Delapan negara mengkritik pelanggaran HAM Indonesia di Sidang UPR

Berita | Edisi, 18 November 2022

Delapan negara telah menyerukan penyelidikan segera atas pelanggaran hak asasi manusia di West Papua yang diduduki di PBB, yang merupakan pukulan besar bagi kedudukan internasional Indonesia.

Putaran keempat Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Indonesia dimulai di Jenewa pada 9 November . Setiap negara harus menjalani proses ini setiap empat atau lima tahun, yang melibatkan negara-negara anggota lainnya untuk meneliti proses hak asasi manusia mereka dan membuat rekomendasi untuk perbaikan.

Ada sejumlah pelanggaran hak asasi manusia yang menghancurkan di West Papua selama beberapa bulan terakhir, karena pendudukan ilegal Indonesia telah mencapai tingkat kebrutalan yang baru. Empat warga sipil Papua disiksa, dibunuh, dan dimutilasi oleh pasukan khusus Indonesia pada akhir Agustus, sementara aktivis non-kekerasan legendaris Filep Karma – digambarkan oleh Presiden Sementara Benny Wenda sebagai ‘Nelson Mandela’ nya West Papua – ditemukan tewas di Jayapura dalam keadaan misterius. Pemimpin kemerdekaan Buchtar Tabuni ditangkap secara sewenang-wenang setelah pertemuan strategi ULMWP pada bulan Oktober 2022.

Kedelapan negara yang melontarkan kritik terhadap perilaku Indonesia adalah Vanuatu, Australia, Amerika Serikat, Belanda, Selandia Baru, Kanada, Kepulauan Marshall, dan Slovenia. Dari jumlah tersebut, Australia, AS, Kanada, Slovenia, dan Belanda merekomendasikan penyelidikan internasional segera, dengan Vanuatu dan Republik Kepulauan Marshall secara khusus mengulangi Forum Kepulauan Pasifik (PIF) 2019 dan Organisasi Negara Afrika, Karibia, dan Pasifik (OACPS) menyerukan kunjungan mendesak ke West Papua oleh Komisaris Tinggi PBB untuk Hak Asasi Manusia.

Intervensi Kepulauan Marshall sangat signifikan, karena mereka juga menyerukan agar West Papua diizinkan untuk menggunakan hak penentuan nasib sendiri. Dalam praktiknya, ini membutuhkan referendum kemerdekaan yang dimediasi secara internasional untuk diadakan di West Papua – permintaan utama dari Presiden Sementara Benny Wenda dan ULMWP.

West Papua memiliki hak untuk menentukan nasib sendiri dicuri dari mereka pada tahun 1969 dengan penipuan ‘Act of Free Choice’ , yang melihat sekitar 1000 orang Papua terpilih diintimidasi untuk memberikan suara untuk integrasi ke Indonesia.

Menanggapi investigasi UPR, Indonesia membuat serangkaian klaim tidak berdasar tentang hak asasi manusia di West Papua , termasuk mengatakan bahwa sebagian besar kasus kekerasan di Papua telah diinvestigasi dan pelakunya dihukum. Pada kenyataannya, tentara Indonesia bertindak dengan impunitas total di West Papua, dan kasus-kasus seperti pembunuhan empat warga sipil Papua baru-baru ini hampir tidak pernah diadili.

UPR akan menambah panggilan vokal oleh lebih dari 80 negara untuk kunjungan PBB ke West Papua, secara signifikan meningkatkan tekanan pada Indonesia untuk akhirnya menyerahkan pendudukan genosida mereka ke pengawasan internasional.

• Australia🇦🇺: “Menyelesaikan investigasi semua pelanggaran HAM di Indonesia, termasuk di Papua dan memastikan akses termasuk oleh pengamat independen yang kredibel” (6.269)

• Kanada🇨🇦: “Menyelidiki dugaan pelanggaran HAM di Indonesia Papua dan memprioritaskan perlindungan warga sipil termasuk perempuan dan anak-anak” (6.268)

• Kepulauan Marshall🇲🇭: “Hormati, promosikan dan lindungi hak asasi manusia semua masyarakat adat di West Papua, dengan memastikan hak mereka untuk menentukan nasib sendiri melalui dialog inklusif” (6.260) dan “Bekerja sama dengan OHCHR untuk memulai kunjungan ke West Papua oleh Komisaris Tinggi menanggapi seruan dari Forum Kepulauan Pasifik dan Organisasi Negara-Negara Afrika, Karibia, dan Pasifik” (6.265)

