Australia
West Papua Association (Sydney)
Summary of events in West Papua for January -8
February 2017
Global Petition and Swim for West Papua
Launched in Westminster
On 24th January 2017 the Free West Papua Campaign
took another significant step in supporting West Papuans in their journey
towards freedom: the official launch of the Global Petition for an
Internationally Supervised Vote at the Palace of Westminster. The
ground-breaking petition is addressed to the Secretary-General of the United
Nations, António Guterres, and calls on him to address the human rights
situation in West Papua and to ensure West Papua’s right to self-determination
through the vote. The petition will play a significant part in West Papua’s
journey towards independence by demonstrating the huge levels of support around
the world for West Papuans to have the opportunity decide their own future.
This will build on the growing diplomatic backing for a supervised vote, and is
the vital step towards West Papua’s independence and the end of the genocide
being perpetrated by Indonesia. The Swim for West Papua Team joined Free West
Papua and its supporters for the launch. The team are demonstrating their
concern for, and solidarity with, the West Papuan people by performing an
incredible physical feat; they will deliver the petition to the UN in August
2017, carrying it to its destination across the 69km length of Lake Geneva.
West Papuan people showing their
support from inside the prison in Timika for the Global Petition for West Papua.
Photo: Benny Wenda (photo in RNZI report 29 January 2017)
A
simple action to support West Papua is to sign the
petition. Over 16,000 people have signed so far.
Australian -Indonesian relations
Another hiccup occurred in Australian
-Indonesian relations when Indonesian announced on the 4 January that it was
halting all military ties with Australia after an Indonesian special forces Kopassus soldier
complained about material at the SAS barracks in Perth. The material was reported to make fun of the
five pillars of Indonesia’s founding philosophy ‘Pancasila. It appears the
soldier was insulted by a poster on display which made fun of “Pancasila”
calling it ‘Pancagila’ the five crazy principles. The complaint by the
Indonesian soldier also referred to training material about Indonesia’s involvement
in East Timor and West Papua. Both sides quickly started to repair the damage
with Indonesia saying only the educational part of the program had been
suspended. The Australian Minister for Defense, Marisa Payne, released a
statement saying the matter would be investigated. It would seem that the Indonesian President (and a number of Indonesia’s military) were also
caught by surprise at the break in military relations and some opinion pieces
commented that the statement of a break in relations came from TNI ‘s Chief
Gatot Nurmantyo who has a dislike of Australia because of if its involvement in
East Timor. The
West Papuan solidarity movement has been calling on the Australian Government
for years to stop all ties with the Indonesian military and It's a pity it did
not come from the Australian side because of ethical reasons i.e. because of
the behavior of the Indonesian military in West Papua. The Diplomat (7 Feb.) reported
that Australia’s army chief Angus Campbell would meet Indonesia’s military
leaders in Jakarta this week to reaffirm the importance of the bilateral
security relationship and smooth over ties after the temporary break in
relations at the beginning of January. SBS report at http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/02/03/indonesia-wants-assurance-army-chief
On the 2nd February Attorney-General George
Brandis, Justice Minister Michael Keenan and Dan Tehan, will met with
Indonesia’s top security minister Wiranto and other Indonesian Ministers today
in Jakarta for the third Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) on Law and
Security. As usual the issues of counterterrorism, cyber security, and maritime
security were on the agenda with West Papua being the elephant in the room
again. The human rights situation in West Papua should be raised by Australian
officials at all bilateral talks between Australian and Indonesian officials.
Asia Pacific Report at http://asiapacificreport.nz/2017/02/05/australia-indonesia-strengthen-cyber-security-ties-but-west-papua-ignored/
In
a reply to an AWPA letter DFAT did say it raises concerns about the issue. DFAT
reply at
A number
of rallies took place in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Darwin (apologies for missing any out). In Melbourne a 42-year-old
protester has been charged with trespassing at the Indonesian
consulate-general. The arrest was made three days after Indonesia criticized Australia for not arresting a man
who clambered onto the roof of the consulate-general and waved a separatist West Papuan flag on January 6.
The West Papuan flag on the roof of the consulate-general in Melbourne. Picture: Facebook (In Aust. 8 Feb)
The AFP
spokesman said the man had been charged with trespass of a protected premises,
contrary to section 20 of the Protection of Persons and Property Act 1971. Under
the act, a person who trespasses on protected premises commits an offence,
punishable on conviction by a fine of not more than 10 penalty units ($1800). The
man has been bailed to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on February 23.
