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Papua defendants refuse to enter plea

Papuan cleric fearful of security pact with Canberra

Greens Launch EU Bid to 'Free West Papua': Written declaration calls for independence referendum

Police occupy Church Synod Office in West Papua

 

Papua defendants refuse to enter plea

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Seven Papuans arrested over the 2002 killings of two Americans and their Indonesian colleague in Papua declined to enter a plea of not guilty Tuesday, saying they were victims of a political deal between Jakarta and Washington .

"We agree to go on with the trial as long as it is not based on the interests of Indonesia and the U.S. ," defendant Ishaq Onawame told presiding judge Andriani Nurdin from the visitor's seats. "We are innocent. It is the state's fault," he added.

Andriani said she accepted the decision made by the defendants and announced that the verdict would be read out on Nov. 7.

Prosecutors had earlier demanded the Central Jakarta District Court sentence alleged ringleader Antonius Wamang to 20 years in prison for leading an attack on a convoy carrying PT Freeport Indonesia employees near the company's gold mine in Timika in 2002.

Americans Ricky Lynn Spier, 44, and Edwin Leon Burgen, 71, and Indonesian FX Bambang Riwanto died in the attack.

Prosecutors sought 15 years' jail for Agustinus Anggaibak and Yulianus Deikme for taking part in the shooting and eight years' jail for Ishak Onawame, Esau Onawame, Hardi Sugumol and Yairus Kiwak for assisting Antonius Wamang with logistics.

The seven Papuans have been boycotting the trial since they were indicted, insisting they be tried in Papua. They came to the courtroom but refused to be seated in defendants' seats.

They also asked the court to send Hardi Tsugumol, who has been ill, to Papua for traditional treatment. Hardi has already missed several trials.

The prosecutors said they had tried to take Hardi to the police hospital but he had refused to go.

Defense team lawyer Johnson Panjaitan said the trial was "a disgrace" and "degraded the dignity" of the Indonesian judiciary. He said he had not prepared any defense as he no longer had any hope the trial would be fair.

"I know that my client will be punished," he said. "This trial is a hoax." He said he had prepared documents to appeal next week's verdict.

Papuan protesters attending the court erupted after judge Andriani left the court room, yelling "the Indonesian court is rotten" and "the law in this country is dead".

They accused the Indonesian military of being responsible for the attack and demanded that the government stop PT Freeport Indonesia 's operations in Papua. The military have denied any involvement in the attack.

Johnson said he believed the trial was part of the Indonesian government's efforts to restore military cooperation with the United States , which was damaged by the deaths of the two American nationals.

Jakarta, 9 Nov. (AKI) - The head of the Baptist Church in the Indonesian province of Papua has expressed concern about the bilateral security agreement due to be signed next Monday by the governements of Jakarta and Canberra. "This agreement is very dangerous for our lives. The Australian governement is basically giving the green light to the Indonesian army to keep on terrorise us, torture us and kill us", Reverend Socrates Sofyan Yoman told Adnkronos International (AKI). At present, Canberra supports the groups who fight for the independence of Papua after its 1969 controversial annexation to Indonesia .

The broad-ranging agreement will replace the previous 1995 one, which was secretly concluded between the Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating and the former Indonesian dictator Haji Mohammed Suharto, and broken by Jakarta after Australia intervention in support of the then Indonesian province of East Timor in 1999.

The new 'Framework for Security Cooperation', due to be signed by Australian and Indonesian Foreign Ministers Alexander Downer and Hassan Wirajuda after a two-year long negotiation, prevents the two countries from supporting each other's separatist causes - a key demand from Jakarta, after Canberra hosted 43 Papuan refugees in January 2006.

Article 2 of the document commits the signatories to "not in any manner support or participate in activities by any person or entity which constitutes a threat to the stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of the other party", consistent with their respective domestic laws and international obligations.

This includes those who use the countries' territory for "encouraging or committing such activities, including separatism, in the territory of the other party". This will effectively rule out any further Australian support to groups such as the Free Papua Movement, active in the fight for independence from Jakarta .

