Tag: civil resistance

Magai: ‘Papuan officials are destroying Papua.’

JUBI, 19 June 2011The chairman of Commission A of DPRP. Ruben Magai has warned that the destruction of Papuan resources  is being intensified by the activities of a number of senior officials in the Land of Papua. Some of these officials are ‘playing games’, shielded by a variety of problems which continue to  play havoc with the lives of the  Papuan people. There is no question of these people taking sides with the  weakest people in society. All they are interested in is furthering their own interests.’

‘It is a public secret,’ he said, ‘that Jakarta is continuing to manipulate things, causing the continued destruction of  Papua. There is no space for democracy, the  policies being pursued  have nothing whatsoever to do with promoting the welfare of the Papuan people here.’

Ruben said that Papuan bureaucrats should be fighting to promote the interests of the people, but this is simply not happening. ‘Papuan officials are also contributing to the destruction of Papua,’ he said.

The general view here in Papua is that OTSUS, the special autonomy law, has failed  The government should be opening itself up, making an evaluation of the situation and providing space for these discussions. ‘But nothing of the kind is happening which means that the issue will continue to be raised in demonstrations, in seminars, in media reports and other forums.’

The Papuan people have for many years been raising their voices about the failed implementation of OTSUS, calling for OTSUS to be returned to Jakarta. At the very least, there should be some response. Last Thursday, dozens of people in the Coalition of People United  for Justice (KRPBK) expressed these views.

The Papuan people’s aspirations are regarded by the government as matters of no importance. The DPRP went to Jakarta to raise these issues but to no avail. ‘As representatives of the people, we feel extremely unhappy with this situation. All the efforts we have been making have led nowhere. On one occasion, we submitted  a concept to Commission A of the Indonesian parliament, the DPR,  which was accepted at the time, but there was no follow-up at all. This was a great disappointment,’ he said.

The Land of Papua continues to be turned upside down, with unpopular measures, with acts of violence, with human rights violations which are never resolved, with the abuse of freedom of expression, with the introduction of laws which are unacceptable, as a result of which the rights of civil society are never upheld.

‘This is the reality of the situation in Papua today,’ said Magai.

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Statement of deep concern by Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in Papua

Bintang  Papua, 17 June 2011Human rights defenders in Papua very worried

Acts of violence and terror that have been perpetrated against human rights defenders as well as against journalists have led to a  sense of deep concern among human rights NGOs and religious organisations which are members of the Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in the Land of  Papua

The following NGOs held a press conference in Jayapura  on Friday 17 June, to convey their problems:

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, United for Truth.

Foremost among the agencies criticised was the TNI, the Indonesian army whose members were involved in a number of acts of violence. They drew attention in particulate to five incidents that had occurred during the past five months in which members of the TNI were involved:

‘Up to June this year, there have been at least five incidents which reflect the  arrogance and random actions perpetrated by members of the TNI,’ said Olga Hamadi, the co-ordinator of Kontras Papua. Others present at the press conference included the Rev. Benny Giay, chairman of the Synod of the Kingmi Church in the Land of Papua, Mathius Murib, representative of Komnas HAM-Papua, Eliezer M, LBH-Papua, Julian Howay of the ALDP, and a number of human rights activists.

They said that the much-vaunted  reforms within the TNI were rarely reflected in the activities of members of the TNI on the ground. ‘Is this what the commander of the TNI was praising so profusely during his recent visit to Papua,’ wondered Rev Giay.

Mathius Murib  said that the incident that occurred in Puncak Jaya a few months ago had drawn a great deal of public attention, nationally as well as internationally. [This refers to the acts of torture against Papuans that were circulated by video.]

‘All their talk about Love and Peace is far from been applied by members of the security forces on the ground. Isn’t it time for them to change their tune?’

They said that the continued occurrence of acts of violence and intimidation by members of the TNI is a clear indication that no actions have been taken against members of the TNI who have violated the law.

‘We are concerned about the impact this is having on the reputation of the Indonesian state and wonder  what is being done to protect the rights of human rights defenders,’ said Olga Hamadi.

She said that in cases where members of the TNI had been involved in acts of violence, all that had happened was that they had been moved sideways. ‘Or, in those instances where they had been taken to court, they had appeared before a military tribunal and the verdicts were often unclear or had had little if any effect.,’ said Peneas Lokbere, co-ordinator of BUK.

The Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in the Land of Papua therefore issued the following statement:

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 Komnas HAM 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  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.