SMH report at
Rally outside the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra on the 27 January
At a
peaceful rally outside the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra on the 27 January a
man was arrested and held over night. Adrian van Tonder, 25, pleaded guilty to obstruction, failing to
comply with police directions and failing to provide his name or address
to officers in the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday morning. He was fined
$750. $250 each for the three offences. Photos of Canberra rally at
The Indonesian President will visit Australia
at the end of month. More details will follow about rallies when dates announced.
Membership
for West Papua at MSG is still under discussion.
A RNZI report below.
MSG
chair discusses membership in Vila
The
chair of the Melanesian Spearhead Group has arrived in Port Vila for discussions
that cover membership guidelines. Manasseh Sogavare, who is the Solomon Islands
prime minister, is in the Vanuatu capital as part of his second MSG capitals'
visit in his capacity as chair. Mr Sogavare's office said that revised criteria
for observer status and associate membership guidelines within the MSG will be
discussed and endorsed. This comes as the MSG considers a full membership
application by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua which currently
has observer status in the MSG. Indonesia, which has associate member status,
is opposed to elevating the West Papuans' status and the issue has proved
difficult for MSG full members to settle on. The full members are Papua New
Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia's FLNKS Kanaks
Movement. Also on the cards for discussions is the matter of operations of the
MSG's Port Vila-based secretariat which has struggled for funding and resources
in the last couple of years.
While in Vila, the MSG Chair will be meeting
with both the Vanuatu Prime Minister and FLNKS spokesperson. Mr Sogavare and
delegation will be departing on Wednesday for Suva, Fiji. (RNZI16 January 2017).
Organisations petition Australia
Vanuatu Daily Post By Len
Garae Jan 20, 2017
The five most prominent
Ni-Vanuatu charitable organisations in the country led by the Vanuatu Free West
Papua Association (VFWPA), have petitioned the Australian Government to “stop
killing Melanesian people
in West Papua” by way of
providing financial support and military training for Indonesian Elite Kopassus
and Detachment 88. The training programme is made possible under the
Australia/Indonesia bilateral military cooperation.
The petition was signed by
the Chairman of VFWPA, Pastor Allan Nafuki, President of the Malvatumauri
National Council of Chiefs, Chief Seni Mao Tirsupe, Chief Executive Officer of
the Vanuatu National Council of Women, Leias Cullwick, Chief Executive Officer
of Vanuatu Non-Government Organisations, Charlie Harrison and President of
Vanuatu National Youth Council, Vira Taivakalo.
The petition says the
decision has come at the right time to support and encourage all the West Papua
Solidarity Groups in Australia to change the heart of the Australian Government
to “stop the killing of Melanesian brothers and sisters in West Papua”. The
petition describes Melanesians as “the most hated ethnic group in the world”
saying, “…the Australian Government should have learned and repented from the
past barbarous treatment our forefathers received during the black birding and
slave-trade era”.
In the true spirit of
solidarity and partnership with all the Pacific Civil Society Organisations and
the people of Vanuatu:
• Convince that all
indigenous peoples have an inalienable right to complete freedom, the exercise
of their sovereignty and the integrity of their national territory.
• Re-affirm our solid
stand to continue always to be the voice of the voiceless.
• Express solidarity with
the commitments of the leaders of the MSG, other Pacific countries and all the
West Papuan support groups around the globe to condemn the ongoing genocide and
human rights violation in West Papua.
• Further petition the
Australian Government to respect all the Articles of the following
International Instruments on Human Rights which were adopted and proclaimed by
the UN General Assembly :
• Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. (GA resolution 217 A (111) of 10 December 1948),
• (11) International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
• (GA resolution 2200 A
(XX1) of 16 December 1966 and came into force on 23/03/1976),
• (111) Declaration On The
Granting Of Independence To Colonial Countries and Peoples. (GA resolution 1514
(xv) of 14 December 1960 and
• (1V) International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. (GA resolution 2200 A (XXXI)
of 16 December 1966, but entered into force on 03/01/1976
• Finally petition the
Australian Government to solemnly proclaim the necessity of bringing to a
speedy and unconditional end of colonialism in all its forms and manifestation
in the world and especially in West Papua.
The Chairman of VFWPA says
the First Secretary Head of Political and Economic Unit, Sonya Gray attended
the signing ceremony at the PCV Office yesterday. The Chairman read the
petition in her presence then handed her a copy to deliver to the Australian
High Commissioner.
The First Secretary said
thank you and assured the petitioners with words to the effect that the
Australian Government, like Vanuatu, does not support all forms of mistreatment
of all colonised peoples but that at the same time respects Indonesia’s
sovereignty.
