Papua team to complete autonomy ordinances

The Governor of Papua province, Barnabas Suebu, has ordered the establishment of a joint team to draft provincial and regency and muncipal government ordinances and regulations necessary for the full implementation of special autonomy by the end of the year. Last year, just six local ordinances out of 10 that were proposed ended up being approved. So far this year, only one local ordinance has been approved by the Papua Legislative Assembly.

"It is necessary to have a team really working to complete the regulations. It's been five years since the autonomy law was being issued but it is not backed up by local regulations. A law can only work if there are regulations which control its implementation. The team is expected to work thoroughly, and is expected to finish by the end of this year," Barnabas told reporters in Jayapura as quoted by Nethy Dharma Somba of The Jakarta Post.

Under the plan, the special autonomy team will comprise administration officials, legislators, members of the Papua People's Council and members of the team that drafted the 2001 Papua Special Autonomy Law. He said that since the team had less than a year to complete its work, a special time would have to be set aside to deliberate the draft ordinances.

Papua Legislative Assembly Speaker John Ibo welcomed the statement. "I support the team's formation, which is a breakthrough from the governor. The council will support the team in speeding up the issuance of clear directions for implementing the autonomy law, in the hope that we can reach the goals of autonomy," he said.

Papua's Mimika reports on new foreign gold miners

An unnamed US mining company is now opening a new gold mining in Mimika regency, Papua Province, the head of the regency's Mining and Energy Agency, Oktovianus Kambu, told Antara newsagency. Exploration had "reached the fourth or the final stage," he said.

"In the future, Mimika regency will not only rely on gold mining carried out by PT Freeport Indonesia which has been operating since 1968," he said, adding that other mining resources like coal and oil were "always waiting" for exploration in the regency.

West Papua's Tangguh LNG plant nearly completed

The Tangguh LNG plant, located in a Papua Barat (West Papua) province gas field with proven reserves of more than 14 trillion cubic feet, is entering the final phase of construction and is expected to commence initial production by the last quarter of 2008, Kardaya Warnika, chairman of BP Migas (Indonesia's Upstream Oil and Gas Executive Agency), told media. He said construction of the plant, to be operated by a consortium led by BP Indonesia (and inckluding Japan's LNG Corporation and Nippon Oil Corporation and China's CNOOC) was 70 percent completed.

Having already secured more than US$2 billion in loans, Kardaya said negotiations between BP and a group of Chinese banks for US$884 million in loans were still underway. To build the plant BP needs financing of US$6.5 billion, of which US$3.5 billion consists of loans, with the remainder coming from the company's own resources.

BP Migas records show that the government has signed contracts with Fujian-China for the delivery of 2.6 mmtpa of gas over 25 years from Tangguh, with SK Power Korea for 0.55 mmtpa over 20 years, with Posco Korea for 0.55 mmtpa over 20 years and with US West Coast for 3.7 mmtpa over 20 years, Ika Krismantari reported for The Jakarta Post.

Freeport's payments to Indonesia and Papua

Freeport Indonesia, the Indonesian subsidiary of US-headquartered Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc, operates the world-class gold and copper mine in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua and may be Indonesia's largest taxpayer. "From January to December 2006, Freeport Indonesia paid its financial obligations to the government of Indonesia in the sum of US$ 1.6 billion," a company statement quoted by AFP stated.

It said US$ 1.29 billion of the total comprised corporate, employee income and other taxes. Dividends accounted for US$ 159 million and royalties for US$ 146 million. Freeport Indonesia has paid US$ 5.1 billion to the Indonesian government since 1992, according to the statement. Taxes accounted for US$ 4.1 billion of the figure, with the remainder comprised of royalties and dividends.

The company said Freeport Indonesia had also invested US$ 5 billion dollars to develop company infrastructure and US$ 500 million in social facilities. It had also generated direct employment for 9,000 people in 2006, some 27 percent of whom were indigenous Papuans, the statement said.

It added the company had provided 10,700 jobs indirectly last year, for example for contract workers or employees at partner firms and had purchased domestic goods and services worth US$ 4.3 billion.

Raja Ampat regent forms Marine Protected Area

The waters off the northwest tip of Papua are among the world's richest in marine biodiversity but are affected by human activity. The Nature Conservancy environmental organization is among parties involved in efforts toward creating sustainability in the area. The following report is by The Jakarta Post's Ati Nurbaiti who was invited to communal ceremonies on 15 February held to affirm the local commitment to conservation in the Raja Ampat regency.

This regency of over 600 islands, both large and small, is a three-hour speedboat journey or whole-day ferry trip away from the port town of Sorong, in Papua Barat province. Its waters are frequented by whales, manta rays and dolphins, and locals attribute the return of fish near their homes to the recent conservation efforts.

The conservation project aims to preserve the biodiversity of this regency, comprised of four million hectares of land and sea with a human populace of just 38,000, according to latest estimates. Less than 40 of these islands are inhabited. The focus of the conservation efforts is predominantly on marine life, with evidence of over-exploitation in local and foreign fishing activities.

Last December Regent Marcus Wanma announced part of , the 110,000 hectares of sea around the Kofiau islands stretching to the border with North Maluku, as a protected marine area. In mid-February local communities affirmed their commitment to the area's conservation through religious and traditional rituals.

"What is required here," says Becky Rahawarin, head of the local fisheries agency, "is a management model which differs from that of protected areas under national parks." The regency must seek its own model. Until December there were a number of protected areas scattered throughout the islands, but lack of funds and other factors have rendered protection efforts ineffective, he said.

Local authorities have opted to adopt the environmental program, naming it the Regional Marine Protected Area, though no one has measured which part of the ocean comes under the jurisdiction of the central government and which parts should be fall under the umbrella of the local administration.

Australia "does not" support separatist causes

Comments on criticism of the proposed Indonesia-Australia Treaty by Gillian Bird, a deputy secretary of the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs to Radio Australia:

"This agreement is unique; it is Australia's first security treaty with a regional government focussing on both traditional and non-traditional security threats. It should set a benchmark for the region ... It contains a clear undertaking of support for each other's territorial integrity, which is an unambiguous treaty level statement that Australia does not in any way support separatist causes in Indonesia.

"Australia strongly supports the development of Papua as a stable and prosperous part of the Republic of Indonesia. This is best done through the full and effective implementation of special autonomy and respect for human rights ... Access to Papua I think is an important issue; it's one that we do raise with the Indonesians. We would like to see access to that area; certainly we have had embassy access which we think is important. Certainly that issue of access is one that we do raise."

Bird's use of "Papua" appears to cover both Papua and Papua Barat (West Papua) provinces in Indonesian New Guinea.

Catholic actvists in Merauke support province split

Catholic bishops of Papua and Papua Barat (West Papua) provinces have called on Catholic young people to uphold and revive human values in service and ministry. The five bishops of Indonesian New Guinea made the call in a joint letter to the Indonesian national working meeting of Pemuda Katolik (Catholic Youth Association) in Merauke, 3,670 kilometers east of Jakarta, in Papua province's southern territory.

The bishops presented the letter on 13 February at the opening session of the four-day meeting with the theme Awaken and Move: Historical and Cultural Basics of Catholic Church to Develop New Habitus for the Nation.

