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The West Papua Report
October 2007
This is the 41st in a series of monthly reports that focus on
developments affecting Papuans. This reporting series is
produced by the West Papua Advocacy Team (WPAT) drawing on media
accounts, other NGO assessments and analysis and reporting from
sources within West Papua. The West Papua Advocacy Team is a
non-profit organization. Questions regarding this report can be
addressed to Edmund McWilliams at edmcw@msn.com.
Summary
* A series of reports from reputable international human
rights monitors point to continuing pressure on Papuan human
rights defenders including religious leaders and political
activists. The pressure includes death threats and kidnapping of
family members. The wave of attacks and intimidation accelerated
following the June visit of a UN human rights official.
* A broad group representing Papuan civil society has appealed for
dialogue with the central government over issues such as Papuan
self-determination and demilitarization of West Papua.
* A Jakarta Post report reveals grinding poverty for most Papuans
in Mimika District. In addition to living below the poverty line,
Papuans in Mimika face a dearth of services and unrelenting
marginalization. Mimika is home to the Freeport gold and copper
mine, one of the most lucrative mines in the world.
* A BBC report highlights similar severe poverty and an absence
of development in Papua's central highlands.
* A member of the West Papua Advocacy Team reports on his recent
visit to West Papua. He notes growing Papuan concern about
mysterious deaths and the rapid expansion of migrant control in
the capitol region.
* A Papuan Parliamentarian has called on President Yudhoyono to
revise the Freeport contract, noting in passing that Papuans
have not profited from the firm's operation which has produced
great riches for the firm and for the central government.
* The TNI has resumed its push to expand its presence in West
Papua. The proposal has been floated periodically with varying
justifications. The latest rationale focuses on the purported
need to protect Indonesia's border from a spurious threat from
Papua New Guinea.
* The Oxford Refugees Studies Center has published a series of
papers on West Papua (web site provided below).
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Pressure on Human Rights Defenders Continues/Intensifies
Reports from reliable sources in West Papua indicates that
pressure on Papuan human rights defenders continues. A September
Amnesty International alert raised concern about Johanes Djonga,
a human rights activist and church pastor. According to the AI
report, a military commander and his men have reportedly
threatened to kill Pastor Johanes Djonga for his activism in
defense of the human rights. Amnesty International believes his
life could be in danger.
The AI report notes: "The commander of the Army Special Forces
(Kopassus) in Waris district, Papua province, Lettu Usman, and
the soldiers under his command, allegedly threatened to kill
Johanes Djonga and bury him in a 700-meter-deep gorge, on 22
August. They accused him of making false allegations about the
situation in Waris district to local and international NGOs, and
of being a provokator (provocateur) who was betraying the
Indonesian state. A Kopassus military officer has also alleged
on 16 September that Johanes Djonga is involved in illegal
logging and food business. This appears to arise from Johanes
Djonga's human rights activism: he recently presented a report
to the governor of Papua and the military commander in the city
of Jayapura, Colonel Burhanuddin Siagian, criticizing the
actions of the military at the border between Waris and Papua
New Guinea.
On September 18, Johanes Djonga reported the death threats to
the head of Papua Police. The police commander explained that if
the person threatening him was a soldier, there was nothing the
police could do to protect him. Johanes Djonga then reported the
threats to the Chief of Military Regional Command in Papua
province: he reportedly said he would take action, but would sue
Johanes Djonga for defamation if his accusations turned out to
be false.
In addition to these pressures, during September, members of the
human rights community and Alberth Rumbekwan, head of Komnas HAM
Papua (Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia, National Commission
for Human Rights), have continued to receive anonymous text
messages and telephone calls that insult them or accuse them of
supporting the separatist movement. A September 27 article in
the Indonesian daily "Kompas" concluded that intimidation of a
leading Papuan human rights representative "could tarnish
Indonesia's image." Specifically, the article asserts that
"(t)he terrorization of the Papuan chief representative of the
National Human Rights Commission or Komnas HAM, Albert
Rumbekwan, could have an impact on Indonesia's image as a member
of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. (Indonesia is
also a member of the UN Security Council.) Amnesty International
has pressed the matter with President Susilo Bambang Yuhoyono.
The intimidation of Rumbekwan began after he met with Hina
Jilani, the Special Representative to the United Nations General
Secretary.
Yan Christian Warinussy, a prominent international human rights
laureate, also has been the target of threats which have
prompted international concern and calls for his protection.
Meanwhile the Institute for Papuan Advocacy and Human Rights
(IPAHR) on September 28 reported an incident involving
psychological intimidation and abuse of a family member of a
prominent West Papuan leader by "unknown persons." Targeted was
the 17 year old daughter of prominent West Papuan Independence
leader, Edison Waromi. Ms. Yane Waromi was abducted, sedated and
abused over an 18 hour period September 25-26. Ms Yane Waromi
provided Human Rights workers with details of an abduction
involving a group of 10 "unknown persons" believed to be linked
to the Indonesian intelligence service or military. Human Rights
workers are viewing the incident as an act of deliberate
intimidation by security forces directed at Mr Edison Waromi and
other leaders of the West Papuan community. Human Rights workers
say that although the incident has been reported to the Police
in Jayapura, they appear unwilling to properly investigate the
incident.
