1) OPM calls on global trade unions to blacklist Indonesian goods, services 2) Indonesia Refuses International Aid to Free New Zealand Pilot 3) Compromise worked in Aceh – why not Papua? 4) ASIA/INDONESIA - Tense situation in Papua: Catholics are trying to resolve the conflict 5) Threats to kill pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens worsen human rights situation in Papua: Komnas HAM 6) Southwest Papua allocates US$2.6 mln for tackling extreme poverty
1) OPM calls on global trade unions to blacklist Indonesian goods, services
On the eve of Papua New Guinea’s hosted Pacific meetings, Free Papua Organisation-OPM leader Jeffrey Bomanak has called for an international embargo on Indonesian goods and services in protest over what he calls Jakarta’s “unlawful military occupation” of West Papua.
Bomanak has also challenged US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to meet with him while visiting Port Moresby today to review “six decades of prima facie photographic evidence of Indonesia’s crimes against humanity”.
“My people have been in a war of liberation from Indonesia’s illegal invasion and annexation for six decades,” he said in a statement.
· READ MORE: OPM leader calls on Biden to take proactive role in ending West Papuan ‘holocaust’
· Pacific leaders arrive in Port Moresby ahead of Modi and Blinken PNG visit
· Other West Papua reports
“Six decades of barbarity and callous international abandonment.”
He said the “theft” of West Papua and its natural resources with the alleged complicity of the US and Australian governments had been “well documented in countless books and journals”.
He described the ongoing human rights violations in West Papua as a “travesty of justice”.
“Indonesia will never leave West Papua without being pushed. We are waiting for an act of deliverance,” Bomanak said.
“To all unions and every unionist — help us reach our day of liberation.”
Both agreements for signing
Meanwhile, the PNG Post-Courier reports that Prime Minister James Marape confirmed last night that the Ship Rider Agreement and the Defence Cooperation Agreement would both be signed with the United States this afternoon.
US State Secretary Blinken would sign the agreements during his visit to PNG.
Marape said he did not see geopolitics being involved in the defence agreement. He was signing this agreement to protect the territorial borders from “all kinds of emerging threats”.
He said the agreement was only a defence force cooperation pact like it had with Australia and Indonesia.
Marape hosted dinner last night for all the leaders of the Pacific who had arrived earlier yesterday and on Saturday.
He said Pacific leaders would present their challenges to the world leaders — Blinken and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — who would be coming for separate meetings.
By APR editor - May 22, 2023 Asia Pacific Report
https://asiapacificreport.nz/2023/05/22/opm-calls-on-global-trade-unions-to-blacklist-indonesian-goods-services/?fbclid=IwAR2ew879cCJe1WzSXRsXaIabQfeNhNQ9lPX3kUeFN68JyXCES73huofUBq4
2) Indonesia Refuses International Aid to Free New Zealand Pilot
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud Md explained the reason why the government refused international assistance to release New Zealand pilot Captain Philips Max Mehrtens who is being held hostage by the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organization (TPNPB-OPM).
The involvement of international institutions, he argued, will only make the case worse. “We will handle it internally. Our policy is not to involve other countries and this is internal issues. And we can do it whatever the stakes are. International communities are not allowed to join the case,” Mahfud said when met in South Jakarta on Monday, May 29, 2023.
If the government receives assistance from international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), then other international institutions will intervene in the case, including even the United Nations (UN).
“So, we reject any attempts of international interference offered by NGOs, by international NGOs,” Mahfud underlined.
OPM threatens to shoot Susi Air Pilot in two months
On Friday, May 27, TPNPB-OPM spokesperson Sebby Sambom sent a video showing a “visibly emaciated” Mehrtens surrounded by Egianus Kogoya and his fighters. Mehrtens said the rebel group will shoot him if other countries did not urge Indonesia to recognize Papua's independence.
In the same video, Kogoya threatens to shoot the New Zealander if Indonesia does not recognize Papua's independence within two months.
The Papuan separatist group has been holding Mehrtens hostage since February 7, 2023, right after the latter landed the Susi Air aircraft with flight number SI 9368 at Paro Airport, Nduga Regency, Pegunungan Papua Province. They ambushed the plane and set it on fire. After releasing the passengers, they took Mehrtens hostage.
The government dispatched the Damai Cartenz Task Force to carry out an operation to rescue the Susi Air pilot. However, the effort came to no avail to date. In April, Mahfud stated that the rescue operation was hampered because the TPNPB-OPM made Philips Max Mehrtens, women, and children as human shields.
M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH | EKA YUDHA SAPUTRAhttps://en.tempo.co/read/1731175/indonesia-refuses-international-aid-to-free-new-zealand-pilot
3) Compromise worked in Aceh – why not Papua?
There are parallels between Indonesia’s Aceh where an Ozzie surfer faced a flogging, and Papua where a Kiwi pilot is facing death. Both provinces have fought brutal guerrilla wars for independence. One has been settled through foreign peacekeepers. The other still rages as outsiders fear intervention.