The five bishops – of Merauke Archdiocese and Agats, Jayapura, Manokwari-Sorong and Timika dioceses – shared values, virtues and moral guideposts in the letter, read by Sacred Heart Archbishop Nicolaus Adi Seputra of Merauke, for 114 budding activists at the meeting's opening on 13 February. Franciscan Bishop Aloysius Murwito of Agats was also present.

"Human values need to be upheld and revived continuously among young Catholics, especially those preparing to be leaders," the bishops said in the letter, "these values need to be given top priority."

The bishops urged the activists to follow Jesus, who worked with clear vision and mission. Jesus Christ, wrote the bishops, "struggled unto death for the realization of vision and mission ... making himself a servant, even by sacrificing himself unto death on the cross."

The meeting was a good opportunity for young Catholics to review and improve service activities, the bishops added. The Papua church leaders hope the work meeting will be followed by concrete activities, preparing Catholic cadres nationwide.

Marningrot Tua Natalis Situmorang, national board chairman of Pemuda Katolik, told UCA News at the end of the meeting that participants produced a number of programs to be implemented by all chapters nationwide, including consolidation of the organization, development of national membership, and leadership training.

The meeting, he added, also produced a statement of support for the establishment of a South Papua province to be split from Papua province. The proposed province, based on local people's aspirations, would include Asmat, Boven Digoel, Mappi and Merauke districts.

On 15 February, Saifullah Yusuf, State Minister for the Accelerated Development of Disadvantaged Regions, urged Pemuda Katolic's young activists to empower the poor.

The national working meeting was closed with a Holy Mass led by Archbishop Seputra, with Father Johanes Kandam, the archdiocese's vicar general, and Sacred Heart Father Miller Senduk concelebrating.

Established in 1929 in Yogyakarta with the motto Pro ecclesia et patria (for church and country), the Indonesia Catholic youth association gathers and unites Catholic youth, building mature personalities, and responsible, dedicated citizens and church members. The association holds national congresses to elect leaders, and national working meetings to set programs and develop projects.

Elsham claims evacuees starving in Puncak Jaya

Diaz Gwijangge, a representative of the Papua-based Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (Elsham), told Fabio Scarpello of the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) that about 5,600 people were surviving in Puncak Jaya regency, Papua province, by eating leaves and what little was offered by the local churches, while hiding in the forest having fleeing their homes in early December.

"They fled after the military and the police attacked the area after a flag of the Free Papua Movement was hoisted. Now they are too scared to return," Mr Gwijangge said. "At least four people have already died of hunger and disease, and the toll is bound to rise fast, unless help is delivered soon," the activist said.

Elsham claims evacuees two days' walk from the nearest town, difficult to reach, and infested with mosquitoes carrying malaria and dengue fever. To make matters worse, the evacuees - fearing a military reprisal - have reportedly cut most of the rope bridges that link the area to the outside world.

The plight of the refugees was reportedly confirmed by local religious leaders, but denied by the security forces, who called it "a trumped-up story".

Koreans on potentially huge Papua Barat oilfield

South Korea's state-run Korean National Oil Corp (KNOC) is seeking to extend its expiring exploration contract on an oil block offshore of Papua Barat province that could be the biggest untapped discovery in Indonesia. Initial estimates indicate the Wokam block has 671 million barrel of oil reserves, Achmad Luthfi, deputy chief of BP-MIGAS, told Reuters. If reserve estimates prove accurate, the block would top the Cepu oil and gas project in East and Central Java, which is estimated to have recoverable reserves of up to 600 million barrels.

Awakening "sleeping giant" of a prosperous Papua

The Papua provincial governnment will focus its development programs on rural areas where the largest number of poor live, the Governor Barnabas Suebu has announced. He said as 80 percent of Papuans live in remote villages in poor conditions, if not absolute poverty, his administration will provide each of the 2,700 villages in his province and 1,164 villages in West Papua province with Rp 100 million (about US$11,100). "This is not a gift from Santa Claus, it must be accounted for," he said.

The Papua administration currently oversees autonomy funds for both Papua and West Papua provinces.

Before receiving the funds, villages must specify their needs and outline planned development programs, as well as detailing plans for supervising the use of the money. Some of the main goals of the village development program are improving nutrition, education, health, local economies and infrastructure in the villages, as well as addressing issues such as gender equality, sustainable forest management and law and justice.

To finance the program, Suebu has shaken up the provincial budget. In the previous budget, 70 percent of funds were allocated for the state apparatus, 20 percent for infrastructure and public spending and the remaining 10 percent for rural development. In the new-look budget, the funds for the state apparatus have been slashed to 27 percent, while 25 percent will go for infrastructure and public spending and 45 percent for rural development.

Papua province also has launched a major infrastructure project, called the integrated transportation network. Under this project, the administration will build seaports, airports and a modern highway system, at a total cost of between Rp 50 trillion and Rp 100 trillion. Funding for the work will come from both the state and provincial budgets, as well as from overseas grants.

Suebu said a modern transportation system would spur economic growth in villages. "Our farmers have to sell their products in the city, but to do this they have to pay a lot for transportation, which cuts their profit. That's a major drawback of a poor transportation system," he told Nethy Dharma Somba of The Jakarta Post in Jayapura.

The governor said the highway construction would begin this year, starting with the 3,000 kilometer Trans-Papua highway, which will connect Papua and West Papua at a cost of Rp 30 trillion.

To save costs, the project will make use of tailings from the PT Freeport mining company, with the end result expected to be of similar quality as concrete roads.

Suebu said with an integrated transportation network, isolated areas would be opened and more investors would come and awaken the "sleeping giant". "This is what we call the new Papua, a prosperous Papua," said the governor.

Among Papua's abundant natural wealth are proven gold and copper reserves of 2.5 billion tons in the PT Freeport mining concession area, 540 million cubic meters of potential commercial timber, nine million hectares of forest conversion areas for large-scale plantations, 2,000 miles of coastline, a sea area of 220,000 square km and 1.3 million tons of potential fishery products per year.

Delay request for Special Autonomy Law revision

A forum held at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Central Jakarta requested the Indonesian central government postpone its planned revision of the 2001 Papuan Special Autonomy law. The meeting claimed that six years of special autonomy in Papua had yet to provide opportunities for indigenous Papuans to get involved in managing their own affairs.

"There should be comprehensive evaluation and planning before reaching the conclusion that revision is urgently needed," the Forum chairman Albert Hasibuan said, adding that if revision was truly unavoidable, the revised law should not just look after the needs of political elites.

"If there should really be a revision, the people of Papua, who are represented by the Papuan Legislative Council (DPRP) and the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) should participate (in its deliberation)," said a member of the Jakarta Community for Papua (Pokja), Frans Maniagasi. "These two bodies represent the people while the two governors (Papua and West Papua) represent the central government," Frans said.

He added that the implementation of special autonomy law was a "mess" since the supporting legal components were yet to be issued. "Many Papuans are against the revision because the provincial bylaw (Perdasi), created by the governor and the DPRP; and the special bylaw (Perdasus) created by the governor, DPRP and MRP are not yet available," he said.