• Belanda🇱🇺: “Terus menyelidiki pelanggaran hak asasi manusia, termasuk yang terjadi di provinsi Papua, dan membawa mereka yang bertanggung jawab ke pengadilan secara tepat waktu dan transparan” dan “Menahan diri dari tindakan apa pun yang dapat merupakan pelecehan, penganiayaan, atau campur tangan yang tidak semestinya dalam pekerjaan pengacara dan pembela hak asasi manusia, termasuk tuntutan pidana mereka dengan alasan seperti ekspresi pandangan kritis” (6.99)

• Selandia Baru🇳🇿: “Menjunjung tinggi, menghormati dan mempromosikan kewajiban hak asasi manusianya di Papua, termasuk kebebasan berkumpul, berbicara, berekspresi, pers, dan hak perempuan dan minoritas”

• Slovenia🇸🇮: “Memastikan investigasi, akuntabilitas dan pencegahan impunitas atas pelanggaran hak asasi manusia terhadap masyarakat adat di Papua dilakukan oleh anggota pasukan keamanan” (6.262)

• Amerika Serikat🇺🇲: “Lakukan penyelidikan yang cepat, menyeluruh, dan transparan terhadap semua dugaan pembunuhan di luar hukum dan pelanggaran hak asasi manusia di lima provinsi Papua dan meminta pertanggungjawaban pelaku” (6.263)

• Vanuatu🇻🇺: “Menerima tanpa penundaan kunjungan Kantor Komisaris Tinggi Hak Asasi Manusia ke Provinsi Papua dan West Papua” (6.264)

(https://www.ulmwp.org/news-eight-countries-criticise-indonesian-human-rights-abuses-at-upr)

WelcomeUNHC #WestPapua #HumanitarianCrisis #HumanRightsAbuses #PIF #ACP #UnitedNation #OHRCHR #UNHRC #FreeWestPapua

November 20, 2022 0

BREAKING NEWS! Buchtar Tabuni ditangkap Polisi Indonesia

Hari ini, Kamis (24/03/2022) pagi sekitar pukul 10:40 waktu West Papua, Ketua Dewan West Papua (West Papua Council), yang juga adalah Ketua Legislatif Pemerintahan Sementara ULMWP Mr. Buchtar Tabuni DITANGKAP oleh Polisi Indonesia dari Polresta Jayapura di kediamannya di Kamwolker, Waena — Jayapura.

Polisi Indonesia mendatangi kediaman Buchtar Tabuni dengan menggunakan 1 mobil dalmas yang berisikan personil kepolisian, 2 mobil patroli dan 4 mobil Avanza berisikan personil intelijen yang dipimpin oleh Kepala Intelijen Kepolisian Kota Jayapura.

Belum diketahui pasti alasan penangkapan namun menurut keterangan beberapa saksi mengatakan bahwa dia dikeroyok oleh Polisi Indonesia saat melakukan penangkapan terhadap tokoh Papua Merdeka itu.

Saat ini, Tuan Buchtar ditangkap dan dibawa keluar dari kediamannya oleh Polisi. Kemungkinan dia dibawa ke Kantor Polisi.

Mohon advokasi dan pantauan media!

(https://m.facebook.com/396357444077782/posts/1643990205981160)

#BuchtarTabuni #WestPapua #Chairman #WestPapuaCouncil #ULMWP #ProvisionalGovernment #FreeWestPapua #Referendum

March 24, 2022 0

Dewan Gereja Dunia sebut Indonesia gagal menangani situasi kemanusiaan di Tanah Papua

Jubi TV – Peter Prove, Direktur Urusan Internasional Dewan Gereja Dunia, berbicara tentang Hak Asasi Manusia (HAM) dan situasi kemanusiaan di Tanah Papua. Dalam video wawancara baru-baru ini yang disiarkan Dewan Gereja Dunia (WCC), Peter Prove, mengatakan pemerintah Indonesia gagal menangani dan pemperbaiki situasi kemanusiaan dan HAM di Tanah Papua.

