Tag: west papua media alerts

30% of Papua's forests destroyed; 3,100 kms of road to be built across Papua

Bintang Papua
6 August 2010

Jayapura: Already 30 percent of Papuan forests have been destroyed according to Benja Viktor Mambai, director of WWF Sahul Jayapura, speaking at a seminar in Jayapura. This means that close attention needs to be paid to the impact of future development projects.

‘While this means that 70 percent of Papuan forests are still preserved, this can be seriously affected if care is not taken,’ he said. He also spoke about the incomparable richness of Papua’s forests, its rich flora and fauna , the importance of the environment within the forests as well as their social and cultural aspects.

He said that research was going on to discover yet more unknown species in Papua.

‘Given the richness of its natural resources, we need not be afraid of development but the most important thing is to ensure that development takes account of these social and cultural factors as well as sustainability.’

He said that sustainability of the forests must keep in mind the sustainability of the social and cultural factors.

[Comment: These words were spoken on the eve of the launch of the MIFEE project which will profoundly affect the sustainability of the way of life of Papua’s indigenous inhabitants, as pointed out in a press release issued today by TAPOL and Down to Earth.]

—————————-

Bintang Papua, 8 August 2010

Plan to build 3,100 kms of road
Jakarta: The public works department of the Indonesian Republic is planning to build 3,100 kms of road across the province of Papua,according to Diaz Gwijangge, member of Commission X of the Indonesia parliament.

‘Many parts of the province are very isolated,’ he said, ‘added to which is the fact that because of the topography, many places are inaccessible either by air, sea or land.’

He said that if the government in Jakarta is serious about developing Papua to the level achieved in other parts of the country, building roads is part of the solution.

He told Bintang Papua that the main focus of the road building programme will be on ‘strategic’ roads.

He went on to say that besides the lack of infrastructure, Papua was also very much behind other parts of the country in the availability of education and health facilities and in empowering the local communities. All these are matters to which the central government should pay proper attention, he said.

He went on to say that Papua has enormously rich natural resources which make a huge contribution to the Indonesian state. ‘Yet, unfortunately, the people of Papua living in poverty and physical isolation. These are serious matters that must be attended to by Jakarta.’

Minister of Public Works Djoko Kirmanto explained that what meant by ‘strategic roads’. was roads that link the main centres of economic activity. ‘The products of the province can be exported through the ports of Merauke or Jayapura.

[Comment: It would be interesting to know the extent to which the Indonesian state depends on the revenue and dividends received from the Freeport mining of Papua’s copper and gold while cmmunities in the vicinity of the mine were forced to leave their land to make way for the company’s operations, with little to show for it in terms of their standard of living. TAPOL]

Socrates Yoman rejects police summons; Alleged OPM attack on civilian in Mulia

Bintang Papua, 8 August 2010
Translated by TAPOL

Yoman Socrates: Church is not subordinate to government or security forces

JAYAPURA: A summons from the police in Papua dated 7 August to Sofyan Yoman , in connection with a statement he made regarding actions of the army and police in Puncak Jaya will be ignored, he said.

Duma Socrates said no one should run away with the idea that the security forces, namely the TNI/Polri, are purveyors of the truth.This is the old way of thinking that has no relevance in the present era.

‘I will never respond to a summons to give clarifications to the police in Papua, as demanded in their summons of 7 August 2010.’ said the chairman of the Central Board of the United Baptist Churches in Papua.

Duma Socrates said that the statement he made, as reported in the media last Friday regarding the involvement of the security forces in the never-ending problem in the district of Puncak Jaya, along with data about their involvement is accurate.

‘What I was reported to have said is not rubbish. There is good reason for us to have made that statement, we have the data and we have the experience. The government and the security forces misrepresent the situation and they fail to understand us. We are not an ignorant people who are deaf, dumb and blind,’ he said.

The church, he said, is not subordinate to the government and the security forces. The Baptist Church is independent and autonomous. In the interest of the sacred spirit, the church will at all times voice the fate of its people who are voiceless and oppressed.

‘We continue to be amazed that the acts of violence that have been happening since 2004 in Puncak Jaya have continued to this day . Why have the security forces with all their intelligence agencies not been able to detect the people alleged to be from the OPM who are causing all this disruption?’

‘What we hope for is that the security forces should end this game that is going on in the Land of Papua, in particular by the police for its groundless summons to me, bearing in mind that I am part owner of this country and one of its legatees.’

