Islamists illegially entered Freeport security area

Three Indonesians were arrested for suspected terror activities after entering a secure site inside the US-based Freeport-McMoRan's mining complex in Papua province, a police spokesman and sources told AFP. The three were arrested Thursday after they entered a "protected area" inside a gold mine complex run by a Freeport subsidiary without having proper security clearance, said national deputy police spokesman Bambang Kuncoko. Police were whether the three were planning to launch attacks on the huge complex, Kuncoko said.

A senior officer with Indonesia's anti-terror unit Detachment 88 said two of the three were Freeport employees, including one in charge of handling explosives. The third is an Islamic teacher, the officer said. The teacher had at least once entered the complex using a visitor's ID pass made by one of the other two, the officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. He said anti-terror detectives also seized several documents including bomb-making instructions, a map of Freeport mining area and videos of anti-Western propaganda.

Freeport's office in the capital Jakarta and its Papua gold mine are among scores of Western interests in Indonesia which receive heavy protection and constant monitoring by police. Indonesia has suffered a spate of bloody attacks orchestrated by the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror group this decade.

OPM claims to give up armed struggle in Papua

Some 40 years of sporadic guerrilla warfare against Indonesian troops in the province of Papua appears to be drawing to a close. The Free West Papua movement, known as the OPM, has long promoted independence from Indonesia. This week, OPM guerrilla commanders held an historic meeting in Madang in neighbouring Papua New Guinea. There, they pledged to end their armed struggle and continue their fight for Papua's independence, but through non-violent action, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's PNG correspondent Steve Marshall reported.

"The commanders responsible for coordinating attacks on Indonesian troops have agreed to operate together. Now, they are appealing to the international community to support this new umbrella organisation," Nikolaus Ipo Hau, the OPM Revolutionary Council chairman who lives in exile in PNG said. "This doesn't mean a surrender and it is not a defeat for the OPM. Now, the organisation wants to be respecting of human rights. We want to promote this. It doesn't mean we can't fight - we will defend ourselves and if we are attacked, we will attack - but we want to move forward with a peaceful solution."

ASEAN dialogue to prevent eastern separatism

Aiming to reduce outside influence over its eastern territories, especially Papua province, and to limit the danger of separatism, Indonesia yesterday hosted a Southwest Pacific dialog on the sidelines of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and ASEAN Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur. The meeting was chaired by Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda, and was attended by Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, Papua New Guinea's Petroleum and Energy Minister Sir Moi Avei, the Philippines Foreign Minister Alberto G. Romulo and Timor Leste Foreign Minister Jose Luis Guterres.

"We need to hold a dialog with our neighbors in the eastern part, like what we have in the western part in the form of ASEAN, because these neighbors are very influential on our eastern territory, such as Papua," said the Indonesian Foreign Ministry's director general for Asia, Pacific and Africa, Primo Alui Joelianto, who attended the talks.

He highlighted the importance of the dialog, pointing out that the majority of Indonesians living in eastern areas of the country were ethnic Melanesians, who constitute the majority in many Pacific islands. "Failing to pay adequate attention to our eastern neighbors and the situation in our eastern territories can cause our eastern areas to fall under the influence" of outside forces, Primo said.

"Indonesia continues to be sensitive to the possibility of losing Papua, where a low-level separatist movement has been active for decades. Also, the independence of Timor Leste, a former Indonesian province, is still fresh in the minds of Indonesian authorities. In addition to racial differences, many Papuans believe they are not benefiting from the exploitation of the province's abundant natural resources," commented Abdul Khalik in The Jakarta Post. "Five years since the passage of the law on special autonomy for Papua, a status which also is shared by West Irian Jaya province, people in the provinces have yet to truly benefit from their rich natural resources. According to the latest data from the State Ministry for the Development of Disadvantaged Regions, 19 of 20 regencies across Papua were classified in 2005 as underdeveloped."

Papuan court jails two more over mine protest

A court in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua ailed two people for five and six years each for taking part in violent protests against a US-run mine, AFP reported. Hundreds of protesters clashed with security officers in March near Papua's capital Jayapura over the mine run by Freeport-McMoran, leaving six people dead. The Jayapura district court found Selpius Bobi, 22, guilty of "inciting others to commit violence" during the melee and sentenced him to five years, said lawyer Iwan Niode. He said the court also sentenced 20-year-old Elias Tamaka to six years for "resisting against authorities by using force" during the clash.

"We are going to file an appeal this Friday for the pair and for Nelson Rumbiak and the other 10 defendants," Niode told AFP. Niode refused to attend the trial, charging that it was a "theatrical act" and that his clients were innocent. The same court on Monday sentenced Rumbiak to six years while 10 of his co-defendants were jailed for five years. Sixteen Papuans, mostly students, have been standing trial accused of stoking the violence in Papua's Abepura, which left five security personnel and one civilian dead.

