Jokowi’s Omnibus Bill for job creation – Observers fear far-reaching consequences for West Papua
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- Published on Wednesday, 25 March 2020 18:42
In the third quarter of 2019, economic growth in Indonesia decreased to a three-year low of 4.97 percent as a result of shrinking exports and investments. President Jokowi reacted by drafting the Omnibus Bill on job creation as an effort to boost the economy. The business owners and investors claim that Indonesia is over-regulated, with heavy bureaucracy through central government regulations as well as ministerial-, agency- and regional-level rules posing a burden to business owners and companies. The Omnibus Bill on job creation suggests amendments to 73 laws and consists of 15 chapters and 174 articles to reduce bureaucracy and make Indonesia more attractive for investors.
Coronavirus has reached West Papua
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- Published on Wednesday, 25 March 2020 18:00
According to local reports, the Coronavirus has reached West Papua. On 26 March, local hospitals were able to identify seven cases of COVID-19 in the Papuan cities of Merauke, Jayapura and Biak. The patients’ age ranged from 21 to 51 years old and they all had returned recently from trips to Jakarta or other cities in West Indonesia. Local Governments reacted immediately and took various measures to prevent the quick spreading of the virus.
Papuan student arrested in Ambon for wearing a net bag with Morning Star symbol
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- Published on Thursday, 19 March 2020 22:40
Seven months ago, multiple racist assaults against Papuans students by nationalist mass organisations and discriminative interventions by the local police in the Javanese cities Malang and Surabaya caused large scale demonstrations against racism in all major cities across West Papua, some of them turning into violent riots. The Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) has reported a further case, in which military members arbitrarily arrested a Papuan student for wearing a bag with a Morning Star symbol in the city of Ambon, Maluku Province.
CSO demands intervention of Indonesian Red Cross in West Papua
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- Published on Tuesday, 17 March 2020 07:16
The Papuan Legal Aid Institute (LBH Papua) has demanded the Indonesian Government to take urgent measures to provide humanitarian help to victims of internal displacement in multiple regencies of West Papua through the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI). The statement followed recent outbreaks of armed violence in the regency of Mimika which reportedly caused the displacement of over 1.500 indigenous peoples from the district of Tembagapura in early March 2020. The internal displacement of civilians in Tembagapura is not an isolated case. In late December 2019 and January 2020, residents of 15 villages in the regency of Intan Jaya fled their homes after the Indonesian Government deployed additional military units to the regency to conduct a wide-ranging military operation. Other cases of internal displacement due to the military operations and armed clashes in West Papua have been reported from the regencies Puncak, Lanny Jaya and Nduga throughout 2019.
Armed conflict in West Papua aggravates throughout past weeks – over 1,500 IDPs flee to Timika
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- Published on Tuesday, 10 March 2020 19:08
The armed conflict in West Papua has significantly aggravated throughout the past weeks. Armed clashes between Indonesian security forces and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN PB) were reported from the Papuan regencies Nduga, Pegunungan Bintang, Kerom and Mimika. Many of the clashes resulted in the deaths of security force members. Multiple armed attacks in the regency of Mimika reportedly caused the displacement of over 1,500 indigenous Amungme people from four villages. For the first time, multiple violent incidents within a short time frame occurred in the regency of Pegunungan Bintang. Indonesian security forces suspect that the local TPN PB forces used stolen weapons for the attacks. TPN PB members had retrieve eleven fire arms of various sizes from a crashed military chopper in June 2019.
Public worship in Nduga overshadowed by armed clash – Security forces kill one indigenous woman, at least three others injured
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- Published on Wednesday, 04 March 2020 09:17
The new members of the local parliament in the regency of Nduga were inaugurated on 24 February 2020. On 26 February 2020, the parliament members organised a public worship with a traditional earth oven in the town of Kenyam, to which many indigenous peoples from nearby districts came. The public event was overshadowed by an armed clash between members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN PB) and Indonesian Security Forces. During the exchange of fire, the security forces shot dead 25-year-old Wislina Tabuni (see intro image) as she was seeking cover. She sustained a lethal bullet wound to the neck and died shortly after the attack. Another indigenous Papuan named Yosman Wasiangge (20 years) was severely injured by a bullet during the shooting. The projectile hit Yosman in the right side of the lower back (see image on the right). He was flown on 27 February 2020 to the general hospital in Timika, where the projectile was surgically removed on the following day.
Police officers fail to protect truck driver during mob attack in Dogiyai Regency
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- Published on Thursday, 27 February 2020 23:53
Police officers have failed to protect a truck driver named Yus Yunus during a mob attack in the regency of Dogiyai on 23 February 2020. The incident was allegedly triggered by a traffic accident on the Trans-Papua road in the village of Ekimani, Kamu Utara District and resulted in the death of a local resident named Demianus Mote. Police officers of the Kamu Sub-district Police were present at the site of crime but failed to protect Yus Yunus from the angry mob. He died as a result of the injuries he sustained during the attack. A video recorded during the incident shows that Yus Yunus sought protection behind fully armed mobile brigade police officers, as multiple attackers repeatedly hit his head with sticks and stones.
Fifth Update on trials and detentions after anti-racism riots in West Papua
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- Published on Thursday, 27 February 2020 02:30
This article provides an overview on trials related to Papua-wide anti-racism protests between late August and late September 2019 as well as the subsequent wave of criminalisation against human rights defenders and political activists. The International Coalition for Papua summarised earlier stages of the legal proceedings and detentions in previous articles (first update, second update, third update, fourth update). The following article covers recent developments in relation to the riots throughout February 2020.
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- Fourth Update on trials and detentions after Anti-Racism Riots in West Papua
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- Press release: New Report on the West Papua Human Rights and Conflict Situation published by the ICP
- Freedom of speech in West Papua under threat – police presses charges against student for Facebook post on Sugapa Shooting
- One indigenous civilian killed and two injured in Sugapa – 15 villages in Intan Jaya Regency reportedly affected by internal displacement