Also
in the Vanuatu Daily Post an article “Indonesia is losing Melanesia”
By Len Garae. An extract below from Len’s
conclusion below.
“Whether we agree or
not with the independence campaign, there is no denying the genius of Mr
Sogavare’s ploy. His willingness to sacrifice the MSG for the cause takes away
the one lever that Indonesia had in Melanesia.
His key role in orchestrating an end run around the Pacific
Islands Forum’s wilful silence is another trademark move. When human rights
concerns were simply glossed over in the communiqué, he and other orchestrated
a chorus of calls for attention to the issue in the UN general assembly. Manasseh Sogavare and his Pacific allies have found a strategy that
is making the advancement of the West Papuan independence movement inexorable.
As Ghandi demonstrated in India, as with Dr King’s campaign for civil rights
showed again and again, anything less than defeat is a victory.
Without losing a single major battle,
Indonesia is—slowly, so slowly—being forced from the board”.
Indonesia blocks 800,000 websites
Jakarta Post | Sat, January 7, 2017
The Indonesian government has blocked
800,000 websites as of December last year, mostly websites containing pornographic
material or gambling sites, an official said on Saturday. “Some 90 percent of them contained pornographic material or gambling
applications, and some were simply spreading hoaxes,” Samuel Abrijani
Pangerapan, the director general of Information Application at the
Communications and Information Ministry, said in a discussion on Saturday
as quoted by tempo.co. Samuel said the public could access more details through http://trustpositif.kominfo.go.id. He said the government had produced a regulation as the legal basis
to block the sites. He said the ministry had established a team to check up on
reports about websites from the public.
He denied that the government had
implemented strict measures to monitor the cyber world. The ministry has blocked 766,633 sites related to pornography and 85
related to radicalism. Samuel said the owners
of blocked sites could ask the ministry to lift the block after accepting some
requirements.
Last month, the ministry received criticism
from democracy activists regarding its decision to block suarapapua.com, a news site based in Papua. The Press Legal
Aid Institute (LBH Pers) said the block constituted a violation of freedom of
expression. (evi) (Note. Suarapapua.com webpage is back up).
Fertilizer factory worth $1.5b to be
developed in Papua
News Desk The Jakarta Post Jakarta | Mon,
January 23, 2017
Trade
Minister Airlangga Hartarto has lauded a plan by state-owned fertilizer company
PT Pupuk Indonesia and Germany based Ferrostaal to develop a fertilizer factory
in Bintuni Bay, West Papua. The two companies have agreed to carry out a
feasibility study for the US$1.5 billion project. “The two parties have a
commitment to provide the government with comprehensive data related to the
petrochemical factory,” the minister said as reported by kontan.com on Monday. (Read also: Pupuk Indonesia intensifies research to strengthen food
security)
Airlangga’s
statement was made after witnessing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed
by Pupuk Indonesia investment director Gusrizal and Ferrostaal CEO Klaus Lesker
in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Jan. 21. The plan to develop a fertilizer factory in
West Papua is part of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s plan to distribute
development fairly nationwide. Bintuni Bay is known for its gas resources as
raw material for the fertilizer. “We will support the allocation of gas with
good prices,” he said. The fertilizer producer is among industrial sectors that
will enjoy the gas-price cut introduced by the government, as stipulated in
Presidential Regulation No. 40/2016 on natural gas prices. The potential of the
natural gas in the area that has been identified reaches 23.8 trillion standard
cubic feet (tscf). New gas reserves with potential between 6 tscf and 8 tscf
has already been found. Meanwhile, Gusrizal assured that his company was
interested in developing a fertilizer factory in Bintuni Bay by optimizing the
use of gas resources in the region. (bbn)
Police
most reported for alleged rights violations in 2016: Komnas HAM
Jakarta Post | Tue, January 17, 2017
West Papua rally participants shout from the back of a police
truck on Jl. Imam Bonjol, Central Jakarta on Dec. 1, 2016. Police arrested 10
of them for bringing Free West Papua Movement symbols. (JP/Safrin La Batu)
The National Commission on Human Rights
(Komnas HAM) has revealed that of all institutions, the police were implicated
in the highest number of human rights violation cases in 2016. “Throughout
2016, Komnas HAM received 7,188 reports related to alleged human rights
violations. From that report, the police were reported 2,290 times, the highest
figure among all institutions,” Komnas HAM chairman Imdadun Rahmat said during
a year-end report presentation at the commission’s office in Jakarta on
Tuesday. The second and third place went to corporations and regional
administrations with 1,030 and 931 reports, respectively, Imdadun said. He
added that most of the reports were related to violations of welfare and
justice rights, such as a case in July when police officers surrounded a Papuan
student dormitory in Yogyakarta to prevent residents from attending an event
organized by the People’s Union for West Papua Freedom (PRPPB). The police also
reportedly prevented an Indonesian Red Cross ambulance from delivering food to
the dormitory. (Read also: 14 'arrested'
before Papua rally in Yogyakarta) Komnas HAM commissioner Nur
Khoiron said the commission would continue cooperation with the police in an
attempt to push the institution to be more human-rights friendly in carrying
out its duty.
