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West Papua News

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On This Page:

Two defendants get 15 years for clash

Papuan asylum seeker says visa refusal was political

President agrees on evaluation of Papua special autonomy law

New deal for Papuans

Seven face death for murder of Americans in Papua

The Papua region is the HIV capital of Indonesia - but why?

 

Two defendants get 15 years for clash
3rd August 2006, by Nethy Dharma Somba

The Jakarta Post- The Jayapura District Court on Wednesday sentenced two defendants to 15 years in jail each for their involvement in a deadly clash with police on March 16 in Abepura, Papua.

Sixteen people have now been convicted over the clash, with seven more still
waiting to hear their verdicts. The violence took place in front of Cendrawasih University, during a protest against giant mining company PT Freeport Indonesia.

Four police officers and a member of the Air Force died when they were
attacked by protesters, who were demanding the government close down the Freeport mine because of environmental concerns and mine's failure to improve the welfare of Papuans.

The two defendants sentenced Wednesday -- Fredinandus Pakage and Luis Gedi
-- were found guilty of violating Article 214 of the Criminal Code, on ignoring police orders and committing violence against police officers resulting in
death.

Officers Arizona Rachman, Daud Soleman and Syamsudin died after being pelted
by stones and other objects by protesters. Fredinandus, a parking attendant,
also was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon for cutting officer Arizona's face with a knife.

The panel of judges, led by Judge Moris, sentenced Fredinandus to three more
years in prison than demanded by prosecutors, and Luis to one more year.

Both defendants said they would appeal the verdicts.

Last week, the court sentenced three defendants in the same case -- Selpius
Bobii, Elias Tamaka and Elkanal Lokobal -- to jail terms of between five and
six years.

The court earlier sentenced 11 people involved in the clash to jail terms of
between five and six years.

Seven more defendants, including Steven Wandik, 23, are awaiting verdicts
on charges they were responsible for the murder of the Air Force soldier.

Papuan asylum seeker says visa refusal was political
3rd August 2006, by Andra Jackson

The Age-A PAPUAN asylum seeker whose visa refusal has been overturned says he believes the refusal was made on political grounds to appease Indonesia.

"It was like an international bargain," said David Wainggai, 28, the only
one of 43 Papuan asylum seekers not granted a temporary protection visa in
March.
Speaking from the Christmas Island detention centre where he has been held
since January 19, he said he was happy with the Refugee Review Tribunal's
decision overturning the Immigration Department's refusal to grant him
protection.

"Everyone has congratulated me. The news has spread very fast in this place.
Even the hospital knows," he said.
Mr Wainggai is confident he will get a visa, "even if she (Immigration
Minister Amanda Vanstone) refuses it, the minister has to send the case back
to the RRT and the RRT will just say the same thing again.

"I can be patient for this last decision," he said. He hoped to come to
Melbourne, where 10 members of his family live.
Senator Vanstone will study the the tribunal's decision.
Mr Wainggai said his claim for protection was as strong as the other 42 ,
the only difference was that "maybe they (Immigration) thought I can have a
chance to live in Japan, but there was no chance without a valid passport.
"When I heard my visa application was rejected, I was very afraid. I thought
they were bringing me back to Indonesia.
"That really scared me. I couldn't sleep for two weeks."

Mr Wainggai said he would have been in danger if he had been returned to
Papua.
"I always feel under threat in West Papua, and my aunt and uncle tell me to
watch out because my father is the founder of the independence movement —
Thomas Wainggai who died in in Indonesian custody."
Mr Wainggai said he had to hide his true identity and make out his uncle had
found him abandoned as a baby in the undergrowth.

He said the boat carrying the 43 asylum seekers from the north of Papua in
January almost didn't make it, after he was taken in custody by Indonesian
police at the start of the journey.

The asylum seekers pulled in at the island of Sorong and attended church but
the islanders, suspecting the strangers might be terrorists, called police.
The group fled but Mr Wainggai was caught and questioned for two hours.
"They took my identification papers. They even asked about the boat and who
built it," he said. Suspicion was averted when "we said we came for a
traditional festival".