There were ten stories in a Google Alert media feed last week for‘Indonesia-Australia’.
One covered illegal fishing in the Indo-Pacific claiming economic losses of more than US $6 billion a year – important indeed.
Another was an update on the plight of NZ pilot Philip Mehrtens, held hostage since February by the Tentara Pembebasan Nasional Papua Barat (TPNPB West Papua National Liberation Army).
This is the armed wing of the Organisasi Papua Merdeka, (OPM Free Papua Organisation) that’s been pushing its cause since the 1970s.
A major story by any measure. The Indonesian military’s inability to find and safely secure the Kiwi has the potential to cause serious diplomatic rifts and great harm to all parties.
There have been unverified reports of bombs dropped from helicopters on jungle camps where the pilot may have been held with uninvolved civilians.
The other eight stories were about Queenslander Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones who’d been arrested in April for allegedly going on a nude drunken rampage and bashing a local in Indonesian Aceh.
Had the 23-year-old surfer been a fool in his home country the yarn would have been a yawn. Such stupidities are commonplace.
But because he chose to be a slob in the strictly Muslim province of Aceh and is facing up to five years jail plus a public flogging, his plight opened the issue of cultural differences and tourist arrogance. Small news, but legitimate.
He’s now reportedly done a $25,000 deal to buy his way out of charges and pay restitution to his victim. This shows a flexible social and legal system displaying tolerance – which is how Christians are supposed to behave.
All noteworthy, easy to grasp. But more important than the threatened execution of an innocent victim of circumstances caught in a complex dispute that needs detailed explanations to understand?
Mehrtens landed a commercial company’s plane as part of his job flying people and goods into isolated airstrips when he was grabbed by armed men desperate to get Jakarta to pay attention to their grievances.
Ironically, Aceh where Risby-Jones got himself into strife, had also fought for independence and won. Like West Papua, it’s resource-rich so essential for the central government’s economy.
A vicious on-off war between the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, (GAM – Free Aceh Movement) and the Indonesian military started in 1976 and reportedly took up to 30,000 lives across the following three decades.
It only ended when the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami killed 160,000 and former general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was elected president and revived peace talks. Other countries became involved, including the European Union and Finland where the Helsinki Agreement was signed.
Both sides bent. GAM leaders abandoned their demands for independence, settling for ‘self-government’ within the Indonesian state, while soldiers were withdrawn. The bombings have stopped but at the cost of personal freedoms and angering human rights advocates.
Freed from Jakarta’s control, the province passed strict Shariah laws. These include public floggings for homosexual acts, drinking booze and being close to an opposite sex person who’s not a relative. Morality Police patrols prowl shady spots, alert to any signs of affection.
Australian academic and former journalist Damien Kingsbury was also instrumental in getting GAM and Jakarta to talk. He was involved with the Papua standoff earlier this year but NZ is now using its own to negotiate.
Kingsbury told the ABC the situation in Papua is at a stalemate with neither Wellington nor Jakarta willing to make concessions. The Indonesian electorate has no truck for separatists so wants a bang-bang fix. NZ urges a softly-slowly approach.
A TPNPB spokesperson told the BBC: ‘The Indonesian government has to be bold and sit with us at a negotiation table and not [deploy] military and police to search for the pilot.’
The 2005 Aceh resolution means the Papua fighters have a strong model of what’s possible when other countries intervene. So far it seems none have dared, fearing the wrath of nationalists who believe Western states, and particularly Australia, are trying to ‘Balkanise’ the ‘unitary state’ and plunder its riches.
This theory was given energy when Australia supported the 1999 East Timor referendum which led to the province splitting from Indonesia and becoming a separate nation.
Should Australia try to act as a go-between in the Papua conflict, we’d be dragged into the upcoming Presidential election campaign with outraged candidates thumping lecterns claiming outside interference. That’s something no one wants but sitting on hands won’t help Mehrtens.
In the meantime, Risby-Jones, whose boorish behaviour has confirmed Indonesian prejudices about Oz oafs, is expected to be deported.
Mehrtens will only get to tell his tale if the Indonesian government shows the forbearance displayed by the family of Edi Ron. The Aceh fisherman needed 50 stitches and copped broken bones and an infected foot from his Aussie encounter, but still shook hands.
After weeks in a cell the surfer has shown contrition and apologised. Australian ‘proceedings of crime’ lawsshould prevent him earning from his ordeal.
If the Kiwi pilot does get out alive, he deserves the media attention lavished on the Australian. This might shift international interest from a zonked twit to the issue of Papua’s independence and remind diplomats that if Jakarta could bend in the far west of the archipelago, why not in the far east?
Lest Indonesians forget: Around 100,000 revolutionaries died during the four-year war against the returning colonial Dutch after Soekarno proclaimed independence in 1945. The Hollanders only retreated after external pressure from the US and Australia.
https://johnmenadue.com/compromise-worked-in-aceh-why-not-papua/
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4) ASIA/INDONESIA - Tense situation in Papua: Catholics are trying to resolve the conflict
Jayapura (Agenzia Fides) - "The conflict in the Indonesian Papua region is destined to increase in intensity, due to the growing deployment of members of the Indonesian security forces, after the case of the kidnapping of New Zealand pilot Philip Mark Mahrtens, seized by the Army of Papuan Liberation (TPN-PB) last February.