"In this way, Jakarta can say it has international backing and in particular that of Australia ", commented Reverend Yoman, even though " Australia is a democratic country, Australians are democratic people", he added. For these reasons, the Papuan Baptist leader hopes "they will continue to apply pressure on their governement so that it does not abandon Papua".

In effect, according to a recent Australian survey 76% of those polled supported Papua's right to self-determination. The far-eastern province of the Indonesian archipelago, located very close to Australia , has always been a factor of destabilisation in the relationship between the two countries.

An August 2006 dossier by Sydney University , called "Genocide in West Papua ", collects evidence that abuses by the Indonesian army (TNI) over the mainly-peaceful pro-independence Papuan movements still goes on. Some rights groups say this repression cost up to 100,000 lives to date

Furthermore, a clause of the treaty will tie the parties to "do everything possible, individually and jointly, to eradicate international terrorism and extremism", including rapid, practical and effective responses to terrorist attacks. Under the new pact Australia will also help Indonesia in establishing its first nuclear plant within 2015.

In the history of Indonesia , a Non-Aligned Movement country (over 100 states considering themselves not formally aligned with major powers blocs), such bilateral treaties are a rarity.

The accord must be approved by both the Indonesian and Australian parliaments.

Greens Launch EU Bid to 'Free West Papua': Written declaration calls for independence referendum.

EURO-MPs are to call for the EU to intervene in forcing Indonesia to respect
human rights in West Papua – and grant the province a free and fair
referendum on independence – in a Written Declaration launched this Friday
(December 1st) to coincide with West Papua Independence Day.

The Written Declaration – the European Parliament’s equivalent of an Early Day
Motion in the House of Commons – has been co-sponsored by Green MEPs Caroline Lucas and Jean Lambert, Plaid Cymru Euro-MP Jill Evans and Italian liberal MEP Luigi Cocilovo.

It notes that following the withdrawal of Dutch colonial forces, West Papua
has been under military occupation by Indonesia for more than 40 years. At
that time it was allowed to administer the territory until a UN-guaranteed
independence referendum could be held, but Indonesia failed to fulfil its
obligations under international law and hold such a vote, instead annexing
West Papua following a sham vote – the co-called ‘Act of Free Choice’ in
1969, in which just 1,000 Papuans, hand-picked by Indonesia, were allowed to
participate.

Human rights abuses of Papuans continue – with torture, disappearances,
detention without trial and murder of Papuans at the hands of the Indonesia
military commonplace.

Dr Lucas, Green Party MEP for South-East England , said: “The people of Papua
were promised a referendum on independence when the Dutch former colonial
rulers withdrew from the country four decades ago.

“They are still waiting – and meanwhile the Papuans continue to suffer terrible repression, violence and abuse at the hands of an Indonesian government more interested in securing lucrative business deals than honouring historical agreements – or obeying international law.

“This Written Declaration calls on the EU to do whatever is in its power to
persuade Indonesia to change its approach – and grant freedom to the people
of West Papua that they might choose their future themselves.”

West Papua is the western half of the island of New Guinea . Formerly a Dutch
colony, it was invaded by Indonesia in 1962. The resource-rich country, which
boasts millions of square kilometers of tropical hardwood rainforest, massive
oil reserves and, reportedly, the largest gold mine in the world, has remained under Jakarta’s yoke ever since. UK multi-nationals BP and Rio Tinto both have substantial interests in West Papua .

The Written Declaration, which needs to attract the support of half the European parliament’s 732 members to become official parliamentary policy, will be published this week to coincide with West Papua Independence Day, which is being marked by London demonstrations outside the Indonesian Embassy and the headquarters of both Rio Tinto and BP.

West Papua Independence Day is held on December 1st to mark the anniversary of the Dutch promise to grant independence to West Papua , originally made on
December 1st, 1961 . The day provides a focus for demonstrations and political
activity for Free West Papua activists around the world:ironically, though, the Indonesian authorities have violently crushed any public demands for independence in the province itself. In 2004, two Papuan activists, Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage, were arrested for peacefully raising a West Papuan flag. Both are still serving long jail sentences.

