New Release: The humanitarian crisis in West Papua: Internal conflict, the displacement of people, and the coronavirus pandemic

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Published on Saturday, 25 July 2020 04:28

The ICP, together with the Foundation for Justice and Integrity of the Papuan People (YKKMP), the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Desk of the Papuan Tabernacle Church (JPIC Kingmi Papua) and the Papuan Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (ELSHAM Papua) has published a new special report on the situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the central highlands of West Papua. The majority of IDPs in West Papua remain unreached by fundamental public healthcare and education services. Thousands of IDPs are forced to live in overcrowded conditions in temporary shelters or in households of relatives, facilitating the quick spreading of COVID-19 in the provinces of Papua and Papua Barat.

Download full report here

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Military members kill two indigenous Papuans during routine inspection in Nduga Regency

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Published on Sunday, 19 July 2020 10:01

Military members have reportedly shot dead two indigenous Papuans, Elias Karunggu, the 40-year-old father and Selu Karunggu, 20-year-old son, at the military post near Masonggorak village, approximately half a kilometre away from Nduga’s largest town of Kenyam. The victims reportedly belonged to a group of 58 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the districts of Kegayem, Paro and Yenggelo. The IDPs had left their villages and lived in the jungle since the Indonesian government launched a widespread military operation against the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN PB) in Nduga in December 2018. The group had decided to give up their shelter and move to the town of Kenyam due to food shortage and sicknesses in the refugee shelter.

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Udeido art group launches „Tonawi Mana” virtual exhibition on human rights situation in West Papua

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Published on Sunday, 19 July 2020 09:31

The art group Udeido has launched its virtual exhibition on the human rights situation in West Papua - it carries the name “Tonawi Mana”. It can be viewed on the group’s website until 17 August 2017. The exhibition is a further initiative by Udeido to push the development of superb and critical art in West Papua.

Tonawi Mana is a term from the language of the indigenous Mee tribe in the central highlands of West Papua. It refers to those elderly Mee who are “able to tap the hearts of their listeners and also stimulate all the voices that are not expressed by their owners to be expressed. They speak as a wise for the weak ones. For these Tonawi, peace can be realized by speaking out all the problems […] Tonawi Mana refers to the wise who always speak up when a dispute or injustice occurs.” The exhibition shows artwork from Papuan artists as well as artists from other regions in Indonesia who have expressed their perception and critical views of the situation of indigenous Papuans in drawings, photography paintings, installations and poems.

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Police in Wasior alleged of using excessive force and torturing a suspect

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Published on Thursday, 16 July 2020 13:44

Members of the Teluk Wondama District Police allegedly tortured a suspect named Sedrik Kaikatu as he was receiving medical treatment at the public hospital in the town of Wasior, Papua Barat Province. Sedrik Kaikatu had sustained multiple injuries while police officers tried to arrest him. The Chief of the Teluk Wondama District Police, Yohanes Agustiandaru, explained that Mr Kaikatu was admitted to the public hospital because he injured himself as he fell off a roof, where he was trying to hide from the police officers. The police chief’s statement contradicts the testimonies of other sources who claim that the officers released multiple shots when the suspect attempted to escape. The Manokwari police had put Sedrik Kaikatu on the list of wanted persons for alleged involvement in the theft at a mobile phone store in Manokwari on 23 April 2020.

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Political prisoner Surya Anta Ginting talks about inhuman conditions at detention centres in Jakarta

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Published on Thursday, 16 July 2020 13:25

On 24 April 2020, Paulus Surya Anta Ginting and five Papuan activists were found guilty of treason for organising a peaceful protest against racism in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta on 28 August 2019. He and four of the activists were sentenced to nine months imprisonment. Another activist was imprisoned for eight months. Surya Anta Ginting has now talked about their incarceration and the inhuman conditions they experienced during police custody at the Mako Brimob Prison and inside the Salemba Detention Center, one of the largest correctional facilities in Indonesia’s overcrowded capital Jakarta. The Papuan news outlet Suara Papua published an article about Surya Ginting’s experience during detention.

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Corruption allegations against Korindo palm oil conglomerate

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Published on Wednesday, 15 July 2020 12:13

Activists have called on the Indonesian authorities to launch an investigation into the allegations of corruption by the Korindo Group, a privately-owned conglomerate. Investigative journalists uncovered a $ 22 million "advisory" payment from the company. The activists are also pushing for the protection of the rights of indigenous communities affected by the company's palm oil operations. Korindo has so far cleared 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) of rainforest in West Papua.

The investigation, a collaboration between Mongabay, the Gecko Project, the Korean Center for Investigative Journalism-Newstapa and Al Jazeera, examined the irregularities related to the payment and the role they played in the rapid expansion of Korindo's oil palm plantations in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua.

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