[Translated by TAPOL]

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‘If You Mess With Us You’re Dead’

via NewMatilda.com

By Jason MacLeod

indo soldier in west papua

There was nothing clandestine about the beating of human rights activist Yones Douw in West Papua last week. Jason MacLeod reports on the latest in a long pattern of public violence by the Indonesian military

“You can mess with the police,” said the Indonesian soldiers, “but if you try it with us, you’re dead.”

According to witnesses that was what was said to Yones Douw, a 42-year-old Papuan human rights defender as he was beaten with lumps of wood by soldiers from Kodim 1705, Nabire’s District Military Command in the Indonesian province of Papua. Immediately after the beating Douw went to the local Siriwini hospital but was refused treatment. Local staff demanded a letter from the police before they would treat his wounds. Douw now fears for his safety and has gone into hiding.

The incident occurred on the 15 June. Douw, a church worker with the Kingmi Church’s Bureau of Justice and Peace in Nabire, heard that a protest was going to take place at the 1705 District Military Command (Kodim) base in Nabire, Papua province, and he went to the base to monitor it. Thirty minutes after he arrived, a group of protesters turned up in three trucks, broke into the front entrance of the base and started to shatter the windows and throw objects. Douw immediately rushed into the base to calm the protesters.

In response, the military fired shots into the air and started hitting the protesters. Douw was struck on the head with pieces of wood many times. He also sustained injuries on his shoulder and wrists from the beatings. The protesters fled the scene, pursued by members of Kodim 1705 and armed troops from neighbouring Battalion 753. This is what gave Douw time to escape.

Yones Douw was not the accidental victim of some random act of violence. And the protesters he was defending were not some random mob of outraged Papuans or an attack by the Papuan Liberation Army, Papua’s lingering guerrilla force. The attack on the Nabire District Military Command was an expression of a grief stricken family angered at the senseless killing of one of their own. The family wanted to hold the military accountable for the killing of Derek Adii, a man who was beaten to death by soldiers a few weeks earlier.

In mid-May Douw, a chronicler of human rights violations in the troubled Paniai region for some years now, published a report that was picked up by Jubi, West Papua’s only independent news service. Douw’s report detailed the killing of Derek Adii on 14 May 2011. Adii, a 26-year-old Nabire man had just completed his application to join Papua’s burgeoning civil service.

According to Douw’s report, Adii was boarding the crowded passenger vessel KM Labobar at Nabire’s dock when he was beaten by six members of the military. One of the soldiers allegedly pulled out a bayonet and stabbed Adii in the head. The six men then threw his body overboard. Adii died at the scene.

Douw believes he was beaten by the military for retribution — not only for reporting Adii’s killing but also for continuing to shine a spotlight on human rights abuses in West Papua, an area the Indonesian police and military are trying to close off from international scrutiny by locking out journalists and even diplomats.

The circumstances surrounding Adii’s very public murder and Douw’s public beating in the front yard of a military base located on a main road in the middle of a town is typical of the patterns of human rights abuses in West Papua. Australian National University scholar and former Director of the Catholic Office of Justice and Peace in West Papua, Br Budi Hernawan OFM who is studying torture in West Papua, says that torture and human rights abuses in Papua are a kind of “public spectacle”.

In the 400 odd cases of torture that Hernawan has studied it is mostly poor and innocent Papuan civilians are rounded up and publicly abused. The perpetrators are nearly always the Indonesian military and police. It is classic state terror, the purpose of which is to violently pacify the population, to enforce the security apparatus’ control over human bodies and the body politic — and to intimidate and silence Papuan dissent.

It is a script that Yones Douw has refused to buy into. In the meantime other Papuans have stepped into Douw’s shoes. They are now chronicling the military’s attack on him and sending reports out to a domestic and international network in the same way that Douw has been ceaselessly reporting on the human rights abuses of others.

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Amnesty:URGENT ACTION PAPUAN ACTIVIST AT RISK FOLLOWING BEATING

UA: 188/11 Index: ASA 21/014/2011 Indonesia Date: 17 June 2011

URGENT ACTION

PAPUAN ACTIVIST AT RISK FOLLOWING BEATING

Yones Douw, a human rights activist in the Indonesian province of Papua, was beaten by military officers on 15 June and has been denied medical treatment. He fears for his health and safety, as he has previously been detained and assaulted as a result of his human rights activities.