President agrees on evaluation of Papua special autonomy law
1st August 2006

Jayapura (ANTARA News) - President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono has agreed to
evaluate Law No.21/2001 on Papua Special Autonomy in view of the latest
developments in the easternmost Indonesian region.

"The President feels that it is time for an evaluation of the law which
has been in effect in the last three years," presidential spokesman Andi
Malarangeng disclosed following a meeting between the head of state and
the Papua People`s Council (MRP) here Friday night.

The evaluation of the Papua Special Autonomy Law is necessary in
connection with, among others, the plan to increase the number of
provinces and regencies in Papua, which has partly been realized.

MRP Chairman Agus Alue Alua, meanwhile, said that the evaluation of the
Law is needed to find out whether there are items that do not serve the
Papuan people`s interests. "It is therefore necessary to make an
evaluation first before actually revising the Law," he said.

Giving an example, he cited the need to amend Article 76, which stipulates
that the establishment of new provinces must get the approval from the MRP
and the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) after examining matters
relating to social and cultural unity, human resources readiness, economic
potentials and future developments of the region.

"Article 76 must become the core of the regulation on the establishment of
new provinces and regencies in Papua, instead of merely made effective as
an additional regulation," he said, adding that the creation of new
provinces and regencies must be protected by a legal umbrella.

Concerning West Irian Jaya province, he said that formally the province
has been established, though at first the MRP opposed the presence of that
province. "But the law on this issue must be reviewed," he stressed.

"We have asked the President to delay the implementation of the plan on
the establishment of new provinces and regencies in Papua pending a
clarification on the legal status of the plan," the MRP chairman said.

Home Minister M.Ma`ruf said on the occasion that one of the articles in
the Law on Papua Special Autonomy stipulates that it must be revised once
in every three years.

The revision to be made by taking account of inputs from the MRP, the
Papua provincial administration, the Papua DPRD and the West Irian Jaya
provincial administration is expected to improve conditions in Papua, the
minister said. "We have six months in 2007 to prepare the revision of this
law," he added.(*)

New deal for Papuans  
26th July 2006

The Jakarta Post- After four months of waiting, the people of Papua and West Irian Jaya provinces finally saw the leaders they elected back in March take office Monday.
Abraham Octavianus Atururi and Rahimin Katjong entered the history books as the first governor and deputy governor of West Irian Jaya.

Their inauguration Monday should close the protracted debate over the legality of the province, a debate which colored the gubernatorial election there.

Residents of Papua province also saw the swearing in of Barnabas Suebu and Alex Hasegem as governor and deputy governor, respectively, after a political tug-of-war between Suebu and election loser John Ibo, who is also the speaker of the provincial legislature.
Suebu's inauguration also marked a reconciliation between local political elites, whose dispute caused billions of rupiah worth of development projects to ground to a halt, harming the interests of the people.

And there is more good news for Papua. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to visit the province from Thursday through Sunday, and is expected to come bearing gifts. During his trip, Yudhoyono is expected to announce a presidential instruction on the acceleration of development in the province.

The instruction, which the President calls a new deal for Papua, focuses on health, vocational education, acceleration of basic infrastructure development, food security and affirmative action measures to give more locals the opportunity to hold posts within the administration, the police and military forces.

This new deal is being widely seen as a real attempt by the government to resolve the long-standing problems in Papua, following the successful peace process in Aceh. Wednesday's visit will mark the second time in the past three months Yudhoyono has traveled to Papua, which has been plagued by a low-level separatist movement for almost four decades. With new, democratically elected leaders in place, the people of Papua and West Irian Jaya, both of which are blessed with abundant natural resources, can now really begin to hope for a better life under their special autonomy status.

Five years since the passage of the law on special autonomy for Papua, a status which also is shared by West Irian Jaya, people in the provinces have yet to truly benefit from their rich natural resources.

According to the latest data from the State Ministry for the Development of Disadvantaged Regions, 19 of 20 regencies across Papua were classified in 2005 as underdeveloped.

A famine last year that killed more than 50 people in the province's Yahukimo regency highlighted the paradox of Papua, which has since 2002 received almost Rp 10 trillion in funds from the central government as part of the revenue sharing agreement in the special autonomy law.