Celebrating direct election of 2 Papuan Governors

From Editorial, The Jakarta Post

After four months of waiting, the people of Papua and West Irian Jaya provinces finally saw the leaders they elected back in March take office Monday. Abraham Octavianus Atururi and Rahimin Katjong entered the history books as the first governor and deputy governor of West Irian Jaya. Their inauguration Monday should close the protracted debate over the legality of the province, a debate which colored the gubernatorial election there.

Residents of Papua province also saw the swearing in of Barnabas Suebu and Alex Hasegem as governor and deputy governor, respectively, after a political tug-of-war between Suebu and election loser John Ibo, who is also the speaker of the provincial legislature. Suebu's inauguration also marked a reconciliation between local political elites, whose dispute caused billions of rupiah worth
of development projects to ground to a halt, harming the interests of the people.

And there is more good news for Papua. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to visit the province from Thursday through Sunday, and is expected to come bearing gifts. During his trip, Yudhoyono is expected to announce a presidential instruction on the acceleration of development in the province.

The instruction, which the President calls a new deal for Papua, focuses on health, vocational education, acceleration of basic infrastructure development, food security and affirmative action measures to give more locals the opportunity to hold posts within the administration, the police and military forces. This new deal is being widely seen as a real attempt by the government to resolve the long-standing problems in Papua, following the successful peace process in Aceh.

Wednesday's visit will mark the second time in the past three months Yudhoyono has traveled to Papua, which has been plagued by a low-level separatist movement for almost four decades.

With new, democratically elected leaders in place, the people of Papua and West Irian Jaya, both of which are blessed with abundant natural resources, can now really begin to hope for a better life under their special autonomy status.

Five years since the passage of the law on special autonomy for Papua, a status which also is shared by West Irian Jaya, people in the provinces have yet to truly benefit from their rich natural resources. According to the latest data from the State Ministry for the Development of Disadvantaged Regions, 19 of 20 regencies across Papua were classified in 2005 as underdeveloped.

A famine last year that killed more than 50 people in the province's Yahukimo regency highlighted the paradox of Papua, which has since 2002 received almost Rp 10 trillion in funds from the central government as part of the revenue sharing agreement in the special autonomy law.

Most of the money, however, has been spent on routine expenditures, with a small portion allotted for basic human development such as education and health care. A lack of experience in budget management and institutional incapacity have resulted in Papua wasting much of this money, throwing away the golden opportunity offered by special autonomy.

A series of violent clashes, culminating in the tumultuous rally against gold mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia in mid-March, just a few days after the gubernatorial election, and the choice of 43 Papuans to seek asylum in Australia the previous month, only added insult to injury.

All of these events mirror the chronic problems that remain unaddressed, if not unheeded, and which could haunt Papua and West Irian Jaya's long journey to prosperity. Many observers have said the absence of local participation in decisions made at the central level concerning the provinces is the main reason special autonomy has not worked as originally envisioned.

Renewing the debate over the legitimacy of the decision to divide Papua, or Irian Jaya before 2000, into two provinces is irrelevant, with even those originally opposed to the move now accepting the existence of West Irian Jaya province.

Common challenges now bind Papua and West Irian Jaya. The two provinces face the daunting challenge of honoring and protecting the sociocultural, economic and political rights of locals, who have long been associated with illiteracy, isolation, backwardness and poverty.

The success of native Papuan students in winning prestigious international scientific awards in the past few years is a hint of the vast, largely untapped potential of Papuans.

Under special autonomy, billed as a dignified solution to past disappointments with Jakarta's policies toward Papua, both Papua and West Irian Jaya will have to catch up with developed regions, or perhaps leapfrog them, in the coming 15 years. By that time the central government will have stopped pouring special autonomy funds into the two eastern-most provinces.

Suebu, who served as governor of Irian Jaya between 1988 and 1993, and Atururi, a retired Marine brigadier general, will now be responsible for translating the new deal for Papuans into action.

Papuans yet to benefit from special autonomy

The "special autonomy" status of the two Papuan provinces in Indonesian New Guinea has not brought significant progress to the people because it has failed to address their fundamental needs, a survey suggests. The survey was conducted by National Solidarity for Papua (SNUP) in cooperation with Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia. It examined the impact of special autonomy, which began in 2002 in an effort to ease separatist tensions and grant Papuans greater control over their government and the province's resources. The 323 respondents were from different backgrounds and locations across six regencies. They said their welfare has not improved because the local political elite, the bureaucracy and non-governmental organizations are out of touch with the common people.

SNUP executive director Bonar Tigor Naipospos said a sizable portion of the funds granted to Papua to implement autonomy have been spent on things other than essential needs. "Besides the conflicting interests between local people and their elite group, the two resource-rich provinces have spent a lot of money to establish new institutions required by the special autonomy law, on the controversy over the formation of West Irian Jaya province and on local elections," Naipospos said while presenting the survey's results.

