Tag: Wamena

INDONESIAN ARMY ON STREETS IN TENSE WAMENA AS LOCAL CRISIS TALKS GO NOWHERE

INDONESIAN ARMY ON STREETS IN TENSE WAMENA AS LOCAL CRISIS TALKS GO NOWHERE

Nick Chesterfield, westpapuamedia.info

Photo Report: Warning Graphic Photos

(Wednesday, October 6, 2010). West Papuan people in Wamena are expressing fear after the shooting of community security guards by police on Monday.  In a show of force, Indonesian security forces have deployed hundreds of fully armed combat troops on the streets to prevent local people from gathering in protest against the police shootings of members of Petapa.
(Fully armed combat troops patrolling Wamena streets, Wednesday October 6, 2010.  Photos taken by witness in hiding)

A high level reconciliation team made up of has met briefly to try and avert any conflict but it has ended its meeting without any clear result.  Local activists fear that the Indonesian state is outraged by the threat of a community security guard providing protection to West Papuan people seeking to engage in acts of free expression.

On Monday, a detachment of community security guards attempted to seek an explanation with Airport police for the heavy handed seizure of uniforms.  Police at the Wamena North airport police station refused to provide an explanation , instead emerging firing live ammunition into the crowd after a missile was thrown breaking a single tooth of the Jayawijaya police chief I Gede Sumerta.  As retribution for the broken tooth, police pursued the crowd for over a kilometre, shooting dead Ismail Lokobal in the chest. Police then arrested another ten people.  Amos Wetipo and Frans Lokobal were shot in the head and wrist respectively after they refused to get out of the police truck when it returned to the station.  Shooting of unarmed and bound detainees is deemed by international law as an extrajudicial execution.

However, according to a local human rights team, Indonesian police are consistently refusing to take responsibility for the attack and pursuit on unarmed members of the Community Security Force Pentapa, nor are they accepting any responsibility for unprovoked shooting of detainees inside a police truck.  Instead they are blaming Pentapa for attacking the police post.  Indonesian police have told AFP that they will have to wait until an autopsy is conducted to determine the cause of death for the shot man.

(Note: westpapuamedia.info is publishing clear and obvious photos showing the gunshot wounds in Mr Lokobal’s chest.)

No Need for Autopsy

The crisis meeting was attended by Disaster Coordinator Wetipo Amos, Chairman of ELSHAM (Institute for the Study and Advocacy of Human Rights) Theo Hesegem, and other representatives of NGOs, church leaders and DAP, together with the Vice Regent of Jayawijaya, and members of Parliament.

Local West Papuan activists, who have asked not to be identified, have called on the Indonesian government to immediately send the military in Wamena back to their barracks and for police officers to take responsibility for their action.

westpapuamedia.info

Photos of DAP Commnity Security Guards

Related Stories:

WAMENA KILLING WAS EXTRAJUDICIAL MURDER: WITNESSES

BREAKING NEWS: INDONESIA SHOOTS 3, 1 DEAD IN WAMENA

Mobilising a Papuan peace force in Sabron by DAP!

WAMENA KILLING WAS EXTRAJUDICIAL MURDER: WITNESSES

WAMENA KILLING WAS EXTRAJUDICIAL MURDER: WITNESSES

Nick Chesterfield, westpapuamedia.info

Tuesday, October 5, 2010: Evidence is continuing to emerge from Wamena, in West Papua’s Highlands, that a shooting of unarmed community security guards by Indonesian police on Monday was a extrajudicial murder by Indonesian Police.

According to witnesses interviewed by a local human rights investigation team, Ismael Lokobal, the coordinator of the Balim Petapa (unarmed community security security guards formed by Dewan Adat Papua), was shot whilst trying to seek shelter from indiscriminate police shooting at the DAP Balim Lapago office about 1 km from the police station.

Amos Wetipo and Frans Lokobal were shot when police opened fire after they refused to get down from a police truck outside the Wamena North K3 Police station.  Wetipo was shot in the head by police standing at the back of the truck, bullets also striking Frans Lokobal in the wrist.  Both men suffered from heavy blood loss according to witnesses, and Amos Wetipo is reportedly in a coma.

The shootings occurred after unarmed Petapa members went to the police station to seek and explanation for the unauthorised seizure of a box of berets for Petapa uniforms, and Rp40 million in cash. No Petapa paraphernalia that was seized contained any banned items or symbols so there was no reason for its seizure.  Human rights sources reported to westpapuamedia.info that Petapa members felt the seizure was heavy handed and repressive, and refused to leave the police station without an explanation, when police emerged firing assault rifles directly at the gathered crowd without any verbal warnings or warning shots.   Indonesian media have incorrectly reported that the Petapa members had attacked the police station causing an officer to be injured, but this is untrue.

Petapa was formed by the DAP in July after a series of violent incidents carried out by security forces and transmigrant militia members, and had been providing a visible peacekeeping security presence for mobilisations on peaceful demonstrations, which though allowed under Indonesian law are almost always dispersed with force by security forces.  Whilst they have been trained in physical self defence, a significant part of Petapa’s training has been on non-violent conflict resolution.  Petapa are not mandated by DAP to be anything but a defensive security guard.

The Baptist Church of Papua is deeply disturbed by the continued violence meted out by Indonesian security forces in the highlands, and had called for the police to take responsibility for their actions.   “The barbaric behavior of this state apparatus is not human. Security forces should not shoot and kill civilians for any reason and or ideology,”said  Reverend Socratez Sofyan Yoman,  President  of the Baptist Church of Papua.