Tanah Papua – dua provinsi Indonesia yang terdiri berada di bagian barat pulau New Guinea – telah menjadi fokus perhatian WCC sejak lama. Dalam wawancara baru-baru ini, Prove menunjukkan bahwa kepedulian terhadap penduduk asli Papua meningkat sebagai akibat dari situasi hak asasi manusia dan kemanusiaan yang terus-menerus dan cukup serius di wilayah tersebut, yang terus terang gagal ditangani dan diperbaiki oleh pemerintah Indonesia.

Mengingat sejarah yang disebut – dan masih diperdebatkan – “Act of Free Choice” dimana West Papua diintegrasikan ke Indonesia pada tahun 1969, Prove mencatat bahwa kegagalan Jakarta untuk memenuhi janjinya kepada rakyat Papua telah mengakibatkan peningkatan oposisi lokal terhadap Indonesia.

“Apa yang telah kita lihat selama beberapa dekade adalah tingkat pelanggaran hak asasi manusia yang sangat tinggi. Termasuk pembunuhan di luar proses hukum, penolakan kebebasan berekspresi dan berkumpul dan banyak pelanggaran lainnya,” kata Prove.

Prove juga menegaskan bahwa selama pandemi COVID-19, insiden pelanggaran hak asasi manusia yang serius justru meningkat.

Dewan gereja dunia dan mitranya bekerja sama untuk memantau hak-hak sipil dan politik serta hak-hak ekonomi, sosial dan budaya di wilayah tersebut.

Meningkatnya militerisasi respon pemerintah Indonesia telah memperburuk situasi, meskipun ada janji-janji dialog dengan masyarakat asli Papua. Menurut Prove, ini adalah janji yang telah dibuat di tingkat politik tetapi tidak dipenuhi.

Prove mengamati dan menggambarkan tindakan militer dan polisi di Tanah Papua. Ia menyimpulkan, kekerasan terhadap pengunjuk rasa damai telah meningkat. Banyak pembunuhan, banyak pemukulan, banyak penghilangan paksa terjadi sebagai bentuk respons terhadap aksi protes damai yang dilakukan orang Papua.

Selain itu, orang-orang yang mengungsi dari daerah yang terkena dampak konflik tidak menerima bantuan yang mereka butuhkan dari otoritas nasional, dan badan-badan kemanusiaan internasional hanya diberi sedikit akses atau bahkan tidak diberi akses ke wilayah tersebut.

“Pihak berwenang Indonesia tentu saja perlu mengatasi krisis hak asasi manusia yang sudah berlangsung lama, berkelanjutan, dan meningkat di kawasan ini,” kata Prove. (*)

News Desk

January 2, 2022 0

Questions raised over bodies found in West Papua

Five bodies have been found in the highlands of Indonesia’s West Papua, with residents alleging them to be victims of a military attack.

Five bodies have been found in the highlands of West Papua, with residents alleging them to be victims of a military attack. Photo: Supplied.

Papuan news outlet Tabloid Jubi reports the bodies were found on Thursday in a village in Nduga regency, where violence has flared since last year.

A youth leader from the regency, Samuel Tabuni, is quoted as saying the victims, two of whom were teenagers, were shot by Indonesia’s military.

Military spokesperson, Eko Daryanto, told Tabloid Jubi he had not received a report of the shooting.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said the government would review Papua’s special autonomy laws to improve conditions for Papuans, the state-news agency Antara reported.

That comes after a request from Papuan leaders who met with the president in Jakarta last month.

Source: RNZ

May 25, 2021 0

Worse West Papua human rights, ‘shrinking space’, says new report

By PMC Editor, September 29, 2017Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

West Papua has experienced a “significant aggravation” of the human rights situation in the past two years compared to previous years, says a new report from more than 40 faith-based and civil rights organisations.

“Reports by local human rights defenders describe an alarming shrinking of democratic space,” says the report.

“Although Indonesian President Joko Widodo pushed economic development and granted clemency to five long-term political prisoners, the police strictly limited even the most peaceful dissident political activities.”

The report says that Indigenous Papuans – particularly women – “continued to have a high risk of becoming victims of human rights violations.”

It adds that “racist attitudes toward West Papuans among the police and military, insufficient legal protection, the lack of proper law enforcement, inconsistent policy implementation and corruptive practices among government officials contributed to the impunity of security forces.”

Local journalists in West Papua also continued to face “intimidation and obstruction” from the security forces.

This is the fifth report of the International Coalition for Papua (ICP) covering events from January 2015 until December 2016.

