Activities We All Take for Granted in a Free Democratic Society
Flag Raising Ceremonies
As you can see the above activities are subversive and a danger to the good order and security to the state and you deserve to be shot (murdered), tortured and jailed for this activity.
What Happens in West Papua
The demand for independence - July 1999
The push for an independent West Papua is gaining strength: mass protests met the government's decision to split the territory into three provinces and the vote in East Timor fuelled demands for independence. Internationally, a campaign has been launched to persuade governments to acknowledge that the 'Act of Free Choice', thirty years ago, was a total sham.
Thousands of West Papuans across the territory protested against the Habibie government's decision to divide West Papua into three new provinces. The measure was seen as an attempt by Jakarta to divide the population and weaken the struggle for independence. The decree, dated October 12th, divides West Papua into eastern, central and western provinces each with its own governor. The decree creates a further new province in the Moluccas, North Maluku, and various new districts.
Protests against the division of West Papua continued through August, September and October, and ended with a mass occupation of the local parliament and governor's office in the capital, Jayapura. The occupation ended peacefully when the local parliament announced its rejection of the decree as it had not been based upon consultation with the people of West Papua. Local assembly members were angry that the Habibie government swore in the new governors in Jakarta without their prior knowledge.
The protests against the new provinces were combined with demands for independence - a call which has continued to elicit a brutal response from the military. Police fired shots and beat protestors at a West Papua flag-raising incident in Sorong in July. Amnesty International issued an urgent action bulletin expressing concern for a possible 44 people under arrest following the protest. Nine Sorong protestors have now been put on trial. The continuing hard-line approach of the military underlines Jakarta's message on separation from Indonesia: East Timor, okay, but nobody else!
There have also been incidents of what Indonesians call "horizontal" conflict in West Papua, where communities of different ethnic background or religion are set against each other, usually as a result of provocation. Clashes between Papuans and migrants were reported in Timika, leaving at least 14 dead. Violence has also been reported in Fak-Fak in the west of the territory, where refugees from conflict in Ambon have arrived in their hundreds, resulting in friction with the local Papuan communities. (AFP 1/10/99, Amnesty International ASA 21/58/99)Indonesian troops shoot protesters in Irian Jaya – November 2000
Indonesian troops shot at protestors in Irian Jaya early last month injuring 28 people who were trying to stop the separatist flag from being lowered, a local human rights group said.
The shooting took place in front of a church in Timika, a district town near the giant gold and copper mine operated by Freeport McMoRan, said John Rumbiak, the head of the local chapter of the Institute for Human Rights Studies and Advocacy.
The troops fired on a group of activists who had gathered to stop the separatists' Morning Star flag from being taken down. The flag has been raised in front of the church on November 10.
There were some 2,000 people at the church compound when the shooting took place, Mr Rumbiak said. The flag was finally taken down by the security personnel, he added.
Reports from human rights activists said four of the wounded were being treated at the Freeport hospital while 24 others were at the Caritas hospital in Timika, he said. At least 10 people were arrested, among them were Yosepha Alomang, an Amungme tribeswoman who has sued Freeport McMoRan, Isak Onawame, chairman of the Christian Missionary Alliance of Mimika district and Hiskia Merarabuyam, who organised the West Papua flag raising.
Parliament House
Canberra
ACT 2600
1 December 2003
Dear Mr. Downer,I am writing to you concerning the dangerous situation developing in West Papua. The 1st of December is West Papuan National Day and on this day the West Papuan People have traditionally raised their flag, The Morning Star as an act of protest against Indonesian rule and also of celebration of their cultural identity.
Today a flag raising was held at the house of the late leader of the Papuan Presidium Council, Theys Eluay who was killed by Kopassus soldiers on 10 November 2001. However, while 500people attended a mass to mark the anniversary the police and military interrupted the commemoration and cut down the flag.
In another incident last week up to 50 people were arrested and taken to the local police station in Manokwari for questioning after they raised another Papuan flag, the "Bintang 14" the West Melanesian flag.
AWPA is concerned that the military may use these flag raising incidents as an excuse to crack down on so called separatists.
The Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) reported last week that human rights violations had been committed during military operations to retrieve weapons which had been stolen from the military armory in the town of Wamena earlier this year.
A member of the National Committee for Human Rights said that in the Wamena case seven civilians had been killed, (other reports have stated that up to 16 people were killed), 48 tortured and 48 others arrested. He also said that during the military operation up to 7,000 people had also been forced to flee their homes which were burned down.
We urge you to vigorously condemn the human rights abuses that are ongoing in West Papua and urge you to encourage the Indonesia government to dialogue with the civil society organisations in West Papua who are trying to create a Zone of Peace in the province.
Yours sincerely
Joe Collins
Secretary
AWPA (Sydney)
Crackdown on raising of Papuan flag
November 29 2002Jakarta: Indonesian authorities have arrested 13 Papuans and banned flag-raising ceremonies ahead of planned celebrations marking the province's national day, police said yesterday.
"If there are any demonstrations we will break them up," said Lieutenant-Colonel Andus Sihombing, a police spokesman in Papua. "If they are determined to mark the day we will act."
Colonel Sihombing said police arrested 13 people who had raised Papua's outlawed Morning Star flag in the western town of Manokwari.
Sunday marks the 41st anniversary of West Papua's unilateral declaration of independence while the region was still under Dutch rule. Indonesia occupied it in 1963.
In recent years dozens of civilians have been shot dead or injured in clashes with troops when they tried to fly the independence banner. Several members of the security forces have been hurt when Papuans fought back with bows and arrows.
Last week the region's largest political organisation, the Papua Presidium Council, announced plans to hold the annual flag-raising ceremony at the home of their late leader Theys Eluay, who was assassinated a year ago.
A dozen members of Indonesia's special forces have been detained over his murder, but the Government in Jakarta has so far refrained from bringing them to trial.
Indonesia: Fear of torture or ill-treatment/Incommunicado detention
PUBLIC
AI Index: ASA 21/047/2002UA 344/02 Fear of torture or
ill-treatment/ 28 November 2002
Incommunicado detentionINDONESIA 42 people (names unknown)
Forty-two people are being held in Manokwari Police Resort (Mapolres Manokwari) in Papua Province after being arrested on 26 and 27 November. They are being held in incommunicado detention and are at risk of torture or ill-treatment.The detainees were arrested in connection with activities to commemorate the fifth anniversary of a declaration of Papuan independence on 27 November. On 26 November, 22 people were reportedly arrested during a meeting in the Fandini Dalam area of Manokwari town, the capital of Manokwari district. Twelve others were arrested at around 6am on 27 November, after raising the Morning Star flag - a symbol of Papuan independence - in front of YPK Fandini elementary school. A further eight people were detained in Amban and Sowi neighbourhoods later
that day.BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In recent years, both peaceful and armed supporters of independence in Papua have been unlawfully killed, and subjected to disappearance, torture and detention without charge.Flag raising ceremonies have been forcibly broken up by the Indonesian security forces across Papua and since July 1998 have resulted in the extrajudicial execution of at least 37 people. Many others have been injured, detained without charge and tortured.
Leaders of the civilian pro-independence movement have been targeted, including the head of the Papuan Presidium Council (PDP), Theys Eluay, who was extrajudicially executed. Nine members of the Special Forces Command (Kopassus) have been named as suspects in the case. Theys Eluay was one of five civilian independence leaders put on trial for their peaceful political activities. Three others were acquitted in March 2002. Four other civilian pro-independence leaders are currently under town arrest in Wamena town, Jayawijaya District, after having been sentenced to four years imprisonment in December 2000. They are considered prisoners of conscience.
During police operations in Wasior Sub-district, Manokwari District in the second half of 2001, it is estimated that over 140 people were detained, tortured or otherwise ill-treated. One person died in custody in Mapolres Manokwari as a result of torture, while at least seven other people are believed to have been extrajudicially executed. Twenty-seven people were sentenced to terms of imprisonment after unfair trials. The operations were in response to attacks on logging companies in which nine people, including five members of the police were killed, by unidentified armed groups.
Indonesia: Human Rights and Pro-Independence Actions in Irian Jaya
IX. Appendix: Arrests Since July 1998
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Other SectionsTable of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Background to the Demonstration
III. Sorong and Jayapura
IV. The Biak Demonstration
V. Bodies in Biak
VI. Wamena, Jayawijaya
VII. Riots in Manokwari
VIII. Arrest of Theys Eluay and the National Dialogue Debate
IX. Appendix: Arrests Since July 1998--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. The Biak Detainees:All of the following were arrested in connection with the Biak demonstrations, and all are being held in Biak prison as their trials proceed.
Drs. Filip (Yopy) Jakob Samuel Karma was detained on July 6. Aged thirty-nine, he is an employee of the training and education bureau of the provincial government; he had studied public administration and management in Manila. He was also the secretary for the provincial branch of KORPRI, the civil servants' association linked to the ruling party, Golkar. The prosecution charged him with being the leader of the July demonstration. He was shot in both feet during his arrest by security forces. After not being able to see him for over a week after his arrest, his wife was finally allowed to visit, but she and other members of the family were experiencing harassment from officials at least through August and believed the telephone at the family home in Jayapura was tapped.Nelles Sroyer, thirty-eight, is unemployed. He was accused of leading the crowd in hymns at the time the flag was raised and of soliciting contributions from local people to buy food for the demonstrators. He reportedly gave a statement to police under duress and was beaten during interrogation on July 7. He lived in the Asrama Pelayaran, Biak town.
Thonci Wabiser, aged sixty-six, is a retired policeman. He was accused of leading prayers and collecting funds from sympathizers during the demonstrations. He was released into the custody of his family pending trial but was redetained before the trial began.
Melki Kmur, twenty-five, is a sometime fisherman from Inggiri village, subdistrict Yendidori, Biak Numfor, who helped carry the flag to the demonstration. He was beaten, forced to lie down on his back, and then walked on by police.
Celsius Raweyai, forty-six, self-employed as a porter in the Biak airport, he took part in the singing of the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" as the flag was being raised. He was arrested at his home on July 6 and reportedly gave a statement to police under duress. For most of his questioning, he was not accompanied by a lawyer; a court-appointed attorney appeared toward the end of his interrogation.
Agustinus Sada, forty-nine, is an unemployed resident of Biak town. He was previously imprisoned for the non-political murder of a policeman. He helped mobilize the crowd at the time of the flag-raising.
Eduard Iwanggin, known as Edu, forty-four, was released in August into the custody of his family. He worked as a civil servant involved in traffic control, Biak town. He was arrested at gunpoint on July 6 by three members of the mobile police brigade and one soldier from the regional military command (KOREM). He was not charged with assault, unlike most of the others.
