Images from Sentani return of Otsus and Act of Free Choice, Aug 2

More photos have surfaced from yesterdays return of Autonomy and the Act of Free Choice, held at Sentani, by the grave of slain West Papuan hero, Chief Theys Eluay.

August 3, 2010

Thousands call for Referendum at grave of slain West Papuan hero

Photos courtesy of Yasons Sambon, KNPB

Sentani, West Papua, Monday August 2 2010 (West Papua Media Alerts)
Reports have been filtering from Sentani that over five thousand people have been gathering at the grave of slain West Papuan independence hero Chief Dorotheys (Theys) Eluay, continuing the unprecedented mass mobilisations calling for a return of Special Autonomy to Jakarta, and for internationally mediated dialogue and a referendum to determine West Papua’s future.

This rally was called by KNPB (West Papua National Committee) with support from West Papua National Authority, Dewan Adat Papua, students and youth.

The rally was called to commemorate the anniversary of the fraudulent conduct of the Act of Free Choice in 1969, and to remind the international community that West Papuan people still contest Indonesian occupation, human rights and environmental abuses, corruption and impunity. The organisers of the demonstrations have asserted that rolling mobilisations will be increasing to demand a review of the Act of Free Choice until its 41st anniversary on August 15.

Today’s gathering at Sentani remained peaceful, although large numbers of security forces, 3 trucks of heavily armed anti-terror Dalmas paramilitary police, over 100 armed plain clothes intelligence agents, and water cannon were in attendance. Despite intimidation from Indonesian security forces, the mass gathering maintained peaceful discipline and listened to speeches and music.

More demonstrations will be held tomorrow as the special sessions of the DPRP will be held in Jayapura to discuss the final handback of the failed Special Autonomy package to Jakarta, Tens Thousands of people are expected to gather in the morning in a mass mobilisation called by ForDem (Forum Demokratik Rakyat Papua / Democratic Forum of Papuan
People). Security forces are expected to prevent people from gathering, so this is a situation that will need monitoring to ensure restraint by Indonesian Police and military.

Nick Chesterfield @West Papua Media Alerts

Jayapura 02/08/2010, ratusan masa aksi yang diakomodir oleh komite nasional Papua Barat (KNPB), mengakomodir seluruh komponen masyarakat papua dan semu organ-organ pergerakan, dan semu tokoh-tokoh. Masa berkumpul di beberapa titik kumpul menuju ke sasaran aksi mimbar politik bebas di pemekaman pahlawan Theys Eluai Sentani Jayapura Papua.

Acara tersebut mulai pada pukul: 12 :15 wpb, berlangsung mulai dengan orasi-orasi dari masing-masing organ dan juga pelaku PEPERA 1969 menjelaskan tentang pelaksanaan PEPERA pada masa lalu, namun semua menyatakan tidak sah karena Indonesia Amerika dan PBB telah melanggar hukum internasional dan tidak laksanakan PEPERA 1969 sesui dengan prinsip-prinsip hokum internasional yaitu (one people one soul).

Pelaku Sejarah Fred Suebu menjelaskan bahwa;

-Pada perjanjian New York orang Papua tidak ikut tanda tangan, maka dinyatakan PEPERA 1969 adalah tidak sah dan cacat hukum dan moral.

– dan saya minta kepada PBB segera lakukan Referendum bagi bangsa Papua Barat .

Dalam orasinya Forkorus Yoesiebu bahwa;

– Kita orang Papua barsatu menuntut kedaulatan dan gugat aneksasi.

– Pertanyaan; apakah rakyat setuju besok bentuk Pemerintahan Negara Papua Barat?

– Rakyat menyatakan setuju.

– Aneksasi PEPERA 1969 harus kugat dan kami rakyat bangsa Papua Barat menembalikan PEPERA 1969 ke PBB.

– Amerika, Belanda, Indonesia dan PBB tidak menghargai hak orang Papua , maka kami menuntut kugat aneksasi.