Human rights analysis

More than 40 organisations in West Papua, Jakarta, and worldwide have brought their analysis on the human rights and conflict situation in West Papua together.

The executive summary of the 218-pages report explains how several human rights standards have deteriorated over the last two years.

The report is compiled by the International Coalition for Papua (ICP) and the German Westpapua-Netzwerk (WPN). The executive summary says:

“The years 2015 and 2016 were characterised by a significant aggravation of the human rights situation in West Papua compared to previous years. The term West Papua refers to the Indonesian easternmost provinces of ‘Papua’ and ‘Papua Barat’. Reports by local human rights defenders describe an alarming shrinking of democratic space.

“Indigenous Papuans, particularly women, continued to have a high risk of becoming victims of human rights violations. Racist attitudes toward West Papuans among the police and military, insufficient legal protection, the lack of proper law enforcement, inconsistent policy implementation and corruptive practices amongst government officials contributed to the impunity of security forces.

“Government critics and activists faced legal prosecution with varying charges. Using a charge of treason (‘makar’) remained common against non-violent offenders.

Increasing ‘incitement’ charges

“West Papuan political activists also faced an increasing number of charges incitement or violence despite the non-violence of protest and almost all activism.

“The deterioration of the political and civil rights situation in West Papua during the past two years was most obvious in the sheer number of political arrests.

“Those arrests drastically increased to 1083 in 2015, and then quadrupled in 2016 to 5361 arrests, in tandem with growing political protest for self-determination.

“Almost all of the arrests came during peaceful protest in support of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP). In addition, the Indonesian government and the regional police in West Papua increasingly restricted the right to freedom of opinion and expression using official statements (Makhlumat) issued by the Papuan Regional Police in 2016.

“Local journalists in West Papua faced continued intimidation and obstruction from the security forces. In comparison to previous years, the number of reported cases against local journalists has slightly decreased throughout the reporting period 2015 and 2016.

“President Joko Widodo’s promise in May 2015, to make West Papua freely accessible to foreign journalists and international observers was not implemented. Foreign journalists were in an increasing number of cases prevented from entering West Papua or when permitted to enter, they faced obstruction, surveillance, intimidation and physical violence.

“International human rights organisations and humanitarian organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) remained banned from freely accessing West Papua.

Threatened, obstructed

“Human rights defenders in West Papua had to work under fear of being monitored, threatened and obstructed by the security forces. The killing of well-known human rights defender Joberth Jitmau, marked the sad highlight of attacks against human rights defenders during these two years.

“The police termed Jitmau’s killing a traffic accident and did not conduct a criminal investigation. Jitmau’s case was a representative example of the widespread impunity in West Papua.

“Only in rare instances were security forces prosecuted in public or military trials. Two of the three cases of prosecution resulted in considerably low sentences for the perpetrators in view of the severity of the criminal offences.

“Security force members also continued to use torture and ill-treatment as a common response to political protest or incidents of alleged disturbance of public order. Extra-judicial killings occurred particularly often as an act of revenge or retaliation for violent acts or other non-violent interactions with members of the security forces.

“The situation with regard to economic, social and cultural rights in West Papua was stagnant. The quality of education in West Papua remained considerably low, due to poor management of the education system, inadequate competencies, high absence rates amongst teachers, and inadequate funding. (Less than 1 percent of Papua Province’s annual budget goes to education.)

“There is still no culturally appropriate curriculum in place, which is capable of improving the educational situation of indigenous Papuan children and of preserving local cultures.

“Health care and education remained in a devastating condition, far below the national average, despite the large amount of special autonomy funds that flow to the two administrative provinces Papua and Papua Barat.

Strong imbalance

“There is a strong imbalance in the fulfillment of minimum standards in terms of health, education, food and labor rights between the urban areas and the remote inland areas of West Papua.

“Indigenous Papuans, who mostly reside outside the urban centres, suffer the most of this imbalance. Both Papuan provinces are amongst the regions with the highest prevalence rate for HIV/AIDS infections and child mortality of any ‘Indonesian province’, while the quality of health services is alarmingly low.

“Insufficient equipment in rural health care institutions and a lack of adequate health monitoring and response mechanisms remained strikingly evident. These shortcomings were highlighted when a pertussis epidemic broke out in the remote highland regency of Nduga, killing least 51 children and three adults within a span of three months in late 2015. Malnutrition enabled the rapid spread of the epidemic.