Andreas Marsyom, thirty-seven, is a civil servant in the district government of Yapen Waropen and is a native of Dobo village, subdistrict Warsa, North Biak. He was accused of taking part in the demonstration and leading the singing of "Onward Christian Soldiers."
Hengky Yosias Wambrauw, twenty-three, is an unemployed man from Samofa, Biak Numfor, whose main role during the demonstration was to provide guitar accompaniment to the singing. He was arrested on July 6 and gave a statement to police, reportedly under duress.
Nehemia Ronsumbre, forty-three, is a fisherman from Paray village, East Biak, who turned himself in to the police on July 7 and was eventually released into the custody of his family. He was later redetained before his trial began in October.
Marinus Ronsumbre, thirty-two, is a fisherman from Paray, Samofa, East Biak. He was beaten with a rifle butt and otherwise ill-treated during his arrest on July 6.
Clemens Ronsumbre, fifty-seven, is a farmer, Ridge II, Biak Numfor.
Bernardus Mansawan, nineteen, was a taxi conductor. He was arrested on July 6 but eventually released into the custody of his family. While being questioned, he was reportedly ordered to sign a statement refusing legal counsel.
Lamekh Dimara, twenty-two, is a farmer from Robuki village, North Biak. He helped provide security for the demonstration and was shot with a rubber bullet by security forces. He was charged with rebellion, spreading hatred, and possession of a sharp weapon under Emergency Law No.12/1951.
Robert Iwanggin, also known as Roy, thirty-eight, is unemployed and a resident of Biak town. He helped make the flag and later turned himself in to police because he was afraid of the consequences if he did not. He was charged with rebellion and spreading hatred.
Inseren Sampari Karma, a housewife, came to the demonstration only in order to give her brother, Yopy Karma, a report on their father's health; he had had an operation several days earlier. Once there, however, she stayed to help collect funds and distribute food. A warrant for her arrest was produced two days after she was detained on July 6. She was eventually released into the custody of her family.
Djoumunda Costan Karma, Yopy's brother, aged thirty, was a self-employed resident of Biak town. He helped make the flag used in the demonstration. Arrested on July 6, he was only presented with an arrest warrant several days later. Although the charges against him do not include assault, they do include carrying or possessing a sharp weapon under Emergency Law No.12/1951.
Adrianus Rumbewas, twenty-five, unemployed, took part in the demonstration and was arrested on July 9 by members of the district military command. He is from Inggiri village, subdistrict Yenidori, Biak Numfor. He was charged with rebellion and spreading hatred but not with assault.
Nico Rumpaidus, forty-two, is a civil servant working for the district government's treasury department (Kantor Pebendaharaan dan Kas Negara). He was present when the flag used in the demonstration was made. Originally from Paray village, Samofa subdistrict, Biak Numfor, he was charged, like Costan Karma, with violating Emergency Law No.12/1951.
2. The Wamena Arrests
Most of the following people were not shown an arrest warrant until twenty-four hours after they were detained, and none was accompanied by a lawyer during interrogation. All were on trial as of December 1998.Marinus Muabuay, fifty-eight, retired civil servant, arrested on August 6. He watched the flag-raising as an elder in charge.
Yakobus Tanawani, twenty-seven, self-employed, arrested on August 6. He helped raised the flag.
Soleman Manufandu, thirty-six, a teacher in a government school. He turned himself in on August 8; he had been tasked by the flag-raisers with making banners and the flag, the model for which was given to him by another one of the accused, Ishak Windesi.
Ones Pariaribo, twenty-nine, self-employed. He helped make banners and the flag, and was arrested without a warrant at the Wamena airport.
Amos Ramanday, forty, civil servant. He was responsible for mobilizing local people to witness the flag-raising. He was arrested at his home on August 6 without a warrant.
Piter Samalo, thirty-seven, self-employed. He helped Soleman Manufandu and Yakobus Tanawani in making banners and the flag. He was arrested at his home on August 7.
Paulus Guiliano Marlo Muabuay, twenty-five, unemployed. He watched the second flag-raising and witnessed the agreement to this event by the district military and civilian officials, members of the district council, and one journalist (Linda Korwa). He was arrested on August 8 and was reportedly beaten by a police captain during interrogation.
Margaretha Wakman, twenty, a contract worker in the district forestry office in Wamena. She was a witness to the second flag-raising and was arrested on August 8.
Jemmy Togotly, seventeen, a high school student, accused of helping raise the flag. He told local human rights defenders that in the course of his interrogation, he was hit with a club eighteen times, his knees were kicked, and he was kicked in the head and beaten with a stick. He was also told that he would be given electric shocks, although they were in fact not administered.
Isak Windesy, a civil servant who reportedly worked with Yan Manuel Menay in planning the flag-raising.
3. The Arrests of Pro-Independence Advocates in Jayapura, late September and OctoberImmediately following the Manokwari demonstrations, two students were arrested, Martinus Werimon and Ronald Tapilatu. Martinus was head of the student senate at Cenderawasih University, and Ronald was a student at a Protestant technical high school. The detention of the two on October 2 sparked a protest rally by other students at the police station where they were held, with protestors saying Ronald and Marthinus, like other students, were only playing their role as a moral voice for the people and that part of that role was to hold an open forum on campus where people could say whatever they wanted. In a meeting with the protesters, in response to questions about why the two were detained without warrant, the police chief said it was an intelligence operation, and those were the procedures.(21)
The six pro-independence advocates arrested in and around Jayapura were:
1. Theys Eluay, sixty-one, head of the Irian Jaya Customary Council
2. Drs. Don A.L. Flassy, fifty-three, secretary of the provincial Planning and Development Board.
3. Rev. Agustinus Ansanai, forty-one, minister.
4. Barnabas Yufuwai, forty-five, civil servant.
5. Laurence Mehuwe, fifty-one, director of the provincial Planning and Development Board.
6. Semuel (Sem) Yaru, thirty-nine, civilian employee of the regional military command.
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Indonesia: Human Rights and Pro-Independence Actions in Irian Jaya - Table of Contents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------21. "Rektor III Uncen dan Mahasiswa Datangi Polres Jayapura," unpublished report of students who attended meeting with police commander of Jayapura, October 2, 1998.
INDONESIA: Police interrogate people suspected of flag raising
Police are interrogating three people suspected of flying the separatist flag of the Republic of South Maluku.
The Jakarta Post
Sunday, December 7, 2003
AMBON, Maluku (Antara): Police are interrogating three people suspected of flying the separatist flag of the Republic of South Maluku (RMS) in Batugantung.
Ambon Police chief Adj. Chief Commr. Teguh Budi Prasojo said on Saturday that they raised the flag at a house on Friday.
"Police are intensively questioning them to disclose the motive and mastermind of the flag raising," Teguh said.
He also alleged that the Maluku Sovereignty Front (FLM) was behind the raising of the RMS flag.
When conflict engulfed Maluku, the administrator of civil emergency in the province banned the organization from carrying out its activities, he said.
Date Posted: 12/7/2003
Agence France-Presse, Thursday, 17 Jul, 2003, 12:20am
One killed, two injured in Papua separatist flag-raising incident
Indonesian security authorities trying to halt a separatist flag-raising ceremony in Papua province have shot dead one person, injured two and
arrested several others, police said."They tried to raise the flag in front of the district parliament office yesterday and ignored calls to halt the ceremony immediately," said an officer, Mangaprouw.
The officer, from Jayawijaya district police, said one man was shot dead and two injured in the incident in the town of Wamena in the Central Highlands.
A reporter with SCTV television station said some 20 men had attempted to fly the "Bintang 14" flag of a local small separatist group which wants an independent Melanesian state in Indonesia's easternmost province.
It was not clear whether soldiers as well as police were involved.
SCTV said only a few people involved in the ceremony managed to flee into the jungle while more than a dozen were arrested.
Separatist movements have been operating in resource-rich Papua since Dutch colonisers ceded control of the territory to Indonesia in 1963. The group involved in the Wamena flag-raising incident was previously unheard of.
The main armed separatist group in Papua is the Free Papua Movement which wages sporadic low-level guerrilla resistance.
WEST PAPUA: Students face 20 years' jail for raising flag
From Green Left Weekly, January 14, 2004Jason MacLeod
On December 3, 2003, Indonesian security forces detained four West Papuan students for their part, two days earlier, in releasing West Papuan flags — known as the Morning Star — attached to balloons in the central Java town of Semarang.
The students' action was to commemorate Indonesian-occupied West Papua's “independence day”. In 1961, the West New Guinea Council — a democratically elected body — adopted a national anthem, agreed upon the name West Papua for their country and unveiled the Morning Star flag.
However, the government of Indonesia launched a small-scale invasion to back up diplomatic manoeuvres, finally securing administrative control of the territory in 1963. West Papua was integrated into the Republic of Indonesia after less than 1% of the indigenous Melanesian population voted in the discredited and fraudulent 1969 Act of Free Choice.
The students called for a peaceful dialogue between the Indonesian government and the people of West Papua, mediated by a third party, to resolve the political status of the territory. Charlie Imbir, Chris Ukago, Herman Katmu and high school student Markus Jiwitao face up to 20 years in jail if charged with treason.
Police in Semarang have been conducting house-to-house searches for banners, posters, books on West Papua and other pro-Papua material considered subversive by the state. A demonstration, allegedly involving Indonesians brought in from the town of Solo, was held outside the police headquarters where the students are being detained. The demonstrators called for Jakarta to crackdown on the pro-independence Free Papua Movement (OPM).
Security forces routinely harass West Papuan students studying in Java and many have gone into hiding. In November, unknown men wielding samurai swords and carrying Molotov cocktails attacked a West Papuan student dormitory in Yogyakarta in the early hours of the morning. “We are all scared”, said one student who asked not to be named, “and we don't dare return to our dormitories”.
Many students believe that the increasing attacks in Java and West Papua are part of an organised state-sponsored crackdown. Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri, Coordinating minister for security and political affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, chief of the armed forces General Endriartono Sutarto and army chief of staff General Ryamizard Ryacudu have all publicly stated that “separatism” will not be tolerated and have ruled out the possibility of dialogue over West Papua's status.
Sukarnoputri chose December 1 to announce the appointment of Timbul Silaen as the new police chief of Papua province (as West Papua is officially known). Silaen is the infamous former East Timor police chief and an indicted human rights violator. At the same time, notorious East Timor militia leader Eurico Guterres has arrived in Timika in West Papua, near the giant Freeport-Rio Tinto gold and copper mine, to form a militia group — the Red and White Defenders Front (Front Pembela Merah Putih — FPMP).
Silaen and Guterres were accused of crimes against humanity following Indonesian military and militia violence in the wake of East Timor's historic vote for independence in the UN-sponsored referendum in 1999.
“You know, there is the Morning Star flag there. We have to fight it, with our blood if necessary. I think it is very normal if you fight back, with or without arms... So, I told my members, if your area is attacked, you are free to join any militia group to fight the attackers back”, said Norman Sophan, FPMP secretary-general.
