Suara Papua – November 10, 2023

Jayapura — Victor Yeimo, leader and political figure of the West Papuan independence struggle, has just been awarded the 2023 “Voltaire Empty Chair Award”. The international award in the field of human rights was given to Yeimo by the Australian organistion Liberty Victoria on Friday November 10.

The spokesperson for the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) and the Papuan People’s Petition (PRP), according to libertyvictoria.org.au, received the award for his persistent struggle for human rights, freedom of speech and civil liberties in West Papua, and because he was considered a strong fighter for West Papuan independence from Indonesia.

It was noted that Yeimo has gone through a long struggle, having been arrested repeatedly, thrown into a police cell, charged with treason and being tried when he was seriously ill. He has been in and out of Indonesian prison many times.

Liberty Victoria is Australia’s longest-standing civil liberties organisation which for the last seven years has continued to aggressively fight for civil and human rights in the world.

Since being established in 2016, the Voltaire Empty Chair Award has been given to people deemed worthy of receiving it even though they have sometimes not been able to attend in person as a consequence of their defense of human rights, freedom of speech or civil liberties.

Victor Yeimo, a pro-independence activist and staunch human rights defender was once placed on the police’s wanted persons list (DPO) by Indonesian authorities after he led a demonstration against racism directed at Papuan students in Surabaya on August 16, 2019,

He has been arrested and imprisoned three times — in October 2009, May

2013 and May 2021 — for exercising his civil rights in leading peaceful demonstrations.

Yeimo’s most recent arrest and imprisonment was on charges of makar (treason, subversion, rebellion) for leading a peaceful protest against racial discrimination in West Papua in 2019. Yeimo was placed in solitary confinement for three months and denied access to his lawyers, family and even medical treatment. His health had deteriorated during the trial process.

In May 2023, the Jayapura District Court ruled that Yeimo had violated the Criminal Code (KUHP) on the pretext that he has disseminated prohibited information. However the was verdict was annulled in July

2023 and he was sentenced to one year in prison.

After serving 28 months in prison, Yeimo was finally released from the Jayapura Penitentiary on Saturday November 23, 2023. Thousand of Papuans took to the streets to greet him and held a parade to Waena to celebrate his release.

During the award ceremony, Liberty Victoria stated, “We are proud to announce that the 2023 Voltaire Empty Chair Award was awarded to Mr.

Victor Yeimo, a strong supporter of West Papua’s independence from Indonesia and international spokesperson for the West Papua National Committee and the Papuan People’s Petition”.

“We are honored that Mr Victor Yeimo has received the 2023 Liberty Victoria Vacant Chair award.”

Comments by Victor Yeimo

After receiving the award, Yeimo spoke about racism in Indonesia, which he said was deeply rooted.

“Racism is a disease. Racism is a virus. Racism is first propagated by people who feel superior. The belief that other races are inferior. The feeling that another race is more primitive and backward than others”, said Yeimo.

“After Indonesia became independent, it succeeded in driving out colonialism, but failed to eliminate the racism engendered by European cultures against archipelago communities. Currently, racism has developed into a deeply ingrained cultural phenomenon in Indonesian society, leaving them with a sense of inferiority as a result of their history of colonisation.”

Yeimo also said that the struggle by the people of the West Papuan nation will never end.

“The 1962 New York Agreement, the 1967 agreement between Indonesia and the United States regarding Freeport’s work contract, and the Act of Free Choice in 1969 were without the participation of the Papuan people.

This exclusion was rooted in the belief that Papuans were viewed as primitive and not entitled to the right to determine their own political fate.”

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Gigih Perjuangkan HAM Papua, Victor Yeimo Raih Penghargaan Voltaire Empty Chair”.]

News Desk 11 November 2023

Jakarta, Jubi – Several prominent figures in Indonesia issued a collective plea for a humanitarian ceasefire to stop the ongoing armed conflict in Papua.

