),
the Indonesian military (TNI) reportedly has broadened and intensified the
attack operation it launched in August 2004 in West Papuaís Central Highlands
(Puncak Jaya District). According to reliable sources in West Papua, including
Pastor Socrates Yoman, President of the Fellowship of Baptist Churches in West
Papua, TNI forces have continued operations in the area, forcing thousands of
Papuan civilians to flee into the forests where lack of food, shelter and
medicine have caused deaths and extensive illness. Sources on the ground also
indicate that the TNI has significantly expanded its operations into the
neighboring districts of Jayawijaya, Nabire and Tolikara. Reports parallel
initial accounts of the military operations in Punjak Jaya District with the
notorious special forces (Kopassus) as well as the militarized police (Brimob)
assaulting villagers, destroying homes and killing livestock. Among those
villagers missing and feared dead is church and village leader Awuru Wanimbo of
Wurineri village in Jayawijaya District.
Indonesian police and military claim that the Free Papua
Movement (OPM) freedom fighters are responsible for the killings that opened the
door for the military operation now underway. Religious and tribal leaders and
human rights defenders in West Papua contend that the TNI is behind the
shootings. These claims are backed by the Jakarta Post, according to which
reliable sources told its reporter that Kopassus special forces were involved in
the initial killings that prompted the military offensive.
Two Face Possible Life Sentences for Peaceful Rally
Court proceedings have begun in the cases of two Papuans arrested in
connection with organizing a peaceful, pro-independence rally to commemorate
West Papua's traditional "national day," December 1.
According to the Jakarta Post (January
12), Yusuk Pakage, 26, was charged in a hearing January 12, in which he had no
legal representation. Filip Karma, 45, was due to be charged the same day, for
the same December 1 rally but refused to participate in the hearing that was to
set the charges, because he did not have legal counsel present. Karmaís trial
began on 20 January. He is charged with seeking to separate West Papua from the
Indonesian state ñ a charge for which he faces a possible life sentence or a
20-year sentence, under Article 106 of the Criminal Code. He is also charged
under Article 154 with expressing hostility or hatred towards the state, the
maximum penalty for which is seven years. Pakage is believed to be facing
similar charges.
Both men are being held in detention in Jayapura.
In a January 24 report, the U.K.-based Indonesian Human Rights Campaign
(TAPOL) gives the following account of the trial proceedings: Karma arrived in
court wearing his uniform as a local government official; his yellow shirt was
emblazoned with a Morning Star, the emblem of the Papuan people in their
struggle for independence.
Before entering the courthouse, Karma, who was carrying a Bible, conducted
prayers and read verses 17:33-45 from Samuel I which relates the encounter
between David and Goliath.
Following the prayers, the two men held a brief meeting with their lawyers,
who raised their intention of submitting a demurrer to the court regarding the
legality of the proceedings.
At the commencement of the hearings, the presiding judge asked the two
defendants whether they had been notified by their lawyers about the charges
against them. They both replied in the negative as they had not met their
lawyers until the day of the trial. It was agreed that they would submit
demurrers later in the month.
Nevertheless, 'to avoid wasting time', the presiding judge asked the
prosecutor, Maskel Rambolangi, to read out the charges against Karma. This
reportedly is in violation of normal procedure, which requires the court to hear
the demurrer from the defendant, before determining whether the trial can
proceed.
Indonesiaís National Human Rights Commission Establishes West Papua Office
According to the Jakarta Post (January
11), on January 10, respected human rights attorney Abdul Hakim Garuda
Nusantara, head of Indonesiaís National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM),
appointed seven Komnas HAM representatives in West Papua. The representatives,
who will each serve a three-year term (2005-2008), are Reverend Freddy Toam,
Friets Ramandey, Abina Wasanggai, Albert Rumbekwan, Sandra Mambrasar, Juhari and
Yance Waropen.
The long-awaited West Papua office of Komnas HAM, which has been in the
planning phase since 1999, reportedly will be funded from the provincial and
state budgets. A 1999 law empowers the provincial office to provide services to
the public and settle human rights problems previously handled at the central
level.
In 1995, Komnas HAM shone the spotlight of official attention on human rights
abuses in West Papua for the first time when it confirmed that the Indonesian
military (TNI) had committed clear and identifiable human rights violations in
and around New Orleans-based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.ís mining
operations there. Abuses included indiscriminate killings, torture, and inhuman
or degrading treatment, unlawful arrest and arbitrary detention, disappearance,
excessive surveillance, and destruction of property. The commission noted that
these violations ìare directly connected to [the Indonesian army]Öacting as
protection for the mining business of PT Freeport Indonesia.î (For details, see Development
Aggression: Observations on Human Rights Conditions in the PT Freeport Indonesia
Contract of Work Areas
With Recommendations, available online at:
