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West Papua Report
December 2008
This is the 55th in a
series of monthly reports that focus on developments
affecting Papuans. This series is produced by the non-profit
West Papua Advocacy Team (WPAT) drawing on media accounts,
other NGO assessments, and analysis and reporting from
sources within West Papua. This report is co-published with
the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) Back
issues are posted online at
http://etan.org/issues/wpapua/default.htm Questions
regarding this report can be addressed to Edmund McWilliams
at
edmcw@msn.com.
Contents:
Summary
As thousands of Papuans
demonstrate peacefully, calling for an end to Jakarta rule,
the Papuan Governor decried the failure of Jakarta to
implement "special autonomy," which he described as
initially introduced as an alternative to independence. He
noted the cost in human terms of Jakarta's failure to
implement the legislation including failure to provide basic
services for Papuans. This he indicated bore grave
consequences for the Papuan population now confronting an
explosion of HIV/AIDS infection.
Separately, Papuan academics have called for a human rights
court and national reconciliation commission another
unfulfilled pledge of the six year old special autonomy
legislation. A national seminar convened in Jakarta echoed
these concerns concluding that Papuans had been marginalized
in their own land. One non-Papuan speaker noted the role of
racist attitudes in Jakarta's dealings with Papuans. Passage
of a new Sharia-based anti-pornography law reflecting
exclusively Islamic values has prompted calls for secession
by some Papuans and in other communities within the
Indonesian archipelago where Islam is not the dominant
religious confession.
Comment: These developments reflect the observation
of a prominent Papuan academic who when asked if he
considered himself an "Indonesian," responded, "that is the
wrong question: the simple fact is that Indonesians do not
consider me to be an Indonesian."
Thousands of Papuans
Demonstrate Peacefully for Independence
On December 1, the day Papuans set aside to commemorate the
interlude of Papuan independence between the end of Dutch
colonialism and the Indonesian annexation. In Manokwari,
AFP reports, approximately 2000 demonstrators marched
carrying banners calling for independence. The demonstrators
were peaceful, although police detained and beat one man who
reportedly was carrying a banned "Morning Star" flag. In
Nabire approximately 10,000 gathered peacefully for a prayer
meeting under the watchful eyes of several hundred police
and military personnel. A smaller group of approximately 700
Papuans demonstrated without incident near Jayapura. They
gathered near the grave of Papua Presidium Council (PDP)
head Theys Eluay who was strangled to death by TNI (special
forces or "Kopassus") personnel in 2001. Speaking there (PDP)
Secretary General Taha Alhamid, a Papuan Muslim, told the
crowd: "We are poor and suffering on top of a land of
wealth." "We are going to keep holding on until Papua is
free." Papuans at this meeting concluded the demonstration
with a call for independence and for closure of the Freeport
mining complex and the BP oil and gas development at Bintuni
Bay.
Approximately 300 Papuans also rallied in Jakarta.
Papuan Academics Call for Human
Rights Court and Truth and Reconciliation Commission in
Papua
According to a
November 19 Cenderawasih Pos report, several
Papuan academics have spoken out regarding the failure of
the government to fulfill its obligations under the almost
six-year-old "special autonomy" law to establish a human
rights court or a "truth and reconciliation commission" in
West Papua
Ferry Kareth SH said these two bodies were very important
and warranted an immediate response to the demands of many
people. Speaking specifically of the need for a commission,
he drew attention in particular to the issue of West Papua's
forced annexation by Indonesia under the guise of the 1969
fraudulent ‘Act of Free Choice.' "This is a question that
must be understood in particular by the powers-that-be who
all too frequently use authoritarian methods to handle
issues in Papua," he said.
With regard to a human rights court he added, "a Human
Rights Court should also be set up because, like it or not,
the fact is that there have been many human rights
violations in the past. The Court is needed in view of the
practice of genocide, the disappearance of a number of
groups or communities and the commission of crimes against
humanity." He pointed out that the only trials to have been
held so far took place in Makassar in South Sulawesi whereas
the violations occurred in Papua.
Peaceful Demonstration Against
Militarization of West Papua
The November 4 Cenderawasih Pos reports that scores
of Papuans from the Coalition for Human Rights in Papua
demonstrated in Jayapura in early November calling for
removal of the Indonesian military (TNI) from West Papua.
They demonstrated under the banner "End Militarism in
Papua." They also called for space for democracy in West
Papua and protested in particular against the actions taken
by the military and police against their action on 20
October (see the
October West Papua Report). The group also marched to
the regional assembly (DPRP) offices demanding to know
whether it supported the recent arrival of additional troops
in West Papua. Among several speakers was Buchtar Tabuni who
had helped organize the
October 16 demonstrations welcoming the launch of the
International Parliamentarians for West Papua, which was
held in London October 15.
The Chairman of the DPRP, John Ibo spoke to the crowd and
said that it was his intention to hold a forum for about the
question of the troops now in Papua to which he would invite
the commander of the XVII Military Command.
A statement that was read out during the demonstration made
the following six demands:
1. End security force
arrests and repressive actions which target peaceful
actions by the Papuan people
2. Stop armed forces intervention into the university
campus.
3. Take action against those responsible for the August
9 shooting of Opinus Tabuni and the October 20 beatings
of Buchtar Tabuni and his colleagues.
4. Stop ongoing legal processes against Dewan Adat Papua
Chair Forkorus Yaboisembut and other members of the
board of the Dewan Adat.
5. Immediately halt the sending of both organic and
non-organic troops to West Papua.
6. Launch a UN peace-keeping force to help solve the
conflict in West Papua.
Papuan
Threats to Secede Over Implementation of Sharia-based Law
Senior Papuan political leaders are among those Papuans
who have threatened secession from Indonesia if the
Muslim-dominated national government moves to implement an
anti-pornography law that is based on Sharia law. The bill
was approved by a large parliamentary majority October 30
although members of two parties walked out.
The predominantly Christian/Animist Papuan population with a
culture distinct from that of the rest of the peoples in the
Indonesian archipelago have long resisted as racist
Jakarta-led efforts to reform Papuan culture, style of dress
and artistic expression.
The law defines "pornography" broadly raising fears among
Papuans and others that it could be abuse by law enforcement
officials and Islamic militias such as the "Islamic
Defenders Front" who operate in coordination with and under
the patronage of the Indonesian military.
For many non-Muslims the new law has ominous implications.
Time magazine (November 17 edition) cited Theophilus Bela,
chairman of the Christian Communication Forum (not a
Papuan), on the meaning of the legislation: "The law imposes
the will of the majority that embrace Islam, is a form of
religious discrimination and against the spirit of tolerance
taught by the country's founders," says "It is an effort to
divide the country."
In addition to Papuan protest, the leadership of three other
provinces with significant non-Muslim populations, Bali,
Yogyakarta and North Sulawesi, have announced that they will
not enforce the law. Jakarta has yet to react to these
challenges.
President Yudhoyono has 30 days in which to sign or veto the
legislation after which it automatically becomes law. He
must also issue implementing regulations to make the law
effective.
Governor Suebu To Launch Anti-HIV/AIDS
Campaign
According to the
Cenderawasih Pos, November 19 November, governor of
Papua, Barnabas Suebu believes that HIV/AIDS now poses a
serious threat to the very existence of the Papuan people.
Speaking at a meeting of Stake-Holders to Accelerate Efforts
to Combat HIV/AIDS, the governor said that he was not
dramatizing the problem and proposed that Papuans "declare
war" on the disease,' he said. He said that would declare
December 1 (World AIDS Day) he would declare a day to launch
a massive movement among all Papuan people to combat AIDS
and other diseases.
He said that the problem was largely the result of
uninhibited sex, caused in the first place by the
consumption of alcohol. He had therefore decided to prohibit
the distribution of alcohol everywhere, except in hotels.
"There must be no selling of alcohol in stalls or shops and
the police have been instructed to ensure that this is
implemented," he said. He also called for a crackdown on
prostitution.
Suebu reported that the incidence of HIV in the Land of
Papua in 2006 was 2.4 percent of the population of three
million. The disease first appeared in Sorong where so far
700 people have died, in a population of 723,000.
Chairman of the committee, Constant Karma said that the
disease accounts for 42 percent of the HIV and AIDS cases in
Indonesia.
Governor Suebu Describes
Implementation of Special Autonomy as "Chaotic"
Speaking at a seminar to review six years of Special
Autonomy (OTSUS) at a seminar at Cenderawasih University in
November, Governor Barnabas Suebu said that despite the
passage of six years implementation of the law remains "very
chaotic." He added that and not being used according to the
objectives of the law. The Governor noted that OTSUS was
introduced at a time when Papuan people were calling for
independence. In response, the government introduced OTSUS
"in an attempt to quell these aspirations."
The Governor acknowledged that in the wake of the failure to
implement OTSUS many Papuans now favor independence, with
some favoring special autonomy only as a preparatory path to
full independence.
Substantiating his assertions the Governor noted that at a
recent meeting of the Provincial Parliament (DPR) regarding
the 2009 OTSUS budget, there were moves to cut back the Rp1
trillion allocation. In the end, the DPR agreed to reinstate
the allocation. Nevertheless, the funds were not in fact
effectively utilized. He explained that district-level
administrations arrogate special autonomy money to
themselves. A mid-2006 audit revealed that Rp 2 trillion was
unaccounted for. "Papuans should not be living in poverty in
the midst of the wealth of their surroundings. The fact is
that very little of the OTSUS money is going down to the
villages because most of it is being used by the
bureaucracy."
The Governor sought to underscore the cost of the failure of
Special Autonomy in human terms. A 2006 tour of districts he
said revealed "widespread poverty and poor nutrition
everywhere, especially among indigenous Papuans. Children of
school age are not able to read or write. He described the
situation as partly the result of the failure to implement
key regulations or to establish controls on the expenditure
of funds.
Separately a November 18 Kompas report quotes Governor Suebu
as decrying standards of education in primary and secondary
schools in Papua. He noted that particularly in the more
remote regions as a consequence of an absence of teachers
"education at primary and secondary level is in a state of
collapse."
Suebu was specific about the failure of Jakarta to delegate
authority need to implement Special Autonomy. He noted that,
such as for instance the national forestry department had
failed to delegate authority to stop illegal logging.
Without the necessary regulations, forest products are now
being auctioned off. "This is because the central
authorities are unwilling to hand over these powers as
stipulated in Special Autonomy law' he said.
Seminar Looks at Marginalization
of Papuans; Racism Cited as One of Many Reasons For Failure
to Enforce Human Rights in West Papua
A seminar which concluded November 26 in Jakarta
concluded that the special autonomy law has made little
difference to the socio-economic and political conditions of
its indigenous people. The seminar which was titled,
Building a National Support Constituency for the Fulfillment
of Papuan Women's Rights was organized by the National
Commission on Violence Against Women. Speakers cited the
influx of migrants from outside West Papua as leading to the
marginalization of the indigenous Papuan population.
Quoting a 2007 study by an Australian researcher, Lea
Kanisia Mekiuw, of the Merauke Archbishop's Justice and
Peace Secretariat, said the growth of the native Papuan
population has fallen compared to that of the newcomers,
sparking concerns that the indigenous people could lose
their homeland to the latter. The study, conducted by
University of Sydney’s Center for Peace and Conflict Studies
said that the annual growth rate of native Papuans is only
1.67 percent, much slower than that of the non-native
Papuans, which is 10.5 percent.
In 1971, the indigenous Papuans constituted 96 percent of
the province's total population of 923,000 people. But in
2005, the proportion changed significantly to 59 percent of
2.65 million people. If the growth rates of the two groups
continue at the same pace, Elmslie projected that in 2020,
the ratio of native to non-native Papuans would stand at
30:70, and in 2030 the gap could be at 15:85.
Frederika Korain of Jayapura Bishopric's Justice and Peace
Secretariat, speaking at the same event, said
notwithstanding the figures cited above based on independent
research, there were no official data on the proportion of
native to non-native Papuans.
This could be an attempt by the local and central
governments to conceal the real conditions of the native
Papuans, she added.
She said the special autonomy law, enacted in 2001, also had
failed to improve the social and cultural lives of
indigenous Papuans. Eighty percent of native Papuans are
living below the poverty line, with most local jobs granted
to migrants instead of the typically poorly educated
indigenous people, Frederika said. "Freeport (the U.S.-based
copper and gold mine company operating in Papua) has been
the country's biggest taxpayer since 1967, but 80 percent of
native
Papuans still live in absolute poverty. Poverty pockets are
evenly spread throughout almost all Papua regencies," she
said at the seminar.
Mekiuw warned that millions of hectares of forests have been
and more would soon be destroyed due to the operations of
large mining, forestry and plantation firms. She also said
that the 2007 split of the region into Papua and West Papua
provinces had brought more negative impacts than benefits to
the native Papuans, with many locals
being forced to compete with one another to find food to eat
instead of sharing an area.
A November 27 Tempo Interactive cited Yenny Rosa Damayanti
from the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association
(PBHI) as noting at the gathering the role of race in policy
making and implementation and popular attitudes towards
Papuans:
"Because they (Papuans) have different skin color and hair,
we feel that they are 'the others,' not family."
She added also that "people apply double standards regarding
the military. Everyone rejects the military (being) in
civilian areas, yet that are not serious about ending
militarism in (West) Papua."
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