Tag: knpb

Police issue ultimatum to Buchtar Tabuni

Bintang Papua, 6 April, 2012

Despite the threat of resistance from the KNPB in response to a summons from the police to its chairperson, Buchtar Tabuni,  the police chief, Drs BL Tobing said that they will continue to issue the summons  the chairperson of the KNPB to take responsibility for the demonstrations.

‘We will give him until two or three weeks after Easter to respond to our summons. If he fails to respond, we will have to use force to bring him here.’

He said that the summons had been issued because the demonstrations were anarchic and the particpants had been carrying traditional weapons such as spears  and bows-and-arrows and took place outside the Abepura Post Office and in Taman Imbi on Tuesday 20 March and Monday 2 April.

According to the chief of police, traditional weapons were only to be carried  on ritual occasions

He said that the KNPB had broken its promise about the demonstration.  He also said that the KNPB was trying to influence public opinion and had adopted the position of rejecting a police summons.

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KNPB will not respond to police summons

Bintang Papua, 3 April 2012

The insistence by the chief of police in Papua that Buchtar Tabuni, the chairperson of KNPB – the National Committee of West Papua – be held responsible for the KNPB organising two demonstrations instead of just one has led to a response from the KNPB.

The chairperson of the KNPB, Mako Tabuni, said that the organisation will not respond to the summons from the police, whether or not they intend to arrest Buchtar Tabuni, saying that if Buchtar is arrested, they will take strong action again the police.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, 3 April, Mako said that there was no foundation whatever to what the police chief said.

He said that they had been forced to hold their demonstration in two places, in Abepura and in Taman Imbi because the police had failed to acknowledge the organisation’s notification to the police about the forthcoming demonstration.

‘Now, they even want to take proceedings against us.’

He also said that the fact that they intended to carry traditional weapons was simply because they were being used for cultural purposes, as the cultural attributes of the Papuan  people.

‘The demonstration is an action regarding our people’s future, and if the police complain that it caused traffic congestion,  then we think that the police should behave more professionally. We know that demonstrations take place in other parts of the country, such as in Java and Makasar which have been going on for days and causing traffic jams because they are quite legal. This is a time of demonstrations.(a reference apparently to the many demonstrations currently taking place across Indonesia in protest against the increase in the price of petrol).

‘If we are to be taken to court because we hold demonstrations, then we have to accept that we are not living in a democracy.

‘If we are not allowed to demonstrate, then we will resort o other ways in our calls for a referendum because Indonesia is holding on to West Papua as the result of a process that was illegal.’  [Here the reference is to the so-called act of free choice in 1969.]

He also complained about the media coverage which he said, focussed on things like traffic jams, shops being closed or children being sent home from school, without mentioning the purpose of the demonstration.

‘So if we are denied the space to demonstrate,  we will have to resort to other measures .’

He warned the police to consider the consequences of acting like a colonial power, adding that they had no intention of responding to the summons from the police.

He also said that the claim that a journalist was killed during the KNPB demonstration was quite untrue. and was just a trick to denigrate the intentions of the KNPB  whenever they organise demonstrations. and an attempt to damage the good relations which the KNPB has had with the local press.for many years.

[Abridged in translation by TAPOL]

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KNPB: Police Chief’s Statement Has No Legal Basis

April 3,2012

by Arnold Belau for SuaraPapua.com

PAPUAN, Jayapura — The statement made by the Papua Regional Police Chief via the Deputy Regional Police Chief Brig.-Gen. Police Paulus Waterpauw in several media outlets on Tuesday (3/4), requesting that the Chair of West Papua National Committee (KNPB – Komite Nasional Papua Barat) Buchtar Tabuni take responsibility for protest action that was organized by KNPB on Monday (2/4), is evaluted to be without sound legal basis, and very premature.