The Forum also asked the central government to conduct feasibility studies before making decisions on the establishment of new regencies in the two provinces.

Legislator Simon Morin, from the Golkar Party in the national House of Representatives, said that special autonomy needed a special instrument "established by the central government to empower special autonomy. People's empowerment is important. Without empowerment and enforcement from the central government to local offices, the special autonomy law will not be effective," Morin said, adding that local governments in Papua should be evaluated closely to deter potential mismanagement, especially in budget allocation becaue "the more you go down to the level of local bureaucracy, the smaller the funding becomes."

A researcher from the Center for Political Studies at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Muridan S. Widjojo, said there was nothing wrong with the special autonomy law. "It's not the law but the implementation of the law. A lot of the funding actually went to activities that would not increase the welfare of the people," he said. "Where are the funding to improve health clinics and schools or to send teachers to remote areas? There is just no data to prove that substantial allocation has happened," he said, as reported by lvin Darlanika Soedarjo of The Jakarta Post.

Eight points of agreement between two provinces

Under the terms of the "One but Two, Two but One" ceremony held by the Governors of Papua and Papua Barat (West Papua) provinces in Manokwari on Tuesday, eight points of agreement were decided for further deliberation in Biak, Papua province, on 31 March.

The follow-up meeting is scheduled to be attended by the Papuan and West Papuan governors, representatives from the provinces' parliaments and the Papuan Peoples' Congress (MRP), 22 regents and mayors from Papua and seven regents and mayors from West Papua, The Jakarta Post reported.

One of the points of agreement is the gathering of inventories for personnel and equipment as well as the documentation of regional revenue, public works, transportation, forestry, agriculture, sea fishing and mining figures.

Another point deals with an agreement by representatives of the two provinces to share special autonomy funds. It was also agreed that all natural resources should be shared by all provinces, regencies and mayoralties throughout Indonesian New Guinea, based on a percentage division between producing and non-producing areas already set out in existing regional regulations.

Others points included an integrated development plan, which covers spatial planning and the development of infrastructure, strategic economic development, social and cultural development and the development of human resources.

Increasing child/youth AIDS infection in Merauke

At least 113 young people, under 20 years old, from Merauke regency in Papua province have been infected by HIV/AIDS since they were in wombs of their mothers, officials told Antara newsagency. Head of Merauke's HIV/AIDS Controlling Commission (KPAD) Waryono said 26 of them age up to 4 years, six age between 5 to 9 years and 81 others age between 10 to 19 years.

Meanwhile, the number of reported cases of adults with HIV/AIDS has now reached 639. Waryono, who is also Merauke deputy regent, blames the large number on "permissive sex", Antara reported.

Vatican representative visits Catholics in Papua

The Holy See nuncio to Indonesia has urged Catholic villagers in Indonesia's Papua province to practise Christian values and build inter-communal harmony in areas known for tribal conflicts. "There are many Papuan tribal and cultural values that are good, but there are also traditions that are harmful and which cause death," Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, apostolic nuncio to Indonesia, told parishioners of Morning Star Church in Abmisibil, UCA News reported.

"The bad elements are, among others, tribal warfare, adultery, polygamy, idol worship and belief in ancestral spirits," said the archbishop.

The prelate's 9-12 February visit to eight parishes in Jayawijaya district, Jayapura Diocese, was the first such pastoral visit by a nuncio to the area in Indonesia's easternmost province. According to government statistics, the largely Protestant district has a population of 313,961. Protestants make up 82 percent, while Catholics make up 15 percent and Muslims 1.5 percent, with Hindus and Buddhists comprising the rest.

At Morning Star Parish, the nuncio urged Catholics to respect the dignity of others, to practice church teaching on marriage, and to build a culture of peace, justice and love. During the dialogue session with local Catholics, lay leader Beny Ningdana said: "Abmisibil people, who dwell in the border areas between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, sincerely welcome Pope Benedict XVI's representative to observe our joys and sorrows."

Accompanied by several local bishops, Archbishop Girelli also visited other parishes where Catholics welcomed the nuncio with traditional dances. They also placed the noken, a traditional Papuan bag made of netted material, around his neck, along with headdresses made of Bird of Paradise plumes.

Two provinces united for culture and development

Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu and Papua Barat (West Papua) Governor Abraham (Bram) O. Atururi have signed an agreement to settle differences, the first cooperative move by the two directly-elected leaders since they were installed six months ago. The reconciliation may end Papua province bickering over the legal basis for the establishment of West Papua.

The signing was held on Mansinam Island, a symbolically important island for Papuans since it is where two preachers from Europe landed on 5 February 1855 and began spreading Christianity. "The ceremony was titled "One but Two, Two but One", meaning that Papua's culture, economy and infrastructure development are unified even as its government has split into two provinces," Nethy Dharma Somba reported for The Jakarta Post from Manokwari.

The three-step process included an agreement on the legal basis for the creation of the new province under the Special Autonomy Law; the handover of documents on personnel, financing, equipment and other issues from Papua province to West Papua; and a pledge to jointly manage the economy and infrastructure.

The agreement means that the two provinces will share management of the special autonomy funds, which account for 2 percent of the central government's general allocation funds.

The special autonomy law, along with its attendant funding, is intended to speed Papua's development and give the region more control over its rich natural resources. The funds have thus far been managed by Papua province in cooperation with regency and mayoralty administrations throughout Papua, including those in West Papua.

The reconciliation meeting was held in a very friendly atmosphere. The two governors and their entourages were greeted with traditional dances and all the civil servants of West Papua province lined the road where the guests passed. Governor Suebu shook hands with all of them.

The Mansinam agreement will be deliberated by a special team before it is discussed at a joint working meeting between the two governors and all regents and mayors in the two provinces in Biak.

"We will try to complete the deliberation as soon as possible so that we can hold the next meeting, thereby enabling us to work and build," Bram said.

The reconciliation has melted the cold relations between the two provinces following the creation of West Papua province, which was initially named West Irian Jaya province.

"On this day the conflict between the province of West Irian Jaya, which was later called West Papua, and the province of Papua must end," Suebu said. He added that the two provinces must work together in thought, feeling and spirit to build a new Papua.

Minister wary of six new Papuan regencies

Indonesian Minister for Home Affairs, M. Ma'ruf, has reportedly asked that six bills on the creation of new local governments in Papua province, proposed by the national House of Representatives, be further clarified before deliberations continue. The six would-be regencies are Yalimo, Central Mamberamo, Nduga, Lanny Jaya, Dogiyai and Puncak. The minister believes none are viable as seperate administrative entities.

"The central government appears overwhelmed by demands for new administrative regions, due mainly to the absence of clear-cut criteria," Hyginus Hardoyo commented in The Jakarta Post.

Proposed new central province targets big assets

Former President Megawati Soekarnoputri pushed forward the division of Indonesia's then sole province in New Guinea island, Irian Jaya, into three separate provinces with her Presidential Instruction No. 1/2003. However the creation of Central Irian Jaya province was stalled due to internal disputes amongst residents.