“The case also mirrors the government’s growing challenge to guarantee indigenous Papuans right to food. Palm oil plantations and other agricultural mega-projects have led to the destruction of local food sources, livestock and access to clean drinking water.

“Cases of domestic violence are often settled in non-legal ways, which fail to bring justice for the victims and lack a deterrent effect for perpetrators. Women living with HIV/AIDS are particularly often facing discrimination and stigmatization.

“The very existence of West Papuans is threatened by the uncontrolled migration from other parts of Indonesia. This particularly applies to the urban centers where they have largely become a marginalised minority facing strong economic competition.

“In most rural areas, where indigenous Papuans are still the majority, government-promoted large-scale natural resource exploitation projects attract migrants and continue to cause severe environmental degradation as well as the destruction of live stock of indigenous communities.

“Government institutions continued to facilitate the interests of private Indonesian and foreign companies. This practice negatively impacts indigenous people’s right to their ancestral lands and resources as well as their right to determine their development.

“Resource extraction often means clearing large forest areas and polluting of water resources, thereby forcing indigenous communities to change their very way of life. Destruction of forests and hunting grounds as a life source puts an additional burden on women, in particular.”

October 5, 2017 0

West Papua protest: Indonesian police kill one and wound others – reports

West Papuan activists clash with police guarding the office of a US mining company. On Tuesday, one person was reportedly killed by Indonesian police at a protest in Deiya regency. Photograph: Ed Wray/AP

Indonesian paramilitary police have shot and killed one person and wounded a number of others at a protest in a West Papuan village, according to human rights groups and local witnesses.

A 28-year-old man was reportedly killed during the incident in Deiya regency on Tuesday afternoon, and up to seven wounded, including at least two children.

The regency’s parliament has reportedly called for the arrest of the officers involved, and for the withdrawal of the police mobile brigade, known as Brimob.

The incident began after workers at a nearby construction site refused to assist locals in taking a man to hospital, after he was pulled from the river.

After a five hour delay in sourcing another vehicle the man died on his way to hospital, according to local sources. Angry relatives and friends protested against the construction company, allegedly attacking a worker’s camp – believed to be primarily from Sulawesi – and destroying some buildings.

Authorities were called to the protest, and Associated Press reported police alleged protesters kidnapped a worker, which protesters denied.

“The joint forces of police, mobile brigade police and army officers came. Did not ask questions but shot several youths,” Father Santon Petege told West Papuan information site, Tabloid Jubi.

“There were no warning shots at all,” witness, Elias Pakagesaid. “Officers immediately fired on the unarmed villagers.”

A human rights lawyer investigating the case, who requested to remain anonymous, also said there was no verbal warning from authorities, and she labeled the incident an extrajudicial killing.

“When they arrive they just shoot. They used guns and violence and shoot directly,” she said.

Unconfirmed reports said 17 people were shot by the police mobile brigade, including the deceased man and a number of children.

Pictures purported to be of the victims and seen by Guardian Australia show deep bullet wounds.

According to local media, police denied they shot directly at the protesters, but rather at the ground and hit four people after warning shots failed to calm the situation.

The head of public relations for Papua police, Kombes A.M. Kamal denied anyone died other than a person who was critically ill, and alleged protesters had attacked an employee.

A separate report quoted the spokesman as saying the police only fired rubber bullets.

The lawyer said the police spokesman’s claims were not true, that the hospital doctor had recognised the injuries as bullet wounds, and that one young man died of his injuries, not an illness.

A police report cited by AP said a 28-year-old man died instantly after being shot multiple times.

Dr Eben Kirksey, a senior lecturer at UNSW, said there was often a “disinformation campaign” by authorities following incidents in West Papua.

Kirksey said history had shown investigations rarely translated into prosecutions, and prosecutions often saw light sentences.

“If we look at the history, of when there is evidence of security force misconduct I don’t have much hope.”

The Asian Human Rights Commission called for a full transparent investigation by human rights groups, and for the officers to be held accountable.

There are frequent reports of violence and mass arrests by authorities against West Papuans, the indigenous people of an Indonesia-controlled region on the western half of an island shared with Papua New Guinea, and which has battled for independence for decades.

But information is difficult to verify, largely because of the restrictions on foreign media.

In 2015 Indonesian president Joko Widodo announced the lifting of the media ban for the province, but in reality, government clearing houses vet media visits and maintain restrictions. Two French journalists were deported earlier this year for reporting without the required visa.