In Jakarta on Thursday (9/11/2023), Gomar Gultom, the General Chairperson of the Association of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) announced several notable signatories including Sinta Nuriyah of Nahdlatul Ulama (Former First Lady of Indonesia 1999-2001, Wife of KH Abdurrahman Wahid), Yanuarius Theofilus Maatopai You (Bishop of Jayapura), Siprianus Hormat (Chairman of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference), Marzuki Darusman (Former Attorney General of Indonesia during the presidency of KH Abdurrahman Wahid), and Alissa Wahid (Chairperson of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board).

Franz Magnis Suseno, Makarim Wibisono, and Abdul Mu’ti, though did not attend the event, were declared as supporters of the Call for Peace in Papua.

The call for peace was prompted by the signatories’ reflections on global challenges, including the crises in Ukraine and Palestine, emphasizing the need to address domestic issues.

“On a different scale, the humanitarian crisis that we witness in the world can also be seen closely in the Land of Papua,” said Gultom.

The call underscores that only a peaceful resolution can prevent loss of life and foster prosperity, justice, and well-being in Papua. The signatories expressed deep concern over the armed conflict, urging the Indonesian government and all parties involved, including armed civilian groups, the ULMWP (United Liberation Movement for West Papua), traditional leaders, and Indigenous Papuans, to engage in dialogue and take immediate steps toward peace.

The signatories called for building trust as a crucial first step, urging state officials to collaborate with all segments of society to address the humanitarian crisis and initiate dialogue for a peaceful resolution. They emphasized the importance of dialogue facilitated by trusted, impartial mediators, including national figures and Papuan Alissa Wahid highlighted the dire consequences of armed conflict, including hunger, displacement, and increasing casualties, and emphasized the need for the government to engage with diverse parties to find a new approach for resolution.

Efforts to initiate a humanitarian pause in Papuawere previously undertaken through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by ULMWP, the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas), and the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP) in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 11, 2022. However, the process faced setbacks after Komnas HAM revoked it on February 9, 2023.

Kornelius Purba (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta   ●   Sun, October 29, 2023 Many Indonesians were probably surprised when 60 percent of eligible Australian voters said “No” in the Oct. 14 referendum to alter the constitution to create a Voice to Parliament to represent the indigenous Aborigine peoples. A nation that portrays itself as a noble defender, or even moral policeman, of human rights in Asia-Pacific shamelessly refused to practice what it has preached. 

The Australians may need to recall what is written in the Holy Book now that they have repeatedly denied the rights of the indigenous people. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?”

It was the second referendum on the same issue after the 1998 plebiscite, in which Australians voted against a constitutional amendment. It needs a national majority and majorities in at least four of the six states to win the referendum.



“This is a bitter irony,” one of the indigenous leaders said. “That people who have only been on this continent for 235 years would refuse to recognize those whose home this land has been for 60,000 and more years is beyond reason,” Reuters quoted the indigenous leader. 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accepted his share of the blame for the failure of a referendum question on indigenous recognition that could weaken his authority. “We know that referendums are hard, that is why only eight of 45 have passed,” Albanese said. “I certainly accept responsibility for the decisions that I have taken.” I think Maori people, who account for 15 percent of New Zealand’s population, are much luckier than Aboriginal Australians. Like millions of people across the globe, I always feel amazed watching the All-Blacks rugby team, who always perform the famous Haka as a part of their pregame ritual. 

It is always touching for New Zealanders, including their prime ministers, to perform the traditional Māori greeting, in which two people press their noses together, some including touching the foreheads at the same time. Why is New Zealand different from Australia? Or why does Australia find it so difficult to learn from New Zealand? 

Knowing that they often lecture other nations, including Indonesia, on democracy and human rights, it should not be difficult for the Australians to follow New Zealand’s way, even if it may look humiliating. For decades, even as the world community acknowledged Indonesia as the third-largest democracy after India and the United States, the Australian government, politicians, media, non-government organizations and academics still feel the need to criticize, if not condemn, Indonesia’s human rights track record, especially in Papua. 

