperson for the West Papua National Committee [KNPB]
“Tidak ada kemenangan revolusioner tanpa teori revolusioner”


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Komnas HAM member warns of potential conflicts in Papua

Bintang Papua 13 April, 2011 

The deputy chairman of the Papua branch of the National Human Rights Commission is afraid that serious conflicts could occur in Papua around such issues as the election of the governor, conflicting views regarding special autonomy/OTSUS and the new Papuan Asembly, the MRP, conflicts between religious groups or between the churches, and the Puncak Jaya case. Other issues that were potentially controversial were the recent shooting dead of two people in the Freeport area, the serous flooding in Paniai and a number of mysterious deaths that have not been investigated.

Mathius Murib conveyed these thoughts to Bintang Papua in an SMS message.

He urged all sides in Papua to remain vigilant, to do everything possible to preserve peace in Papua and not to be provoked into making emotional responses. What is needed, he said, is well-thought out criticism in an era of democratisation and recognition of basic human rights in Indonesia. People should be careful to abide by the laws and regulations.

He expressed the hope that the newly appointed MRP would struggle for the basic rights of the Papuan people and hoped that the members of the new body would acknowledge the struggles waged by the late Agus Alue Alua and his colleagues in the previous MRP.

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Papua Church Leader Warns Of ‘Unfair’ Gubernatorial Election

FYI
The Jakarta Post
Monday, April 11, 2011 

Ina Parlina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The death of a prominent Papuan leader has sparked concerns over the
security of the upcoming gubernatorial election in the volatile
region.

GKI Papua synod deputy chairman Rev. Elimelekh D. Doirebo said that
the demise of former Papuan People’s Assembly speaker Agus Alue Alua
destroyed any expectations of a fair and safe election for the
province this September, as well as undermined the possibility of a
pro-Papuan Assembly.

“Agus was very vocal in fighting for the rights of the Papuan people,
including supporting the policy that Papua local administration heads
must be Papuan,” he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Agus reportedly died Thursday at Dian Harapan Hospital in Jayapura.
Agus, who was re-elected to the Assembly for a second term, died soon
after being admitted to hospital. The cause of death is unknown.

Agus was known for his policies, including a decree stipulating that
Papua local administration heads and their deputies must be from the
region.“We believe Agus died as a result of the persistent
intimidation he faced,” Elimelekh said.

He claimed Agus faced threats especially from Barisan Merah Putih,
which wanted to oust the original members of the Assembly whom they
perceived as too radical in their defense of Papuan rights and their
opposition to special autonomy.

In June last year, rallies initiated by the original Assembly members
drew thousands in Jayapura, who issued 11 recommendations for a better
solution to the strife in Papua.

The protestors urged the central government to annul special autonomy,
which they claimed was a tool for the central government to win the
hearts of Papuans while toning down demands for independence.

They also called for a dialog mediated by neutral international
parties to address Papuan grievances.

“Several Papuans in Jakarta once came to Papua to meet Agus and
basically forced him to stop criticizing the election of new Assembly
members and special autonomy. They also forced him to step down,”
Elimelekh claimed.

Later, he added, Agus was removed from the roster of new Assembly
members following accusations he supported separatism.

Hana Hikoyabi, who was also re-elected to the Assembly, was likewise
disqualified. As of today, the new elected Assembly members, who will
serve until 2016, have not been inaugurated.

The GKI, along with Papua’s KINGMI synod and Papua’s Baptist churches
synod, boast a following of more than 1.3 million members, most of
them native Papuans.

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NGOs Say US Got it Wrong on Indonesian Human Rights

FYI

Dessy Sagita | April 11, 2011

Indonesian activists on Sunday criticized the US government for praising Indonesia’s progress on human rights, saying that the barometer used for the report could be misleading.

“I’m a bit concerned with the diplomatic statements made by some countries regarding Indonesia’s progress on human rights, because it could give people the wrong perception about what’s really happening,” Haris Azhar, coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), told the Jakarta Globe.

As in previous editions, the US State Department’s annual survey on human rights pointed to concerns in Indonesia, this year including accounts of unlawful killings in violence-torn Papua along with violations of freedom of religion.

But US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while presenting on Friday the mammoth, 7,000-page global report, pointed to Indonesia as a success story.

“Indonesia boasts a vibrant free media and a flourishing civil society at the same time as it faces up to challenges in preventing abuses by its security forces and acting against religious intolerance,” she was quoted by foreign wire agencies as saying.

The survey covers the period before Islamic fanatics brutally killed three members of the Ahmadiyah sect in early February, raising questions over Indonesia’s commitment to safeguard minority rights.

The concern over Papua is primarily a reference to the torture of two civilians there last year by soldiers. They were subsequently court-martialed in January but given sentences of less than a year, a punishment slammed by the influential group Human Rights Watch as far too lenient to send a message that abuse was unacceptable.

Kontras’s Haris said both indicators presented by the US government — that Indonesia has been progressing in terms of media independence and better access for civil societies to voice their concern — were also incorrect.

“Freedom of journalism? I don’t think so. It’s still fresh in our minds that several journalists have been brutally attacked because of their reporting, some were even murdered,” he said.

“And in terms of flourishing civil societies, it’s true, non-government organizations are mushrooming, but what’s the point if human rights defenders and anticorruption activists are assaulted?” he added.

According to Kontras, in 2010 alone more than 100 human rights activists here were victimized and many of the perpetrators remain free.

And according to Reporters Without Borders, when it comes to press freedom, Indonesia ranks very low, much worse than it did several years ago when Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid was the president.

The US report in some ways echoes progress noted by New York-based Human Rights Watch in its own annual review of human rights practices around the globe, released in January. Then it noted that while serious human rights concerns remained, Indonesia had over the past 12 years made great strides in becoming a stable, democratic country with a strong civil society and independent media.

But Andreas Harsono, from Human Rights Watch, said it was perplexing that the US government would compliment Indonesia’s progress on rights.

“It’s a big joke,” he said. “Attacks against Ahmadiyah have been happening since 2008, after the joint ministerial decree was issued, and attacks against churches during SBY’s six-year tenure are even more prevalent than during the five decades in which Sukarno and Suharto ruled,” he said.

Additional reporting by AP, AFP 

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