 

This position was affirmed by KNPB (Vice-)Chair I, Mako Tabuni, who issued a statement to journalists at Prima Garden Café, Tuesday (3/4) in Abepura, Jayapura, Papua. In his statement, Mako clarified a few issues underlying KNPB’s rejection of the Police Chief’s reaction, given that from the start the Papua Regional Police failed to issue a letter acknowledging receipt of the notice for the action that was submitted by KNPB well in advance of the day of the demonstration.

“Papua Regional Police refused and did not issue a a Notice Receipt Letter, whereas we organized a peaceful demonstration featuring Papuan arts and culture, without violating the law of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia (NKRI – Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia), said Mako to journalists.

“Arrows and spears are part of the Papuan nation’s cultural toolkit, and even this was clearly stated in our notice letter to the Regional Police, so how does it make sense for them to see demonstrators carry these objects and then to ask KNPB to take responsibility?” said Mako.

According to Mako, since decades ago the legal system of NKRI has occupied the Papuan nation, and this is a form of modern colonization which the Papuan people know and understand.

For this reason, Mako continued, KNPB is legally guaranteed the right to demand a referendum in the land of Papua, because the presence of the Indonesian government in Papua does not accord with international principles and standards from a standpoint of law, human rights and democracy.

Because, continued Mako, “From 1961 to 1969 the status of the territory of Papua was included in the United Nations’ decolonization category”.

Mako also denied that by calling the Chair of KNPB the mass actions in Papua will be stopped.

“Go ahead and call the Chair of KNPB, or even decide not to issue a demonstration permit to KPNB, but we will still mediate the people of West Papua to convey their demands and actions by other means”, stated Mako who has in the past been a political prisoner.

Mako also regretted the coverage in a number of mass media outlets, which is consistently biased in its perspective, and always judges each demo action negatively.
“Coverage like that harms KNPB, and harms the people of West Papua, so we invite media in Papua to show some consideration”, asserted Mako hopefully.

Previously, yesterday, Monday (2/4) a mass of thousands responded to the KNPB call for a peaceful demo action to show support for the Nieuw Guinea Raad conference and launching of the Netherlands branch of IPWP (International Parliamentarians for West Papua) which took place Wednesday (5/4).

This event was coordinated by the Free Papua activist in Britain, Benny Wenda, and a group of international lawyers who are members of IPWP, with a number of Netherlands Parliament members in attendance.

ARNOLD BELAU

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KNPB denies that violence occurred during its demonstrations

Bintang Papua, 1 April, 2012
The KNPB – National Committee for West Papua– has denied allegations that violence occurred during demonstrations which it organised  recently. In response to the decision by journalists to boycott activities organised by the KNPB which was recently announced, Mako Tabuni, the chairman of the national committee of the KNPB said at a press conference that the majority of journalists who operate in Jayapura are well known to the KNPB, and when people threw things at journalists, this occurred because the supporters of the KNPB were unable to  recognise who were genuine journalists and who were not journalists but were members of the security forces in civilian dress who were posing as journalists.’We deny allegations that every time we organise demonstration, violence occurs. The truth is that when things are thrown  and people are chased as happened on 20 March, these were members of the security forces wearing civilian clothing who were posing as journalists.’

Tabuni said that the KNPB would undertake to clarify any of the incidents that occurred during the demonstration which took place on 20 March.. ‘Ever since the KNPB has undertaken to promote the aspirations of the Papuan people, nothing has been done to harm national or local journalists, although some misunderstandings did occur.. Our activists and militants always do everything they can to protect journalists in all our activities, and we deeply regret what happened during our demonstration on 20 March.’

He referred to demonstrations which the KNPB organised on 2 May and 2 August 2011 when there were allegations that violence occurred and that someone at  demonstration had  stabbed a student.He denied that this had happened. He said that they had immediately gone to the  police in Jayapura to ask about this allegation , but were referred to the police in Abepura. However none of them had produced any proof that such incident had occurred,.They also went to the hospital in Abepura to ask whether anyone who had been stabbed was being treated there, but there was no one being treated.

He said that it was very regrettable  that such a report had appeared in the media  who should be independent and neutral, and should not report something without having proof that it happened.