According to Neles Tebay, a lecturer at the Fajar Timur School of Philosophy and Theology in Abepura, Jayapura, in Papua province, "a motion for the formation of Central Irian Jaya province has resurfaced and is being debated in Nabire. A special committee for the establishment of Bomberay province has already been formed."

Writing in The Jakarta Post, he said Bomberay would cover the Papua Barat (West Papua) regencies of Fakfak, Kaimana and Bintuni plus Mimika in Papua - which would therefore transfer BP's massive gas fields from West Papua province and the huge Freeport gold-copper mine from Papua.

NGO claims peaceful Papuan separatists attacked

The Human Rights Watch lobby group in New York, USA, claims at least 18 Papuans are serving sentences in Indonesian jails "simply for peaceful acts of freedom of expression and opinion" in violation of international law and Indonesia’s international legal obligations. The 42-page report, “Protest and Punishment: Political Prisoners in Papua,” argues that the Indonesian government uses criminal law to punish individuals who peacefully advocate for independence in Indonesia's New Guinea provinces of Papua and Papua Barat (West Papua) which they refer to collectively as Papua.

“Indonesia claims to have become a democracy, but democracies don’t put people in prison for peaceful expression,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Real freedom of expression, assembly and association are still in short supply for political activists in Papua.”

Given as an example is Linus Hiluka who, in June 2000, was charged with treason and spreading hatred due to his connection with a separatist organization, the Baliem Papua Panel. According to the report, at no point was Hiluka accused of any violent or criminal activity but he was convicted and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.

Another example: On 26 May 2005, Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage were found guilty of rebellion and spreading hatred against the government because they conducted peaceful demonstrations on 1 December 2004 to mark what separatists commemorate as Papua’s national day. For these acts, they were sentenced to 15 years’ and 10 years’ imprisonment respectively.

In “Protest and Punishment,” Human Rights Watch states it only included cases where the defendant was convicted for peaceful expression. There are many other cases in Papua where individuals have been charged with or convicted of crimes against the security of the state where it was alleged that the defendant engaged in or advocated violence. Human Rights Watch did not include these cases in the report, even those cases where the allegations of violent activity or advocacy did not appear to be readily supported by the evidence.

Human Rights Watch also claimed that severe government-imposed restrictions on access to Papua mean that it is difficult to identify all such cases or to ascertain the full extent of the human rights situation in Papua. “Until Papua is opened fully to scrutiny there will be doubt and confusion about the extent of abuse there,” said Adams. “As we saw in Aceh, closed conditions create breeding grounds for unchecked abuse. If the government has nothing to hide, it should open Papua to the outside world.”

Human Rights Watch called on the Indonesian government to immediately release all political prisoners in Papua and to drop any outstanding charges against individuals awaiting trial. Human Rights Watch also urged the government to repeal the vague and broad laws criminalizing the spreading of “hatred” and treason to ensure that no further prosecutions can take place in violation of international law.

However, according to Reuters, Indonesia denies any systematic rights abuses. "Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono said last year there were some "violations" in Papua by rogue elements in the military but insisted these acts were perpetrated by individuals. He also suggested the media exaggerated problems in Papua," the newsagency's Ed Davies commented.

PNG visitors prevented from buying subsidised fuel

The Indonesian government has imposed the international oil price standard on Papua New Guinea residents who buy fuel oil in Wutung, Jayapura in Papua province. The measure was taken to prevent border crossers from purchasing diesel oil and gasoline subsidised by the Indonesian national government, Indonesian Consul General to Vanimo, Ignatius Kristanyo, told Antara newsageny.

"If border crossers from PNG are allowed to buy fuel oil at gas stations in Jayapura, they will buy the commodity in bulk and the Indonesian people in Jayapura and environs will run out of the fuel oil they need," he said. He said the purchase of fuel oil in great volume could happen because the rate of PNG's currency, Kina, is higher than the Indonesian unit, Rupiah, namely, Rp3,000 to one Kina.

Thus, the Indonesian government would set up gas stations on areas bordering on PNG to avoid the purchase of fuel oil in bulk by PNG people in rupiah, he said, adding that the government would also limit the volume of fuel oil to be sold in the border areas. He cited as an example that diesel oil would be sold at four Kinas or Rp12,000 per liter and gasoline at 4.50 Kinas or Rp14,000 per liter.

"The oil prices of international standard are lower than those in PNG," he said while disclosing that the living cost in PNG was higher than that in Indonesia. Therefore, many PNG people come to Indonesian areas bordering on PNG for shopping as the prices of basic necessities in the achipelagic country are lower than those in the beighbouring nation, he said.

Indonesia ready to open Papua/PNG border road

Indonesia has announced that it is ready to open its cross-border road with the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, saying it is proof of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Minister for Home Affairs, M. Ma'ruf visited a border post at Skow Wutung in Jayapura, Papua province, to check on immigration services.

"There has been much progress, including in the trial services. Here we can check how long it takes for a traveler to process his or her documents and baggage. We will speed it up to provide a better service," he said.

Papuan Governor Barnabas Suebu said that with the opening of the border crossing the number of people from PNG coming to shop in Jayapura would increase because the city's prices were cheaper, while Indonesian traders from Jayapura would find it easier to sell their products in Vanimo, a PNG provincial capital close to the border. "There are benefits to be had by both sides. They get cheaper prices and we will be able to sell our commodities," Suebu said.

The border post is also expected to reduce the number of illegal crossings. "With the opening of the legal post, local people are expected to use it," he said.

The post is scheduled to be officially opened next month by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and PNG Prime Minister Michael Somare, The Jakarta Post reported.

Illegal logging in Papua may be decreasing

Indonesia’s Minister of Environment said illegal logging in Papua province is decreasing but more work needs to be done to reduce the illegal timber trade. Rachmat Witoelar told Radio New Zealand International that the international demand for hardwood, particularly kwila, is fuelling environmentally damaging, illegal logging in Papua.

Kwila trees take up to 100 years to grow, are difficult to regenerate and are becoming commercially extinct and Witoelar said it’s hard to keep Papua’s native forests in tact while corrupt loggers still have a market demanding its timber.

“Elements who are corrupt, they deal in this and because there are buyers from outside. So we have to stem both the outflow and the purchase, the market. If we reduce the market then there won’t be any motives for the illegal loggers the perpetrators, to repeat themselves,” he said.

Central ministries review Papua's border with PNG

Indonesian Home Affairs Minister M Ma'ruf is scheduled to leave for Papua Province on 18 February for a working visit in the province. The Minister and a group of national legislators and central government ministry officials will visit Skouw border line area shared by Indonesian eastern most province of Papua and neighbouring Papua New Guinea. The Skouw border patrol post was newly constructed and will be officially inaugurated in March.

Last year, Indonesia and PNG twice discussed the two countries' border issues, respectively taking place in Pontianak (West Kalimantan) in August 2006 and in Jakarta in December 2006.

Indonesia's two provinces on New Guinea island, Papua and Papua Barat (West Papua) are home to a native Melanesian population of about 2 million people, plus another 700,000 settlers from other parts of the country.