The Jakarta Post on Wednesday called for the government to open up the province to the world’s media, noting the significant gains made by a “relentless” independence campaign.

It argued Jokowi should stop hiding his government’s purported improvements and developments in the region.

“At almost every turn, we are being outmaneuvered by campaigners who want to see Papua separate from Indonesia. And yet the Indonesian government has done very little to counter it,” it said.

“By maintaining this restriction, the government is operating like a paranoid regime, afraid the outside world may find the skeletons it hides in its closet. If the government has done much to improve the lives of Papuans, why not show it to the world?”

Source: https://www.theguardian.com

August 8, 2017 0

Pacific concern relayed at UN over West Papua abuses

Vanuatu has addressed a high level United Nations meeting over Pacific regional concerns about human rights abuses in Indonesia’s Papua region, or West Papua.

The 34th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, was told that Indonesia has not curtailed or halted various widespread violations.

Vanuatu's Justice Mnister Ronald Warsal addresses the 34th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council regarding the human rights situation in West Papua. — Vanuatu’s Justice Mnister Ronald Warsal addresses the 34th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council regarding the human rights situation in West Papua. Photo: webtv.un.org

Vanuatu’s Justice Minister Ronald Warsal was speaking on behalf of his country and six other Pacific nations: Tonga, Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, and Solomon Islands

“We note that in the past 15 years, the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights has collected evidence of gross human rights violations by Indonesian security forces in three principle areas of West Papua: Wasior, Wamena and Paniai.”

Mr Warsal said the Commission described the sets of cases in the first two places as crimes against humanity, which are punishable under Indonesian and international laws.

He referenced reports of extrajudicial executions of activists and the arrests, beatings and fatal shootings of peaceful demonstrators, including high school students; as well as persistent violence against Papuan women.

West Papuan human rights activist Rode Wanimbo address the 7th Pacific Women's Network Against Violence Against Women, while Bernadetha Mahuse looks on. — West Papuan human rights activist Rode Wanimbo address the 7th Pacific Women’s Network Against Violence Against Women in 2016 Photo: Pacific Women’s Network Against Violence Against Women

The Vanuatu minister said Indonesia’s government had not been able to deliver justice for the victims.

“Nor has there been any noticeable action to address these violations by the Indonesian government, which has, of course, immediate responsibility and primary accountability,” he said.

He also mentioned the marginalisation of West Papuans in the face of steady migration to the region by people from other parts of Indonesia.

“We want further to highlight another broad aspect of human rights violations – the Indonesian government policy over many decades and continuing until today of the migration of non-indigenous Papuans to West Papua, leading to a dramatic decline in the percentage of the indigenous Papuan population.”

Denial by Indonesia

Indonesia’s delegation to the UN mission in Geneva has issued a reply, saying it categorically rejects the allegations voiced by Vanuatu’s Justice Minister.

It said Mr Warsal’s address does not reflect the real situation on the ground, accusing Vanuatu of “using human rights issues to justify its dubious support for the separatist movement in Papua”.

We believe that challenges of West Papua must be brought back to the agenda of the United Nations Ronald Warsal

In a statement, Indonesia said its record on the promotion and protection of human rights spoke for itself.

“This includes our co-operation with various UN Special Procedures and Mandate Holders, as well as various collaborative endeavours at bilateral, regional and multilateral level including within the Human Rights Council in strengthening human rights mechanisms as well as in the promotion and protection of various basic human rights.”

“As a matter of fact, this year Indonesia will welcome the visits of two Special Rapporteurs, and present our third UPR report this coming May.”

Earlier, Mr Warsal referred to a series of recent pronouncements by mandate holders of the UN Council about serious Indonesian violations of the human rights of indigenous Papuans.

West Papuan demonstrators tightly monitored by Indonesian police. Photo: Whens Tebay

These included representations by UN Special Rapporteurs on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; the rights of indigenous peoples; the Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; and the Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Indonesia’s government, however, said it had always endeavoured to address any allegation of human rights violation as well as taking preventative measure and delivering justice.

‘Domestic’ issues

The Indonesian government again sent a message to Vanuatu that it should stay out of what it regards as its own domestic matters.

Jakarta said that Vanuatu’s government should not divert its focus from addressing its various domestic human rights problem by politicising the issue of Papua for its domestic political purposes.