Edison Waromi, is President of West Papua National Authority, a
pro-independence group. In recent months Mr. Waromi is reported
to have been sent SMS messages that he is on a black list to be
kidnapped and killed.Human Rights workers in West Papua report
that since visit of the UN representative Ms Hila Jilani in June
and the unsuccessful visit of US congressman Eni Faleomavega in
July, there has been an increased intensity of incidents
involving threats and intimidation of human rights workers,
human rights lawyers, clergy, students, and pro-independence
political leaders.
Human rights workers from the most of the regional centers in
West Papua describe a deteriorating human rights environment.
There are also reports of increased troop numbers in many areas
and, from the remote Puncak Jaya region, accounts of further
deaths associated with the operations by security forces.
Papuan Civil Society Seeks Fundamental Dialogue with Indonesian
Central Government
A broad cross section of Papuan civil society and pro
Independance groups has publicly appealed to the Indonesian
central government to engage with it in a fundamental dialogue
about a range of issues including Papuan self-determination. The
West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL), an
umbrella organisation, has written to Indonesia's president, and
asked for negotiations with the government to be supervised by
an internationally recognised mediator.
The Papuan initiaive includes Papuan women's groups, student
groups as well as the Papuan Presidium Council, the traditional
tribal council and West Papua's most prominent human rights
organization, ELSHAM. Among over 20 groups represented is the
TPN PB, the small but persistant pro-independence resistance
organization. Paula Makabory also with Els-Ham and Institute for
papuan Advocacy & Human Rights is acting as spokesperson for the
West Papua National Coalition for Liberation. In a public
statement, Makaboury said that Finland, which helped broker a
peace agreement between Indonesia's government and the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) in Aceh in 2005, was willing to mediate the
dialogue.
The dialogue would have as one goal the removal of Indonesian
troops from West Papua, a goal long sought under the "Papua Land
of Peace" initiative. The dialogue also would seek to allow
Papuans to form political parties and have greater control over
policy regarding West Papua's enormous resources. This concern
is a growing one as the central government presses for
destruction of vast stretches of Papuan forests to establish
palm oil plantations.
Extreme Poverty in Indonesia's Treasure-House Province
The Jakarta Post on September 26 reported that more than half of
the population of Mimika Regency (District), in southern West
Papua, live in poverty. For many decades, West Papua has been
the source of enormous riches for Jakarta's military and
civilian elite who have "developed" the region's vast natural
resources, often with devastating consequences for the Papuan
people and the environment. The Jakarta Post article makes clear
that those riches , including those from the Freeport Gold mine
in the district, continue to be hoarded by the Indonesian elites
with little benefit to the local people.
The Post article author, Markus Makur, notes that in addition to
life below the poverty line, the same proportion of the
population lack access to health care, education, proper
clothing and food. Mimika Statistics Agency (BPS) head Amin
Nazar explained to Makur that as many as 28,000 of the 45,000
families in Mimika are poor and that the number of impoverished
was growing. Complicating life for the poor, many public schools
are virtually closed with government teachers abandoning the
schools for months at a time.
Most of the regency population is in rural areas where Papuan
(non-migrant) populations predominate and where the problems of
poverty and lack of services are most acute.
The Post article identifies many government programs purportedly
on the drawing boards to address poverty and dearth of essential
services afflicting Papuans throughout West Papua but Papuans,
who have heard such promises for decades following Jakarta's
coercive annexation of West Papua in 1963 are understandably
dubious.
The BBC on Unrelenting Extreme Poverty in West Papua's Central
Highlands In a September report focusing on establishment of a
radio station in West Papua's Central Highlands, a BBC report
provides a glimpse into the hardships faced by the people where
the only change wrought by over four decades of Jakarta rule has
been exposure to the brutality of the Indonesian military. The
report, focusing on a positive development, inauguration of a
radio link and related setting up of a small hydro electric
plant, is a rare peek behind the screen maintained by Jakarta
authorities that obscures the suffering of many Papuans.
Excerpts of BBC Jakarta correspondent Lucy Williamson's report
below focus on the rarely reported suffering of rural Papuans
follow:
Eight hours flying time from the Indonesian capital, the Central
Highlands in Indonesia's Papua province are among the least
visited places in the world. Life here bears little relation to
the chaos of Jakarta's skyscrapers and toll roads. In villages
like this, there are usually no permanent roads, no electricity
and no phones. Foreign journalists need a permit to travel here.
Getting information into - and out of - areas like this has not
been easy.