Antara reports that the minister, who is also accompanied by officials from the coordinating ministry for political, legal and security affairs and the transportation and health ministries, will then proceed to East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), to visit the country's borderline in Mota Ain, Belu District, which shares a common borderline with Timor Leste.

WHO recognises danger to Papuans of HIV/AIDs

According to the World Health Organisation, Indonesia faces a growing AIDS problem, particularly among drug users and prostitutes, while a recent survey shows two percent of the Papua population infected with HIV.

According to Reuters, the WHO report highlighted a growing concern over HIV cases in the remote eastern area of Papua, where it said a recent survey showed that prevalence of HIV in the general population was 20 times the national average and two percent were infected with HIV. The report said there was "recent evidence of a generalised epidemic" in Papua and cited the undeveloped health care system and a lack of resources to cope with the problem.

The term "Papua" used by Reuters appears to refer to both Indonesian provinces on New Guinea island and not specifically Papua province.

Adverts call for 'Papua' changes to Aust-RI Treaty

An Australian optical store-owner will run television advertismenents across South East Asia urging Indonesia to let human rights monitors into its two New Guinea-island provinces and also promoting separatist identities. According to Graeme Dobell of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's ABC News, one advertisement, shows pictures of Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard, and Indonesia's President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono while stating: "Howard, Yudhoyono, you now have all the information: 183,000 dead in East Timor, 100,000 dead in West Papua. Include human rights monitoring and access for journalists to West Papua in the Australia Indonesia Treaty."

The advertisements were launched at a press conference in the Australian Federal Parliament House in Canberra, hosted by an independent MP Peter Andren and Australian Labor Party MP Duncan Kerr from the House of Representatives and Senator Natasha Stott Despojas from the Democrats and Senator Kerry Nettle of the Greens.

According to Dobell, another advertisement in the series features Clemens Runawery "who fled from West Papua in 1969 and lives in exile in Papua New Guinea. He says there's a slow process of genocide in West Papua, because of the influx of people from the rest of Indonesia. Mr Runawery says that under Dutch rule in the early 1960s, Papuans made up 96 percent of the population of what is now an Indonesia province. Today, he says only 65 percent of the population is Papuan, the other 35 per cent from the rest of Indonesia."

And Runawery further told Dobell that "the overpopulation for the Indonesian side is growing much faster than the Papuan population. Now, one may wonder why. The answer to that would be through the transmigration, official and non-official of the so-called spontaneous migrants. Therefore, they're coming in almost 5,000 per week. And that is in fact, this policy is devastating, is detrimental to West Papuan existence, in terms of maintaining the cultures and the dignity as an ethnic group."

The term "West Papua" used in the advertisements and by Runawery appear to refer to both Indonesian provinces on New Guinea island and not specifically Papua Barat (West Papua) province.

The sponsor, millionaire businessman Ian Melrose, said he'll find television networks who'll "take the money" and run his advertisements across South East Asia.

According to Kate Corbett of Australian Associated Press, the adverts will "initially be aired across Australia and then overseas on ABC Asia-Pacific [the Australian Government-owned satellite broadcasting service now renamed Australia Network and already broadcasting into indonesia] and potentially on Indonesian television."

Democrats may intrude in Indonesian New Guinea

The Jakarta Post tips growing USA Democratic Party interest in separatism in Indonesia's two New Guinea provinces. Reporting on the media conference of the outgoing US Ambassador to Indonesia B Lynn Pascoe, reporter Abdul Khalik highlighted the ambassador's comment that Indonesia should respond to the international demands for a resolution to the Munir case and problems in New Guinea in order to maintain its global reputation

Indonesian human rights activist Munir Said Thalib died after being poisoned with arsenic in September 2004. Lower courts and a presidentially sanctioned investigation team found evidence linking top National Intelligence Agency (BIN) officials to his murder, although none have ever been charged.

According to Abdul Khalik, the Democrat's win in mid-term elections in October last year brought "back some key congressmen and senators who wanted to see Papuans be given self-determination."

One example he presented is the new chairman of the House of representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment, Rep. Eni Faleomavaega, who said recently that "If you want to talk about fairness, give the people of West Papua the right of self-determination."

In this context Faleomavaega is referring to the people of the two provinces not specifically the people of Papua Barat (West Papua).

Indonesia to speed-up New Guinea development

Indonesia needs to speed up development in the country's two provinces on the west half of New Guinea island, Papua and West Papua, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters after a cabinet meeting on the issue. "The improvement of peoples' prosperity in [the] two Papua provinces is slow. Special autonomy has not been implemented in a good way," he said. "I will issue a presidential decree to accelerate the development in the two Papuan provinces. Funds will come from the region and the central government," he said, as reported by Reuters.

Yudhoyono said transport infrastructure would be priority to boost the local economy. "We hope in three to five years we will see significant results of this acceleration programmes," he said.

The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo AS also told media that developing basic transportation infrastructure will be prioritised. "It is important to improve access and mobility to remote areas, and those near the border, so that people in these areas can be reached more easily," he said as quoted by Urip Hudiono of The Jakarta Post. Widodo further mentioned the need to develop suitable plantations and crops in the two provinces to promote self-sufficiency. "We are considering developing oil palm plantations, among other things," he said. "This will also help create employment in these areas."

West Papua Governor Abraham Atururi acknowledged the development challenges in the two provinces and said future strategies should also focus on developing the local human resources. "Papua is said to be a land of riches; the problem is in its human resources," he said. "We hope this can be changed for the betterment of all."

Provincial officials from Papua and West Papua will meet soon in Manokwari, he said, to discuss cooperation in implementing future development policies.

Papua province imports rice from Vietnam

Papua's provincial administration has imported rice from Vietnam to meet local demand. The imported rice was to add to the existing stock and to ensure that there would be no shortage of the stape in the province, an official of the provincial Logistics Depot, Eddy Busran, told Antara in Jayapura.

Last year, the two provinces in Indonesian New Guinea imported 21,500 tons of rice.

Australians confused over Papuan name changes

John McBeth, Senior Writer for Singapore's Straits Times newspaper observes rhat Australian Govenrment officials are uncomfortable with name changes in Indonesia's two New Guinea island provinces. "Ever since Irian Jaya was renamed Papua during thebadministration of president Abdurrahman Wahid, Australian officials have followed the lead of Papuan independence campaigners in calling it West Papua. Now, West Irian Jaya - one of the two provinces that make up Papua - has set the cat among the pigeons by renaming itself - you've guessed it - West Papua. Just to confuse the uninitiated even more, the other province - which occupies the rest of the vast, road-less territory as far as the Papua New Guinea border - is called Papua as well," he wrote.

The province of Papua Barat (West Papua) covers most of the island's so-called Bird's Head region and will rely for much of its economic lifeblood on BP's Bituni Bay liquefied natural gas plant, which starts up next year while Papua province has access to the royalty streams from PT Freeport Indonesia's vast gold-copper mining operations.

According to McBeth, no one is quite sure why Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and other Canberra officials have insisted on calling Indonesian New Guinbea "West Papua" as, by doing so, "they appear - at least to many Indonesians - to be expressing solidarity" with the Papuan separatist organisations.