Most of the money, however, has been spent on routine expenditures, with a small portion allotted for basic human development such as education and health care. A lack of experience in budget management and institutional incapacity have resulted in Papua wasting much of this money, throwing away the golden opportunity offered by special autonomy.

A series of violent clashes, culminating in the tumultuous rally against gold mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia in mid-March, just a few days after the gubernatorial election, and the choice of 43 Papuans to seek asylum in Australia the previous month, only added insult to injury.

All of these events mirror the chronic problems that remain unaddressed, if not unheeded, and which could haunt Papua and West Irian Jaya's long journey to prosperity. Many observers have said the absence of local participation in decisions made at the central level concerning the provinces is the main reason special autonomy has not worked as originally envisioned.

Renewing the debate over the legitimacy of the decision to divide Papua, or Irian Jaya before 2000, into two provinces is irrelevant, with even those originally opposed to the move now accepting the existence of West Irian Jaya province. Common challenges now bind Papua and West Irian Jaya. The two provinces face the daunting challenge of honoring and protecting the sociocultural, economic and political rights of locals, who have long been associated with illiteracy, isolation, backwardness and poverty.

The success of native Papuan students in winning prestigious international scientific awards in the past few years is a hint of the vast, largely untapped potential of Papuans. Under special autonomy, billed as a dignified solution to past disappointments with Jakarta's policies toward Papua, both Papua and West Irian Jaya will have to catch up with developed regions, or perhaps leapfrog them, in the coming 15 years. By that time the central government will have stopped pouring special autonomy funds into the two eastern-most provinces.

Suebu, who served as governor of Irian Jaya between 1988 and 1993, and Atururi, a retired Marine brigadier general, will now be responsible for translating the new deal for Papuans into action.

Seven face death for murder of Americans in Papua
18th July 2006, by Asikin Nurrachmad

Reuters- Seven Papuan men went on trial on Tuesday for the murder of two Americans and an Indonesian four years ago near a controversial mine run by a unit of U.S.-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.

Ties between Indonesia and the United States were strained by the incident
and only improved after they agreed to collaborate in solving the case, which
initially sparked suspicions the Indonesian military was involved.

After previous failed attempts to bring lead defendant Antonius Wamang to
court in recent weeks, prosecutors indicted him for premeditated murder, a felony carrying a possible death sentence.

Trials on similar charges began separately for six accused accomplices of
Wamang, a Papuan separatist.

The prosecution said he and other gunmen were near Freeport's Grasberg mine in late August 2002, under orders from Papuan separatist commander
Kelly Kwalik to attack Indonesian soldiers who were part of the mine's security detail.

The mine is believed to hold the world's third-largest copper reserves and
one of the biggest gold deposits. Its copper output in 2005 was 793,000 tonnes, with gold production at 3.55 million ounces.
The Grasberg mining operation has been a lightning rod for controversy of
many kinds.

Environmentalists, with recent support from the government, say the company
has not done all it could to protect forests and rivers. Other activists object
to payments for security made to Indonesia's military.

Prosecutor Anita Asterida told the Central Jakarta court that Wamang thought
white cars passing through the mining area carried troops and decided to open
fire. In fact, the two vehicles were transporting Americans and Indonesians
who worked for a Freeport-run school.

Three people were killed in the shooting and four others were seriously
injured, Asterida said.

She said the gunmen then shot at three trucks, wounding the drivers of each
vehicle.

Wamang had "committed acts with intent and premeditation that robbed other
people's lives", Asterida said.

Wamang was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury in 2004 on two counts of
murder and several counts of attempted murder over the killings.

The seven defendants refused to obey two previous court summons, arguing they should be tried in Papua not in the Indonesian capital, and last week judges had to order the prosecutors to present them to court using all means
necessary.

On Tuesday, Wamang first told the court: "I don't want to be tried in Jakarta
but am willing to go on trial in Papua." He then joined around 20 of his
supporters sitting in the gallery.

However, police escorted him back to the defendant's chair where he sat
silent until the end of the session.

A defence lawyer told Reuters Wamang was involved in the incident although
felt no guilt while the rest were innocent.

The shootings prompted Washington to demand Jakarta prosecute the people
behind the Papua killings if Indonesia wanted the resumption of military ties.
Those relations were severed in reaction to Indonesian military actions in East
Timor in the 1990s when Jakarta occupied the tiny territory.

