Saturday, May 14, 2016

1) Report urges Australia to review support for Indonesia’s military

2) Dozens taken in by police in West Papua amid mine dispute
3) Press Council: We Never Fail In Timor Leste, Never Happen Again In Papua

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http://dailypost.vu/news/report-urges-australia-to-review-support-for-indonesia-s-military/article_a2e8cb26-fcd3-56f3-a3cc-cb6e480ea574.html

1) Report urges Australia to review support for Indonesia’s military


Posted: Saturday, May 14, 2016 8:00 am
By Len Garae |

“The Australian Government
should urgently consider the mounting evidence of involvement in human rights violations in West Papua by members of the Indonesian military, police force, including Detachment 88, and intelligence service. Based on this investigation, it should review any support, training and funding of any units involved in human rights violations in West Papua with a view to suspending such support until policy changes to end violations are implemented by the Indonesian Government”.

This is one of the recommendations of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Brisbane after touring West Papua last February then printed its Report this month on May 1. The Report is also referred to as the “Voice of the people of West Papua”,
Despite an assurance by President Widodo of Indonesia that the situation in West Papua is getting better, the Commission’s delegation to the country in February 2016 found no improvement in human rights situation at all.
Reports of human rights violations by members of Indonesian security forces have not declined and the economic and social status of Papuans has not improved. “The Indonesian legal and political system is unwilling and unable to address human rights violations in West Papua”, it said.
The many Papuans met by the delegation expressed immense concerns about their current situations. They live in constant fear of violence and feel desperate about their rapidly declining proportion of the population and growing marginalisation economically and socially.
They do not go out at night for fear of being the next ones to be killed after the bodies of their families were found in the streets morning.
Papuan women vendors at the market cannot compete with Indonesian vendors while soldiers ride motorbikes into the stalls of Papuan women to intimidate them and discourage them from earning an income.
In light of the delegation’s findings, the Commission has recommended the following:
• Governments in the Pacific, including the Australian Government, should seek intervention at the United Nationals Human Rights Council and the United Nations General Assembly to initiate a credible, independent investigation into human rights violations in West Papua;
• Governments in the Pacific should also pressure the Indonesian Government directly and seek the intervention of the United Nations to establish a dialogue between the Indonesian Government and the acknowledged leaders of the people of West Papua, the United Liberation Movement of West Papua in order to identify a credible pathway towards genuine self-determination for the people of West Papua;
• Churches and civil society organisations in the Pacific should continue to build a network of solidarity with their counterparts in West Papua in order to support advocacy and action on human rights violations and the pursuit of self-determination by the people of West Papua and their leaders, the ULMWP.
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2) Dozens taken in by police in West Papua amid mine dispute
3:09 pm today
Police in Papua have taken nearly a hundred people in for questioning amid accusations they had taken tailings from a mining site in Mimika.
The Jakarta Post reports 21 people were still being questioned and are alleged to have trespassed onto the mine owned by US-based gold and copper mining company Freeport Indonesia.
The paper reports the incident began when about 400 local residents tried to enter on Thursday morning, but they were blocked by around 120 security personnel.
The police say residents tried to burn security posts and damaged several vehicles belonging to the company.
The police said the invasion seemed to have been triggered by residents' suspicions that the company had shut down its operations because in the past month, it had not channeled tailings into a river near the mining site.
Traditional miners have been used to taking the waste to find gold left over in it.
The police told the paper the waste was not being channeled into the river because waste chanelling equipment had been damaged.

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A google translate. Be-aware google translate can be a bit erratic.
Original bahasa link at

3) Press Council: We Never Fail In Timor Leste, Never Happen Again In Papua
ayapura, Jubi - Press Council Chairman, Joseph Adi Presetyo remind media in Jakarta in order to proclaim the problems that occurred in Papua intense.

"We certainly do not want to repeat the experience in East Timor in Papua. At that time, we can say no news is critical, which is clearly viewed disparities development in Timor Leste, "said Chairman of the Press Council in discussions Papua Update at the Press Council Hall, Wednesday (05/11/2016) then.

This situation, according to the Chairman of the Press Council, occurred again in Papua today. This situation requires revitalizing the role of the press, linked following coverage of the Papua issue. Discussion and update information about Papua should be intensified not only by governments and civil society organizations but also by members of the press.


"We know, national media journalists in Papua are often rotated or pull in the news because they have no value. Then the journalists who write about issues such as politics are also considered vulnerable carries risks for journalists, "said Josep nicknamed Stanley

He added, the Press Council hopes to put the national mass media journalists are experienced in Papua in order to proclaim Papua intensively.

He added that East Timor was part of Indonesia, Indonesian media only writes officials visit Indonesia to Timor Leste were greeted with dances as if the people in East Timor have wanted and dreamed of being part of Indonesia. The media almost never write problems outside visiting Indonesian officials, such as the construction of injustice and human rights violations.

"So when the President of Indonesia at the time, BJ Habibie provides the option of special autonomy or Merdeka, we believe that East Timor would vote to remain with Indonesia. What happened? 90 percent of people of East Timor voted for independence, "he said.

Timor Leste's experience shows the press Indonesia failed to provide the facts and fail to provide information to the government.

"We've failed in Timor Leste, do not happen again in Papua," Press Council Chairman's hope. (*)
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