REBUILDING AFTER COMMUNAL VIOLENCE: LESSONS FROM TOLIKARA, PAPUA
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- Published on Monday, 13 June 2016 04:36
The first anniversary of an outbreak of communal violence in Tolikara, Papua is approaching, with a fragile reconciliation in place and many issues left unresolved. The “Tolikara Incident” on 17 July 2015 has been variously portrayed as an issue of religious intolerance (Christians toward Muslims), the product of indigenous-migrant tensions, and miscommunication. But to reduce it to one or two causes is to miss the point of the complexity of violence in Papua. It is all of the above and much more: poor governance, poor policing, corruption, isolation, and the residue of previous conflicts that have accumulated under the surface into a toxic mix. A campaign is now beginning to heat up for the election of district head in 2017 that could ignite old grievances. Among Tolikara’s many urgent needs is for the best police chief the country can offer but the likelihood of turning a remote post in Papua into a prize for the best and brightest is slim.
Unlawful Mass Arrests of 326 West Papuans between May 28 and May 31, 2016
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- Published on Monday, 06 June 2016 12:36
To the attention of:
Mr. Maina Kiai,
UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
Mr. David Kaye
UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
This urgent appeal provides updated information on growing tensions in West Papua, which have resulted in an increase of cases of arbitrary arrest and torture, as described in a previous urgent appeal on Unlawful Mass Arrests of at least 1,783 West Papuans in April and early May 2016, submitted by the International Coalition of Papua (ICP), Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), Franciscans International (FI)1 on May 17, 2016. The record high of mass arrests including the use of torture and ill-treatment of peaceful political protesters is related to growing political tensions in West Papua2 due to increasing popularity for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP – a political organisation of West Papua outside Indonesia) amongst many Papuans.
Aftermath of the IPWP meeting in the United Kingdom
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- Published on Sunday, 22 May 2016 11:28
On May 2 and 3, 2016, parliamentarians, lawyers and activists from different European countries and several Pacific states, including Australia and New Zealand, participated in an international West Papua advocacy meeting in the United Kingdom. The International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP) held the event to discuss common steps for future advocacy on West Papua. Among the participants were the Prime Minister of Tonga and a governor from Papua New Guinea as well as Vanuatu Minister for Land and Resources, Ralph Regenvanu. The meeting drew attention of the national media, because some high-ranking British politicians, including opposition leader and head of the Labor party Jeremy Corbyn, had attended the meeting. The most important outcome of the two-days event was the so-called "Westminster Declaration", in which the IPWP members collectively rejected the "Act of Free Choice" from 1969 as clear violation of the right to self-determination.
Press Release - The Poorness of Indonesia's Forest Management
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- Published on Wednesday, 18 May 2016 12:21
May 19th, 2016
At the end of April 2015, Ministry of Forestry and Environment (LHK Ministry) issued: (1) letter no. 5/1/PP-LKH/K/2015 on Principal Agreement of Forest Area Concession that can be converted into oil palm plantation to PT. Mega Mustika Plantation in Sorong District, West Papua province for an area of 9.168 hectares; and (2) letter No. 6/1/PP-LKH/K/2015 on Principal Agreement of Forest Area Concession that can be converted into oil palm plantation to PT. Cipta Papua Plantation in Sorong district, West Papua for an area of 15.310 hectares.
Papua: Pricking our national conscience
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- Published on Wednesday, 18 May 2016 10:04
Jakarta, Wed, May 18 2016
When outsiders think of Papua, it may be to puzzle over why protests there seem never-ending. They may assume the main frustrations of Papuans stem from poverty and lack of development.
That is true to some degree. However, the main reason is simpler and neatly illustrated by comparing two figures: In early May, 2,109 Papuan independence protesters were arrested by police – and that number is more than double the 1,025 who were press-ganged into legitimizing Indonesia’s rule of Papua through the 1969 “Act of Free Choice”.
Despite our embassy in the UK denying in The Guardian that the arrests took place, the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute documented them all, and holds the names of every one of the 2,109 demonstrators. Compare the figure with the 1,025 who cast ballots in what Papuans refer to as the “Act of No Choice”, out of an estimated population of 800,000 at that time.
This is the historical reality that underpins today’s grievances about state violence, environmental degradation and suppression of free speech in Papua. Until it is addressed, the protests will continue and the numbers will continue to add up. As of May the figure stands at 2,282 peaceful demonstrators detained by police, according to the institute’s records.
Urgent Appeal - Unlawful Mass Arrests of at least 1,783 West Papuans in April and May 2016
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- Published on Wednesday, 18 May 2016 07:38
To the attention of:
Mr. Maina Kiai,
UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
Mr. David Kaye
UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
Introduction
A record high of mass arrests including the use of torture and ill-treatment of peaceful political protesters related to political aspirations for West Papua1 took place in early May in different parts of Indonesia, mostly in West Papua. This urgent appeal provides updated information on growing tensions in West Papua, which have resulted in an increase of cases of arbitrary arrest and torture, as described in a previous urgent appeal on the torture and extrajudicial execution of Arnold Alua in Wamena on April 24/25, 2016, submitted by Franciscans International on May 3, 2016. We are writing to you on behalf of the International Coalition of Papua (ICP), Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), Franciscans International (FI), Westpapua-Netzwerk (WPN), VIVAT International-Indonesia, Geneva For Human Rights (GHR) – Global Training, Jubi Association, Sekretariat Keadilan, Perdamaian dan Keutuhan Ciptaan Fransiskan Papua (SKPKC Papua), Aliansi Demokrasi Untuk Papua (ALDP), Jaringan Kerja Rakyat Papua (JERAT Papua), Jaringan HAM Perempuan Papua (TIKI), Papua Customary Council (DAP), Indonesia’s NGO Coalition for International Human Rights Advocacy (HRWG – Indonesia) in relation to the unlawful arrests of at least 1,783 persons, mostly indigenous West Papuans, between 25 April and 2 May 2016.
Delegation of 20 Bishops from the Pacific Region visit West Papua
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- Published on Sunday, 08 May 2016 06:11
Bishops from Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands have participated in the 57th Annual General Meeting (AGM) between April 4 and 15, 2016, in Vanimo. During the two weeks conference a delegation of 20 bishops also visited Jayapura, where they met with bishops from West Papua to discuss ways and means of future cooperation between the dioceses in West Papua, PNG and Solomon Islands. The bishops crossed the PNG-Indonesian border under military escort in a vehicle convoy across.
Report From LBH Jakarta On The Unlawful Arrests Of 1,783 West Papuans Between 25 April - 2 May 2016
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- Published on Tuesday, 03 May 2016 08:48
A. INTRODUCTION
This report is based on testimony collected on location by members of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), Papuan Students Alliance (AMP) and United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP). The information has been verified by Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) to be consistent with its own telephone witness interviews. The number of people arrested on 2 May 2016 has little difference with local media reports due to the high number of arrestees. The rest is consistent with local media reports. Until the report is made, some names have not been obtained yet due to the high number of arrestees.
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