1) President, TNI Commander Admit
Soldiers’ Overreaction in Papua
2) Yudhoyono asks minister to
investigate Papua problems
3) Tensions fuel clashes in Indonesia's Papua
4) Violence in Papua:
Christian-Muslim activists denounce Jakarta's inertia
5) OPM deny responsibility for recent
shootings
6) Environmental organisation intends to
work in Papua
7) Time to End Papua’s Security Problems
8) Minister says there are no political detainees in Papua
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1)
President, TNI Commander Admit Soldiers’ Overreaction in Papua
Arientha Primanita |
June 13, 2012
President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono admitted on Tuesday that security officers had
overreacted with their handling of the security situation in Papua, where
violence has escalated for the past couple of weeks.
“Security
officers with the TNI [Indonesian Military] and the National Police have been
deemed over reactive in their responses to activities committed by certain
elements, such as the killings of citizens and TNI soldiers stationed in the
region,” Yudhoyono said on Tuesday while opening a Cabinet meeting on the
recent security situation in Papua.
Yudhoyono
stopped short of further explaining the statement, but TNI commander Admiral
Agus Suhartono made a similar confession after the meeting.
Agus
referred to the alleged attack of a village in Wamena, Papua, by a group of TNI
soldiers, reportedly in retaliation for the killing of a fellow soldier by an
angry mob after he and another soldier, critically wounded, almost hit a child
while riding a motorcycle through the village.
“We
should take lessons from this situation. They [TNI soldiers] shouldn’t have
overreacted. But we must also understand the emotional states of the soldiers,”
Agus told reporters after the Cabinet meeting at the presidential office.
“We
don’t want other overreactions by the TNI there because we don’t want any human
rights abuses,” he added.
Agus
said the TNI had made an agreement with residents of Honai Lama village to
build tents as temporary shelters for some villagers who lost their houses,
reportedly burned down by TNI soldiers.
“We’ve
also agreed to question TNI members that overreacted, and have agreed that
police should at the same time investigate murders of TNI soldiers.
Investigations must run both ways,” he said.
Besides
the Wamena village attack on June 7, at least seven shootings, some of them
fatal, have been reported in the Papuan capital of Jayapura. A German tourist
was shot and wounded on May 29. In the latest case a security guard at the
Cenderawasih University campus was killed.
No
one has been arrested for the attacks. State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief
Marciano Norman has accused the Free Papua Movement (OPM) of being behind the
Jayapura shootings, but the OPM has denied any responsibility.
Yudhoyono
has ordered a thorough investigation into the incidents and said he would
dispatch the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs,
Djoko Suyanto, to Papua to monitor the situation.
BeritaSatu/JG
-------------------------------------------
2)
Yudhoyono asks minister to investigate Papua problems
Tue, June 12 2012 18:57 | 318 Views
Jakarta
(ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked chief security
minister Djoko Suyanto to examine the cause of problems in Papua that have led
to a number of violent acts in the region recently.
"Before
leaving, I hope you could make efforts to overcome the problems in Papua. Study
them to see if there are political or social aspects involved, which later
affect security and local aspects. If we could find the cause of the problem,
it would be easier to find its solution," he said, before holding a
limited cabinet meeting on security and political affairs here on Tuesday.
President
Yudhoyono expressed hope the planned visit of Djoko and other ministers to
Papua would result in a solution to the problems in the violence-ravaged area,
where a number of civilians were killed recently in a shooting incident.
"While
you are there, you must also give a proper explanation to the international
media," he said.
President
Yudhoyono stated the government had decided to take a welfare approach in order
to settle the problems in the easternmost province.
With
regard to cases linked to separatism, he said, they were against the law and
would be dealt with as per the law. Yudhoyono added the law of the country also
applied to Papua and there was no discrimination involved.
"The
law and security must be upheld for the sake of the people and its enforcement
must be carried out based on the existing law. Papua is a legitimate part of
our sovereign country and, therefore, the law that we make also applies
there," he said.
President
Yudhoyono noted separatist activities violated the law and would be dealt with
legally. Speaking about armed separatist members who broke the law by
conducting violence and causing deaths, he said: "We must not condone
them. I believe death-causing acts are not part of the freedom of speech. That
is a violation of the law and the law must be enforced."
"We
must be firm and be able to differentiate between human rights and non-human
rights issues. Everything that we do, as I have always said, must also be
accountable. Inform the public through the media about what we have actually
done so that local people and even the world community would know the real
problem," President Yudhoyono added. He said although the security
disruptions in Papua could be categorized as small-scale incidents, the
government would not ignore the loss of lives and take action immediately.
The
cabinet meeting was attended by coordinating minister for security, law and
political affairs Djoko Suyanto, coordinating minister for people`s welfare
Agung Laksono, coordinating minister for economic affairs Hatta Rajasa,
minister of justice and human rights Amir Syamsuddin, minister/state secretary
Sudi Silalahi, cabinet secretary Dipo Alam, defense forces commander Admiral
Agus Suhartono and national police chief General Timur Pradopo.