“In this regard, the Indonesian Government is prepared to work and co-operate with the Government of Vanuatu in their efforts to address various human rights violation and abuses against the people of Vanuatu” said the statement.

These abuses, according to Indonesia, included “violence against women, corporal punishment against minors, appalling prison condition, including torture of prisoners, and other challenges”.

Indonesian presidential candidate Joko Widodo campaigning in Jayapura. — Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo (check shirt) has made regular visits to Papua region where his government has been spearheading a major economic development drive. Photo: AFP

However, the seven Pacific nations have called on the UN Human Rights Council to request the High Commissioner for Human Rights to produce a consolidated report on “the actual situation in West Papua”.

Among other provisions, Mr Warsal said the report should also detail the various rights under the International Bill of Human Rights and the related conventions, including the right to self-determination.

“We believe that challenges of West Papua must be brought back to the agenda of the United Nations,” said the Vanuatu minister on behalf of the Pacific countries.

March 11, 2017 0

Bishop visit to West Papua welcomed cautiously

RedioNZ – The United Liberation Movement for West Papua has cautiously welcomed news that Australia’s Foreign Minister is to visit Indonesian-ruled Papua region this year.

Julie Bishop gave an undertaking to visit later this year, during talks in Jakarta this week with Indonesia’s government which has been touting a policy of openness about Papua.

This comes amid ongoing calls by Pacific Island governments for the United Nations to probe reports of widespread human rights abuses against West Papuans.

The matter is highly sensitive to Jakarta which opposes any outside interference in what it considers domestic affairs.

Last month, Australia’s prime minister Malcom Turnbull reassured Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo of Canberra’s support for Indonesian sovereignty over Papua.

While Ms Bishop’s visit is not being described as a human rights fact-finding mission, the Liberation Movement says it is important that other governments find out more about the situation in Papua.

The secretary-general of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, Octo Mote (centre) talks to New Zealand MPs, including Steffan Browning (right). Photo: RNZI / Johnny Blades

The Movement, which has observer status in the Melanesian Spearhead Group, urges Indonesia’s government to allow Julie Bishop unfettered access to West Papuan community groups.

According to a spokesman for the Movement, a short and restricted visit to Papua by MSG Foreign Ministers in 2014 was evidence that Jakarta had so far failed to allow foreign governments open access to the region.

Indonesia is accused by the Movement of waging slow-motion genocide in Papua.

The West Papuan representative group cites evidence of simmering armed conflict, unrest, extra-judicial killings and jailings of Papuans, and marginalisation of their culture.

March 10, 2017 0

West Papuan demographics update highlights disparity

New statistics show indigenous Melanesians are not yet the minority they were thought to be in West Papua.

Indonesia’s Statistics Office has produced an ethnic breakdown of Papua region, based on the last census in 2010 which established an overall population of 3.6 million.

While the proportion of Papuan people as a percentage of the population continues to decline, this process varies widey between different regencies.

The percentage of Papuans has fallen catastrophically in some regions, particularly in urban centres, but Papuans still make up the vast majority in the Highlands.

Using the new data, Jim Elmslie of Sydney University’s West Papua Project has produced a new paper updating his previous work on Papua’s demographic transition.

He talks to Johnny Blades.

Listen

Ni-Vanuatu march in support of West Papuan self-determination aspirations. Photo: Vanuatu government

Transcript

JIM ELMSLIE: You’ve got to handle the figures with some degree of care and you’ve got to sort of doubt the accuracy to some extent because the large area that’s there, the terrain, the fact that large areas of the Highlands, I don’t know if you’d call it a revolt, but there are certain areas that are conflicts between certain areas of the island and the state are fairly entrenched. So the figures – what you can get clearly from them is the trend and the change over time and that’s clearly continuing because of the large-scale inward migration of non-Papuan settlers drawn into the region mostly for economic opportunity, and most of that economic opportunities are on the plains.

JOHNNY BLADES: You’ve established that the Melanesians – the Papuans – their growth rate is quite a bit less than the non-Papuans.