“We have conducted some activities
including launching a human rights pocket book for police officers and
conducting a general lecture about rights principles for students at the Police
Higher Education College (PTIK),” he said. (jun)
Papuans
still unhappy over Merauke food and oil palm project
RNZI 30 January 2017
Strong distrust remains among the
indigenous Papuans of Indonesia's Merauke regency about a major "food
estate" project. Jakarta has thrown high level support behind the Merauke
Integrated Food and Energy Estate, or MIFEE, a project in the far south east of
Papua province Eventually expected to cover 1.6 million hectares, MIFEE has
attracted dozens of investors, looking to grow food crops and palm oil. Billed
as a project to address food security concerns for parts of the country, local
Papuan communities have complained that MIFEE is alienating them from their
land. A member of the video-based advocacy organisation Papuan Voices, Wensi
Fatubun, said young Papuans in Merauke have begun using video to convey their
opposition. "We try to empower the community to do how they can protect
their own land, their own rights, from the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy
Estate project." However, the government said MIFEE was aimed at helping
create improved living standards for Papuan communities.
Indonesia's President Joko Widodo has
personally visited the MIFEE site as part of his campaign to foster greater
economic development in Papua.
Earlier this month, Government Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Law and Human Rights in Papua, Wakerkwa Doren said a
presidential special envoy was heading to Merauke to check on food security,
and people's economic development.
He told Tabloid
Jubi that as merauke is a regency bordering a neighbournig
country, PNG, it was important to work with provincial government to address
the people's concerns. Meanwhile, recently released statistics released by
Indonesia's Bureau of Statistics on the ethnic composition of Papua region's
population identified Merauke regency as one of five regencies with a majority
of non-Papuans. Based on the population figures from Indonesia's 2010 census,
non-Papuans make up around 63 percent of Merauke's population.
Australia-based specialist in West Papuan
demographics, Dr Jim Elmslie expected that as Indonesia's economy grew, demographic
change in Papua regions like Merauke would continue. "So a lot
of that long-term growth will come out of West Papua," he said, "and
if that continues, it will involve shifting more and more people down to that
region." Other regencies where the indigenous Melanesians make up the
minority of the population include two other regencies that, like Merauke, are
close to the border with PNG. The regencies where the non-Papuan
population is concentrated tend to be areas where access to health and
education services is best.
In a paper in the Asia-Pacific
Journal “The
Great Divide: West Papuan Demographics Revisited; Settlers Dominate Coastal
Regions but the Highlands Still Overwhelmingly Papuan” (January 15, 2017 Volume 15 |
Issue 2 | Number 7), Jim Elmslie
revisits the demographic transition under way in West Papua. He points out
that while
“Papuan people as a percentage of the entire population continues to
decline, this process varies widely between different regencies. While some
have a strong majority of non-Papuan people other regencies are still
overwhelmingly Papuan.
This dichotomy is closely linked with topography – the mountainous
interior outside of urban areas having a Papuan majority and the accessible
lowlands a non-Papuan majority. The consequences of this dichotomy – a large
chunk of West Papua about the size of Great Britain is peopled almost
exclusively by Melanesian people, even as some of the coastal regions become
non-Papuan majority– is profound. West Papuans of the interior have not only
survived Indonesian occupation but have kept their lands and cultures largely intact,
which continues to underpin calls for an independent West Papua and conflict
with the Indonesian government and its security forces”.
In his conclusion he
states
“This paper shows how
that the process of settlement by recent non-Papuan migrants in the territory
of West Papua is far from uniform. On the contrary most of the migrants have
settled in the coastal plains and urban centres while the vast highlands
regions remain populated predominantly by Papuan people. However the highlands
regions will be increasingly attractive to migrants as the Indonesia government
pursues aggressive economic development policies including creating new
regencies (and their concomitant bureaucracies); building roads and developing
mineral; oil/gas and forestry resources. While the Indonesian government claims
that accelerated development will help resolve Papuan grievances against
Indonesian rule the opposite is likely as the Papuans get left behind in the
development process in favour of non-Papuan migrants; they become further
marginalized within an Asian Muslim society, and their traditional lands are
forcibly taken over by government or commercial interests. Therefore it looks
likely that the changing demographic make of West Papua will continue to fuel
conflict into the future”.