On November 5, troops from Indonesia's notorious special forces Kopassus raided and killed 10 people as they slept in their beds in Yalengga village in the remote West Papuan highlands. The night before he was killed in his bed, OPM leader Yustinus Murip was seen on SBS television's Dateline program calling for the UN to intervene and support peaceful dialogue to resolve the longstanding conflict.
The attack on Yalengga was the latest in the military operations that have continued in the highlands since April. The attacks have resulted in hundreds of people being displaced and countless rapes, assaults, torture and killings. Scores of health clinics, churches, schools, gardens and villages have been burnt to the ground.
Another pro-Jakarta militia, Barisan Merah Putih (Red and White Garrison), has also been set up by the security forces in the highlands town of Wamena. Human rights defenders in Sorong and Fak Fak have reported that the Laskar Jihad militia has established a presence there and enjoys support and protection from the military.
In September, the respected West Papuan human rights organisation ELSHAM (Institute for the Study and Advocacy of Human Rights) had their offices ransacked by thugs in Jakarta. Since then, two senior ELSHAM staffers, John Rumbiak and Yohanes Bonay, have been forced to leave as a result of death threats. Rumbiak is now in exile in the United States.
Yohanes Bonay's child and wife were seriously wounded when unidentified men opened fire with automatic weapons on a car they were travelling in, the same vehicle that only hours before Bonay had decided not to travel in. ELSHAM staff are currently in court, accused by the military of defamation.
West Papuan leaders fear it is only a matter of time before martial law is declared in West Papua.
With each act of violence committed by the Indonesian military, dissent in West Papua deepens and trust in the sincerity of the Indonesian government to constructively resolve the conflict dissipates.
The Megawati government's policy is at odds with the approach taken by former president Abdurrahman Wahid. The Wahid government allowed the Morning Star to fly, provided it was flown lower than the Indonesian flag. Since Megawati came to power, the West Papuan flag has been banned and peaceful flag-raisings forcibly repressed. Seven activists remain in detention in Manokwari after a pre-emptive police action scuttled plans for a December 1 commemoration there.
[Jason MacLeod is an activist with the Australian West Papua Association.]
From Green Left Weekly, January 14, 2004.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.
LIBRARY ASIA AND THE PACIFIC SOUTH-EAST ASIA INDONESIA
AI Index: ASA 21/004/2005 1 February 2005
AI index: ASA 21/004/2005
Date: 1 February 2005
Indonesia: Prisoners of Conscience Action 2005
Case sheet: The Jayapura Flag-raisers
Case information
Filep Karma (m) and Yusak Pakage (m) could face life imprisonment for their participation in a peaceful flag-raising ceremony in Abepura, Papua province on 1 December 2004. They are currently on trial in Jayapura on charges of rebellion under Articles 106 and 110 of the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP) which carries a possible life sentence. They are also charged under Article 154 KUHP with expressing hostility or hatred towards the state, the maximum penalty for which is seven years. Amnesty International considers them to be prisoners of conscience who have been detained purely for the peaceful and legitimate exercise of their right to freedom of expression and is calling for their immediate and unconditional release.
On 1 December 2004 a peaceful ceremony was held in Trikora field outside Abepura in Papua and the Morning Star flag, a symbol of Papuan independence, was raised in commemoration of the declaration of Papuan independence in 1962. The commemoration is celebrated annually by some Papuans. Approximately 200 people took part in the ceremony, and hundreds more local people watched from the edge of the fields.
When the flag was raised, police advanced on the crowd, firing warning shots and beating people with batons. At least four people were reportedly injured by bullets fired by the police, including two people receiving bullet wounds to the head, and at least one student had her body stepped on by members of the police forces.
Police also beat a human rights monitor from the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (ELSHAM), who was trying to photograph the police attack on the crowd.
However, the police were outnumbered by the crowd and were forced to retreat until riot police reinforcements arrived. They were then able to force an end to the ceremony.
Filep Karma was arrested at the site of the ceremony. He was reportedly beaten, and stepped on by police officers during transportation to the police station. A group of about twenty people were later arrested at the police station when they went to protest over Filep Karma’s arrest. This group was subsequently released, except for Yusak Pakage, who remained in detention with Filep Karma. The two men were later charged with rebellion for their role in leading and organising the event.
Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage have staged hunger strikes during their detention, to protest over their ill-treatment, and over the legality of the charges against them.
Other Prisoners of Conscience in Papua
Supporters of independence for Papua Province are among those who have been imprisoned as prisoners of conscience in Indonesia. Since late 1998, more than 72 people have been brought to trial in Papua in connection with activities in support of independence, of which at least 34 are believed to have been engaged only in peaceful activities. These have included organising or attending meetings in which the political status of Papua has been discussed, and ceremonies in which the Morning Star flag, a symbol of independence, has been raised.In a similar case two other prisoners of conscience, Herman Wanggai and Edison Waromi, were imprisoned for two years in Abepura Prison. The two men were detained during a peaceful flag-raising ceremony on the campus of Cenderawasih University in Abepura town on 14 December 2002. In October 2003 they were found guilty of "rebellion" (Article 106 and 110, KUHP) and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment each. They were released in 2004. A third man, Jordan Ick, was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment for knowing about the event but failing to report it to the authorities (Article 164 KUHP). He has also been released after serving his sentence.
Nine men who were arrested during a similar demonstration on 27 November 2002 were sentenced to between 14 and 15 month’ imprisonment. Six of them were considered to be prisoners of conscience. All have been released following completion of their sentences.
In 2001, Reverend Obeth Komba, Amelia Yiggibalom, Reverend Yudas Meage and Murjono Murib were sentenced to four year’s imprisonment each after being found guilty of "rebellion" under Articles 106 and 110 of the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP). All four are members of the Wamena Panel – the local branch of the civilian organisation which supports independence for Papua Province, the Papua Presidium Council. There four were accused of instigating violence in Wamena town in October 2001. Evidence showed, however, that they actively tried to prevent the violence. They were then told by the police to find those responsible. Unable and unwilling to do so, they were themselves charged and convicted of rebellion on the basis of their panel membership and attendance of public meetings which discussed independence for Papua. The four are currently serving their prison sentences.
Background
Following the forced resignation of former President Suharto in 1998, over 230 prisoners of conscience and political prisoners were released in a series of presidential amnesties. Repressive legislation which limits freedom of expression, under which many of them had been imprisoned, fell out of use for a brief period of time.However, since early 2001, repressive legislation has once again been used with increasing frequency against government critics, including labour and political activists, journalists, and independence activists in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) and Papua Provinces. A number of human rights organisations have also been charged with "defamation", in what appears to be an attempt by the authorities to discredit them and disrupt their legitimate work.
At least 62 prisoners of conscience have been sentenced to prison terms since 1998. Nine of them are currently imprisoned. In addition to Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage, six people who would be considered prisoners of conscience if convicted are currently facing trial. Hundreds more political prisoners have faced trial in the provinces of Aceh, Papua and Maluku. Amnesty International believes that many of these have been convicted solely for the peaceful and legitimate exercise of their right to freedom of expression.
While Amnesty International takes no position on the political status of any province of Indonesia, Amnesty International believes that the right to freedom of expression includes the right to peacefully advocate referenda, independence or other political solutions and that these rights must be upheld.
Amnesty International is calling on the Indonesian government to:• Immediately and unconditionally release Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage, and all other prisoners of conscience in Indonesia;
• Make public commitments that there will be no further arrest of individuals purely for the peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression, opinion, belief and association;
• Conduct effective and independent investigations into the allegations of human rights violations by members of the security forces in Abepura in relation to the events of 1 December 2004, including the unnecessary use of force against peaceful demonstrators, and the ill-treatment of detainees; and to prosecute those found to be responsible;
• Repeal repressive legislation used to imprison prisoners of conscience including the “Hate-sowing Articles” (Articles 154, 155, and 156 KHUP) and articles which criminalize “insulting the President or Vice-president” (Articles 134, 136 and 137 KUHP);
• Ratify and implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);
• Issue standing invitations for UN Mechanisms to visit Indonesia. Priority should be given to the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the Special Rapporteur on Torture;
********
AI Index: ASA 21/004/2005 1 February 2005
Indonesia: Human Rights and Pro-Independence Actions in Irian Jaya
IX. Appendix: Arrests Since July 1998
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other SectionsTable of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Background to the Demonstration
III. Sorong and Jayapura
IV. The Biak Demonstration
V. Bodies in Biak
VI. Wamena, Jayawijaya
VII. Riots in Manokwari
VIII. Arrest of Theys Eluay and the National Dialogue Debate
IX. Appendix: Arrests Since July 1998--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. The Biak Detainees:All of the following were arrested in connection with the Biak demonstrations, and all are being held in Biak prison as their trials proceed.
Drs. Filip (Yopy) Jakob Samuel Karma was detained on July 6. Aged thirty-nine, he is an employee of the training and education bureau of the provincial government; he had studied public administration and management in Manila. He was also the secretary for the provincial branch of KORPRI, the civil servants' association linked to the ruling party, Golkar. The prosecution charged him with being the leader of the July demonstration. He was shot in both feet during his arrest by security forces. After not being able to see him for over a week after his arrest, his wife was finally allowed to visit, but she and other members of the family were experiencing harassment from officials at least through August and believed the telephone at the family home in Jayapura was tapped.Nelles Sroyer, thirty-eight, is unemployed. He was accused of leading the crowd in hymns at the time the flag was raised and of soliciting contributions from local people to buy food for the demonstrators. He reportedly gave a statement to police under duress and was beaten during interrogation on July 7. He lived in the Asrama Pelayaran, Biak town.
Thonci Wabiser, aged sixty-six, is a retired policeman. He was accused of leading prayers and collecting funds from sympathizers during the demonstrations. He was released into the custody of his family pending trial but was redetained before the trial began.
Melki Kmur, twenty-five, is a sometime fisherman from Inggiri village, subdistrict Yendidori, Biak Numfor, who helped carry the flag to the demonstration. He was beaten, forced to lie down on his back, and then walked on by police.
Celsius Raweyai, forty-six, self-employed as a porter in the Biak airport, he took part in the singing of the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" as the flag was being raised. He was arrested at his home on July 6 and reportedly gave a statement to police under duress. For most of his questioning, he was not accompanied by a lawyer; a court-appointed attorney appeared toward the end of his interrogation.
Agustinus Sada, forty-nine, is an unemployed resident of Biak town. He was previously imprisoned for the non-political murder of a policeman. He helped mobilize the crowd at the time of the flag-raising.