"At one point, someone in Canberra offered the lame explanation that it was to differentiate between the Indonesian side of the island and Papua New Guinea. But in general usage no one shortens Papua New Guinea to Papua. It has always been simply PNG. Unless Aussie officialdom decides to be dogmatic about the whole issue, it surely will have to do a serious rethink. Otherwise, there is going to be a lot of confusion over what Aussie officials are actually referring to - the province or the whole territory," he wrote.

Australian journalists, particularly those who have covered Indonesia, seem as bemused as anyone. "One Jakarta-based correspondent could not disguise his glee over the province's new name, hoping it might lead to his newspaper changing its policy. I had the same dilemma back in the late 1970s when the magazine I then worked for decreed that Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge should be called Kampuchea, following the lead of the communist regime that committed genocide on a grand scale. I could never bring myself to do it and eventually, after invading Vietnamese forces drove the Khmer Rouge out of Phnom Penh, the editors decided to go back to calling it Cambodia. So, any suggestions for Mr Downer?" Mc Beth asked.


UPDATE (17 Feb 2007)

John McBeth is wrong. The Australian government strongly supports Indonesia's territorial integrity and recognizes its sovereignty over the provinces of Papua and West Irian Jaya.

Our commitment to this position was made clear in the Lombok Treaty signed between Australia and Indonesia last year.

We are aware of proposals for name changes and to create new provinces on the half-island, but also understand these are yet to be formalized by all appropriate authorities.

Just to make it quite clear, we regard Papua and West Irian Jaya as integral parts of Indonesia.

BILL FARMER
Ambassador
Australian Embassy
Jakarta



UPDATE (20 Feb 2007)

In his haste to call me "wrong" (The Jakarta Post, Feb.17, Australian Embassy clarifies), Ambassador Farmer has completely missed the point I was trying to make.

I was not seriously questioning the Australian government's stated commitment to non-interference in Indonesia's internal affairs.

I was asking why Australian officials from Prime Minister Howard on down insist on calling the place West Papua, when its official name is Papua.

Whether the ambassador likes it or not, it conveys the impression to many Indonesians that Canberra is following the lead of the Papuan independence movement.

So I ask the question again. Why?

JOHN MCBETH
Jakarta

Merauke Bupati 'launches' South Papua province

Papuans must not be sidelined in the possible establishment of an autonomous South Papua province, but should benefit from it as stipulated in the 2001 special autonomy law for Papua, a member of the Papua People's Assembly (MRP) says. "Just like a farmer cultivating his farm, don't let others enjoy the yields from the farm. It's the same as the current issue on the petition to establish an autonomous province in Papua ... don't let it create opportunities only for other people to obtain positions, while Papuans just become spectators in the development process," an MRP member from Merauke regency, Erna Mahuse, said in Merauke on Tuesday.

According to Erna, the MRP can discuss issues related to autonomous provinces in Papua as long as the proposal being considered does not violate the autonomy law. "It is not a taboo to discuss it, so long as it is in accordance with mechanisms of Law No. 21/2001 and benefits Papuans, because the main aim of an autonomous province is to shorten the reins of development," she said.

On Monday in Merauke, Regent John Gluba Gebze announced the formation of a South Papua province in a traditional procession of the Marind tribe, the largest tribe in southern Papua. The event was attended by thousands of people. Gebze marked the occasion by planting a Masi tree along with Boven Digul Vice Regent Mercelino Yamkomdow and Asmat regency legislative council vice speaker Eduardus Kaise.

"The tree symbolizes our spirit to establish the South Papua province," said Marind tribal figure Imbuti Kasimirius Ndiken. Gebze, a Marind tribesman, joined in the Gatzi traditional dance during the event. Gebze told reporters the day before the event that the establishment of the South Papua province was a continuance of a colonial-era plan to form territories in Papua.

The Dutch administration had divided Territory V in four regencies, he said: Merauke, Boven Digul, Asmat and Mappi. "We just have to continue with the plan prepared by the Dutch." The territorial divisions, said Gebze, had based on sociological and anthropological aspects to form an area in which the tribes would live and govern in one cluster under a territorial administration. - Nethy Dharma Somba (JP)

Policeman shot by soldier in Mulia, Puncak Jaya

A policeman was shot dead Tuesday in an exchange of gunfire between police and soldiers in Mulia, the capital of Puncak Jaya regency, Papua province. The shooting took place at noon and was believed to have been caused by a dispute earlier in the day while lining up to buy kerosene. The victim, identified as Second Brig. Yosep Keliombar, allegedly got into a heated argument with an unidentified member of the Nabire-based army battalion.

Puncak Jaya Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Jacobus Marzuki said the city of Mulia had not been affected by the shooting incident and high-ranking officials of the police and military had met. "It was just a private conflict, not involving the institutions. A consolidation has been made with commander of the military district," Marzuki said.

Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Kartono W. said that a joint press conference on the incident would be held Wednesday, to be attended by Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Tommy Jacobus and the local military commander, Maj. Gen. Zamroni. - (JP)

NGOs insist Australia monitor Indonesian provinces

The Australian Civil Liberties Union has told the Treaties Committee of the Australian Parliament, which must approve the Australian Indonesian security treaty signed by the two governments in Lombok, NTB, last year, that Australia should insist on a yearly reporting and monitoring role in the two Indonesian provinces on New Guinea island, Papua and Papua Barat (West Papua). "Monitoring is required to make sure that the new treaty does not inadvertently provide a paper cover for human rights abuses in Papua, particularly by or under the control of the [Indonesian military]," the submission presented by Civil Liberties Australia chief executive Bill Rowlings said.

The pro-separatist Australia West Papua Association "blamed rapacious Indonesian security forces in Papua for instability and warned against plans to boost military training between Australia and Indonesian special forces," Rob Taylor of Reuters reported. "We believe that any aid or training given to the Indonesian military will only be used to oppress the West Papuan people," the association said, listing rights abuses in the far-flung provinces.

The term "Papua" used by the two NGOs appears to refer to both Indonesian provinces on New Guinea island and not specifically Papua province while the term "West Papua" used by the Australian West Papua Association also appears to refer to both Indonesian provinces on New Guinea island and not specifically West Papua province.

HIV/AIDS in neighbouring Papua New Guinea

The Government of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea has rejected a report which predicted that up to a quarter of the nation's population could be infected with HIV/ AIDS by 2020 and up to a million people could die of AIDS and HIV. The report, released online (pdf format) by the Australian Centre for Independent Studies, argues that if HIV prevention measures are not increased, the virus could have a negative impact on the country's economy and labor force.

It estimates that 118,000 people, or 2% of the population, living in Papua New Guinea are HIV-positive and that HIV prevalence will be 18% by 2010 and 25% by 2020.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the virus is spread mainly through heterosexual contact. Miranda Tobias, report author and a research fellow at CIS, said that young women in the country are being targeted by residents who believe that HIV is spread through witchcraft. Tobias said that there were about 500 attacks on women in the past year that involved torture, sometimes for days, to obtain "confessions" from the women and that some of the attacks resulted in murder.

The government has not acknowledged the "actual and potential dimensions of the spread of HIV/AIDS and its effects," Tobias said, adding, "the problem has been coming for a while, and it is snowballing." The country has other health care problems, including the second-highest maternal mortality rate in the world and a lack of running water in some hospitals, Tobias said.