What makes Australia upset with Indonesia is perhaps the undeniable fact that Indonesia is more important to Australia than the other way around. Both belong to the category of middle power. Still, in the eyes of many Indonesians, Australia is less important than other trade partners, despite its claim to be the deputy sheriff of the US in Asia-Pacific. I must acknowledge that Australia’s criticisms of the way Indonesia treats Papua are not groundless. 

For decades Papua has remained marginalized, discriminated against and impoverished despite its huge natural resources. Resentment toward the central government has led to demands for independence and a separatist movement.

Australia has often received Papuan rebels as asylum seekers or refugees, based on humanitarian reasons. Indonesia has often expressed anger with Australia’s hospitality, although it would be better for Jakarta to reflect on why the Papuans feel restless in their own country. 

The Human Rights Law Centre’s director of communications, Tom Clarke, said the arrival of asylum seekers from Papua should remind Australia of the expectation to provide human rights leadership in the region. “Reports of political assassinations, torture and the violent repression of peaceful political gatherings in Indonesia’s Papuan provinces are all too common.

 Fundamental human rights are regularly violated. It’s understandable that people will come to Australia seeking our protection,” the human rights defender once said. In my column in The Jakarta Post on Oct. 6, I wrote about how Indonesia and Australia split over the newly agreed Timor-Leste-China strategic partnership. During his visit to China, Timor Leste Prime Minister Ramos Horta and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement between the two countries on Sept. 23. Indonesia did not react, at least in public. By contrast, the Australian government and media openly expressed strong suspicions that Timor-Leste would follow in the footsteps of the Solomon Islands, which formed a military pact with China in July last year. 

In my view, many in Australia have shared their frustration with smaller and ungrateful neighbors for choosing to play the China card to retaliate against their “blood-sucking colonial master”. “Imagine Chinese ghosts in Australia mainstream and rightwing media,” Ramos Horta said. “Should we wear badges proclaiming our enduring love for Australia? But even then, would the overjealous Australian media stop accusing us, poor Timor-Leste, of being ungrateful [and] pro-China?” 

Indonesia is the former colonial master of Timor-Leste. But why has Australia more often acted as a colonial master itself? Indonesia has accepted Australia’s criticisms of human rights abuses in Papua, and in then East Timor. Now it is the turn of Indonesia to ask Australia,” Don’t you feel shame at the result of the referendum on the Aborigines?” *** The writer is a senior editor at The Jakarta Post 

 October 20, 2023 in News

The International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP) held a major meeting in the UK Parliament yesterday (October 18th 2023), calling for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to be urgently allowed to visit West Papua.

The IPWP meeting was held to support the recent communique issued at the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Leaders’ Summit in August, urging Indonesia to facilitate a UN visit to West Papua before the next Leaders’ Summit in 2024. Indonesia promised to facilitate a UN visit in 2018. Five years on, they are no closer to allowing the UN access.

Over 85 countries have now called for the UN visit. This includes all member states of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS), the European Commission, and individual nations including the UK, Spain, and the Netherlands. At Indonesia’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) last year in Geneva, eight countries, including the US, Canada, and Australia, expressed profound concern over the human rights situation in West Papua and urged international investigation.

The IPWP meeting was hosted by Alex Sobel, UK Labour MP and IPWP Chair. West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda addressed the crowded room, along with Jennifer Robinson, of Doughty Street Chambers and the International Lawyers for West Papua (ILWP). MEP and President of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont and Senator Gorka Elejebarrieta, both IPWP Vice Chairs, addressed the meeting by video link.

Demonstrations took place across West Papua over the past two days in support of the meeting.

Benny Wenda said: “I welcome the MSG communique, but words have to mean action. Even since the MSG meeting Indonesia has killed many West Papuans, and tortured and displaced even more. Melanesian leaders should ask themselves: are we trying to save West Papuans, or are we allowing Indonesia to carry on their occupation with impunity? The MSG and PIF must do all in their power to secure a visit.”