JE: That’s what the research shows and that’s even given that the numbers are a bit rubbery. Because for them to conduct an accurate census would be damn-near impossible and the figures that we have to use, so we use them. But anecdotally as well – from talking to health experts and looking at what’s going on on the ground compared to say PNG – then yeah the birth rate clearly is lower. There’s a whole range of reasons for that. One is the infant mortality and the maternal mortality rate is very high, there are untreated diseases that cause infertility. But that’s fairly clear and it’s also clear that large numbers of migrants are coming in, the government is building new ports, there are ships that come in on a weekly basis, there’s many flights every day from other parts of Indonesia. There’s clearly the demand, and as we’re talking, they are clearing tens of thousands of acres of rainforest and putting in labour-intensive things like oil palm plantations, where the workers are being brought in from Java rather than being recruited locally.

JB: Back in 2010 you had estimated that the total population of West Papuans in West Papua, that whole Papua region, was some 48%. And now with these new BPS (Indonesian Statistics Office) figures it’s indicating that their percentage is something like 66%. Isn’t that in some ways a positive, given that in the last couple of years a lot of the discourse around the West Papuan diplomatic wrangle has been around them having become a minority in their own land?

JE: Well, when you extrapolate these figures forward, and there’s two different population growth rates, you come up with these figures of the minoritisation of the Papuan population. And that was a projection, I guess, if all else remained the same. And I think the exact figures may vary but the trend is still there. So in terms of whether that’s positive or not… I think it certainly is positive that large areas of the Highlands of West Papua are still populated very strongly by groups of indigenous Melanesian people, even if that’s not the case in the lowlands. But in means that the Papuans, certainly in the Highlands, are not on the verge of disappearing under the weight of inward migration. So yes, I think that’s a positive thing. Some people seem to feel that the general conflict in West Papua would disappear over time as the Papuan population became a minority. Well that’s obviously not going to happen. That is happening in the lowlands, but it’s not going to happen anytime soon in the Highlands, even though – I must stress again – that there’s a lot of development going on there which will bring in outsiders, bring in more military, which will always be a threat to them (Papuans).

JB: Transmigrasi is no longer an official programme, is that right? But these people are still coming in?

JE: Yeah so there’s no official transmigration, but it’s the policy, I think, of the Indonesian government because looking at the bigger picture of Indonesia and the Indonesian economy – and people talk about it growing – West Papua makes up something like 23 or 24 percent of the land mass of Indonesia and it’s got huge resources: obviously the forestry, when most of the rest of the trees of Indonesia have been cut down, so Papua is really the last place where there’s huge stands of rainforest; there’s also the mineral wealth which is possibly the richest part of the entire world – the Freeport mine is probably the biggest gold mine in the world, the biggest copper mine, it’s also the biggest economic entity in Indonesia and also the biggest taxpayer. So looking into the future, the Indonesians’ capacity to exploit the natural resources of West Papua, and with all that brings, that will be one of the factors that allow Indonesia to grow as people are predicting it to grow, and become one of the main economies in southeast Asia, and certainly bigger than Australia. Which is one of the fears, I guess, which is underlying Australian policy, that in some future when the Indonesian economy overtakes the Australian economy in size, and Indonesia becomes a more important country internationally, then that’s going to be quite a different situation than has been the case in this part of the world up until now, where the Australian economy and therefore its military resources and the rest of it were superior to the Indonesians. So a lot of that long-term growth will come out of West Papua. And if that continues, it will involve shifting more and more people down to that region.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/

January 28, 2017 0

Jakarta urges Pacific to recognise Palestine

Indonesia has called on Pacific island countries to immediately recognise Palestine.

The Antara news agency was reporting comments by the country’s foreign minister Retno Marsudi on Thursday.

Ms Marsudi said Indonesia always discussed Palestine’s independence in its bilateral talks with Pacific island countries and with those yet to recognise Palestine as a state.

Vanuatu recognised Palestine in 1989 soon after its Declaration of Independence in 1988.

Papua New Guinea followed in 1995.

The two countries are the only Pacific island countries listed among 137 states at the UN which recognise the State of Palestine.

Antara reports Retno Marsudi earlier said Indonesia would not backtrack on its stance of supporting Palestine.

She stressed Indonesia would continue to mobilise international pressure to achieve a two state solution to the decades-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Jakarta Post reported last week Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas had asked Indonesia to rally backing for Palestine among Pacific island countries, most of which are usually supporters of Israel.

The Marshall Islands, Palau, Nauru and Micronesia were among nine countries which voted against admitting Palestine as an observer at the UN in 2012.

The Solomon Islands and Tuvalu voted in favour, while Fiji, Samoa and Tonga abstained from voting.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/

January 28, 2017 0