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On This Page:

Bird flu infects Papua province as virus moves east

Papuan Baptist Church Leader was terrorised and intimidated by indonesian military and police intelligence officers.

Indonesia wants Papuans visas stripped

PNG: Australia To Return Detained Papuans

West Papuan asylum seekers regret coming to Australia

 

 

Bird flu infects Papua province as virus moves east

From Bloomberg, 16th May 2006

Bird flu was found in fowl in Indonesia 's easternmost province of Papua , evidence the lethal virus is moving closer to the South Pacific and Australia . The H5N1 strain of avian influenza earlier this month reached the province that borders Papua New Guinea , Laurence Gleeson, an official with the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, told reporters Monday in Jakarta . "As long as there is a lot of bird flu in Indonesia , then clearly it does remain somewhat of a source of disease for other countries in the area," said Gleeson, the Bangkok-based regional manager of the FAO's Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases. "If it arrives in Papua New Guinea then there are other nations in the South Pacific which would also be at risk." Representatives from the FAO, the WHO and Asia-Pacific governments are meeting this week in Jakarta to discuss food security, poverty and preparing for disasters, such as a possible flu pandemic.

 

Papuan Baptist Church Leader (Rev Socrates Sofyan Yoman) was terrorised and intimidated by indonesian militaryand police intelligence officers.

Reported by Socratez Sofyan Yoman, President of the Fellowships of West Papua 17th May 2006

1. On the 16th of March 2006 , Rev Socratez Sofyan Yoman's car was destroyed by Indonesian Mobile Brigade Police. They falsely accused me of having Molotov cocktails and bottled drinking water in the car to support students' demonstration in front of Cenderawasih University Jayapura. I had no such items in the car.

2. On the 18th of March at 7.30pm , two Indonesian intelligence officers came to see me and said that they were looking for me. They informed themselves as research students from Java island.

3. On the 20th of March 2006, the police took my damaged car from the workshop without informing the owner of the car (getting my permission).

4. On the 20th of March 2006, I was invited by the police to hear their witnesses about the destruction of my car. However, I refused to fulfil their invitation.

5. On the 4th of May 2006 at 7.00am, a Papuan man came to my house and questioned my wife: "-Where is Sofyan?, Sofyan must be careful because intelligence officers are looking for him-".

6. On the 7th of May 2006 at 9.00am the same Papuan man came to inform that the intelligence officers knew Sofyan's trip to Australia . The intelligence officers would stop him at the airport and take his passport. I said:" -You and the intelligence officers will not and never stop my struggle. Because I am the church leader who fight for truth, justice, peace, human rights, human dignity and human equality values and also fight for the land of Papua to be a land of peace-".

7. On the 7th of May 2006 at 1.30pm at Sentani Airport , a non-Papuan staff came and asked me:"-What is your seat number?-". I just looked at his face and said nothing. The same person chased a porter who took my briefcase and asked him:"-What is Mr Yoman's seat number?-". The porter said that he did not know it.

8. On the 14th of May 2006 at 8.00pm at Jakarta Airport , the immigration officer took and kept my passport. I heard a conversation between an officer (a woman who wore a scarf) and another officer (a man):"-Is this the man that was said in the telephone?-". After that, an immigration officer took my passport and ordered me to follow him to the intelligence officer's room. However, I refused his order and left him with the passport. I said to him:"- Please keep my passport-", and I left. Three officers (two wore their immigration department uniforms and one wore civilian's ordinary clothes) chased me. They said:"- Please let us solve the problem first-". I asked them:"-What problem? You yourselves kept my passport! For what reasons?You may keep it-". The immigration officers said:"- Please, sir! Could you have a sympathy for us please?We're just little people who will be fired-". When I had arguments with them, the immigration officer who took my passport returned my passport to me. The problem was not with the passport only, my briefcase, which contained my clothes, was also searched very strictly.

9. Brothers and Sisters, if a church leader like myself was intimidated and terrorised, then, that means that the security and the safety of the Papuans are in danger. This gives a real picture that the life and the freedom of the native Papuans is threatened and in danger.