Carles Puigdemont said: “If Indonesia has a serious commitment to become a member of the part of the international community that respects human rights, there is no other alternative than for Jakarta than to facilitate the UN High Commissioner’s visit right now… I reassure you that our just struggle for a free West Papua will continue, in the European Parliament and at the European Commission.”

Gorka Elejebarrieta said: “We believe that the reports of serious human rights violations in West Papua have to be taken into account. We believe that the international community, and especially the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, cannot avoid the issue any longer. Indonesia must support and facilitate mechanisms of the international community for the full respect of human rights and the full respect of the rights of West Papuans.”

AFP Jakarta   ●   Wed, October 18, 2023 The National Police said on Tuesday that armed rebels had gunned down seven civilians when they opened fire on a gold mine in Papua. Authorities said assailants fired shots at mining workers on Monday afternoon in the remote, mountainous Yahukimo district.  Police claimed The West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB) separatist group led by Egianus Kogoya was behind the shootings.

“We will chase the perpetrators and we will take legal action against the separatists and Egianus Kogoya,” Faizal Ramadhani, head of Cartenz Peace Taskforce, a special group formed to handle the Papua separatists, said in a statement Tuesday.

Faizal said a police unit sent to retrieve the bodies and rescue survivors was fired on by the rebels. “As soon as we arrived at the location, our personnel were attacked and the gunfire lasted 1.5 hours,” he said. Seven bodies have been retrieved from the location while 11 other people were rescued alive, police said. Most of the dead were migrants from the South Sulawesi. 

The rebels also burned down excavators, trucks and the workers’ camp, police added. The rebels claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying that they had warned the migrants to leave the region and all Papuan areas. “(Indonesia) must immediately open a negotiation with the Papuan nation to find a solution,” said the group’s spokesperson Elkius Kobak in a statement. The group is also responsible for the February 2023 kidnapping of a New Zealand pilot from the Papuan highlands.  Papua has seen several deadly attacks linked to the insurgency in recent years. Ten people were killed in July last year when a group of rebels attacked a truck full of civilians transporting goods.  In March 2022, eight telecommunications workers were shot dead while installing communications towers in Puncak district.

Papuan DPR members say illegal gold mining has a high potential for conflict

I feel sorry for the seven mine workers who were killed. May the family always be given strength. Second, Papua is very rife with illegal gold mining activities

News Desk – Illegal Gold Mining

October 19, 2023

Jayapura, Jubi TV– The potential for conflict in illegal traditional gold mining areas in a number of districts in Tanah Papua is considered quite high. However, the government seems to be neglecting it. The government is considered not serious about controlling illegal gold mining areas, even though conflicts often occur in the area.

This statement was made by a member of the Papua DPR’s Commission for Government, Politics, Law, Human Rights and Security, Laurenzus Kadepa.

Kadepa stated that this was related to the attack and murder of seven traditional gold miners in Kali I, Seradala District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Mountain Province, on Monday (16/10/2023).

The West Papua National Liberation Army or TPNPB also stated responsibility for the attack.

“I feel sorry for the seven mine workers who were killed. May the family always be given strength. Secondly, Papua is very rife with wild or illegal gold mining activities, but it seems that the government is just ignoring it. “In fact, if you look at the potential for conflict in this mining area, it is very high,” said Kadepa when contacting Jubi via telephone, Thursday (19/10/2023).

According to him, apart from the potential for conflict, illegal gold mining also causes serious damage to nature and forests.

“I have always been vocal about closing all illegal mines in Papua,” he said.

He said, in 2018, he urged the Acting Governor of Papua at that time, Soedarmo, to go directly to Korowai, Boven Digoel Regency, which is now part of South Papua Province, to look at illegal mining activities there.

This was based on the aspirations of the Korowai people at that time through Pastor Trevor. At that time, the Papua Province regional government communications forum came to the location.

“Unfortunately, these steps were not followed by the governors and regents in Papua. “For me, the presence of illegal mining like this has many negative impacts, so it must be closed,” he said.

Laurenzus Kadepa also asked the security forces and TPNPB involved in the armed conflict not to continue killing civilians for various reasons.