However Papua New Guinea's Health Minister Peter Barter told Xinhua that the report's HIV prevalence projections are for the "worst possible scenario," but the "fact is that we don't have the worst scenario in Papua New Guinea."

Rebel group causes displacement in Puncak Jaya

Thousands of indigenous Papuans have reportedly been seeking refuge since 6 January in Puncak Jaya regency, Papua province, from an open war between the army and and police troops and members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) rebel group under Goliath Tabuni. The Association of Papua Churches (PGGP), after having conducted a visit to Puncak Jaya, announced that some 2,000 Papuans had already taken refuge in other villages and some 5,000 were facing hunger. They were living in desperate conditions. Children have suffered from diarrhea, hepatitis and malaria, which are the most common illnesses. Four refugees have already died, namely Tanno Talenggen, 50; Laya Morib, 30; Mitiles Morib, 20; and Walia Wonda, 41.

The Puncak Jaya regency administration and the Trikora Military Command -- which oversees Papua and Papua Barat provinces -- through its spokesman Lt. Col. Imam Santoso, in Jayapura, denied the church report. The PGGP, according to the security forces' spokesman, gave "false information."

According to the local government and the military, the Papuans took refuge in order to avoid the attack launched not by the Indonesian security forces but by the OPM members. According to the churches, people were seeking refuge because they were afraid of being attacked both by the Indonesian security forces and the OPM. Thousands of Papuans might be seeking refuge because they are afraid of being suspected of being members of the OPM by the Indonesian security forces, as acknowledged by the head of Yamo district.

Neles Tebay, a professor at the Fajar Timur School of Philosophy and Theology in Abepura, Papua, writes that "as long as the root cause of Papuan separatism is not tackled these Papuans might continue to be suspected of being supporters or collaborators of the Papuan separatist group led by Goliat Tabuni. The deployment of more troops and the establishment of more military and police stations does not necessarily bring about lasting stability.

"The central and provincial governments are facing the challenge of providing human security for the Papuans, without which they cannot work for themselves, participate in the development of their villages or improve their future prospects. The government and representatives of the Papuan people can together work out the content of the conflict-prevention policy through a peaceful dialog facilitated by a neutral third party. Whether this dialog happens depends very much on the Jakarta-based government. Jakarta's unwillingness to engage in a dialog with the Papuans could be perceived by the Papuans as the government ignoring the suffering of indigenous Papuans." - (JP)

Ethnic tensions turn violent in Jayapura regency

Two ethnic groups from Desa Sokori, Jayapura regency, Papua province, reportedly battled over the delineation of traditional land on 11 February. According to media reports, 35 houses and three motorcycles were torched and one car badly damaged during the clash. It was also reported that local police suspected the clash was triggered when a woman from the Damal ethnic group was shot by an arrow. Security forces were reportedly attempting to mediate the situation.

Four regencies demand a South Papua province

Representatives of four regencies in southern Papua province met with the Provincial House of Representatives to demand the establishment of a South Papua province. Some 70 delegates from Merauke, Mappi, Boven Digoel and Asmat regencies, led by Merauke Deputy Regent Maryoto, met with legislators. The delegation was received by the parliament's deputy speakers Komarudin Watubun, Yop Kogoya and Paskalis Kossay.

According to Merauke regency administration official Agustina Basik-Bakis, the idea of an autonomous South Papua has been around since even before Indonesia's independence. She said the creation of the new province would help the region catch up in terms of development, as well as shortening bureaucratic procedures and improving services to residents. The four regencies demanding their own province were previously incorporated under one regency, Merauke. Mappi, Boven Digoel and Asmat were separated from Merauke in a 2002 law on the formation of 14 regencies in Papua province.

Yoseph Mehuze, a spokesman for the group, said the four regencies were acting like "a son" asking his parents' blessing to get married. "We're ready to get married and we ask for the blessing of Papua province, as our parent," he said. Responding, parliamentary Deputy Speaker Komarudin said that if a son is ready to get married, the parents will give their blessing, but at the same time the parents have to ensure it is the correct decision. He said the parliament would set up a special committee to discuss the proposal. The committee's recommendation will then be passed on to the Papuan People's Council. However, he said the parliament is currently deliberating the provincial budget, and any discussion on the creation of the new province would have to wait until the deliberations were completed.

Continuing poverty leads to "inevitable" secession

Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu and Papua Provincial Legislative Assembly (DPRD) Chairman John Ibo have warned that if the people of Papua province remained poor or continued to be impoverished, "secession from the Unitary State of the Indonesian Republic (NKRI) was inevitable", Indonesia's state newsageny Antara reported "It is ironical that many Indonesian people have to live in absolute poverty in the potentially affluent land of Papua," Barnabas told a hearing of the national upper house, the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) chaired by the DPD Papua Committee chairman, Alexander Edwin Kawilarang.

In response to Suebu's and Ibo's statements, DPD members, through the chairman of the Council's Committee III, Marhany V Pua, leveled open and corrective criticisms at the central
government. Marhany Pua said the central government should no longer try to overcome various problems in Papua in its present ways. "An overall improvement is urgently needed in Papua. It is very important to accelerate development there to make it a secure, peaceful and prosperous province," he said.

The DPD also held a hearing with Papua Barat (West Papua) Governor Abraham Ataruri and members of his staff. "The hearings were intended to find a comprehensive solution to the problems in Papua, especially in relation with the consistent implementation of Law No 21 on Papua's special autonomy and the need to have a legal umbrella for West Papua province which was previously known as West Irian Jaya," Kawilarang said.

Finnish call for internationalising Papuan dialague

Dr Timo Kivimäki, a senior researcher at the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies in Copenhagen and author of the recent East-West Center Washington Policy Studies publication, Initiating a Peace Process in Papua: Actors, Issues, Process, and the Role of the International Community, says while "peace is possible" in Papua the problem in the eastern Indonesian province[s] is more complex than that Jakarta faced in Aceh. He says this is, in part, "because Papua has a larger scale of migrants and a less-organized form of resistance."

As evidence to his opinion that "the main issue of contention between Papuans and the Indonesian central administration is related to the Indonesian rule of Papua," Kivimäki lists the following issues:

++ Successful attempts to "Indonesianize" Papua with "the Indonesian population of the province[s] increasing from "about 2.5 percent of the total population [1960] to "almost 750-thousand, some 35 percent of the total population" (2000).

++ Jakarta's "divide and conquer plan in the former Irian Jaya province" creating two "new entities" having "elected their own governors" already even though the "Papuan Special Autonomy Law still recognizes the entirety of the former Irian Jaya province as one entity."

++ Prolonged conflict between "Jakarta's troops" and "the diverse Papuan resistance" has killed "about 100,000 Papuans".

For a "peace process to have a chance in Papua", Kivimäki believes it will "probably require the initiative of some courageous individuals working in their private capacity to assist the relevant conflicting parties and trusted external communities." EWC Wire reports that Kivimäki "played a role in the successful Aceh peace talks" while a footnote desribes him as "an adviser to former Finish President Martti Ahtisaari during the Aceh peace talks."