A protest took place at the 1705 District Military Command (Kodim) base in Nabire, Papua province, on the morning of 15 June, to call for accountability for the stabbing and killing of Papuan Derek Adii on 14 May 2011, reportedly by military officers from the 1705 District Military Command. At about 9am on 15 June, Yones Douw , a 42-year-old human rights activist, heard that a protest, which included family members of Derek Adii, was about to take place, and he went to the base to monitor it. Thirty minutes after he arrived, a group of protesters turned up in three trucks, broke into the front entrance of the base and started to shatter the windows and throw objects. Yones Douw immediately rushed into the base to calm the protesters.

In response, the military fired shots into the air and started hitting the protesters. Yones Douw was struck on the head with pieces of wood many times. He 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, with a piece of wood. After the beatings, Yones 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. He fears for his health and safety.

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

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Indonesian, English or your own language:

– 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.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 29 JULY 2011 TO:

Minister of Justice and Human Right s

Patrialis Akbar

Ministry of Justice and Human Rights

Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav No. 4-5

Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan 12950

Indonesia

Fax: +62 21 525 3095

Salutation: Dear Minister

Chairperson National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM)

Ifdhal Kasim

Jl Latuharhary

No.4 Menteng Jakarta Pusat

10310, Indonesia

Fax: +62 21 39 25 227

Salutation: Dear Ifdhal Kasim

Papua Police Chief

Inspektur Jenderal Bekto Suprapto

Papua Regional Head of Police (Kapolda)

Jl. Samratulangi No. 8 Jayapura,

Papua, Indonesia

Fax: +62 967 533763

Salutation: Dear Kapolda

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

Additional Information

In January 2009, police officers kicked and punched Yones Douw during his arrest, after he attempted to intervene to stop clashes between police and demonstrators in Nabire. He and seven other demonstrators were denied access to the outside world and he was deprived of food and drinking water during his one day detention.

In recent years, there have been a number of cases of intimidation and attacks against human rights defenders and journalists in Indonesia, and human rights defenders are regularly intimidated and harassed in Papua. International human rights observers, non-governmental organizations and journalists are severely restricted in their work there.

Amnesty International continues to receive credible reports of human rights violations by the security forces in Indonesia, including torture and other ill-treatment and the unnecessary and excessive use of force. There are often no independent investigations into allegations of human rights violations, and those responsible are rarely brought to account before an independent court. In January 2011 three soldiers who had been filmed kicking and abusing Papuans were sentenced by a Military Court to between eight and 10 months’ imprisonment for disobeying orders. The fact that the victims were not able to testify because of the lack of adequate safety guarantees raised serious concerns about the trial process. Amnesty International believes that the civilian courts are much more likely to ensure both prosecutions for crimes involving human rights violations and protection for witnesses than the military system, which is unlikely to be impartial and independent.

While Amnesty International acknowledges the difficulties faced by security forces in Indonesia, especially when confronted with violence, the power to use force given to security forces is restricted by relevant international human rights law and standards, the basis of which is the right to life. The Indonesian authorities must ensure prompt, independent and impartial investigations into all credible allegations of human rights violations by the security forces. Those found responsible, including persons with command responsibility, should be prosecuted in proceedings which meet international standards of fairness, and victims provided with reparations.

UA: 188/11 Index: ASA 21/014/2011 Issue Date: 17 June 2011

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Seven more Papuans facing charges of makar

According to two reports in the tabloid, JUBI on 16 June 2011, there are seven Papuans currently on trial on charges of makar – subversion. In all these cases, the allegations relate to their participation in an event to commemorate the anniversary of the independence of the West Melanesian Republic on 14 December 2010 and their holding aloft the 14-star flag of the West Melanesian Republic. [This is not the Morning Star flag – the kejora – which is also frequently unfurled at peaceful demonstrations in Papua and has landed numerous Papuans in prison over many years.]

The first report relates to the trial of five students of UNIPA – State University of Papua. The five students are Jhon Raweyai, Yance Sekenyap, Penehas Sorongan, Alex Duwiri and Jhon Wilson Wader, whose ordeal in court has now entered its second hearing.

At this hearing, the defendants and their team of lawyers were given the opportunity to submit their demurrers challenging the court’s right to proceed with the trial. Their lawyer Simon Riziard Banundi said that he had submitted two demurrers as the five students were being tried in two groups.

The trial of the two other Papuans on charges of subversion was unable to proceed because three expert witnesses who had been called by the prosecution had failed to appear as promised. These two men, Melkianus Bleskadit and Dance Yenu are also being defended by Simon Riziard Banundi. Banundi sought clarification at the hearing about whether indeed the witnesses had been summoned as the prosecutors had failed to present copies of the summons sent to them. One of the witnesses was said to be ill while no explanation was given about the absence of the other two.

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