A
number of shooting incidents have occurred in several locations in Papua in the
past few months, with the latest one recorded on June 6 at the Cenderawasih
University compound.
SYS/KR-BSR/H-YH)
Editor:
Suryanto
------------------------------------------------
Al Jazeera's
3) Tensions fuel clashes in Indonesia's Papua
Tensions have sparked violence in the Indonesian province of Papua
after the
United Nations criticised Jakarta's human rights record there.
A series of attacks in the country's eastern province have left 16
people dead and Papuans and the Indonesian military are blaming each other for
the ongoing unrest.
While Papuans are calling for an international investigation, the
government insists the problem must be solved locally.
Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports from Jakarta.
---------------------------------------------
» 06/13/2012 10:45
INDONESIA
4) Violence in
Papua: Christian-Muslim activists denounce Jakarta's inertia
Mathias Hariyadi
In the last two weeks eight confirmed
dead, while the guilty go unpunished. The Bishop of Jayapura hosts an
interfaith meeting, to restore peace in the province. Muslim activist: need to
promote love and tolerance, but better to "stay home". Authorities
and separatist leader trade accusationss.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - After days of
silence, dozens of Catholic and Protestant religious leaders in Papua, along
with fellow Muslims, have denounced the inaction of the central government in
Jakarta, unable so far to stem the tide of violence in the province. In the
last two weeks alone, clashes and ambushes have killed at least eight people,
but the toll is still provisional. Known as "Dutch New Guinea" in the
days of colonialism, Indonesian Papua is a resource rich region, but is still
underdeveloped and poor compared to the rest of the archipelago. The regioni s
also plauged by tensions - which leads to violence - between the authorities
related to the central government and movements claiming an ever greater
territorial self-government.
The Islamic-Christian activists gathered
in the offices of the Diocese of Jayapura on June 10 last year and, after the
meeting, they decided to take a firm stand against the perpetrators - so far
unpunished - of violence. The closed door meeting was also attended by the
local bishop, Mgr. Leo Laba Ladjar, also "concerned" about the
escalation of fatal accidents. The leaders of the interfaith committee
also encouraged the promotion of a culture of love and respect among the
different ethnic groups that characterize the province of Papua.
Other
attendees included Pastor Albert Yoku, head of the synod of the churches in
Indonesia, the Rev. Lipiyus Binilux, the Reverend Herman Saud and other Muslim
leaders, including Abdul Dudung Koha, Jayapura section of the Indonesian Ulema
Council (MUI) . Basimo, a local Muslim leader, spoke to AsiaNews of
the need to "nurture a culture of love and tolerance" but also warns
that "it is better not to go out at night, unless absolutely necessary
" until that the situation will improves.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian intelligence
chief, General Norman Marciano, points the finger at the "separatist
groups", he claims are leading of the wave of violence in Papua in recent
weeks. Among these there is also the armed independence movement for a Free
Papua (OPM). However, the group leader Lambert Pekikir rejects these
accusations and claims that he does not know anything about "alleged
shootings." The tension is likely to rise in the coming weeks, the
anniversary of July 1, when OPM celebrates their founding.
In 2001 the
authorities in Jakarta granted a "special autonomy" for the province,
but its practical application has never materialized and the indigenous people
continue to report "unfair treatment". The area was the scene of
a violent military campaign in the days of Sukarno, who led the annexation in
1969 by exploiting a United Nations Interim Directive. The iron fist used
by the Suharto regime between 1967 and 1998 and the massive invasion of foreign
multinationals and companies in Indonesia have encouraged the emergence of a
separatist movement. The current name of Papua was sanctioned in 2002 by former
president Abdurrahman Wahid.
------------------------------------------------
5) OPM deny responsibility for recent shootings
from tapol
JUBI, 12 June 2012
The leader of one of the OPM group which is based along the border
with PNG insists that the OPM is not responsible for the series of terror
shootings that have occurred around Jayapura recently.
The OPM leader, Lambert Pekikir, said that the Indonesian government
is always trying to demonize the OPM He said that they (the OPM) are well
aware of the recent spate of shootings since shots were fired at a German
visitor some weeks ago, having read all about it in the local media. 'Like
others, we too are very confused with these developments.' He said: 'We have
written to the govrnment and to all relevant governmental institutions that we
are not responsible for these acts of terror.'
He said the OPM as making preparations to fly the Morning Star flag
on 1 July this year to mark the organisation's anniversary but this is in no
way connected with any acts of terror. 'Such actions are simply not on our
agenda,' he said.
The NGO, ELSHAM-Papua said that these acts of terror are part
of a project by the government to stigmatize indigenous Papuans as being people
who are spreading anarchy and willing to murder anyone.