“Violence and the killing of God’s people is not the way the settlement but creates new more difficult problems.  The unity of the Indonesian state (NKRI) can not be managed and maintained in with violence and spilling people’s blood,” Yoman said.    “The shooting shows that the people of Papua are not safe in the land of their ancestors.  The security forces should be responsible and do not quibble with blaming civilians,” explain Reverend Yoman.

Local human rights sources are calling for an immediate, open investigation by Komnas HAM (National Human Rights Commission), with international monitoring, and the the police officers guilty of shootings to be charged with murder and sentenced appropriately.

The situation in Wamena is extremely tense on latest information, and demonstrations are likely.  Local human rights sources are calling for the Indonesian security forces to exercise restraint and professionalism.

westpapuamedia.info

A Preliminary report in Bahasa Indonesia contains photos of the dead, injured and arrested men (not of their deaths and arrests) and a full chronology.  is available for download here: KRONOLOGIS PENEMBAKAN ANGGOTA PETAPA DI WAMENA

More photos and reports to come.

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BREAKING NEWS: INDONESIA SHOOTS 3, 1 DEAD IN WAMENA

BREAKING NEWS:

INDONESIA SHOOTS 3 COMMUNITY SECURITY GUARDS IN WAMENA, 1 DEAD

Nick Chesterfield, westpapuamedia.info

Monday, October 4 1800 AEST: Information has just been received from sources in Wamena that Indonesian security forces have shot dead three West Papuan men who were part of the newly formed civil people’s guard.   Members of Petapa, the indigenous non-violent security force formed by the Papuan Customary Council to protect West Papuan people engaging in peaceful free expression, were attempting to defuse a tense situation caused by an Indonesian police raid at 0800 local time this morning.

A crowd had gathered outside the Jayawijaya Police headquarters peacefully but vibrantly demanding the return of uniforms and legally approved paraphernalia for the Petapa, or Regional Indigenous Council Civil Bodyguard. Police officers escalated the situation without warning and with full force, as they came running from the Police office firing live rounds into the air and at the crowd according to witnesses interviewed by a local human rights team today.

ISMAIL LOKOBAL, 34, died after being shot in the heart outside the local DAP (Dewan Adat Papua, or Papuan Customary Council) office.  POLRI officers had chased the crowd, firing indiscriminately toward them, and chased down most of the victims as they attempted to seek refuge in the DAP office.

AMOS Wetipo, 42 was shot in the head, and FRANS LOKOBAL, 36 was shot in the wrist.  Both men are in a critical condition from bloodloss, but it is unknown at time writing if they have been provided medical treatment, or are likely to survive.LAORENS LOGO, 38; Johanis HESELO, 41; Aleks Wetapo, 35; Oto Wetapo, 36; all members of the Regional Indigenous Council Civil Bodyguard, have been arrested, severely beaten by Police and are being held at Polres Jayawijaya.  The situation is being described currently as extremely tense.  A dispersal order and curfew is being enforced, but it is unclear whether local people are going to accept the killings.

More information as it comes to hand.

(c)  West Papua Media Alerts 2010.

—

KNPB Wamena activists arrested for distributing rally material

westpapuamedia.info

Information received from sources in Wamena

Today (Wednesday 22 September) at 17:00 in Wamena (Papua time), there were arrests of KNPB Wamena area activists by  Jayawijaya police, who were distributing the call to action for a mass peaceful rally tomorrow (23 September 2010) in Wamena.

(This is a violation of the rights to free and peaceful expression)

Name of KNPB activists pre-emptively arrested:
1. Leonard Logo 23 years.
2 Edo Doga 27 years.

Both activists are currently being held in isolation in punishment cells at Jayawijaya Police HQ.

Please forward this to advocates, and also telephone the following:

  • Jayawijaya police chief, +6285254344334
  • Dandim (Military Commander) Jayawijaya +6296933005.
  • Regent of Jayawijaya district: +6296931085.
  • Polda (Police HQ) Papua +62967-521308,
  • Regional Offices Law and Human Rights in Papua Province. +6296931005.
  • Jakarta offices, Komnas HAM, +6281288899966 and +62967586112, +62213925227
  • Komnas HAM Papua +62967521592
  • Governor Bas Suebu, Papua province, +62967534395

Photos and full report to come

—  westpapuamedia.info

Information received from sources in Wamena

Today (Wednesday 22 September) at 17:00 in Wamena (Papua time), there were arrests of KNPB Wamena area activists by  Jayawijaya police, who were distributing the call to action for a mass peaceful rally tomorrow (23 September 2010) in Wamena.

(This is a violation of the rights to free and peaceful expression)

Name of KNPB activists pre-emptively arrested:
1. Leonard Logo 23 years.
2 Edo Doga 27 years.

Both activists are currently being held in isolation in punishment cells at Jayawijaya Police HQ.

Please forward this to advocates, and also telephone the following:

  • Jayawijaya police chief, +6285254344334
  • Dandim (Military Commander) Jayawijaya +6296933005.
  • Regent of Jayawijaya district: +6296931085.
  • Polda (Police HQ) Papua +62967-521308,
  • Regional Offices Law and Human Rights in Papua Province. +6296931005.
  • Jakarta offices, Komnas HAM, +6281288899966 and +62967586112, +62213925227
  • Komnas HAM Papua +62967521592
  • Governor Bas Suebu, Papua province, +62967534395

Photos and full report to come

—

Photos from KNPB mass actions in Wamena, Sept 2

Mass Rallies were held across West Papua by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) on Thursday September 2. They demanded an immediate return of Special Autonomy, and called for a Referendum as the only solution to Papuan’s grievances.

In Wamena, several thousand people gathered to peacefully rally. Although security forces were present in large numbers, there were no reports from Wamena of any immediate security force violence or arrests directly related to the rallies.

Photos follow – please click on thumbnail for full size

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