“Stop killing civilians for whatever reason. I’m surprised that all this time there have been civilians shot by the TPNPB because it was part of the intelligence apparatus. On the other hand, if the TNI/Polri shoot civilians, they say they are part of the TPNPB, OPM and others. This is very dangerous. “If the government doesn’t find a solution, it will be dangerous for the lives of people in Papua,” said Kadepa.

Previously, TPNPB spokesperson, Sebby Sambom, said that the TPNPB Special Forces Kodap III Ndugama and Kodap XVI Yahukimo were responsible for the attack on the mine in Kali I, Seradala District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Mountain Province.

“The Free Papua Organization TPNPB is responsible for the murder,” said Sambom.

Sambom stated that the gold mine in Seradala District was an illegal gold mine. He also conveyed accusations that there were TNI intelligence workers working in the mine at Yahukimo.

According to Sambom, his party has repeatedly warned civilians to leave areas of armed conflict, because the TPNPB will not compromise and shoot them.

Sambom stated that his party again demanded that the government immediately open a space for dialogue to find a solution to the armed conflict in the Land of Papua.

“We, TPNPB, ask the state to immediately open a space for negotiations with the Papuan people, to find a solution. “Once again, we TPNPB are not playing around,” he said. (*)

This article has been published on jubi.id with the title: Kadepa: Illegal gold mining has the potential to cause conflict

 BY ALFIAN KARTONO

Updated 9:31 PM AEDT, October 2, 2023

JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — Five Papuan independence fighters were killed in a clash between security forces and a rebel group in Indonesia’s restive Papua region, police and rebels said Monday.

A joint military and police force killed the five fighters from the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, in a battle on Saturday with dozens of rebels armed with military-grade weapons and arrows in the hilly Serambakon village in Papua Highland province, said Faizal Ramadhani, a national police member who heads the joint security force.

Security forces seized two assault rifles, a pistol, several arrows, two mobile phones, cash, more than 300 rounds of ammunition and a “morning star” flag — a separatist symbol — after the clash, Ramadhani said.

Rebels in Papua have been fighting a low-level insurgency since the early 1960s, when Indonesia annexed the region, a former Dutch colony.

Papua was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot that was widely seen as a sham. Since then, the insurgency has simmered in the region, which was divided into five provinces last year to boost development in Indonesia’s poorest region.

Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the liberation army, confirmed the police claim but said that losing five fighters “would not make us surrender.”

“They were the national heroes of the Papuan people,” Sambom said in a statement provided to The Associated Press on Monday. “They died in defending the Papuan people from extinction due to the crimes of the Indonesian military and police who are acting as terrorists.”

The rebels in February stormed a single-engine plane shortly after it landed on a small runway in Paro and abducted its pilot. The plane initially was scheduled to pick up 15 construction workers from other Indonesian islands after the rebels threatened to kill them.

The kidnapping of the pilot was the second that independence fighters have committed since 1996, when the rebels abducted 26 members of a World Wildlife Fund research mission in Mapenduma. Two Indonesians in that group were killed by their abductors, but the remaining hostages were eventually freed within five months.

The pilot kidnapping reflects the deteriorating security situation in Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua, a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea that is ethnically and culturally distinct from much of Indonesia.

Saturday’s fighting was the latest in a series of violent incidents in recent years in Papua, where conflicts between indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces are common.

Data collected by Amnesty International Indonesia showed at least 179 civilians, 35 Indonesian troops and nine police, along with 23 independence fighters, were killed in clashes between rebels and security forces between 2018 and 2022.

___

Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.

Posted on FB

Five Members of TPNB KODAP XXXV Fell In The Battlefield Of Oxibile And Komnas TNPB Announces National Grief.

Shared by: Sebby Sambom (Jubir KOMNAS TNPB)

Press Release of the Management of the TPNB Komnas Headquarters as of October 2, 2023

Goodbye Patriots of Papuan, and rest in peace (RIP).