Seventy-six percent of respondents said autonomy has yet to strengthen basic services in the areas of health care, education and the economy. This, they said, is closely related to rampant corruption and nepotism among those in power. Forty-six percent of respondents said that the newly-established Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) and political parties had not paid serious attention to
their fundamental problems, and that the increasing number of security personnel did not improve their sense of security. Instead, respondents felt their freedom of expression had been hampered.

Seventy-six percent said the administration at all levels in the two provinces needed reform, and that NGOs should be encouraged to closely monitor the implementation of autonomy in outlying areas.

Naipospos told Ridwan Max Sijabat of The Jakarta Post that the proposed reform of the bureaucracy and the adoption of transparency and accountability have to be carried out by the provinces' newly elected governors. "West Irian Jaya Governor Octavianus Atururi and Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu should start their jobs by reforming the bureaucracy while pressing the MRP to issue the necessary bylaws to implement autonomy," he said. Only two such bylaws have been issued, on health and education, and critics have called them unworkable.

Laode Ida, the deputy chairman of the national upper house, the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), blamed Jakarta for the slow development of autonomy. He said the central government still interferes in Papua's internal affairs. "Jakarta remains suspicious that the local political elite and bureaucracy are sympathetic to the separatist movement," he explained.

He said that the territory has received more than Rp 6 trillion in autonomy funds annually but no significant progress has been made on health, education, transportation and the economy, four sectors given high priority by the law. He called on the two provinces to review all contracts with national and multinational companies to seek greater economic benefits for local development programs.

Papuan political rivalries shelved for inaugeration

Indonesian Home Minister M. Ma'ruf officiated at the inauguration of Suebu and his running mate Alex Hessegem as deputy governor. Suebu is the first Papuan to hold the position twice: He also was governor from 1988 to 1993, when the province was known as Irian Jaya, before its division into Papua in the east and West Irian Jaya in the west. Suebu became the first directly elected Papuan governor last March, but his win was immediately marred by protests.

Among the accusations against Suebu, Nethy Dharma Somba of The Jakarta Post reported, was that he used a fake high school diploma to qualify to run for office. Suebu denied the charges, saying they were concocted by his rivals. He did not graduate high school because, with an oustanding academic record, he was allowed to take university entrance tests early and was accepted at the Law School of Cenderawasih University in Jayapura.

Suebu's installation was held at a special plenary session of the Papuan Legislative Council, presided over by speaker John Ibo at Cenderawasih Sport Hall in Jayapura. Political rivalries were put aside as acting Papuan governor Sodjuangon Situmorang, Suebu, Alex Hessegem and Papua Council Speaker John Ibo, who had vigorously questioned the results of the election, entered together.

John held the hands of Suebu and Alex in a powerful sign that the men were reconciled. Shortly after the Papuan chapter of the General Elections Commission (KPUD Papua) announced Suebu and Alex won the regional election, John Ibo immediately questioned the veracity of Suebu's educational credentials. The allegations were investigated by the Papua Police and the National Police Headquarters, while Suebu's civil suit for defamation has gone before the Jayapura District Court.

John Ibo said all parties now realized they should set aside their dispute and focus on improving the people's welfare. "Everything is now over after a meeting with the President (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono) at the State Palace on July 21. All Papuan figures present at the meeting were of the opinion that the dispute had to end," he said. He added that the inauguration showed that there was no longer any question that Suebu and Alex were the winners of the election.

First elected governor of Irian Jaya Barat sworn in.

Indonesian Home Minister M Ma'ruf has installed Abraham (Bram) Octavianus Atururi and Rachimin Katjong as the first governor and deputy for the new province of West Irian Jaya. Monday's ceremony, which was attended by at least 3,000 people, was held at the West Irian Jaya Legislative Council compound. Before the swearing in, the council held a special plenary session presided over by speaker Jimmy Demianus Idjie.

The Megawati Soekarnoputri government's effort to establish the province through the 2002 Law on Provinces sparked controversy because it contravened the 2001 Special Autonomy Law for Papua, Nethy Dharma Somba noted in The Jakarta Post. Papuan Province Legislative Council Speaker John Ibo brought the case to the Constitutional Court and last year the court ruled the creation of West Irian Jaya was unconstitutional. However, the court ruled the province should be allowed to go ahead anyway.

Based on this ambiguous decision, the central government continued supporting the existence of West Irian Jaya, which held its first regional election on March 11, a day after Papua province's regional polls. Bram Atururi and running mate Rachimin Katjong won the elections over the pairs Dortheys Asmuruf and Ali Kastella and Yorrys Raweyai-Abdul M. Killian.