He said that the police should stop summoning indigenous Papua. Let’s live together, side by side, as equals, respecting each other.’ Dont treat the creatures of the Lord like hunted animals, stigmatised, trivialising the people of God,’ he said.

He said that the time had come for this game-playing to end, in the interest of justice, peace and human rights.

—————–

Bintang Papua 8 August 2010

On the same day as the above report, BPapua reported that a ‘separatist armed group of the OPM shot a civilian named Atril Wahid in Puncak Jaya on 4 August. Fortunately the man was only hit in the leg and survived the attack. The man is now being treated in Mulia Hospital.

A spokesman for the police said that the perpetrator was equipped with a rifle. When the victim of the incident approached him to ask why he was coming to their kampung armed with a rifle, the person responded angrily and shot him from behind in the right leg.

Following the incident, the armed man disappeared into the forest while the victim, assisted by other villagers, was taken to the hospital.

The local police arrived on the scene to examine the site of the crime and are hunting for the perpetrator.

Maluku: Densus 88 continues repression of peaceful protestors

News Item from verified sources in Maluku

As Indonesian security forces continue to brutalise indigenous Melanesians peacefully and legitimately expressive their democratic rights in West Papua, Maluku is out of sight and out of mind. Yet the Australian armed and trained Detachment 88 counter terrorism paramilitary police are being deployed with increasing brutality against peaceful flagraisers in Maluku (ambon) as well as Papua. Please read the following received from Malukan human rights monitors:

“URGENT HELP NEEDED IN MOLUCCAS {S’O’S}
(Slightly abridged in translation)

The Banda Sailing event from Australia to Moluccas this year and the past few years before are used as a valuable moment. In this event the original Ethnic (people) are used as a mask to benefit the Indonesian government.
But actually the case is: The Ethnic Moluccans are oppressed Violently and without Humanity.

The Moluccans are suffering ill treatment from the Indonesian army, due to their assertion and introduction of the Original Culture of the Moluccas; The Moluccas people are separate from Indonesia, the Moluccas People had Proclaimed the Independence of the Republic Of South Moluccas since April 25,1950.
However the right of having a Nation and a Fatherland were carried away by the tyrannical Colonial Java who called themselves
Indonesia in November 3,1950.

By the Existence of Banda Sailing event,the Moluccas People are trying to Expose these happenings by raising up the flag of the Republic Of South Moluccas, but unfortunately this act has caused many Victims. The Indonesias army have captured our flagraisers ,and while you all read this report, those arrested are being tortured by the Indonesian army.

This following are the data collection of the Victims that are currently being tortured until this evening August 4 -2010.
There were eight (8) Moluccan captured and arrested by the NKRI armies (DENSUS 88).
Victims names:

1). Benny.Sinay
2). Izak.Sapulette
3). Andy.Maruanaya
4). Edwin.Maruanaya
5). Marven.Bremer
6). Steven.Siahaya
8). Ony.Siahaya

Through this data collection of proof;

We the Moluccas People with the humbleness of our heart asking the Intervention of the Australian Government,UN,USA and the Amnesty International:
PLEASE S’O’S to observe the Conditions which are now happening in Moluccas. Indonesia has transgressed THE LAW OF HUMAN RIGHT and because of this we urgently need Intervention to prevent the Indonesia program to eliminate the Moluccas people in our own land.

Herewith;

We the Moluccas People express Our thanks to all parties that we deeply hope to response this report,MAY GOD BLESS US ALL.

MENAMURIA.
“

WEST PAPUA NATIONAL CONSENSUS: We are ready, and cannot afford to wait any longer

STATEMENT
SOURCE:
WEST PAPUA NATIONAL CONSENSUS
We are ready, and cannot afford to wait any longer

The West Papua National Consensus requests the pacific Island Forum to adopt
measures that will further the initiatives taken the Vanuatu government in
2010.

The bill sponsored by Prime Minister Eduard Natapei and Opposition leader
Maxime Carlot Korman on 19 June 2010 cleared passage for the government to
sponsor West Papua into the Melanesian Spearhead Group, the Pacific Island
Forum and the Africa Caribbean Group.

Wantok blong yumi Bill, calls for the UN General Assembly to seek the opinion
of the International Count of Justice about the New York Agreement, by which
West Papua was ceded from the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the republic of
Indonesia in 1962 and removed from UN Decolonization List in 1969.

August, 2010

Jacob Rumbiak
Foreign Affairs, West Papua National Authority
(WEST PAPUA NATIONAL CONSENSUS

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.

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

Up ↑