The Management of the TNPB Komnas Headquarters has Received a confirmation report from the Commander of the TPNB Kodap XXXV East Star on today Monday 2 October 2023 that 5 members of the TNPP have fallen in the battlefield, in the area of Serambakon District, Pegunungan Bintang Region due to being shot by Terrorist Forces which are members of the Army and the Police.

We also received reports that these 5 fallen TNPB members have been mutilated like animals, therefore the TNI police did not publish photos and videos of our members that they shot dead.

Therefore, we inform the international community and the UN that the Indonesian Military and Police are real terrorists (the Indonesian military and police are real terrorists in West Papua).

Thus, on today Monday 2 October 2023 we officially announce national mourning, for 5 members of the TNPB who fell in the battlefield. And it needs to be known by all components of Papuan people that they are the National Heroes of Papuan nation, because they failed in defending and saving Papuan nation from extinction due to the Military crimes and Police of Indonesia who are truly terrorists.

Please follow the report from TPNB Kodap XXXV Eastern Star below!

The chronology of the fall of 5 members of the TPNB commandos of the 35 east star defense area.

At star mountain region papua

The place where the 5 members of the TNPB fellows in the district of Mount Bintang, SERAMBAKON DISTRICT, in MODUSIT VILLAGE

Chronology

========

On Saturday, September 30, 2023

Fasting time : 5:00

Places. At : modusit village.

Troops while sleeping one of the houses in the forest in modusit village

At star mountain papua

After that

TNI entered the house where the TNPB troops slept, then attacked with snipers, basoka, and other weapons

After being paralyzed,

Grab

Weapons belonging to TPNB Komado of 35 east star defense area.

= . 2 long barrel gun barrel

=. 1 piece pistol

=. Ammunition or bullets about 300 more, cellphone 2 pieces, 1 Pajar star flag, money ETC.

After that, THE VICTIMS ARE CUT IN PIECES BY THE ARMY, JOINT POLICE

AND FOR A WHILE THE VICTIMS HAVEN’T BEEN EVALUATED BECAUSE

THE COMBINATED ARMY AND POLICE

STILL ON WATCH 1 FOR EVACUATION,

THEN IT IS NOT FOR A WHILE

EVACUATE.

And names2

Name-name. TNPB member who fell in battlefield

AS FOLLOWS:

1. 1st battalion commander shows off in name. : this is the BUS BABY.

gender type. : man Religion : protestant Christians

2. KODAP intel Deputy Commander by Name. : HERE COMES TO MIMIN.

SEX TYPE. : Male

Relieved. : protesting Christians

3. TOP NAME : OTTO KASIPKA

gender. : Male

Relieved. : Protest

4. IN NAME :ALEXS LEPKI

gender. : Male

Relieved. : Protest

5. In the name :TARKUS AKMER.

gender. : Male

Relieved. : Protest

Evidence and photo we can not confirm yet.

Because Medan is dominated by

THE COMBINATED ARMY, POLICE.

So

The chronology of events

On the battlefield

Saturday 30th of September 2023.

Thus is the press broadcast of the Management of the Commnasium Headquarters of TPNPPB, and thank you for the good cooperation.

Forwarded to all parties by Jubir Komnas TPNB Sebby Sambom,

News Desk – Human Rights Violations

 2 October 2023

Jayapura, Jubi – Director Latifah Anum Siregar of the Democracy Alliance for Papua (ALDP) emphasized the importance of raising awareness about human rights violations in Papua during a discussion at the launch of the Jubi Documentary films. The event took place at the St. Nicholaus Ambassador of Peace Study House in Jayapura City on Wednesday, September 27, 2023.

The Jubi Documentary released five films about Papua at the end of September: When the Microphone Turns On; Pepera 1969: Democratic Integration?; Black Pearl of the Field General; My Name is Pengungsi; and Voices from the Grime Valley. They were launched in Jayapura, Yogyakarta, and Jakarta.

Siregar stressed that these documentaries are not meant for mere entertainment but should serve as a platform for everyone, especially young students, to speak out against human rights violations in Papua.