The London demonstration, which starts at 12 noon outside the Indonesian
Embassy in Grosvenor Square , is expected to attract significant Green Party
support, and will be addressed by the party’s Principal Speaker Derek Wall.

Next week Indonesian and EU officials meet for a day of cultural and economic
discussions ahead of a planned visit to the EU by Indonesian president Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono.

Dr Lucas said: “The EU-Indonesia day talks provide a perfect opportunity for EU officials to raise the issue of human rights abuses and West Papua ’s constitutional status with their Indonesian counterparts. I hope they will do so, but I’m not holding my breath.

“The advance papers for the meeting appear to heap praise on what EU officials
describe as Indonesia’s democratic and peaceful handling of the island country’s various independence struggles – but these are words which clearly don’t apply in West Papua and it is equally clear that next week’s meeting is more about promoting trade than justice or human rights.”

In a direct message for the Papuan people to be read out on the island on Friday, Dr Lucas said: “Indonesian oppression has led to the deaths of at least 100,000 indigenous Papuans since the occupation began in 1962. Beatings, rapes, torture and killings inflicted by the Indonesian army continue unchecked: the military must withdraw from West Papua immediately.”

She added: “The people of West Papua deserve an end to the Indonesian military occupation, the exploitation of their rich natural resources and real self-determination.

“Only this will bring long-term peace to the island and an end to the violence, intimidation and human rights atrocities to which we bear witness today. Until West Papua is free, none of us are. Free West Papua ! Papua Merdaka!”

Police occupy Church Synod Office in West Papua

Today (30th December 2006) members of Gereja Kingmi (the Indigenous Church in West Papua) organised demonstrations in front of the Church Synod office in Jayapura, West Papua after Indonesian Police yesterday stormed and occupied the Synod Office, injuring two Pastors in the process.

“Police accuse us of being the religious arm of the OPM (also known as the Free Papua Movement) but all we want to do is run our own affairs free of government interference and intimidation” said Pastor Benny Giay, Chair of the Kingmi Church ’s Bureau of Justice and Peace.  “This attack by the Police is not just against church activists working to defend human rights” said Pastor Giay, “it is an attack on the institution of the Church itself.”

“Our people are now on the street demanding that the Police leave the Synod Office so that church members can use church property” said Pastor Giay.  

The occupation of Church property and the assault of the two Kingmi pastors follow a public accusation by the Indonesian minister of Defence earlier this year that the Christian Church in West Papua along with international non-government organisations is promoting independence in West Papua .  It is an accusation that Pastor Giay denies.

From 1962 to 1983 the Kingmi Church (which was established by American missionaries from the Christian and Missionary Alliance) operated independently in West Papua .  In 1983 Kingmi Church joined with the Gereja Kemah Injil Indonesia (The Tabernacle Bible Church of Indonesia) in order to assist the visa applications of foreign missionaries applying to live in West Papua .

“When foreign missionaries stopped coming to West Papua we decided that there was no reason to continue to remain under the control of Jakarta .  In our congress this year we withdrew our membership from the Gereja Kemah Injil Indonesia and reinstated the KIngmi Church 's former status as an independent Synod in West Papua .  Jakarta opposes this and accuses us of being separatists” says Pastor Giay.

Jason MacLeod from the Institute of Papuan Advocacy and Human Rights (IPAHR) says that the accusation by Jakarta is ominous.  “The label “OPM” is used by the police to silence debate and stigmatise West Papuans on the basis of ethnicity in order to justify repressive security operations.  Church leaders in West Papua who speak out for peace and justice are regularly subject to surveillance and intimidation by the security forces.”

Pastor Giay, author of numerous books about politics and religious movements in West Papua , holds a PhD from Leiden University in the Netherlands and is well known internationally for his human rights advocacy.  He is calling on his international networks to encourage Jakarta to support the right of the Kingmi Church to run their own affairs free of government interference and intimidation.

 

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