The full paper at http://apjjf.org/2017/02/Elmslie.html
Government stands firm as Freeport threatens to cut production
Fedina S. Sundaryani The Jakarta Post
Jakarta Post | Tue, February 7, 2017
The government seems set to ignore threats by United States mining giant
Freeport-McMoran Inc to cut production at its Papuan mine and slash its local
workforce if it does not receive a permit to continue exporting copper
concentrates by the middle of the month. Last month, the government relaxed a
ban on mineral exports so long as miners still in possession of a contract of
work (CoW) converted it to a special mining permit (IUPK). Freeport Indonesia,
the mining giant’s local unit, has not complied, according to the Energy and
Mineral Resources Ministry. The ministry’s mineral and coal director general,
Bambang Gatot Ariyono, said on Monday that not one mining firm had
submitted an official application to convert to a IUPK.
“We have not given [Freeport Indonesia] an export permit because, as
stipulated by ministerial decree No. 5/2017 and No. 6/2017, if the company has
not submitted a proposal and has not fulfilled the requirements, then we cannot
issue the permit. They must still submit a proposal,” he said. The conversion
is stipulated in the two ministerial decrees as derivatives of the fourth
revision of Government Regulation No. 23/2010 on the management of mineral and
coal businesses that allows miners to continue exporting copper concentrates,
certain amounts of low-grade nickel and washed bauxite. The issuance of the
ministerial regulation contravenes the 2009 Mining Law, which imposed a total
ban on mineral ore exports in 2014, and stipulated that mining companies must
build domestic smelters in a bid to strengthen the processing industry.
According to the Processing and Smelting Companies Association (AP3I),
32 new smelters — 24 of which are nickel smelters — have been built in the
country since 2012, with a total investment of around US$20 billion.
Nevertheless, Freeport Indonesia has not shown significant progress in
developing smelters, and with its status as a CoW holder, it was forced to stop
exporting copper concentrates on Jan. 12. This does not seem to bode well for
either Freeport Indonesia or Freeport-McMoran, which issued a press statement
last Friday demanding that the government grant it a continuation of exports or
else the firm would have to reduce its production to match available domestic
capacity at PT Smelting, which processes approximately 40 percent of Freeport
Indonesia’s concentrate production.
Freeport Indonesia said it would also be required to significantly
adjust its cost structure, reduce its workforce and suspend investment in its
underground development projects and new smelter. “For each month of the delay
in obtaining approval to export, PT FI’s [Freeport Indonesia] share of
production is projected to be reduced by approximately 70 million pounds of
copper and 70,000 ounces of gold,” it said. Freeport-McMoran claims that by
immediately converting to an IUPK, it would have to forgo its rights to fiscal
and legal certainty and that it had “advised the government that it cannot
accept these conditions unless a mutually satisfactory replacement agreement is
completed”. Meanwhile Bambang said converting to an IUPK would nullify Freeport
Indonesia’s CoW before its expiration in 2021. Center for Energy and Mining Law (Pushep) executive director Bisman
Bhaktiar said that although Freeport’s production cut might hurt state revenues
in the short term, the long-term benefits of forcing all CoW holders to convert
to an IUPK would be fruitful for the downstream sector. “If [Freeport] cannot
export it will definitely have a negative impact in both the social and
economic sense. However, that will only be for the short term and the government’s
task is to anticipate this and handle it quickly,” he said.
Opinion
pieces/reports/press releases etc.
Upcoming events
Upcoming events
To celebrate the arrival of Indonesian President, Joko Widido and due to popular support, the Punks for West Papua Documentary is going out on the road again in March. This film was recently shut down by Indonesian authorities in West Papua All proceeds go to the United Liberation Movement for West Papua and their work on the ground in WP, supporting film makers who are reporting human right abuses by the Indonesian Police and Military
Media release -West Papua-the elephant in the room
GUEST BLOG: Maire Leadbeater – Indonesian Military Sensitivity
revealing
Media release-AETFA-SA &
AWPA SA Re military ties with Australia
Korean company bans forest clearing for
Indonesian palm oil concessions
Lots
of photos in article
How
West Papua’s gold rush has created a wasteland: Indonesian island’s lush
tropical riverland is laid waste by toxic dumping from the world's biggest gold
mine http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4197548/How-West-Papua-s-gold-rush-created-wasteland.html
West Papua Report 2016 Year in
Review
Human
Rights Watch Country report Indonesia
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