Last November, Washington restored military ties with Indonesia, the world's
most populous Muslim nation, as a reward for its help in the U.S.-led war on
terrorism and after expressing satisfaction with cooperation in the Papua case.

The Papua region is the HIV capital of Indonesia - but why?
12th July 2006 by Takeshi Fujitani

Fasahi Shimbun/International Herald Tribune- In the evenings volunteers gather at Siti Nurdjaya's house in Jayapura, Papua province.
They are here because they want to do something about the Papua region's AIDS problem: with 49.06 per 100,000 people diagnosed as having AIDS or as HIV carriers, the rate of disease is by far the worst in the country.

Siti, 37, is a nurse. She and the other volunteers work in a variety of AIDS-related roles such as accompanying patients to medical appointments, giving lectures at local meetings and at schools to promote a better understanding of AIDS, and lobbying local politicians to fight for increased measures against the disease. Her home has also become a sort of temporary shelter for AIDS patients and HIV carriers.

Siti first became involved in AIDS activities when she worked with AIDS patients and their families in 1998 as a hospital nurse. Then, in 2003, she opened up her house to AIDS patients and HIV carriers.

"Once people are known to be HIV positive, they are isolated within the community, even by their families. We want them to use this house as a temporary shelter," said Robert Sihombing, 44, a member of the group and junior high school teacher.

So far, about 20 people have stayed at the house. Sihombing and other group
members have also worked hard to ensure families and neighbors of those
infected are accurately informed about the disease in order to create an environment where it is possible for HIV carriers and AIDS sufferers to return home and live as part of the community.

However, there are few support groups of this kind in Papua province or West
Irian Jaya province (now separate from Papua province), which make up the
Papua region. The reality is that the number of those infected with HIV is growing
in the region, and will continue to do so while no effective measures are being taken.

The number of people recognized as being infected with HIV in the region is 18.5 times the national average of 2.65. It also far outranks the next two worst hit areas--the Jakarta special capital region has a ration of 23.15 per 100,000, and Bali province, 7.19.

According to the provincial AIDS committee, the problem has escalated dramatically in recent years: Since 2003, 1,263 people have been diagnosed as being HIV positive in the region, with 414 of them being in the last year. Those
diagnosed over the last three years account for half the 2,163 HIV-infected people
reported in the region since 1992.

What is it about the Papua region that makes the problem so bad?

Some cite political instability: The central government's influence is greatly diminished in areas with a strong independence movement, such as Papua.

Others claim that the independence movement has also led to the government
restricting foreign nongovernmental organizations' (NGOs) access, thus limiting
the effectiveness of NGO support activities in those areas.
But there are more localized issues, too.

"In the Papua region, there are many villages hidden away, deep in the mountains, that it takes several days to get to from the towns," Franky Ifakdalam, a member of the provincial AIDS committee, explains. "People in remote
villages don't know much about AIDS, so many cases went unreported."

In part, Ifakdalam points out, the rapid increase in the number of diagnosed
cases reported to the committee is because the villagers finally started taking HIV tests.

Another factor is what Ifakdalam describes as locals' "loose sexual mores."
According to a United Nations official, infection in big cities such as Jakarta is mainly spread through people who have worked in the sex industry.

However, in the Papua region, this is not the case.

The official also said that HIV is claiming younger victims in the Papua region, including some as young as elementary school age.

Still others attribute the delay in anti-AIDS measures to peculiarities within Papuan society, which is made up of many different tribes.

"There are more than 200 tribal languages spoken in the Papua region," an official from the Papua provincial government pointed out. "Therefore, it is difficult to provide sufficient assistance to all of those tribes."

The other problem is that when help does get through, it isn't always appreciated.

Six years ago, the provincial AIDS committee launched an HIV prevention campaign. In cooperation with local soccer teams, the committee gave out condoms to young people who were playing or watching the games.

The campaign met with some resistance. The ratio of indigenous Papuan people
to the total population of Papua region has decreased due to the increased arrival of migrants from other parts of Indonesia. Some tribal leaders suspected that the anti-AIDS campaign was actually aimed at controlling the indigenous Papuan population.

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