Promises of development have often gone unfulfilled here and
many local people are angry at what they see as neglect from the
central government in Jakarta. Papua generates large amounts of
money thanks to its vast natural resources, but the region
remains desperately under-developed. This is an area where most
people live in traditional thatch huts, and rely on wood fires
to keep warm and cook food. This is an area so cut off and
under-developed that there is neither much money nor much
day-to-day value in having it. Most people are subsistence
farmers and the community is built on a pig economy. Several
people wear traditional dress here, but others - especially
children - wear Western-style T-shirts. One man, dressed in a
traditional penis gourd, head-dress and beads, told me he was
tired of sleeping on the ground in his hut and wanted a modern
house and proper roads. "When that happens," he said, "I'll
change the clothes I wear and wear T-shirts instead."
For many years, areas like this in the Central Highlands have
witnessed clashes between the Indonesian military and a small
band of fighters demanding independence for Papua. Local people
allege the military and police continue to commit human rights
abuses. Human rights groups have testimonies of extra-judicial
killings, rapes and torture.
WPAT Member's Visit To West Papua Highlights Disturbing
Events/Trends
A member of the West Papua Advocacy Team visited West Papua in
September and reports on events and trends there that indicate a
worsening human rights environment. Papuan civil society leaders
are deeply concerned about mysterious deaths of over 30 Papuans
who have succumbed to beatings and shootings. In addition, there
have been over 50 Papuans who have died as a consequence of
consuming food sold at stalls operated by transmigrants.
"Development," as it has come to West Papua follows a Jakarta
strategy that is morally corrupt. Migrants are expanding their
control of the local economy with continuing marginalization of
Papuans. International development assistance to Papuan
dominated areas, such as the highlands, is constrained by
groundless rumors that the highland Papuans dislike foreigners
and that the are presents unexplained "dangers."
The WPAT visitor noted significant religious changes in West
Papua compared with earlier visits. As the WPAT member arrived
in West Papua, 20 individuals who appeared to be Saudi, wearing
white robes disembarked from a Batavia flight. There are now 29
mosques and Sentani which is the new headquarters of the capital
district. Also in Sentani officials are organizing several large
transmigrant communities.
Papua Legislator Calls For Revision Of Contract With Freeport
The Deputy Chairman of the Papua Regional Legislative Council
(DPRD) Papua Jan Ayomi has publicly called upon President
Yudhoyono to revise the working contract with the giant copper
and gold firm PT. Freeport. Ayomi argues that the existing
contract is no longer in accordance with the current
developments especially with the implementation of the special
autonomy of Papua.
A September 19 Asia Pulse/Antara article reported Ayomi as
claiming that the existing contract disadvantages the nation
"and the Papua people in particular." He contended that PT
Freeport, assistance to the Papuan people has been insufficient,
particularly considering the vast wealth derived for the firm
(and the central Government) from Papuan gold, silver and copper
since the mine was begun in 1967.
TNI to Expand Presence in West Papua
A September 17 report carried in the Jakarta Post has raised
again plans by the TNI to substantially expand its presence in
West Papua. The report notes that the Army has (re)proposed
establishing a third infantry division from the Strategic
Reserves Command, or Kostrad, purportedly to patrol Papua border
areas. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Djoko Santoso is quoted as
acknowledging the expansion plan was first proposed in the early
1980s, but was never realized due to budget constraints. Similar
plans for an expansion of TNI in West Papua also surfaced in
2005-2006 but were denied in an Spring 2007 meeting between
Defense Minister Sudarsono and human rights groups in
Washington, DC.
Santoso now claims that the Army expects to establish the third
division in West Papua by 2014. Currently, Kostrad has two
infantry divisions -- in Cilodong. One Parliamentarian cited in
the article said that the Indonesian House would have no problem
with the Army's plan as long as it was approved by the Defense
Ministry and the ministry allotted the necessary budget to fund
the expansion. Defense Ministry approval is widely seen as a
foregone conclusion as civilian control of the Indonesian
military remains a long-sought goal and not a fact. The
Parliamentarian raised old ghosts in defending the plan,
claiming that "... Papua is prone to conflict and separatism.
So, we need to build a stronger defense system by expanding our
forces for the sake of sovereignty."
The contradiction between the TNI's justification for the
expansion, i.e., border protection, presumably from a threat
from Papua New Guinea (sic) and the need to address separatist
pressure is not addressed in the Jakarta Post report.
Important New Collection of Papuan Papers Announced
Eva-Lotta Hedman of the Oxford Refugee Studies Center has
completed editing a collection of papers on the situation in
West Papua. The contributions include:
"Papua: the last frontier for democratization, demilitarization
and decentralization in Indonesia" by Eva-Lotta E. Hedman
"Papuan and Indonesian nationalisms: Can they be reconciled?" by
Jacques Bertrand
"Refuge, displacement and dispossession: responses to Indonesian
rule and conflict in Papua" by Richard Chauvel
"Representations of violence, conflict, and displacement in West
Papua" by Stuart Kirsch
"West Papua: the flawed integration into Indonesia" by Liem
Soei Liong
The papers can be found in the RSC website; the direct link is:
http://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/PDFs/RSCworkingpaper42.pdf
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