He also said it was very unfortunate that reports in the media about the demonstrations organised by the KNPB on 20 March had been greatly exaggerated

Meanwhile it has been announced that the KNPB  will organise a Cultural Festival on 2 April on Taman Imbi, Jayapura.

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Buchtar Tabuni will be held responsible for demos calling for a referendum

Bintang Papua,
2 April 2012

Jayapura: Instead of holding one demonstration as had been planned by the the KNPB (National Committee for West Papua), they held two demonstrations in two different places. One took place in Taman Imbi while the other took place in Abepura. The deputy police chief, Brig.General Waterpauw said that they would hold Buchtar Tabuni responsible for these demonstrations. ‘The police will hold Buchtar Tabuni responsible for this because he was the co-ordinator of the demonstration held by  the KNPB which proceeded in violation of the agreement that they would only hold one demonstration in one place, in Taman Imbi,’ said Waterpauw.

He said that thousands of KNPB supporters had taken part in the demos in two places. In addition, he said, they were carrying a variety of weapons such as arrows, knives and spears, which had spread fear among the people.

Asked whether he intended to summon Tabuni, he said this was not yet clear but the matter would be attended to as quickly as possible.

The demos caused traffic jams as many main roads in the town centre were closed off.

Thousands of supporters of the KNPB held a demonstration in front of the post office in Abepura as well as near the traffic lights by the Abepura police office on Monday, 2 April. The demonstrators called for a referendum and urged the Indonesian government to recognise the Federal State of West Papua. The demonstrators also welcomed the establishment of International Parliamentarians for West Papua by Benny Wenda, a Papua who has  been living for a long time in The Netherlands. The IPWP will be formally set up in a parliament to support the Papuan struggle and for West Papua to secede from the Indonesian Republic.

[The report then goes into great detail about how the demonstrations proceeded in different parts of the city.]

Speaking to the crowds, Buchtar Tabuni said: ‘This demonstration is an action to express the KNPB’s support for the establishment of the IPWP in The Netherlands.’ He apologised to shopkeepers who had closed their shops along the roads where the demonstrations took place.

The chairman of the KNPB  also explained that  they were wearing traditional dress and carrying traditional weapons to show to other people (ie non-Papuans) that we have our own identity.

‘Today, the West Papuan people will determine their own future which is why the KNPB has held a peaceful demonstrations with our own cultural attributes and in support of the establishment of the IPWP.’ He went on to say that  the Regional People’s Parliament had set up commissions  and said that the most effective weapon of all was the strength of the West Papuan people to confront the colonial power, the state of Indonesia.

‘The  Papuan people have set up their own political institutions and have asked the government of the Netherlands to place the issue onto the agenda of the United Nations.

He said that West Papua will get its freedom and this must be recognised by the international community so that we, the Papuan people, can determine our own future on the basis of one principle: it is better for us to be struck down  in defending the people of West Papua than being struck down at the hands of Indonesia, the colonial power.

He said that West Papua had been incorporated  into the Republic of Indonesia in a process that violated international standards, in conflict with the principles of the rule of law and international human rights. The countries responsible for this were the USA, The Netherlands and Indonesia as well as the United Nations, in pursuance of their own economic and political interests.

‘This is why were firmly declare that the West Papuan people will devote all their energies to holding a referendum , to establish political institutions that  conform with the wishes of the people of West Papua and we call on the Dutch government to speedily take the issue back to the United Nations.’

[The report then gave the names of 21 local Papuan organisations (PRD) the chair-persons of which had signed the statement issued by Buchtar Tabuni and said that all the leaders of the KNPB took part in demonstration.]

Meanwhile units of the police and Brimob in armoured vehicles and armed with a variety of weapons stood on guard in various points places near the DPRP office and in Taman Imbi.

Many people left their offices for home earlier than usual and discussions were taking place between members  members of the DPRP.

Hundreds of people had blocked the roads causing big traffic jams .

[Abridged  translation by TAPOL of a very long article that appeared in Bintang Papua.]

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