Eduard Iwanggin, known as Edu, forty-four, was released in August into the custody of his family. He worked as a civil servant involved in traffic control, Biak town. He was arrested at gunpoint on July 6 by three members of the mobile police brigade and one soldier from the regional military command (KOREM). He was not charged with assault, unlike most of the others.
Andreas Marsyom, thirty-seven, is a civil servant in the district government of Yapen Waropen and is a native of Dobo village, subdistrict Warsa, North Biak. He was accused of taking part in the demonstration and leading the singing of "Onward Christian Soldiers."
Hengky Yosias Wambrauw, twenty-three, is an unemployed man from Samofa, Biak Numfor, whose main role during the demonstration was to provide guitar accompaniment to the singing. He was arrested on July 6 and gave a statement to police, reportedly under duress.
Nehemia Ronsumbre, forty-three, is a fisherman from Paray village, East Biak, who turned himself in to the police on July 7 and was eventually released into the custody of his family. He was later redetained before his trial began in October.
Marinus Ronsumbre, thirty-two, is a fisherman from Paray, Samofa, East Biak. He was beaten with a rifle butt and otherwise ill-treated during his arrest on July 6.
Clemens Ronsumbre, fifty-seven, is a farmer, Ridge II, Biak Numfor.
Bernardus Mansawan, nineteen, was a taxi conductor. He was arrested on July 6 but eventually released into the custody of his family. While being questioned, he was reportedly ordered to sign a statement refusing legal counsel.
Lamekh Dimara, twenty-two, is a farmer from Robuki village, North Biak. He helped provide security for the demonstration and was shot with a rubber bullet by security forces. He was charged with rebellion, spreading hatred, and possession of a sharp weapon under Emergency Law No.12/1951.
Robert Iwanggin, also known as Roy, thirty-eight, is unemployed and a resident of Biak town. He helped make the flag and later turned himself in to police because he was afraid of the consequences if he did not. He was charged with rebellion and spreading hatred.
Inseren Sampari Karma, a housewife, came to the demonstration only in order to give her brother, Yopy Karma, a report on their father's health; he had had an operation several days earlier. Once there, however, she stayed to help collect funds and distribute food. A warrant for her arrest was produced two days after she was detained on July 6. She was eventually released into the custody of her family.
Djoumunda Costan Karma, Yopy's brother, aged thirty, was a self-employed resident of Biak town. He helped make the flag used in the demonstration. Arrested on July 6, he was only presented with an arrest warrant several days later. Although the charges against him do not include assault, they do include carrying or possessing a sharp weapon under Emergency Law No.12/1951.
Adrianus Rumbewas, twenty-five, unemployed, took part in the demonstration and was arrested on July 9 by members of the district military command. He is from Inggiri village, subdistrict Yenidori, Biak Numfor. He was charged with rebellion and spreading hatred but not with assault.
Nico Rumpaidus, forty-two, is a civil servant working for the district government's treasury department (Kantor Pebendaharaan dan Kas Negara). He was present when the flag used in the demonstration was made. Originally from Paray village, Samofa subdistrict, Biak Numfor, he was charged, like Costan Karma, with violating Emergency Law No.12/1951.
2. The Wamena Arrests
Most of the following people were not shown an arrest warrant until twenty-four hours after they were detained, and none was accompanied by a lawyer during interrogation. All were on trial as of December 1998.Marinus Muabuay, fifty-eight, retired civil servant, arrested on August 6. He watched the flag-raising as an elder in charge.
Yakobus Tanawani, twenty-seven, self-employed, arrested on August 6. He helped raised the flag.
Soleman Manufandu, thirty-six, a teacher in a government school. He turned himself in on August 8; he had been tasked by the flag-raisers with making banners and the flag, the model for which was given to him by another one of the accused, Ishak Windesi.
Ones Pariaribo, twenty-nine, self-employed. He helped make banners and the flag, and was arrested without a warrant at the Wamena airport.
Amos Ramanday, forty, civil servant. He was responsible for mobilizing local people to witness the flag-raising. He was arrested at his home on August 6 without a warrant.
Piter Samalo, thirty-seven, self-employed. He helped Soleman Manufandu and Yakobus Tanawani in making banners and the flag. He was arrested at his home on August 7.
Paulus Guiliano Marlo Muabuay, twenty-five, unemployed. He watched the second flag-raising and witnessed the agreement to this event by the district military and civilian officials, members of the district council, and one journalist (Linda Korwa). He was arrested on August 8 and was reportedly beaten by a police captain during interrogation.
Margaretha Wakman, twenty, a contract worker in the district forestry office in Wamena. She was a witness to the second flag-raising and was arrested on August 8.
Jemmy Togotly, seventeen, a high school student, accused of helping raise the flag. He told local human rights defenders that in the course of his interrogation, he was hit with a club eighteen times, his knees were kicked, and he was kicked in the head and beaten with a stick. He was also told that he would be given electric shocks, although they were in fact not administered.
Isak Windesy, a civil servant who reportedly worked with Yan Manuel Menay in planning the flag-raising.
3. The Arrests of Pro-Independence Advocates in Jayapura, late September and OctoberImmediately following the Manokwari demonstrations, two students were arrested, Martinus Werimon and Ronald Tapilatu. Martinus was head of the student senate at Cenderawasih University, and Ronald was a student at a Protestant technical high school. The detention of the two on October 2 sparked a protest rally by other students at the police station where they were held, with protestors saying Ronald and Marthinus, like other students, were only playing their role as a moral voice for the people and that part of that role was to hold an open forum on campus where people could say whatever they wanted. In a meeting with the protesters, in response to questions about why the two were detained without warrant, the police chief said it was an intelligence operation, and those were the procedures.(21)
The six pro-independence advocates arrested in and around Jayapura were:
1. Theys Eluay, sixty-one, head of the Irian Jaya Customary Council
2. Drs. Don A.L. Flassy, fifty-three, secretary of the provincial Planning and Development Board.
3. Rev. Agustinus Ansanai, forty-one, minister.
4. Barnabas Yufuwai, forty-five, civil servant.
5. Laurence Mehuwe, fifty-one, director of the provincial Planning and Development Board.
6. Semuel (Sem) Yaru, thirty-nine, civilian employee of the regional military command.
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Indonesia: Human Rights and Pro-Independence Actions in Irian Jaya - Table of Contents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------21. "Rektor III Uncen dan Mahasiswa Datangi Polres Jayapura," unpublished report of students who attended meeting with police commander of Jayapura, October 2, 1998.
WSWS : News & Analysis : Asia : Indonesia
Massacre in West Papua
A first-hand account
By Mike Head
20 November 1998
Thanks to the efforts of two Australian aid workers, reports have begun to appear in the media of a ferocious massacre carried out by the Indonesian military regime in the West Papuan town of Biak on July 6. Rebecca Casey and Paul Meixner were in Biak, a town of some 30,000 people off the north coast of West Papua, on the day of the terror.An estimated 150 people were killed and many more were wounded when troops, acting directly at the behest of Indonesian Armed Forces Chief and Defence Minister General Wiranto, opened fire with automatic weapons on a crowd sleeping beneath a raised West Papuan independence flag. The shooting continued for at least four hours as other residents were hauled from their homes. Other victims were tortured and in some case raped before being dumped in the sea by naval gunships.
Church and human rights groups issued first reports of the atrocity the following day. They reported that at about 5.30am on July 6, two navy vessels unloaded marines at Biak harbour while Hercules helicopters dropped about 130 troops from the 733rd infantry battalion of the regional military command. They further reported that troops had opened fire without warning. In other reports, General Wiranto was quoted as denouncing the Biak flag-raising as a "revolt against the government" and declaring that the army would take "firm action" against such protests. The World Socialist Web Site drew attention to some of these reports on July 10.
However, the Habibie government in Indonesia covered up the crime. It claims that only one or two people were killed when soldiers dispersed the crowd and took down the flag. This whitewash has been assisted by the Howard government in Australia, which sent an army intelligence officer to Biak later in July, ostensibly to gather information. The Howard government said nothing, and the world media took no interest.
But in the days following the massacre, Casey and Meixner secretly video-taped interviews with eye-witnesses, and took photographs and video footage of the scene, including shots of bullet holes in the tower where the flag had flown.
Casey told the WSWS what happened on that morning. It was the fourth day on which the striped "morning star" flag of the West Papuan independence movement had fluttered from the top of a 35-metre water tower at Biak's jetty, protected by some 200 people.
"Our friends told us to stay in our house on that day. Most of them knew that an attack would occur. The military commander had told people the night before that they had to leave the flag area.
"At 5.30am we heard rapid fire gunshots--the sound of machine gun-style weapons. It went for four hours, on and off. We were advised to stay inside the house for three days, because if the military knew that we had seen anything, it would be dangerous for us. But people visited us, sometimes in hiding, and described the events.
"People were sleeping out under the flag on July 6. What happened was an absolute outrage. The troops opened fire without warning. People were shot like animals, whether they ran or they stayed. Most were shot in the legs but some were shot in the body.
"The troops then went to surrounding houses in the dockside area and dragged people out. Other people arriving at the jetty from outlying islands were also seized. Hundreds of people were herded together--demonstrators and non-demonstrators; wounded and non-wounded.
"They were forced to lie down, face up, in the blazing sun. The troops walked over them, kicking them, for a couple of hours. Then the soldiers forced them to crawl along the road to the prison, bashing them with rifle butts.
"About 200 people were locked in cells--28 to a cell--with only one 44-gallon drum of water between them. Many became sick. The only food they were given was old rice and vegetables. Some were released but only if they agreed to work as informants, to find out who raised the flag, who had given the protesters food and who had made a second flag.
"We thought that at least 20 people had been shot dead and over 100 wounded but the evidence now shows that up to 150 were killed. Many of the wounded had to go back to their villages without medical attention because the hospital refused to treat them. A lot of people were missing and many still are.
"We heard that victims had been dropped overboard by navy ships. Before we left Biak several days later two bodies had already been washed up on the coast. Many more bodies have since been washed up. The Indonesian authorities claimed these were victims of the tsunami (tidal wave) in Papua New Guinea, but that was two weeks after the killings."
Casey outlined the background to the Biak flag-raising. "When Suharto resigned in May, there was a lot of discussion that the West Papuan people would finally be able to win their freedom from Indonesian rule. People thought that under international law, if they flew the West Papuan flag for 72 hours they would have independence. They also believed that they would have US backing, because of statements from Washington.
"Conditions under Indonesian rule are extremely poor. There are no decent food supplies or health facilities. Many people die of malaria or other diseases at young ages, for no good reason. The economic crisis has made things worse, with the price of rice trebling.
"The West Papuans have been second class citizens for decades. The wealth produced by the copper mine at Freeport and from the logging operations, run by companies connected to the military, has not been shared by the people."
Casey said she and Meixner had given their information to some organisations when they returned to Australia, in the hope that action would be taken. "I can't believe there hasn't been an outcry about what happened," she said.