Former football giant Persipura captain Fernando Fairyo, who was also present at the launch event, expressed how emotionally impactful the documentary “Black Pearl of the Field General” was for him. He mentioned shedding tears while watching the film, which highlighted the history of Persipura’s journey and invoked mixed emotions of joy and sadness.

Fairyo also emphasized the need for Persipura to focus on strengthening the team and urged creative management to find funds beyond sponsorship from PT Freeport Indonesia and Bank Papua to support the team.

The five documentaries released by Jubi were produced over two years by Jubi Documentary, a branch of Jubi media based in Jayapura City. These films share a common theme of humanity and the repercussions of human rights violations in Papua.

Watchdoc, an audio-visual production house founded by Andhy Panca Kurniawan and Dandhy Dwi Laksono in 2009, supervised the production of these films. Watchdoc is renowned for its social justice-themed documentaries and received the 2021 Ramon Magsaysay Award in the ‘Emergent Leadership’ category.

Voices from the Grime Valley, directed by Angela Flassy, explores the social consequences of forest clearing for oil palm plantations in Keerom Regency and Jayapura Regency, both located in Papua Province.

Meanwhile, Black Pearl of the Field General, directed by Maurids Yansip, narrates the story of Persipura football team as a symbol of pride and identity for Papuans, its achievements, and its current struggle to regain a spot in League 1.

The launch event included discussions with the filmmakers and experts, providing a platform for in-depth exploration of the documentary topics.

————————————————————

Asia Pacific Report

Members of Indonesia’s Nduga District Police and the Damai Cartenz Police Task Force have raided a residential house and the local head office of the Papuan Tabernacle Church (Kingmi Papua) in the town of Kenyam, Nduga Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province, reports Human Rights Monitor.

Before raiding the Kingmi Papua office on September 17, the police officers arbitrarily arrested Melince Wandikbo, Indinwiridnak Arabo, and Gira Gwijangge in their home in Kenyam.

They were tortured and forced to reveal the names of people who had attended a recent burial of several members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB).

• READ MORE: Police officers raid residential house and Tabernacle Church office – full details, names of victims, photos
• Other West Papua human rights reports

After one of the suspects mentioned the name of Reverend Urbanus Kogeya, the police officers searched the Kingmi Papua Office in Kenyam.

They arrested three other Papuans without showing a warrant. Police officers reportedly beat them during arrest and subsequent detention at the Nduga District police headquarters.

Everybody detained were later released due to lack of evidence.

Local Kingmi Papua church leaders and congregation members slept inside the Kingmi head office that night because they were preparing for a church event.

Around 11:30 pm, the police officers forcefully entered the office, breaking the entrance door.

Excessive force
According to the church leaders, the officers used excessive force against the suspects and the office facilities during the raid. Nine people suffered injuries as a result of police violence during the raid at the Kingmi Papua office — including an 85-year-old man and four women.

As Reverend Nataniel Tabuni asked the officers why they had come at night and broken the entrance door, a police officer approached him and punched him three times in the face.

According to Reverend Tabuni, one of the police officers ssaid: “You are the Church of Satan, the Church of Terrorists! You are supporting Egianus Kogeya [TPNPB Commander in Nduga] under the pretext of praying.”

The acts of torture were witnessed by the head of Nduga Parliament (DPRD), Ikabus Gwijangge.

He reached the Kingmi Papua Office around 11:45 pm after hearing people shouting for help.

As Gwijangge saw the police officers beating and kicking suspects, he protested the use of excessive force and called on the officers to follow procedure.

‘I’ll come after you’
A Damai Cartenz officer reportedly pointed his finger at Gwijangge and threatened him, saying: “Stupid parliamentarian. I’ll come after you! Wherever you go, I will find out where you are. I’ll chase you!”

Another police officer pushed Gwijangge outside the building to prevent him from witnessing the police operation. After that, the police officers searched all the office rooms and broke another office door.

The Nduga police chief (Kapolres), Commissioner Vinsensius Jimmy, has apologised to the local church leaders for the misconduct of his men.