Kivimäki further acknowledges that even this would "probably be impossible to represent all the resistance groups in the negotiations," and that the Papuans would have to organize a way to include those who "do not feel ownership toward the dialogue process." Not an easy task. But, Kivimäki adds the resistance movement in Papua "needs to keep in mind that once a peace agreement is enabled, a better mobilization of Papuan representation can be formed mistakes made by imperfectly representative parties to peace talks can always be rectified."

To overcome the lack of trust between Papua and Jakarta, Kivimäki says "the attention of the international community" is required. Among the ways the international community could help the process, he adds, is offering the venue "of negotiations themselves and ... the monitoring of the implementation of any peace agreement that emerges." And Kivimäki points out that "due to the presence of more complicated problems than existed in Aceh related to the Indonesian and international corporations operating in Papua, some level of involvement or representation of these stakeholders should also be considered."

Irian Jaya Barat changes name to Papua Barat

The name of Irian Jaya Barat province will be changed to Papua Barat (West Papua) to match the preferences of local people, the provincial government announced. The chairman of the Irian Jaya Barat House of Representatives, Jimmy Demianus Idjie, said the name change was announced by provincial Governor Abraham Octovianus Atururi to coincide with the province's fourth anniversary.

Jimmy emphasized that the name change had to be followed by solid improvements to the welfare of the province's residents. "What's the meaning of a name change if the welfare of the people doesn't improve?" he asked. Jimmy said the Irian Jaya Barat House of Representatives would evaluate the name change before approving it at a plenary session. "After that, the name change will be proposed to the central government for approval," he said. - (JP)

Papua parliament passes expenditure regulation

The Papua Provincial House of Representatuves has approved a special regulation on the allocation and management of trillions of rupiah in autonomy funds from the central government. The regulation, which was approved during a plenary session in Jayapura consists of seven chapters and 33 articles. It will govern the use of an expected Rp 3.29 trillion (US$346.31 million) in autonomy funds this year.

Under the regulation, 40 percent of the money, or an estimated Rp 1.31 trillion, will be managed by the Papua provincial administration. The remaining 60 percent, an estimated Rp 1.97 trillion, will be managed by 20 municipalities/regencies in Papua province and nine municipalities/regencies in Irian Jaya Barat province. The drafters of the regulation chose not to allocate any of the funds for the Irian Jaya provincial Barat administration, which they believe was not established in line with the law on Papua special autonomy.

Criteria for the allocation of funds to municipalities/regencies will be based mainly on the size of the administrative areas, number of residents, geographical conditions, locally generated revenue, property tax revenue and local gross domestic product. Mathias Rafra, spokesman of the Papua provincial administration, said the details on allocations for each municipality/regency would be discussed further with the governor and mayors/regents.

According to the regulation, the Papua provincial administration will allocate 15 percent of the autonomy funds for health and nutrition development, 30 percent for education, 15 percent for the local economy, 12 percent for village infrastructure and 8 percent for official spending, among other allocations.

At the level of municipalities and regencies, 30 percent of the money will go toward education, 15 percent for health and nutrition, 15 percent for community economic empowerment, 15 percent for village infrastructure, 5 percent for official expenditures and 5 percent of the money will be put into savings. The funds put into savings will only be disbursed after a minimum of 15 years, with the allocation of this money to be adjusted according to regional regulations.

Women's rights activist Sofya Maipauw said that while a large amount of the money would go toward women's empowerment, she was concerned the funds would not be wholly enjoyed by Papuan women because the special regulation failed to provide clear guidelines on which organizations would be entitled to the money. Sofya expressed fear new non-governmental organizations, backed by government institutions, would be set up for the main purpose of claiming some of the funds.

She said an independent institution comprising members of existing women's organizations should be established to manage the funds, to ensure the money went toward the empowerment of indigenous Papuan women and children. "I have to emphasize here that they should not disburse funds to (government-sponsored) women's organizations like the PKK (Family Welfare Movement), Dharma Wanita or the Women's Organization Coordinating Agency. Rather, the money should go to Papuan women's organizations in the kampongs," she said. - Nethy Dharma Somba (JP)

Churches warn Papua of spreading HIV/AIDs virus

Papuan Churches Association (PGGP) have issued a circular warning Papuans of the danger of HIV/AIDS as the number of the cases is significantly high in Indonesia's eastern-most province. "The virus is a great treat to the lives of people in Papua land," said the circular issued on 27 January and signed by a number of church leaders. The Papuan HIV/AIDS Overseeing Committee recorded that there are 3,023 people infected by the incurable virus in last December. With 1,128 cases, Mimika regency is the worst region, followed by Merauke regency with 883 cases and Jayapura regency with 247 cases.

Papuan officials to assist evacuees to return home

The Papuan provincial and local government officials are being dispatched to Yamo in Puncak Jaya regency, Papua province, to encourage thousands of people fleeing a crackdown on separatists to return home. Around 2,000 people moved from the Yamo river to the center of Yamo district following military and police attacks on Free Papua Movement (OPM) rebels in the area.

"We will go to the place (where the evacuees temporarily live) Monday with representatives of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police," Yamo district head Philipus Tabuni said Thursday. Tabuni said those fleeing were not classified as refugees, but only as people seeking refuge. He said it was feared the fleeing masses could face food shortages as stocks they held begin to dwindle. "They mostly rely on cassavas ... they do need food assistance," he told Nethy Dharma Somba of The Jakarta Post.

The Association of Papua Churches (PGGP) will establish a humanitarian post to distribute relief aid in response to the reported threat of food shortages. The post, which will be located at the office of the NGO's Cooperation Forum in Papua, will also coordinate relief aid from donors. "We will open the office this week," said the forum's director, Septer Manufandu.

Vice chairman of PGGP, Rev. Lipius Bilinik, who is also head of the Evangelical Church of Indonesia (GIDI) synod, said PGGP would send letters to Papuan parishioners requesting donations.

Spokesman of the Trikora Military Command, Lt. Col. Imam Santoso, Wednesday said the number of people facing food shortages was 2,000, not 5,000 as claimed by PGGP. "Are there any photos indicating that? Has anyone seen the refugees?" he asked.

Imam said a number of people had moved to Yamo, but that exact numbers were unclear as no reports had arrived from the area. He said they were not refugees, but rather people avoiding the threat from an armed group who had broken the law by killing a soldier in December last year.

Imam believed the PGGP had given the wrong information as it could not provide any proof of its claims. "This is the same as giving false information," he said. Imam said TNI and the police, along with the provincial administration, would never knowingly create public unrest and insecurity.

Imam called on the civilian armed group to relinquish their weapons and return to society. He said humanitarian aid would be provided to Yamo's residents if the PGGP's inflated reports of mass evacuations proved to be true. "The TNI and the police are ready to provide assistance and security if the mass exodus indeed took place. But, there are no facts. The TNI and police would not let people suffer by not helping them," he said.

Imam also urged people not to involve themselves with the armed group and to continue with their daily lives.

Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu called on the state apparatus to conduct a manhunt for members of the armed group. He said this action would minimize unrest among Papua's citizens.