It is now known, from an account given by a local lawyer to a visiting Australian student, that after the initial Biak massacre 139 people, including women and children, were taken out to sea on two navy boats. According to two survivors, women were raped and several bodies were cut up and placed in bags. Churches documented the discovery of 23 bodies in offshore fishing nets on July 11, six days before the tidal wave in neighbouring Papua New Guinea. In all, church investigators have now documented the discovery of 70 bodies.
The massacre did not end the resistance to Indonesian rule. Last month another series of pro-independence demonstrations took place across West Papua. Many government buildings were reportedly burnt to the ground. Up to 20 people, including Dr Philip Karma who was arrested during the Biak massacre, have been charged with rebellion or treason and face life imprisonment.
Widespread opposition to Indonesian ruleBiak is the main town and trading port of an island of the same name off the north coast of West Papua, or Irian Jaya, the name that the Suharto regime gave to the western half of New Guinea. The Biak massacre was part of a wider assault by the Habibie government on students and pro-independence supporters across West Papua in early July.
The previous month had seen a wave of protests against military abuses and in favour of independence, sparked in part by a letter sent to Indonesian President Habibie by 15 US Congressmen on May 22. The letter, widely circulated in West Papua, urged Habibie to initiate "direct good faith dialogues with the peoples of East Timor and Irian Jaya on human rights and a just solution to their political status".
On June 22, about 100 members of a group called Communications Forum of the Younger Generation of Irian Jaya demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Justice in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, demanding that all West Papuan political prisoners be freed. Justice Minister Muladi invited the group in to discuss the issue but said he had no authority to order the releases. He said he would convey their concerns to the next meeting of cabinet members responsible for security and political affairs.
Between July 1 and 3, demonstrations in support of West Papuan independence were held in the provincial capital of Jayapura and the towns of Sorong, Nabire and Biak. On July 1 and 2, hundreds of demonstrators converged on the provincial parliament building in Jayapura, where they were violently dispersed by riot police after assembly members refused to meet them. On the second day, 41 people were detained after several buildings were stoned. The next day, two students were shot near the Cenderawasih University when troops opened fire on a crowd after students beat up a police intelligence agent.
Violent clashes also erupted in Sorong on July 2 after thousands of young people calling themselves Reform Forum of Students and People of Sorong presented nine pro-independence demands to the district council. When their demands went unheeded, they burned the district council building, several stores and a car owned by the district head. As troops arrived, five people were reportedly shot.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer was acquainted with these incidents when he met Habibie in Jakarta a few days after the first reports of the shootings at Biak. His spokesman claimed that Downer was "deeply concerned" by the reports and raised them with Habibie. These concerns were not made public however.
Although the fall of Suharto, followed by the circulation of the US Congressional letter, provided the impetus for the pro-independence upsurge, flag-raisings such as that at Biak have for some years been a symbol of opposition to Indonesian rule. For example, in December 1988, 60 people were arrested after raising the flag at the Mandala sports stadium in Jayapura. Over the following month, 37 of them were convicted of subversion and sentenced to prison terms of between 2 and 20 years.
For 35 years, under Sukarno, Suharto and Habibie, Indonesian rule has been characterised by military brutality and social deprivation. West Papua, with a population of some 1.8 million, has some of the worst social, health and education conditions in the world. Malnutrition affects one-fifth of its people, including half the children under five. With an annual health budget of about $1 per head, it has the poorest health standards of all 27 Indonesian provinces, including the highest infant and maternal mortality rates. The infant mortality rate ranges from 70 to 200 per 1,000. The illiteracy rate--30.5 percent, and as high as 81.5 percent in the highlands--is double the national average. Indonesia as a whole is rated by the UN as having the lowest health and education levels in Southeast Asia.
These conditions prevail even though West Papua has for many years produced significant quantities of oil for the Anglo-Dutch firm Shell and others. Moreover, the territory contains one of the richest copper and gold mines in the world--the $40 billion Freeport mine, owned jointly by the Freeport McMoRan company of the US, Rio Tinto of Britain and the Jakarta regime. And of the 41.5 million hectares of forest in West Papua, almost 30 million have been set aside for timber cutting--much of which has already been logged out.
The people and natural resources of New Guinea have been plundered for more than a century by colonial powers and giant companies. In 1883 the island was partitioned by three European powers. The Dutch government claimed the western half as part of the Dutch East Indies, while the German and British regimes divided the eastern half into German New Guinea in the north and British Papua in the south. Australia took advantage of World War I and Germany's subsequent defeat to take control of the eastern half.
When The Netherlands was forced to grant independence to Indonesia in 1949 it retained West Papua, claiming to be preparing it for separate independence. Indonesia's president Sukarno continued to assert sovereignty, relying on the borders established in the colonial carve-up. The Australian ruling class also hoped to annex the territory to augment its colony in Papua New Guinea. But in 1962 the US intervened to insist that the Dutch make way for the Indonesian military, with which it had established close ties.
In August 1962, the Dutch concluded an agreement with Indonesia to transfer sovereignty to the UN, paving the way for Indonesian troops to move into the territory in 1963. In 1969 the Indonesian regime, then headed by General Suharto, conducted a sham referendum in which the UN sanctioned a vote by 1,025 handpicked electors to "remain with Indonesia".
Indonesian rule has been a vehicle for a particularly intensive exploitation of West Papua's people for corporate profit. West Papua's suffering also demonstrates the wider and devastating impact that capitalism has had on the lives of people throughout the region. In fact, the pattern of social misery alongside corporate wealth is very similar across the border in the former Australian colony of Papua New Guinea. Formal independence since 1975 has not elevated living standards in PNG, except for a tiny ruling elite that serves the interests of Rio Tinto, BHP, BP and other major companies.
See Also:
Savage spending cuts in Papua New Guinea budget
[20 November 1998]
Australian Labor leaders knew of Timor massacre coverup
[19 November 1998]
Protests continue despite military crackdown in Indonesia
[17 November 1998]
Mass graves begin to reveal scale of atrocities in Indonesia
Thousands killed in Aceh
[28 August 1998]
[Kabar-Irian] Irian News - 5/6/04
Admin admin at irja.org
Fri May 7 12:41:54 MDT 2004Previous message: [Kabar-Irian] Irian News - 5/5/04
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abepura Case To Be Tried On Friday
- West Papuan Prisoner Support Week
- Corrected-Freeport-McMoRan focuses on Indonesian mine
*****************************Antara
Abepura Case To Be Tried On Friday Thursday, May 06, 2004 9:03:41 PMMakassar, S Sulawesi, May 6 (ANTARA) - The human rights violation in Abepura,.Papua that involved two Police officers will be opened in the Makassar Human Rights Court here on Friday (7/5).
‘All have been ready, the Court is only waiting for the judges that will preside over the trial,’ former spokesman of the court, Heru Pramono, who is now being promoted as deputy chief of the Sinjai District Court said.
He added the judges, all from Jakarta, will arrive here on Thursday.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Koteka Prisoner Support koteka_prisoner_support at westpapua.net
West Papuan Prisoner Support Week
10th - 14th May 2004
Please take some time over this week to send cards or letters to some of the many West Papuans imprisoned for struggling for their freedom against Indonesia and the multi-national corporations invading their forests. Also you can phone the prisons directly and tell the guards not to mistreat the prisoners.
Details of prisoners to write to are at the end of the email.
We apologise for not sending out any updates for some time. We have now just completed updating the prisoner lists at www.westpapua.net/cases/hr/prisoner. We are pleased to announce that Lanek Kenelak and Lion Murib have both been released and we have received letters from both of them thanking people for the support they received while in prison. They were both really happily surprised to get support from the outside and both said that the letters and news of phone calls made them feel strong! So please keep supporting Papuan prisoners!
Unfortunately a number of events have caused quite a lot of the people to be sentenced over the last six months. Firstly, seven people have been accused of involvement in the arms raid on the Wamena armoury in April 2003. Two have received life sentences and the other five are serving twenty years each! They are all being held in Wamena prison. On 5th October 2003 the Indonesian army attacked some OPM members in Yalengga village shooting nine dead, five others from this village have now ended up in Wamena prison. Also in October, 16 members of the Presidium Council were arrested accused of inciting violence in the "bloody Wamena" incident in 2000. They had all previously been arrested on this charge, served part of a sentence and had been released but the new administration have rounded them up again stating they have to complete their sentences. All 16 have now been moved to Abepura prison. Around the 1st Dec 2003 yet more people were arrested in connection with flag raising ceremonies. And finally in the run up to the 5th April elections which saw a wide spread
boycott across Papua a few people were shot and others beaten being accused of campaigning for the boycott. Three of the attacked are being held under conditions of arrest in the Wamena hospital.Lists of prisoners to write to are here but we recommend you view them at
www.westpapua.net/cases/hr/prisoner where there is also information to help you
write to prisoners or phone the prisons:Abepura Prison
Prison: Lembaga Abepura
Phone: +62 967 581705
Address: Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Abepura, Jl. Kesehataan, Jayapura,
Papua, Indonesia
Head of Prison: Bapak Sudarsono KLAPAS
Head Guard: Salim MaretmaPrisoners
Kornelius Tier - arrested 6 December 2002 - age 20
Yulius Pisya - arrested 6 December 2002 - age 22
Herman Wainggai - arrested 14 December 2002 for flag raising at university
Edison Waromi - arrested 14 December 2002 for flag raising at university
Jordan Iek
Allius Tabuni - arrested 19th December 2002 - age 36
Yance Hembring - OPM caught in Demta area west of Jayapura early 2004
Salmon Dakka - OPM caught in Demta area west of Jayapura early 2004
Agus Waipon - OPM caught in Demta area west of Jayapura early 2004
Maurid Wouw - OPM caught in Demta area west of Jayapura early 2004
Yosep Wouw - OPM caught in Demta area west of Jayapura early 2004
Yehuda Wandi - OPM caught in Demta area west of Jayapura early 2004The following are all members of the PDP (Presidium Council) who were all
arrested for a second time in December 2003 accused of involvement in "Bloody
Wamena" in 2000 see here for more info.
Murjono Murib
Pdt Obet Komba
Agus Serabut
Edi Mariam
Herry Kosay
Frans Hubi
Isak Wenda
Amelia Jigibalom
Yudas Meage
Timanus Kogoya
Sudirman Kogoya
Yohakim Hubi
Joel Wenda
Elius Wenda
Yules Wenda
Pilius WendaManokwari Prison
Prison: Lembaga Manokwari
Address: Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Manokwari, Jl. Sabang No.4, Manokwari,
Papua, Indonesia
Phone: +62 986 211387 or 211365Prisoners
Bosa Rawo employee at University Papreta Manokwari.
Keliopas Penetruam Kepala Desa Pabo (Pabo Village Head).