The victims demanded that the perpetrators be processed according to the law.

Congregation members in Kenyam carried out a spontaneous peaceful protest against the police raid and violence against four Kingmi Papua pastors.

The Human Rights Monitor (HRM) is an independent, international non-profit project promoting human rights through documentation and evidence-based advocacy. HRM is based in the European Union and active since 2022.

————————

Damien Kingsbury

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/sep/28/australia-west-papua-human-rights-abuse-allegations-indonesia

Australia is willing to turn a blind eye to alleged human rights abuses in West Papua because alienating Indonesia is not worth the risk as China jostles for regional influence

As reported by the Guardian, Australia is seeking to strengthen its defence relationship with Indonesia, despite well-documented human rights abuses by the Indonesian military in West Papua.

As tens of thousands of West Papuan civilians are turned into refugees in their own land and innocents are allegedly tortured and gunned down by Indonesian soldiers, Australia is embarking on further training and support for the Indonesian military and its counter-terrorism police.

Human rights considerations appear to have been pushed down the list of diplomatic priorities.

Indeed, it is an open secret in the defence department that some would welcome an even closer relationship than is currently being negotiated with Indonesia. The view is that the more defence cooperation Australia has with regional neighbours, including Indonesia, the safer it would feel should tensions between the US and China spill over into open conflict.

A formal military alliance with Indonesia – which would enact mutual national security obligations – is unlikely, however, because Indonesia still harbours suspicions about Australia as a trusted friend following the 1999 Timor-Leste intervention. Indonesia is also wary of being drawn into a war not of its choosing, and its military orientation is still largely internally focused.

Indonesia has undergone significant reforms since the Suharto era. It has regular, transparent elections, a free and fairly robust media and, outside West Papua, a military that has also undergone some reform.

Yet “money politics” continues to prevail in Indonesian politics, restrictive legislation has been passed in recent years and there remains huge disparities in wealth. Further, the Indonesian military effectively ceased its own, incomplete, reform process around 2007.

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The military may be under civilian control, but it continues to fund some of its activities through its own business interests. Its minister, Prabowo Subianto, is a former military hardliner with extensive human rights skeletons rattling around his own closet.

Critically, too, Prabowo is running a very close second to Ganjar Pranowo for Indonesia’s 2024 presidential elections. With both candidates having less than 30% support, a solidifying of the presidential race over coming months could see Prabowo take the lead.

A man widely accused of being a human rights abuser could become the president of the country Australia wants to be closer to.

The calculation behind Australia’s closeness to Indonesia focuses on China’s assertive strategic reach. China has very close relations with Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, and has recently extended its illegal claim – and built up its bases – in the South China Sea. It has also been building stronger relationships in the Pacific as well as south Asia and east Africa, in what is referred to as the String of Pearls strategy.

Closer to home, China signed new economic and defence agreements with Timor-Leste this week. This follows China’s earlier, high profile investments in diplomacy and defence cooperation with the young nation.

After 15 years of overspending, and its oil-base sovereign wealth fund running dry, Timor-Leste’s economy is expected to run out of money in about a decade. Australia’s small neighbour is now looking for any new friends that might assist with a soft economic landing.

Timor-Leste also sees its strategic security being enhanced by having several powerful friends, rather than being dominated by one or two countries. China ticks a few important boxes.

Australia regards China’s diplomatic, economic and strategic reach in the region with considerable discomfort and some alarm. This has caused reflection on how Australia has taken for granted and sometimes abused regional relationships. After a couple of decades of trashing many of them, Australia is now playing diplomatic catch-up.

Part of this catch-up is for Australia to not further alienate countries it wishes to have as friends and strategic partners. Hence Australia is reluctant to question, much less criticise, Indonesia on human rights grounds.

The longsuffering people of West Papua, marginalised and abused in their own land, are therefore being sacrificed on the altar of real politik.

• Damien Kingsbury is an emeritus professor at Deakin University and has published widely on regional political and security issues

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