Eleven in Abepura incident jailed for 5-6 years

The Jayapura District Court on Monday sentenced 11 protesters involved in a deadly 16 March clash with police in Abepura to jail terms of between five and six years. The men were charged with a series of offenses during the violence in front of the Cenderawasih University campus, including disobeying a police officer's order to disperse and violent offenses. Five people were mobbed to death in the clash, including four policemen and one member of the Air Force. Another group of men is on trial for the murders.

The heaviest sentence was given to Nelson Rumbiak, who was jailed for six years, two more than the four years demanded by prosecutors. The panel of judges ruled Nelson was guilty of violating the Criminal Code when he took a tear gas canister belonging to Daud Soleman, a police officer. Soleman died in the incident. Other defendants -- Patrisius Aronggear, Thomas Ukagol, Penius Waker, Othen Dapyal, Elkana Lokobal, Mon Obadja Pawika, Bensuir Mirin and Musa Asso -- were each sentenced to five years jail for similar offenses.

Four killed in tribal conflict in Mimika Regency

Police were on guard Monday in tense Kwamki Lama village in Mimika regency after a three-day clash between two tribes left four people dead and 16 injured. Fighting erupted Friday when Yohanes Kogoya from the Nduga tribe was fatally wounded by arrows when he was attending the funeral of the Bhintuka village chief's son, Nugi, a member of the Dani tribe. Nugi reportedly drowned in a local river, but the Dani blame the Nduga tribespeople for the death. The conflict broke out in the Kwamki Lama area, not far from a huge gold and copper mine operated by PT Freeport Indonesia.

A community figure in Mimika, Rev. Addiel Tinal, said Monday that leaders of both tribes had attempted to calm their members, but to no avail. "We've tried to talk some sense into them, but it seems difficult for them to accept peace because they are still emotional about the incident," said Tinal, who was accompanied by Mimika Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Jantje Jimmy Tuilan in Kios Panjang, Kwamki Lama. "Community leaders and I will wait until the situation calms down and we won't force ourselves to appease both sides. We have posted police troops in the conflict area since Sunday to quell the situation," he said.

Murder trial of OPM suspects starts in Jakarta

The Central Jakarta District Court opened the trial Tuesday of seven Papuans charged with the 2002 murders of two American teachers and an Indonesian who worked for PT Freeport Indonesia in Timika, Papua. The suspects were forcibly brought to trial by police after twice refusing to appear. The defendants demanded that the trial be held in Timika. "It's useless to hold the trial here. We won't talk," defendant Ishak Onawame, 54, told presiding judge Andriani Nurdin. The judge was questioning Antonius Wamang, who remained silent.

Antonius, 30, who is accused of orchestrating the killings, is being tried separately from the other six defendants: Ishak, Agustinus Anggaibak, 23, Yulianus Deikme, 26, Esau Onawame, 23, Hardi Sugumol, 34, and Yairus Kiwak, 52. The seven Papuans insisted they would stand trial only in Timika, where the alleged crimes took place. "Don't force us!," cried another of the accused, while Papuan supporters attending the session applauded. Antonius, who was seated in front of the judges, returned to the visitors' seats to join the other defendants in protest of the proceedings. "I want this trial closed now!" cried Ishak.

Judge Andriani pleaded with them to agree to stand trial but failed. The situation was exacerbated by the absence of the defendants' lawyers, who are from the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association. They had been asked by the Papuans not to attend. The police finally forced Antonius to return to his seat so that the indictments could be read. "You may file your objection in a written statement in your defense later," Andriani said, adding that the trial must go on.

In the indictment, prosecutors alleged that Antonius was a member of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) and was ordered by OPM leader Kelly Kwalik to sabotage Jalan Tembagapura in Timika and to attack Indonesian Military (TNI) troops that passed along the road near the Freeport mine. "Antonius Wamang recruited 11 people to launch the attack," the indictment said. "In his action, he was backed by preacher Ishak Onawame who gave him two sacks of rice and a tent ..."

The indictment claims that on August 31, Antonius and the rest of the attackers, using M-16, SS-1 and Mauser rifles, ambushed the vehicle carrying five Americans and an Indonesian, which they believed was also carrying TNI soldiers. U.S. nationals Ricky Lynn Spier, 44, and Edwin Leon Burgen, 71, and an Indonesian, FX Bambang Riwanto, died in the attack.

During the session, a Papuan woman kept yelling that the seven defendants were innocent. "They are just farmers. Farmers don't have guns, soldiers do!"

The defendants are charged with premeditated murder and weapons possession, for which they could face the death sentence. Prosecutor Anita Asterida said the Timika District Court and the Papuan provincial prosecutor's office had pleaded with the Supreme Court to move the trial to Jakarta for security reasons. "It is exactly as stipulated in the Criminal Procedures Code," she told The Jakarta Post. The trial was adjourned until 1 August, when the defendants and their lawyers will present their pleas.