Frengki Rawo.
Karel Kosona, works for Kelapa Sawit (Coconut Oil Plantation).
Dominggus Anto.
Bernadus Ajomy.
Rudy Beney.
Manof Balumy works for Kelapa Sawit
Zet Dimara ex policeman, arrested for flag raising in Manokwari
Ronal Ramandey - Wasior Case
Martikus Densue - Wasior Case
Amelia Konik - Wasior Case
Yohakim Menci (40) - arrested 27 Novemebr 2003 for flag raising
Carlos Yumame (45) - arrested 27 Novemebr 2003 for flag raising
Isak Towansiba (20) - arrested 27 Novemebr 2003 for flag raising
Luter Towansiba (21) - arrested 27 Novemebr 2003 for flag raising
Hans Mandacan ( 35) - arrested 27 Novemebr 2003 for flag raising
Terry Korayem ( 32) - arrested 27 Novemebr 2003 for flag raising
Yulianus Indem (28) - arrested 27 Novemebr 2003 for flag raising
Matius Nasira - arrested 20 April 2004 for road blockade stopping ilegal logging
Manase Furima - arrested 20 April 2004 for road blockade stopping ilegal loggingWamena Prison
Address: Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Wamena, Jl. Hom-hom, Wamena, Papua, Indonesia
Telephone: +62969 32586
Chief of Police in Wamena: +62969 31072
Police Office in Wamena: +62969 31110Kanius Murib 48 - sentenced for life (Wamena incident 04 April 2003)
Numbungga Telengen - sentenced for life (Wamena incident 04 April 2003)
Jefray Murib - sentenced for life (Wamena incident 04 April 2003)
Mikael Heselo (32) from Kurima village - sentenced 20 years (Wamena incident 04
April 2003)
Kimanus Wenda - sentenced 20 years (Wamena incident 04 April 2003)
Marthen Wenda - sentenced 20 years (Wamena incident 04 April 2003)
Didimus Meage - sentenced 20 years (Wamena incident 04 April 2003)
Andi Asso 23 (incident 07 July 2003)
Welmus Musa Asso 30 (incident 07 July 2003)
Ghen Jhon Hilapok 30 (incident 07 July 2003)
Gustav Ayomi 31 (incident 07 July 2003)
Majus Togodly (incident 07 July 2003)
Luk Tabuni - arrested 5 October when Indonesia killed nine OPM in Yalennga
village
Ebener Murib - arrested 5 October when Indonesia killed nine OPM in Yalennga
village
Yunus Telenggen - arrested 5 October when Indonesia killed nine OPM in Yalennga
village
Lepinus Murib - arrested 5 October when Indonesia killed nine OPM in Yalennga
village
Tonius Jigi Murib - arrested 5 October when Indonesia killed nine OPM in
Yalennga village
The following three prisoners were beaten and arrested 29 March 2004 being held
in hospital accused of campaigning for election boycott companion Marius Kogoya
was shot dead.
Steve Wenda (30)
Wetinus Wenda (32)
Dipenus Wenda (32).
Contact details for all prisons in West Papua
1. Abepura
Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Abepura, Jl. Kesehataan, Apepura, Papua, Indonesia
Telephone: +62967 5817052. Manokwari
Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Manokwari, Jl. Sabang No.4, Manokwari, Papua, Indonesia
Telephone: +62986 211387 or +62962 2113873. Merauke
Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Merauke, Jl. Ermasu No 18, Merauke, Papua, Indonesia
Telephone: +62971 3211784. Sorong
Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Sorong, Jl. Noho Doom, Sorong, Papua, Indonesia
Telephone: +62951 3213305. Biak
Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Biak, Jl. Condronegro I, Biak, Papua, Indonesia
Telephone: +62961 212276. Serui
Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Serui, Jl Serui, Serui, Papua, Indonesia
Telephone: +62961 313037. Nabire
Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Nabire, Jl. Padat Karya, Nabire, Papua, Indonesia
Telephone: 218708. Fakfak
Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Fakfak, Jl. Letjen S.Parman, Fakfak, Papua, Indonesia
Telephone: 225279. Wamena
Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Wamena, Jl. Hom-hom, Wamena, Papua, Indonesia
Telephone: +62969 32586
Chief of police in Wamena: +62969 31072
Police Office in Wamena: +62969 31110
Bupati (Regent) of Wamena: +62969 3100510. Vanimo, PNG
The Commander., Vanimo Corrective Institute, P.O .Box 124, Vanimo, Sandaun
Province, Papau New Guinea.Koteka_Prisoner_Support at westpapua.net
http://www.westpapua.net/cases/hr/prisoners
INDEPENDENCE DAY REMINISCENCES
(Una Voce, September 2005)
Dave Tarrant
In 1975 there were many expats leaving PNG and I was one of them. As an Industrial Relations Officer with the Dept of Labour I had been issued with a leather brief case bearing the gold stamp lettering TP & NG. Just prior to leaving I realised that it should be handed back in, so I went to see William Edoni, the Papuan Officer who was to be in charge of Industrial Relations. When I told him that I wanted to return the brief case he said, with a pleasant smile ‘Oh, no Dave, you keep it – it is only a relic from the colonial era’. It was just one little letter of the alphabet – ‘T’ (for Territory) but it made a heck of a difference and was, understandably, about to be eradicated quickly.
Harley Dickinson - Independence Day Mendi Southern Highlands
That special day with the court house covered in PNG National flags. I recall former DDC, Gus Bottrill, was invited to return to PNG and lower the Australian flag. As an artist I have since painted that scene with the beautiful mountain backdrop and put together forty paintings ‘The Windows of My Life 1958-1976’. Hopefully I will see the paintings returned to PNG.
John and Christina Downie
Returning to PNG after an absence of five years, we arrived in Port Moresby on 12 September 1975. After depositing our baggage, we headed for the stores for some necessities. Here, we found, to our horror, that the most important item on the shopping list was unavailable, as an embargo on the sale of liquor prior to Independence Day was in place. The great occasion looked like being anything but a celebration. However, the day was saved by an old DCA hand who, bless him, had taken the motto ‘Be Specific, Say South Pacific’ to heart; had stocked up for a few rainy days, and helped us out so that we were able to greet the dawn of a new era in the manner to which we had grown accustomed.Brian Hartley - Tuesday, September 16th 1975
What a great day for Papua New Guinea, for Australia in helping PNG reach this day, and for all the kiaps and others who had been trying to prepare the Papuans and New Guineans for this momentous day. From 1970 to 1975 firstly Self Government and then Independence had been a major part of our political education when on patrol. Where I was in the Highlands, it was a difficult and frustrating topic. Invariably kiaps returning from patrol would say – ‘Bring it on, let the people experience it and discover for themselves that it won't adversely affect their lives.’ The great sigh of relief was probably heard in Australia!
By Independence Day I was stationed in Rabaul. On September 14th 1975 I was privileged to spend several hours on board HMAS Torrens, being given a guided tour and being allowed to be up on the flying bridge while the ship was manouvered to its anchorage in Rabaul harbour for Independence Day.
On the 15th I attended the ceremony for the lowering of the Australian flag, in Queen Elizabeth Park. On the 16th I watched the colourful street parade, followed by the impressive ceremony for the raising of the new PNG flag, including a gun salute by HMAS Torrens. In the afternoon I refereed two soccer matches as part of the celebrations, in one of which a Rabaul team beat an HMAS Torrens team 3-1. A truly memorable day in many ways.
Ron Fergie - Indepence Eve
This is a framed watercolour (69x53cm) painted by Ron Fergie from a photo taken off Ela Beach in September 1975. Ron says that ‘Ela Beach was alive with celebrating lakatois and sluggish expatriate boats like mine were fair game.
So, as I photographed this lakatoi and its exuberant crew sheering past my trailer sailer, I took their hail to be a good-natured gesture of derision. Clearly our Coral Queen was a lame duck and a very appropriate target (as my watercolour faithfully records, our self-furling jib was badly twisted around the forestay!)
But as I look back now, 30 years later, there was something of a symbolic gesture here for all outgoing expatriate administrators – these very capable young Papua New Guineans were the new leadership ‘sending us off’ before they took over the wheel!
I retired from the statutory appointment of PNG National Statistician in 1976 but was back to Port Moresby in later years on some of my short-term consultancy and training assignments. In 1996 I discovered a latent painting talent and now in my eighties enjoy reliving exciting times by way of my colour slide photos and by-product artwork such as this!’
Nancy Johnston From the Memoirs of the late William J. Johnston
It was a sad moment for many of us when our flag was lowered for the last time as the official one. The raising and lowering of it had been a daily ritual in our lives for many years. At sunrise and sunset, on every Government station, right throughout the country,no matter how small, the police paraded first in front of the District Office and then marched to the residence of the officer in charge and raised or lowered the flags. If there was a bugler on the station, Reveille was played at sunrise and the Retreat at sunset and in places where there was no bugler a Kibi shell was blown to signal the ritual was in progress. Any person outside, at these times, stopped and faced the direction of the flagpole and stood at attention. Even in the primitive areas, the patrolling officers 'showed the flag' wherever they stopped during their patrols.
Stuart Inder
Papua New Guinea had two kinds of independence celebrations: the quiet grass-roots independence of the vast majority of the population, which was enhanced through a vast national hook-up by the National Broadcasting Commission, and the busy, efficiently-organised, smooth-running celebration in Port Moresby, dominated by the presence of VIPS from 37 nations. In covering that week for the Pacific Islands Monthly I was able to report both kinds of celebrations were resoundingly successful. But that’s not to say there weren’t unexpected, off-beat, or exasperating occasions – and in that latter department one of the official guests, Imelda Marcos, first lady of the Philippines, contributed more than her share. To start with, she insisted in flying in to Jacksons in her own stretch DC8 with a huge entourage despite the fact she had been warned of Port Moresby’s doubts whether the runway could take the load. The greater part of that entourage comprised security men, who surrounded her in a flying wedge wherever she moved. Others of her entourage invaded the press room of the big international media contingent, piling our desks unasked with expensive glossy publications outrageously extolling the virtues of Imelda as her nation’s beloved first lady, who did so much for her people. Meanwhile she repeatedly demonstrated her extraordinary scene-stealing capacity by arriving late at the flag-raising ceremony and from an unexpected direction, being unpardonably late for the State opening of the national parliament by Prince Charles and thus interrupting proceedings, and later at Government House by attempting to take precedence at the formal presentation of diplomatic credentials to the Governor-General, so enraging one diplomat that he walked out. But this was 1975, and I regret I probably missed a good story angle by failing to ask about the number of expensive pairs of shoes Imelda brought with her.