 

Indonesia wants Papuans visas stripped

From The Age, 13 thJune 2006

An Indonesian political delegation to Australia says it hopes a review of the decision to grant asylum to 42 Papuans will strip them of their visas.
The delegation, led by former Wahid government minister Dr Muhammad Hikam, met Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone in Canberra today.

Following the meeting, Dr Hikam said Senator Vanstone had told the group Australia did not support Papua's separatist movement and that a review of the visa decision was underway.
"Obviously there's a feeling there's a lot of questions that must be answered regarding the inconsistency of the position by the immigration office and (minister) Vanstone tried to explain that to us," Dr Hikam said.
"We should proceed with that and we also requested that there is some kind of evaluation of that in the process.
"We try to understand (the decision) but still need more clarification.
"What is most important is the follow up of this evaluation."
Asked whether Indonesia would like the visas revoked, he said: "In that direction, but of course in Indonesia we have to understand that we respect the due process of law in Australia also."

 

PNG: Australia To Return Detained Papuans

From Post-Courier Online, 17 th June 2006

Three men from the Indonesian province of Papua who have been in detention in the Torres Strait since arriving from Papua New Guinea a month ago will be returned to PNG.
Foreign Affairs Minister Sir Rabbie Namaliu told the Post-Courier yesterday
officers from his department were working with Australian Immigration
officials to have the three men returned to PNG.
Sir Rabbie said under arrangements with Australia , the men would be returned
to PNG as they have been in PNG for sometime before travelling on to
Australia.
The agreement with Australia stipulate that a person who has been in PNG for
more than seven days can be returned to PNG.
The three will return here once preparations for their repatriation were
completed, Sir Rabbie said.
Australia 's Immigration Department has been holding the men in detention
while negotiating their return with the PNG Government.
Meanwhile, the Refugee Council of Australia said PNG had accepted more than
10,000 refugees from Papua in the last 20 years.
"The number of West Papuans arriving in Australia is just minuscule compared
to the burden carried by Papua New Guinea ," Refugee Council president John
Gibson said. "We are not setting a good example, either as a significantly
more powerful state and as a state that has subscribed to the Refugee
Convention." An Australian Government dominated senate committee has strongly attacked the Australian Government on the proposed migration laws, and recommends they be scrapped.
The senate committee considered the Government's plan to process all
unauthorised boat arrivals at offshore detention centres at Nauru and Manus
Province in PNG.
It has been recommended, that in light of limited information, the Government's bill should not proceed.
The report said if the Government does continue with the proposed legislation it should be consistent with previous immigration changes, including that children are only detained as a measure of last resort and that a time limit apply to processing visa applications.

West Papuan asylum seekers regret coming to Australia

From Detik.com, 20th June 2006

Nurfajri Budi Nugroho, Jakarta -- The 42 Papuan asylum seekers who obtained temporary visas in Australia are now biting their finger nails. Their dream of finding work in the Nation of the Kangaroo has run aground (sic).

"The 42 Papuans appear not to want the same thing. Only one or two are 'true believers' and in fact they are now regretting [coming to Australia ]", said House of Representative (DPR) Commission I member AS Hikam in Jakarta on Tuesday June 20. "They were tricked as if after their arrival in Australia they would be given jobs", added Hikam.

Nevertheless, Hikam who is also the head of the Commission I Delegation Team to Australia declined to elaborate on the source of the report he received. "There is a report that mentions it", he exclaimed emotionally.

Hikam conceded that his delegation did not meet directly with the 42 Papuans. "The lawyer of the 42 Papuans appears to be afraid that the DPR's Commission I would intimidate them and so objected to us meeting with them", explained the National Awakening Party politician.

Hikam has asked the Indonesian Consulate General in Australia to provide humanitarian assistance to the 42 Papuans because their situation is of concern and not as they had hoped for. Howard

Hikam also took the opportunity to express his hope that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Australian Prime Minister John Howard would hold comprehensive discussions on the relationship between the two countries.

"Don't just pick up on certain issues. Don't just take one dimension for discussion such as the question of [Abu Bakar] Bashir", said Hikam. (aan)

 

 

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