Separatist claims crimes continue against Papuans

One of 42 Papuans separatists granted asylum after reaching the Australian mainland by traditional boat in January.2006, Herman Wainggai, has thanked Australian politicians, academics, Australia West Papua Associations around Australia, NGO¹s and others who have written submissions to the government of Australia advising them not to sign a security agreement with the Indonesian government.

"The agreement is not useful for Australians, Indonesians and West Papuans. It only serves the Indonesian government policy of continuing their crimes against West Papuans, Indonesian civilians and foreigners. Signing the agreement is encouraging the infiltration of the internal affairs of Australia by Indonesian intelligence agents. For example, there are Indonesian spies in Australia posing as students in education institutions," he announced. "The Indonesia and Australian governments should be protecting human rights, encouraging the development and implementation of democratic principles, and upholding the supremacy of law for the people of Indonesia, the Indigenous people of West Papua, Australian citizens, and the peoples of the Pacific island nations. We will never, never, never, give up."

Wainggai, promoted by Australian Greens senator, Kerry Nettle, as "leader of the West Papuans" reportedly served time in Indonesia for treason. His uncle Tom Wainggai, also a leading academic and separatist, was sentenced to 20 years in jail for organizing a flag raising event in 1988 and died in Jakarta’s Cipinang prison in 1996, prompting allegations he was poisoned or denied proper treatment.

The references to "West Papua" appear to include both Papua and Papua Barat (West Papua) provinces.

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".

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)

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."

Report by Ecumenical Council of Papuan churches

The Pastoral Team of Persekutuan Gereja-gereja di Papua (Ecumenical Council of Papuan churches) led by Rev Lipiyus Biniluk visited Mulia town from 16 to 18 January 2007. People in the Puncak Jaya regency area experience fear as a consequence of the armed conflict between the separatist group TPN/OPM led by Goliat Tabuni and military and police units in December 2006. As of 22 January, PGGP had already asked the Dewan Perwakilam Rakyat Provinsi Papua (Papua Provincial Legislative Assembly) through Commission F to facilitate a meeting with members of the DPRP, in particular with the DPRP Chairman, the Governor of Papua, the Head of the Provincial Police and the Head of Military for Trikora XVII, in order to deal with the humanitarian problem in Mulia. However, as of the writing of this report, there has no response.

The Executive Board of PGGP (Bishop Leo L. Ladjar, Rev. Lipiyus Biniluk, Rev. Andreas Ayomi and Rev. Herman Saud) concluded that "we the priests of the religious communities can wait no longer considering the situation of our congregations who are evacuating, suffering from starvation, sickness and fear while the Government of the Puncak Jaya Regency is busy preparing its Regent elections. In the light of our priority to make Papua a Land of Peace, we herewith directly report to the people of Papua what we have heard, seen and experienced ourselves in order to take steps in overcoming the humanitarian emergency situation."

Therefore they recommended:

1. To the Provincial Government of Papua to immediately support the Government of the Puncak Jaya Regency with humanitarian assistance in order to solve the humanitarian emergency situation in the Yamo District;

2. To the Government of the Puncak Jaya Regency to take immediate steps handling the emergency situation in particular the refugee problem in the Yamo District;

3. To TPN/ OPM, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the Indonesian Police to guarantee the security of delivered food supplies and medical teams from any side so that the refugees will obtain
needed help in a humane way and as quickly as possible.

4. The decrease of non-organic military troops, units of the intelligence service and the Mobil Forces of the Police (Brimob) and the centering of these troops in the Capital town of the Regency and District in order to decrease fear and trauma experienced by local people and to avoid potential conflicts with the local population so that an atmosphere of safety can be restored as soon as possible.

5. To the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) in Papua to make an investigation soon in order to reveal the activators of the series of violent acts which caused deaths and loss of
personal properties;

6. To all sides to quickly stop any politicization which sacrifices the people of Puncak Jaya.

Thus we report to the people of Papua and hope for common efforts to create Papua as a Land of Peace which is protected and blessed by the Almighty God.

Chronology of Violence

13 November 2006: Riots occur in Mulia after the distribution of direct financial help (fuel compensation). According to witnesses the violence broke out because the names of one part of the local population were not on the list of people receiving monetary compensation. Another source in Puncak Jaya said that the perpetrators of the riots were youths who some time before were facilitated by the local political elite involved in determining criteria for the future Regent candidates in the Puncak Jaya Regency elections for the period of 2007- 2012. The riots caused the country a financial loss reaching billions of Rupiah as governmental buildings and houses of members of the DPRD were destroyed and burned down by the mass.

8 December 2006: Two members of the military forces, Joko Susanto (Kopassus) and Tobias Sirken (retired military officer), are killed by armed separatists and their corpses burned. The killings occur the same day the separatist's Morning Star flag is raised at Kumibaga mountain approximately 500 metres from the old town of Mulia and coincides with the declaration of Lukas Enembe and Drs. Henock Ibo as candidates for Regent and vice-regent. Following these incidents part of the population, especially civil servants outside Mulia, the families of officials and other citizens leave Mulia by air transportation through Timika, Nabire and Jayawijaya whereas others could not leave Mulia to go about their daily activities as all the streets in and out of town were restricted or blocked for security reasons.

24 December 2006: An even bigger Morning Star flag is raised at Kumibaga mountain. At the same time separatists shout "war invitations" towards the Regent candidates pairs Lukas Enembe and Drs. Henock Ibo as well as Elvis Tabuni and Rev. Paulus Tabuni. Various letters are also circulating in the name of Goliat Tabuni supporting the candidate pair Elieser Renmaur and Wakerkwa. This letter is neatly typed and written in very correct language.

27-28 December 2006: An increase of military troops in Mulia by helicopter is reported.

29 December 2006: The traditional house of the Head of the GIDI (Gereja Injili di Indonesia) congregation Laringgen Morib, approximately three kilometres from the old town of Mulia, is burned.

5 January 2007: separatists flee when Brimob troops arrive at the flag raising location. Afterwards the Indonesian military arrives establishing a permanent post and raising the Indonesian Flag. Not far from Laringgen Morib's burned house Brimob kills Gumi Morib (34) during a security operation.

6 - 7 January 2007: The Lani people in Yami Regency begin to evacuate. They leave from two GIDI areas to three other areas on the other side of the Yamo river. After a two days of heavy walking on foot, one part of the group reaches the village Kiyage. Two bridges of the Yamo river which connect the Yamo District with the Capital of Puncak Jaya Regency are destroyed by the refugees as they were afraid of military operations or of being chased by the military or supporters of Goliat Tabuni. The refugees leave all their livestock behind.

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."

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.

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.