David Marsh - PNG Independence
When in 1975 Gough Whitlam asked Michael Somare to provide a date for PNG Independence, Somare set the date and gave me the job of organising the events. We had 2½ months to do it. Many of the details of how we went about it will appear in a piece I’ve written for the PNG Post-Courier independence anniversary supplement this September 16, at their request. There I explain how getting people to join me in the job done was difficult. It had to be a PNG show, yet there was no expertise amongst the indigenous people or government for it, and government departments were reluctant to release their more senior staff. I also explain in that piece that there were some early concerns over micro nationalistic movements that had sprung up, cults and also emotional talk from University students. But when I had a general picture in my mind of the ceremonies that were required, the people to invite, the security, transport, accommodation, etc, I gathered a few staunch souls together and started on the detail. We raised funds from businesses, organised fireworks for each district and provided cash to make other district activities possible, paid for the West Indies cricket team to play in Port Moresby and Lae, had an Independence Medal made and issued all sorts of literature and badges. During the six days of celebrations between Sep 14-19 there were exhibits, church services, sporting events, bands, pageants, formal addresses, dinners and ceremonies.The two outstanding ceremonies in Port Moresby were the flag lowering ceremony at sunset on 15 September and the flag raising ceremony on the 16th. I selected the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium for the first, as it was the closest possible place to Hanuabada where the British flag was first raised in 1884. That marvellous sunset, together with Sir John Guise’s words, ‘We are lowering this flag, not tearing it down’, made it a memorable occasion. The flag raising ceremony was conducted on Independence Hill, a hill where there had been an anti-aircraft gun during the war defending Wards Strip. It’s in view of the administrative headquarters, Parliament House, Supreme Court and Prime Minister’s residence.
At one minute past midnight on 16 September, the Proclamation of Independence was announced by the Governor-General in a radio broadcast, followed by the National Anthem and a 101-gun salute provided by the RAN. At 9.30 am the flag raising ceremony commenced. Prince Charles inspected the Royal Guard before taking his place on the VIP dais. Cultural groups then handed the PNG flag to the Governor-General who then handed it to the Commander of the PNG Defence Force, asking him to raise it on behalf of the people of PNG. Two chaplains blessed the flag and it was raised at 10 am. This was followed by a fly-past of RAAF and PNGDF aircraft. Prince Charles unveiled a plaque and then joined Sir John Guise and Sir John Kerr in planting trees to commemorate the occasion. The individual officers in charge of each official occasion all did very well and Government Departments – especially Public Works, the Government Printer, Dept of Information – all rose to the great occasion. Many people say it was all too soon, but a country growing up is, to me, just like any family of teenagers wanting to express themselves and resenting parental controls. When their attitudes and demands reach a point of no return, the parent is wise to modify control and just provide advice when it is
requested.
The following is taken from the Official Programme of Ceremonies and Celebrations in the National Capital District for the Papua New Guinea Independence Celebrations, 1975.
DRESSDress tends to be very informal in Papua New Guinea. It may be described in terms of Tropical Formal, Day Formal and Informal.
LADIES:Evening - Tropical Formal – long frocks
Day - Day Formal – short frocks in cool fabrics. Gloves are not worn. Hats are optional, and may be advisable for those who are not used to the tropical sun.
GENTLEMEN:Evening – Tropical Formal – Rami (laplap) or long trousers with open necked Dress-shirt, or long-sleeved shirt with tie.
Day - Day Formal – Rami or long trousers with safari-style jacket, or long- sleeved shirt with tie.
Informal – Rami or long trousers with short-sleeved shirt, usually brightly patterned.For ceremonial occasions, it is suggested that guests wear the National Dress of their own country, or Day Formal.
SUPPORT WEST PAPUAN PRISONERS
URGENT: phone prisoners ASAP and especially on Tues 21st Dec 2004 when there will be a mass phone in...Since the election of Indonesian President Yudohyono violence against the people of West Papua has massively increased. There are currently many recently arrested prisoners needing our support, two of whom are on hunger strike. Also on 15th December nine prisoners previously being held in Wamena prison were taken without warning and moved hundreds of miles to a prison in Makassar, no reason was given for the move but there is great concern for their lives as many prisoners previously moved from Papua to other parts of Indonesia have never returned having been poisoned in far away prisons. Please support these prisoners by telephoning the police and prison guards (don't worry if you can't speak Indonesian it's still very important) and letting them know the world is watching them. This sort of action helps prevent torture and has previously proven very successful, bringing better prison conditions and has been a factor in early releases (see http://www.eco-action.org/ssp/prisoners.html). So please join others and make a phone call on Tues 21st December...
(for more info about phoning prisoners see the bottom of this mail which includes some Indonesian phrases you can say, remember the most important thing is to clearly say the names of the people you are phoning about.)
MERAUKE PRISONERS
17 Dec 04 Four OPM members in Merauke Okaba district have been charged with 20 years sentence for attacking a polling booth and killing one police officer during the recent Presidential elections: 1. Januarys Basik-Basik 20 year???s sentence 2. David Haliwa Balagaize 20 year???s sentence 3. Hendrikus Way Yolmen 10 year???s sentence 4. Longgimus Basik-Basik 15 years sentence Please phone the prison and let the guards know we are watching them, you can also write and send cards to these prisoners: Address: Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Merauke, Jl. Ermasu No 18, Merauke, Papua, Indonesia
Telephone: +62971 321178
PRISONERS ON HUNGER STRIKE (see
http://www.westpapuanews.com/articles/publish/article_1584.shtml)Philip Karma (45) and Yusak Pakage (26) are on hunger strike in POLDA (Jayapura police cells) having been arrested on 1st December for organinsing a pro independence flag raising ceremony. You can phone Polda Papua: +62 967 533763 or 531717, Prison Cells Polda: +62 967 531830, Intelligence Polda: +62 967 531829. Ask for the immediate release of these prisoners.
NINE PRISONERS MOVED TO MAKASSAR
The following prisoners, many of whom we have been writing to over the last year have suddenly been moved from Wamena to Makassar where we fear for their safety. (1) Linus Hiluka, (2). Jein Hesegem, (3). Hery Aso, (4). Gustaf Ayomi, (5). Micael Hesalo, (6). Kimanus Wenda, (7). Numbuk Telengen, (8). Jefrey Murib and (9). Henos Lokobal.Please phone Wamena police Chief and Wamena prison asking why they have been removed and request their immediate return to Papuan soil. Chief of police in Wamena: +62969 31072
Police Office in Wamena: +62969 31110
Wamena Prison: +62969 32586
Bupati (Regent) of Wamena: +62969 31005(we hope soon to find there whereabouts and publish contact details)
TEMBAGAPURA PRISONER
Pius Waker was recently arrested in Tembagapura on suspicion of supplying OPM/TPN with goods and participation in a 1999 flag raising. He is being held in Timika prison. We are currently looking for a telephone number whihc will be posted when we find it.
For more info about Koteka Prisoner Support and help with phoning the prisons see: http://www.westpapua.net/cases/hr/prisoner/index.htm++++++++++++++++
Phoning Prisoners
We cannot speak to the prisoners themselves but can call the guards and by letting them know we are ringing from overseas and who we are calling for we can help the prisoners and the message often gets through to them. This is easy to do and can really change the attitude of the prison guards to the prisoners concerned. Phone on important days when people are recently arrested or choose a couple of prisoners to telephone regularly. See the prisoner lists for people to phone.
You can phone Indonesia from UK for 15p per minute by first dialling 0905 306 0197, then the international number. West Papua is 9 hours ahead of the GMT. However the phone will often be answered 24 hours so just ring when you can.
The most important thing is just to say the prisoners names a lot, even if they don???t understand English, and make it clear you are phoning from abroad.
Some Indonesian phrases you can use (pronunciation guide in brackets): Saya telepon tentang <sum> (Sy-ar telepon tentang..) - I am telephoning about ...
Hati hati (Harti harti) - Be careful
Kami jaga lihat anda sekarang. (Karmee jargar leehat anda seykarang) - We are watching you now
Saya dari Inggris. (Sy-yar dary Ingrees) - I am from England Kamu pratikan baik kesehatan mereka, minum, makan dan keselamatan mereka. (Karmu prateekan bike kay-say-hartan meraykar, minum, makan dan kay-selamtan meraykar) - Treat them well, give food, water and look after them)
Kami tahu apa yang lakukan di lembaga. (Karmee tarhoo apa yang larkookan dee lembarga) - We know what you do in the prison Kami adalah teman mereka. (Karmee ard-ar-lar tayman meraykar) - We are their friends
Papua Merdeka! - Free Papua!
Related links
• West Papua News
• TriBal Melanesia
• FREE West Papua - UK
• News from Papuans
• Melanesian News - WP
• Oceania Indymedia
• Koteka.Net - Hard Facts
• More about West Papua
• News by rains
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Most-read story in West Papua:
15,000 village people, herded into the mountains
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2 may face death over raising of separatist flag
JAKARTA (AFP) - Two Indonesian men may face the death penalty for treason over the raising of an illegal separatist flag in the easternmost province of Papua, a report said Thursday.Yusak Pakage, 26, led a flag-raising ceremony in the provincial capital Jayapura on December 1, prosecutor Maskel Rambolangi told the Jayapura district court, according to the Jakarta Post.
The ceremony, to mark the 42nd anniversary of Papua's declaration of independence, was attended by about 200 people but soon disbanded by Indonesian police who fired warning shots and clashed with activists, arresting the two defendants.
A hearing for the second defendant, Filep Karma, 45, was adjourned after he refused to hear his indictment without legal representation.
Separatists on December 1, 1962, proclaimed the state of West Papua but Indonesia ignored them and took control of the mountainous, jungle-clad territory from Dutch colonisers the following year.
The government has outlawed any attempt at publicly marking the day or showing any support for separatist movements.
The separatist movement, which is split into badly coordinated factions, has been fighting a sporadic guerrilla war since 1963.
Papuans have complained they do not get a fair share of the province's rich natural resources. Gross abuses by troops have also fuelled separatist sentiment.
Corrected-Freeport-McMoRan focuses on Indonesian mine
Reuters, 05.06.04, 11:45 AM ET
-- In May 5 Atlanta story headlined, "Freeport-McMoRan focuses on Indonesian
mine," please read in sixth paragraph ... and $1.20 per pound for copper ...
instead of ... and $1.40 per pound for copper. (correcting price)
A corrected version follows.
By Tony HeffernanAtlanta, May 5 (Reuters) - The chief executive of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. said on Wednesday that the mining company had no plans to make any acquisitions and would focus on developing its Grasberg mine in Indonesia.
"We're focused on this asset," Richard Adkerson said in a speech to the Atlanta Society of Financial Analysts. "We're not looking to buy other companies or invest in other mining projects."
Production at the mine, known as the Grasberg Complex, was curtailed last October after a pit wall gave way, allowing water to enter the mine. The road leading to the mine's most productive area was blocked by debris a few months later.