He drew attention to the fact that the latest series of shootings
have occurred at a time when the international community is showing greater attention
to the violations of human rights in Papua. He pointed to the fact that the
targets of these latest shootings were all foreigners or immigrants from
elsewhere in Indonesia.'There is no reason to believe that the military wing of
the OPM - the TPN-OPM - would have the slightest reason to shoot ojek drivers
or schoolchildren.
Ferdinand said that the authorities want to convince the
international community that the TPN-OPM want to kill immigrants. They have
made it clear that they are waging their struggle peacefully and will not allow
themselves to pursue the path of violence.
'We once again call on the police to thoroughly investigate
these acts of terror and reveal who it is who is behind them so as to put an
end to these attempts to demonize the Papuan people.'
[Translated by TAPOL]
------------------------------------------
6)
Environmental organisation intends to work in Papua
JUBI, 12 June, 2012
The environmental organisation WALHi has
announced that it intends to start working in Papua in order to focus on the
environmental problems there.
WALHi's executive-director Abetnego
Tarigan told a press conference in Abepura, Papua that actually WALHi is quite
well-known in Papua and has been operating there since 2008 but it had to
abandon its work there for administrative and technical reasons.
As from 2014, it intends to operate in
Papua. He said that WALHi's regional branch along with WALHi nationally
intends to function in Papua to develop a more dynamic
environmentalist movement there .
'We will be working with local
organisations in the territory which have agreed with the criteria set by
WALHi.'
He went on to say that his
organisation is very concerned about environmental problems in Papua, and these
concerns are not unconnected with the exploitation of natural resources which
are taking place on a huge scale. 'There are many of managerial problems as
well, such as the disposal of waste.'
But he went on to say that the problems
in Papua are huge. 'There are many threats to the ecology and to people's
livelihoods. Many companies are involved in huge operations and these
operations are a matter of many discussions.
In the 1990s, WALHi took Freeport (the
copper and gold miners) in Timika to court in connection with problems
connection with the disposal of 'tailings' which have a very significant
impact on the environment, so the organisation has a long history of involvement
in Papua. 'Local NGOs in the territory have expressed their support for WALHi's
intentions with regard to Papua.'
WALHi operates in all 27 provinces in
Indonesia and since 1980, the organisation has worked on the basis of
democratic principles.
[Translated by TAPOL]
--------------------------------
7) Time to End Papua’s Security Problems
Wednesday, 13 June, 2012 | 14:47 WIB
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:A recent string of shooting incidents
points to a serious security problem in Papua, but the root of the problem is
more complex than a group of people trying to gain independence from the
Indonesian government.
Other factors such as dissatisfaction with the
distribution of profits from Papua’s natural resources, resentment toward the
government, efforts to internationalize the conflict and local politics related
to regional elections also play a role.
Such complexities have rendered the
government ‘helpless’ to overcome the multitude of challenges in the region.
The most recent shooting incident in Jayapura and Wamena claimed the
lives of two civilians and 43 people have died in shooting incidents since
2009, including security officers.
The government should immediately take
action. Violence not only claims lives, it disrupts the daily activities of the
local people and government. As a result of the recent shootings, economic
activities have been crippled. Stores and markets in Jayapura and Abepura have
been forced to close early. Prior to that, regional head elections were already
suspended due to riots in Tolikora regency.
Eradicating acts of terror is not
an easy task.
The police are concerned because perpetrators mingle with civilians.
The police also often hesitate to take action because they fear being accused
of committing human rights violations. If necessary, the central government
should dispatch a counter-terror team to curb the violence. Arresting
perpetrators has nothing to do with human rights violations and therefore the
police should not hesitate in applying austere measures. Only through firm
actions can peace and civil order be restored.
------------------
8) Minister
says there are no political detainees in Papua
Margareth S. Aritonang, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed,
06/13/2012 4:03 PM
Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsudin said Wednesday that
the Indonesian government had never detained any Papuans, as well as other
citizens elsewhere, without clear and honest legal procedures.
"We have never detained anybody for expressing his/her
freedom of speech as has been accused by some parties,” he said.
He continued that the people, who had been under detention,
including those in Papua, were those who had obviously violated Indonesia's
laws.
“Therefore, it's misleading to address them as political
detainees," Amir told reporters on the sidelines of a hearing with the
House of Representatives Commission III overseeing law and human rights.
The minister’s was responding to lawmakers’ questions on the
escalating violence in Papua and human rights violations against several
Papuans, including Filep Karma, who some claim has been imprisoned solely for
his political beliefs.
Papuan activist Filep Karma is currently serving a 15-year in
prison for promoting separatism.
He was first detained in 1998, when he led a ceremony to raise
the Rising Star flag in Biak, Papua. Karma's case was in the spotlight during
the United Nations Human Right’s quadrennial Universal Periodic Review last
month. Some countries, such as Germany, asked the Indonesian government to
release Filep and other Papuans detained for political reasons, saying they had
the right to peaceful assembly and association.
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