Demikian Yang mana komite nasional papua barat telah diadakan mimbar bebas politik dalam ranggga mengembalikan anekesasi PEPERA 1969 ke pangguan PBB, bentuk mayat peti PEPEPRA 1969 dan beberapa surat piagam telah kembalikan dan rakyat bangsa Papua Barat Menuntut Referendum untuk pepentuan nasib sendiri bagi bangsa papua barat. Demikian guna menggukat PEPERA 1969 di tingkat Internasional yaitu pengadilan Internasional (ICJ) melalui lembaga diplomat papua yang ada yaitu (ILWP).

Demikian laporan kami Jayapura Papua barat dan atas kerjasama yang baik kami sampaikan banyak terimaksih.

By yasons sambom

West Papua Human Rights Activist

August 2, 2010

Ceremony in Timika for symbolic return of Act of Free Choice and calling for Referendum

*Original in Indonesian received. The following is their translation. TAPOL

*
A number of photos were also attached, mainly showing the ceremonial burning of a coffin containing the Act.

*Report by: Romario Yatipai*

*KNPB Timika Chairman*

*KNPB News-*Monday, August 2, 2010 are not left alone by the people of West Papua nation which is in the Timika area. In the day of birth of the manipulation process 1969 was celebrated by the people of West Papua in Timika as a venue for the manipulation of political status by the Dutch West Papua, Indonesia and the United States in the process undertaken by the United Nations Act of Free Choice. Mimika city calmed the situation with the activities of life for people in nations around the existing West Papuan town of Timika. In the peace of the Timika region KNPB worship Choice in 1969 Returns to the United Nations. Maranata Church Kesehatan Street in Timika Indah into place to restore the 1969 Act of Free Choice coffin symbolically in the form of prayer and praise and the burning of Coffin 1969.

Promptly at 11 o’clock worship WPB began to be implemented with compliments. Worship is a theme in saying that “God is crying Eliminate Child Affairs”, which means that the intervention of God cries of suffering people of West Papua nation will end up passing everyone both at the international, national and local. Meditations take place with a short religious service in told by the Rev.Dese Adii interspersed with poetry, song and dance, it states that 1969 is the manipulation in the interest of the warring parties in the International in West Papua in the year 1960-1969.

Worship is held at the end of the combustion Coffin Choice in 1969 by the people of West Papua nation which is in the church yard. After the 1969 burning of the coffin by the people of West Papua in the nation continue with the reading of the political declaration of West Papuan people of the nation. Political statement of the people of West Papua nation is as follows:

*Petition of Choice in 1969 RETURN TO DEMAND UN referendum*
We the people of West Papua nation states that:
1. We are a nation that once independence as a state on December 1, 1961 according to the spirit of the resolutions of the UN decolonization No. 1514 1960.

2. UN, DUTCH, U.S. and INDONESIA never involve us Papuans as owners of this country in determining the status and future of our nation, West Papua. Therefore, the status of West Papua in the Homeland is illegal because it violates the standard-standard and principles of international law and human rights.

3. Implementation of Choice in 1969 is an event full of engineering for economic and political interests of the United States, Indonesia and the United Nations. Because we Papuans never wanted or chose unanimously to join the Homeland. Thus the UN has failed to implement the mechanism of a referendum on the date, July 14 until August 2, 1969.

4. Until now, we the people of Papua demanding the implementation of a democratic referendum, so that we the people of Papua can determine our political rights for our future Papua people. Therefore:
1) We are all people of West Papua with the official returns of defective Choice in 1969 to the UN and the UN soon hold a referendum for the sake of respect for the standards and principles of international law and human rights, and particularly special for justice and peace on the political conflicts that have been and are being people of west Papua casualties.

2) We ask the IPWP and ILWP and Vanuatu Government soon became the facilitator for political accountability and legal status of West Papua to the UN.