Adkerson said the mine was returning to normal operations and forecast that it would produce 1 billion pounds of copper and 1.5 million ounces of gold this year. The company expects it to produce 1.5 billion tons of copper and 2.9 million ounces of gold in 2005.
Adkerson also forecast that the New Orleans-based company would generate $1 billion in operating cash flow and $800 million in free cash flow next year if copper and gold prices remained strong.
He said his cash flow forecast was based on a price of $400 per ounce for gold and $1.20 per pound for copper.
Despite Freeport-McMoRan's current aversion to acquisitions, the company is not eschewing expansion, especially around Grasberg. It is located in the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya, which borders Papua New Guinea.
The company abandoned development plans in Papua New Guinea in the mid-1990s, but expects to return now that key metal prices have rebounded.
"There is no reason to think that mineralization stopped at that political border," said Adkerson, who noted that the company quit exploring Papua New
Guinea due to low commodity prices."We would expect as early as next year to be back out in the field pursuing exploration opportunities in this area."
The company posted net income of $1.07 per share on revenues of $2.2 billion in 2003.
President Wahid
In December 1999, Indonesia's new President, Abdurrahman Wahid, announced that he would watch the first sunrise of the new century from the easternmost province of Irian Jaya. It was an unusual choice-the province, roughly the size of France, has a population under two million in a country of over two hundred million, and its capital, Jayapura, is some 3,500 kilometers (2,100 miles) from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta-but Wahid's announcement was clearly intended to signal a major change of policy after more than thirty years of authoritarian rule. At a ceremony at an army base near Jayapura on January 1, 2000, Wahid declared that the province would from that day forward be called "Papua," an important gesture of reconciliation toward the indigenous population of the province, who call themselves "orang Papua" (Papuan people). For decades, the name had been all but taboo as the embodiment of forbidden aspirations to political and cultural autonomy.1Since coming to power in October 1999, the Wahid government has introduced significant reforms in Papua in the face of widespread demands for independence. In addition to the name change, which has yet to be officially endorsed by Indonesia's parliament, the government has declared that peaceful expression of pro-independence sentiment will no longer be punished as it had been in former years, and it released over sixty Papuans from jail as part of a nationwide amnesty for political prisoners. The government's actions, however, have not been consistent and abuses have continued. While it has permitted a number of peaceful demonstrations, which usually take the form of symbolic raising of the "Morning Star" flag signifying an independent Papua, other such rallies have been forcibly dispersed by police with resulting injuries to demonstrators. Likewise, even as Indonesia's Minister for Law and Legislation announced on December 13, 1999, that all Papuan political prisoners would be released, five men involved in a peaceful flag-raising which had taken place in the town Genyem on July 1, 1999, were charged with rebellion by a state prosecutor in Jayapura. Although those charges subsequently were dropped, at the time this report was being prepared authorities were continuing investigations into a series of peaceful flag-raising ceremonies held throughout the province on December 1, 1999 and nine people already had been named as suspects.
Human Rights Watch takes no position on Papuan claims to self-determination, but it supports the right of all individuals, including independence supporters, to express their political views peacefully without fear of arrest or other forms of reprisal. To the extent individuals are arrested and imprisoned for peaceful participation in symbolic flag-raising ceremonies, such treatment constitutes arbitrary arrest and detention in violation of international standards. According to the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which visited Indonesia in February 1999, the majority of individuals then facing charges in connection with flag-raising ceremonies in Irian Jaya were being held for peaceful expression of their views and, as such, their detention was arbitrary and in violation of international law. Under the new administration, the number of cases is down, but Indonesia has continued to prosecute organizers of peaceful protests.
Papua, Indonesia's largest province, comprising more than one-fifth of the country's total land area, was first put under Indonesian control in 1963. It was formally incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 in a still controversial, U.N.-approved process. For many years, the province was categorized as a military combat zone (Daerah Operasi Militer or DOM; literally, Military Operations Area) and under an effective state of martial law, ostensibly because of the threat posed by the Free Papua Movement (Organisasi Papua Merdeka or OPM), an armed group engaged in a generally low level guerrilla campaign for independence from Indonesian rule. At the same time, many Papuans sought to express their support for independence through peaceful means, notably the symbolic public raising of the "Morning Star" flag which had first been flown openly when local people sought to free the territory from Dutch colonial rule in 1961.
Under Soeharto, who ruled Indonesia for thirty years until forced to resign by popular protests in 1998, such flag-raising ceremonies and other pro-independence manifestations were ruthlessly suppressed. Demonstrators were forcibly dispersed and assaulted, and leading activists were subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention. Such activists frequentlywere prosecuted and imprisoned under harsh laws dealing with subversion and rebellion, as well as the notorious "hate sowing" articles of the Indonesian penal code.
Indigenous Papuans, who are Melanesians and darker-skinned than the numerically and politically dominant Javanese and members of most other ethnic groups in Indonesia, were also subject to ethnic and racial discrimination. While Indonesian rule brought unprecedented economic development, it also resulted in an influx of immigrants from other parts of Indonesia and caused resentment among Papuans as the benefits went disproportionately to foreign investors and these immigrants.When Soeharto was forced from power in May 1998, many of these long repressed sentiments could be made public for the first time.
When he took over following Soeharto's resignation, President B.J. Habibie initially made efforts to recognize and apologize for the human rights violations committed under his predecessor. But the new administration's willingness to acknowledge past abuses in general terms was not accompanied by concrete measures to establish justice or redress for the victims. In the meantime, demands for independence mounted.
The strength of pro-independence sentiment was unmistakable as early as February 1999, when 100 leading Papuan leaders met with President Habibie to initiate what was being hailed as a "National Dialogue" on Papuan concerns. But the leaders presented President Habibie with a single demand: independence. This clearly shocked and displeased the Habibie government, which had encouraged the National Dialogue up to then, and the process was soon suspended. In April 1999, the government reverted to the methods used during the Soeharto era, attempting to round up independence supporters and censor discussion of the subject. The crackdown included bans on expression, assembly, and association, arbitrary arrests, and widespread intimidation of independence supporters. With nationwide demands for democratization still mounting across Indonesia, however, opposition voices could not easily be silenced. The result was an uncertain atmosphere in which, even as the crackdown was underway, Papuan leaders continued to assert their right to advocate Papuan independence. In July and September 1999, at least four demonstrators were seriously injured, one of whom subsequently died in custody, and thirty-two were arrested after police moved in to disperse what had intially been peaceful flag-raising ceremonies.
In October 1999, following democratic elections, a new government took office in Indonesia under President Abdurrahman Wahid, and promptly initiated a number of reforms. Openly acknowledging the errors of the past, the new administration moved quickly to allow greater freedom and to permit the open expression of pro-independence views. Peaceful Papuan flag-raisings, which had been broken up under Soeharto and Habibie, were now permitted and were held without police interference in at least a dozen places in Papua on December 1, 1999. The next day, however, there was a violent clash between police and demonstrators at a flag-raising in Timika in which six people were shot by police and dozens were injured. When he met local community leaders at Jayapura on December 31, President Wahid assured them that flag-raisings and other peaceful expression of pro-independence views should and would be considered protected acts of free speech. At the same time, Wahid stated unambiguously that the Indonesian government was not prepared to accede to Papuan demands for independence.
During a visit to Irian Jaya in December, 1999, Indonesia's new minister for human rights, Hasballah Saad, acknowledged the link between the past lack of accountability for human rights abuses suffered by Papuans and the growth of the separatist movement within the territory, and announced that a new center for human rights study and advocacy would be established in Irian Jaya. "If human rights are not respected . . . that could in turn provoke people to ask what maintaining the unity of the Republic is for," Saad was quoted as saying. "This circumstance could in turn encourage people to fight for an independent state."2
This report details violations of civil and political rights in Papua from the beginning of 1999, including those associated with the National Dialogue and subsequent symbolic flag-raising ceremonies. At the outset, it provides an overview of independence demands, then describes the rise and fall of the National Dialogue and the crackdown that followed. It also reviews developments since President Abdurrahman Wahid came to power in October 1999.
As this report was being prepared, Human Rights Watch learned of disturbing developments in Merauke and Nabire in which groups of armed Papuan neighborhood patrols (Satgas Papua) clashed with police and troops, an incident in Fak Fak in which villagers clashed with the entourage of a local government official, and communal violence in Entrop, near Jayapura, in which a Papuan mob attacked non-Papuan shopkeepers. There were also reports that, in response, non-Papuan transmigrant residents in the province were being provided with firearms by government officials, and that, in at least one district, an East Timor-style pro-government militia was being set up. These reports, if true, make it all the more imperative that respect for basic civil and political rights and strict implementation of the distinction between peaceful advocacy and violent criminal acts be made components of any long-term solution in Papua. Although the Indonesian government has recognized such rights in principle, it has not yet consistently respected those rights in practice.
1 The names "Papua" and "Irian Jaya" are used interchangeably in this report to refer to the province.
2 "Rights abuses fed separatism in Irian Jaya," Jakarta Post, December 10, 1999; "Indonesia proposes rights center in Irian Jaya," Radio Australia, December 9, 1999.
DATE - 19 October, 2000 - ABC Australia Dateline - TranscriptTYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=WEST PAPUA TENSE L-ONLY
NUMBER=2-268143
BYLINE=PATRICIA NUNAN
DATELINE=JAKARTA
CONTENT= ///REISSUING WITH CORRECT DISTANCE--3600 KM--IN NEXT TO LAST GRAF OF TEXT///
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Indonesian security forces have backed down from a threat to pull down flags belonging to West Papua's independence movement, avoiding another possible outbreak of violence. As Patricia Nunan reports from Jakarta, police and independence supporters have agreed to wait for Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid to mediate their dispute.
TEXT: Human rights officials say some 300 people gathered in the West Papuan capital, Jayapura, at a morning flag-raising ceremony, without interference by Indonesian security forces. Calm also prevailed in Wamena, a city in West Papua's central highlands known for its fervent support of the province's independence movement.
The calm comes after independence supporters and security officials agreed to wait for President Abdurrahman Wahid to return to Indonesia from his trip to South Korea. Members of the pro-independence group called the "Papua Presidium" are expected to go to Jakarta to meet with Mr. Wahid -- to determine a policy about the flag-raising.
There have been weeks of tension between security forces and the SatGas Papua or "Papuan Task Force -- a pro-independence militia -- over the issue of raising the "Morning Star" separatist flag.
But John Rumbiak, of the human rights group Elsham, calls the planned meeting in Jakarta "crazy" -- He says no matter what is decided, the West Papuan people will continue to confront security forces over the flag-raising issue.
/// RUMBIAK ACT ///
If they try to lower the flags, or disperse the SatGas Papua or even the presidium council of Papua --- violence is going to happen.
/// END ACT ///
Earlier this mo
