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.


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

WPNA: WEST PAPUANS WANT PAYBACK FROM THE US

MEDIA RELEASE:  WEST PAPUA NATIONAL AUTHORITY, 22 Sept 2010

WEST PAPUANS WANT PAYBACK FROM THE US

Today there are rallies at US Embassies in West Papua, Jakarta, Melbourne and Perth, reminding US Senators in a Congressional Hearing in Washington of Indonesia’s atrocious human rights record in West Papua and the republic’s dismal effort to decentralize, demilitarize or democratize.

West Papuan lawyer, Edison Waromi, who is President of the West Papua National Authority, arrived in Washington this morning to attend the Congressional hearing.

“We West Papuans have a lot of history with the United States” he said. “General MacArthur’s children might not know their father dropped us two thousand guns to fight the Japanese during World War 2. John Kennedy’s children probably don’t want to know their father called us ‘just 700,000 cannibals’ as he artfully bullied the Dutch into relinquishing its colony to the Indonesians. I would of course remind Ellsworth Bunker’s children that their father was the architect of the New York Agreement that enslaved us to the Indonesians. And then there’s Mr Kissinger and the whole Freeport mine business”.

The West Papua National Authority/West Papua National Consensus is in Washington to advise American politicians to support

(1)     The re-insertion of West Papua on the UN Decolonization List

(2)    West Papuans’ inalienable right to self-determination in terms of the recent ICJ ruling on Kosovo

(3)    An international fact-finding and peace-keeping mission to West Papua immediately.

“Ultimately someone has to take responsibility for the 546,000 ‘missing’ Papuans since the beginning of the Indonesian occupation in 1962” said Mr Waromi.

LP3BH Report on Manokwari Shooting Incident

Institute of Research, Analysis and Development for Legal Aid

(LP3BH)
Jl. Gunung Salju No. 18 Fanindi (Bengkel Tan) – Manokwari, 98312
Telp/Fax : (0986) 213160; Po.Box.128 Manokwari, 98301

Report on Manokwari Shooting Incident

As a result of the gun fires shootings that were conducted by Police’s
Mobile Brigade (Brimob) Compy 3 Detachment C Manokwari, on 15 September
2010, Wednesday, 8pm (local West Papua time), at least 2 civilians died
and one woman got serious injuries with broken leg, broken pelvic bone,
and broken jaws. The incident took place in Esau Sesa Street, South
Manokwari, West Papua Province.

According to the local (witness), before the shooting incident happened
there was a traffic accident in Esau Sesa Street, a woman called
Antomina Kowi/Mandacan was hit by a motorcycle (a hired motorbike) at
around 6.30pm. The victim suffered a broken right tight bone, serious
pain on pelvic bone, and broken ribs. The motor cycle was in a high
speed from the direction of Manokwari town towards Arfai district South
of Manokwari. Post-incident, the victim’s family chased the motor’s
driver but he headed to Brimob’s headquarters. The family could not find
the driver they went back and took the victim to Manokwari Public
hospital for medical treatment.
After the incident, the residents were looking for the driver, and one
of the Brimob personnel came alone toward the mob, according to the
witness instead of calming down the people, he created tension. He was
then injured by the angry mob using the machete. Being injured the
Brimob member ran back to his HQ and contacted other Brimob members.
At around 8pm, around a dozen Brimob personnel with fully equipments
went to the crowded people and started shooting brutally against those
civilians, most of the children and adults went hide into the jungle to
avoid the angry Brimob members who seizing the area.
At around 8.20pm, the electricity went off in the whole regency for
about 10-15minutes. A resident who was in Manokwari Public hospital
said, “when the power supply went down totally, there was a car came to
the hospital and drop something, and they took it to the emergency room,
all windows and door were locked by the medical workers, only one
spotlight that lighted up inside the room.
Minutes later, it was heard that there was a death body inside the
emergency room in that hospital. Since the night time to the morning,
Thursday 16 September 2010, there was no relative of the death person
came to the hospital. Around 9am, some of the families came to the
hospital stayed outside the morgue. The dead body then was known as
Naftali Kwan the priest of GPKAI (Christian Fellowship Bible Church of
Indonesia) in Manokwari hinterland.
Around 09.30, the locals found another dead body on the edge of abyss.
The victim was known as Septinus Kwan, male, about 30years old, farmer.
In the same time, another victim a woman was called Arfonika Kwan was
found dying in critical condition in the abyss. She is the wife of the
dead victim Naftali Kwan. The victim was rushed to the public hospital,
she suffered of broken leg, broken jaws, broken pelvic bone. According
to a local, the victim was trying to avoid the angry Brimob and fell
down into the abyss.
At around 10.30am, there was a mass paraded and carried the dead body of
Septinus Kwan toward Manokwari Regent’s office. The mass have 3 demands:
First, Rp30millions compensation to the victims’ families, second that
all Brimob [the National Police’s Mobile Brigade] officers be pulled out
of Manokwari. Third, the land used to built the Brimob’s HQ will be
drawn back as the property of the indigenous people.
Thursday 11am, Manokwari ton became tense, all shops, office buildings,
schools and markets closed. The road was so quite only the sound of
machine guns were heard and a rumor was spread throughout sms/mobile
phones among the residents that there will be a nigh attack, but it was
not existed.

Information and Documention
LP3BH MANOKWARI
Simon LP3BH Manokwari

(Translated by Paula Makabory)

Copy of report with pictures is available at

https://ipahr.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/west-papua-human-rights-report-on-shooting-by-police/

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

Up ↑