Port Numbay, West Papua, August 2, 2010.

*”WE MUST BE ENDING”*
WEST PAPUA NATIONAL COMMITTEE (KNPB)
*_
Buchtar Tabuni_*
General Chairman

August 2, 2010

STATEMENT BY THE WEST PAPUA ADVOCACY TEAM REGARDING THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO RESUME COOPERATION WITH THE INDONESIAN SPECIAL FORCES (KOPASSUS)

STATEMENT BY THE WEST PAPUA ADVOCACY TEAM REGARDING THE U.S. GOVERNMENT’S DECISION TO RESUME COOPERATION WITH THE INDONESIAN SPECIAL FORCES (KOPASSUS)

The decision of the Obama Administration to begin “gradual and limited” engagement with the Indonesian Special Forces (Kopassus) ignores more than a decade-old, bi-partisan, bi-cameral Congressional consensus opposing assistance to that organization.

Opposition to U.S. military cooperation with Kopassus is based on that unit’s undisputed record of human rights abuse, criminality and unaccountability before the law. U.S. Administration claims that the organization has recently adopted a reform course is belied by credible independent reporting that Kopassus continues to abuse human rights with impunity. A June 2009 Human Rights Watch report detailed Kopassus abuse of civilians in Merauke in the troubled province of West Papua.

Administration claims that those Kopassus personnel “convicted” of human rights abuse have been removed from the organization ignores the reality that the impunity enjoyed by Kopassus personnel for decades has ensured that only a handful of Kopassus personnel have ever faced justice in a credible criminal court. In a rare example of judicial action, seven Kopassus officers were convicted of the 2001 murder of the leading Papuan political figure, Theys Eluay. Of the seven convicted of what the judge in the case termed a “torture-murder,” all remain on active duty after serving brief sentences (the longest being three and one half years imprisonment). Six left Kopassus but one remains in the organization.

Administration assurances that any Kopassus candidate for U.S. training will undergo “vetting” by the State Department ignores past failures of the State Department to screen out Kopassus rights abusers and criminals.

The Administration announcement correctly notes that since the fall of the dictator Suharto, with whose military the U.S. military maintained close ties, Indonesia has been on a democratic course. But the Administration fails to acknowledge that the gravest threat to ongoing democratic progress is the Indonesian military which continues to evade civilian control. Despite 2004 legislative requirements that the military divest itself of its vast empire of legal and illegal businesses by 2009, the military retains this source of off-budget funding.

Kopassus and other military personnel continue to enjoy impunity before the law for human rights abuse and criminal activity including people trafficking and drug running as acknowledged in past U.S. State Department human rights reporting.

The Indonesian military, and particularly Kopassus and intelligence agencies continue to repress peaceful protest, most notably targeting the people of West Papua. The military, especially Kopassus, but also the U.S.-funded “Detachment 81” and the militarized police (BRIMOB), routinely intimidate, threaten and accost Papuans who non-violently resist denial of fundamental rights, illegal expropriation of their lands and marginalization. Military and police units have repeatedly conducted purportedly anti-rebel “sweep operations” in the remote Central Highlands forcing thousands of villagers into the forests where they suffer lack of food, shelter and access to medical care. Twenty percent of Kopassus personnel (approximately 1,000 personnel) are stationed in West Papua.

The U.S. Administration’s decision to resume cooperation with the most criminal and unreformed element of the Indonesian military removes critical international pressure for reform and professionalization of the broader Indonesian military. It signals to Indonesian human rights advocates who have born the brunt of security force intimidation that they stand alone in their fight for respect for human rights and genuine reform in Indonesia.

contact: Ed McWilliams, edmcw@msn.com, +1-575-648-2078

July 22, 2010

Video from July 8-9, Otsus handback at DPRP office, Jayapura

Video has just been released showing events at the DPRP in Jayapura.
The footage clearly contradicts Indonesian reporting that only small numbers of people were present.