The issues to be addressed are varied and complex. The sense of justice of the Papuan people has been severely violated. For example, people suspected of human rights abuses in Paniai, a small town in Puncak Jaya district, in 2014 were released without charge by the local court.
The right to freedom of expression of student groups was suppressed by local authorities. Several officials were arrested on corruption charges, including the governor of Papua, Lukas Enembe, and the regent of Central Memberamo, Ricky Ham Pagawak. In addition, due to the violence, school classes in the Pegunungan Bintang regency are being disrupted, while the central government-sponsored program of transmigration to the new autonomous regions will result in increasing displacement of the indigenous Papuans," said Father Alexandro F. Rangga OFM, Coordinator of the "General Office for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation" of the Friars Minor in West Papua, a region of Indonesia tormented by violence and instability.
The government in Jakarta has tried to solve the problem by approving the "Second Special Autonomy" and creating the "New Autonomous Region" in 2022. According to the religious, these political measures "have so far not helped to ease tensions, but have created further divisions between supporters and opponents". In addition, the idea of dialogue between Jakarta and Papua, planned by the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission, fell through because no ceasefire was reached in the armed conflict between the Papuan Liberation Army and the Indonesian Army. In this context last February, Bishop Yanuarius Teofilus Matopai You became the first local bishop to be appointed bishop of the diocese of Jayapura, the capital of Papua. When he took office, the bishop emphasized that he would work to make the Papua region a "land of peace" after decades of internal conflict. He resumed the campaign of the same title, launched in 2006, to try to prevent and end the violence through small gestures, meetings, informal talks and connecting with the realities of Papuan society.
In the local Catholic faith community, many actors are trying to create an atmosphere of reconciliation. The Franciscan Commission for "Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation" continues to work with other NGOs and published a report entitled "Terpasung di Rumah Sendiri" ("Trapped in our home"), which documents episodes and chronicles of citizens who have suffered injustice, violence and oppression at the hands of Indonesian authorities in recent years. The Franciscan network seeks to monitor human rights abuses, drawing on international recommendations from the UN. Thanks to the NGO "Franciscans International" accredited by the United Nations, the local Franciscans will participate in the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in June 2023 and will present a report on the situation on the ground in Papua.
At the same time, the commission takes care of the pastoral and social support of the victims and plans to organize interreligious youth meetings and meetings with writers in the coming weeks. In addition, videos and podcasts will be produced dealing with peacebuilding issues, and a conference is planned - to be held in June 2023 - as an opportunity to explore and discuss possible paths to peace in Papua.
The Papua region (the western part of the large island of New Guinea, ed) became Indonesian sovereignty in 1969 thanks to a controversial referendum known as the "Act of Free Choice" in which 1,025 people were chosen by the Indonesian military to serve as Indonesian control of the region agreed.
A few months after the Indonesian annexation, the first pro-independence groups of the "Free Papua Movement" formed, which was shortly followed by the emergence of an armed movement, the "West Papua National Liberation Army" (TPN-PB). According to various sources, the ensuing conflict has claimed between 100,000 and 400,000 victims to date. According to UN observers and international organizations such as Amnesty International, the Indonesian response was "completely disproportionate”.
In the last 20 years, the repression against the indigenous population has also gone hand in hand with an Indonesian colonization policy that has encouraged a massive exodus of the Javanese population to Papua: while in 1971 the proportion of the indigenous population was 97%, today it is just over 50% . In this way, the government in Jakarta has tried to weaken the secessionist aspirations of the native Papuans. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 29/5/2023)
5) Threats to kill pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens worsen human rights situation in Papua: Komnas HAM
Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) recently released a video that threatened to kill the pilot they held hostage, Philip Mark Mehrtens. Chairperson of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Atnike Nova Sigiro said such threat would worsen the human rights situation in Papua and perpetuate the cycle of violence in the region.
On February 7, 2023, the TPNPB led by Egianus Kogeya set fire to a Susi Air plane after it landed and discharged passengers at Paro Airstrip in Nduga Regency. They also abducted the pilot, Philip Mark Mehrtens. Subsequently, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Police launched a rescue operation that resulted in a firefight in Mugi District on April 15, 2023.
After three months of holding the pilot hostage, the TPNPB released a video conveying their demands and threats against Philip Mark Mehrtens. In the video, Mehrtens was seen holding a Morning Star flag while being held captive by the TPNPB. He said he would be killed if there were no discussions about the status of Papua within the next two months.
In a video received by Jubi on Saturday, May 27, 2023, Mehrtens said that other countries were given a two-month period to engage in discussions with Indonesia regarding an independent Papua. “If no discussions take place within that time frame, the TPNPB will proceed to shoot me,” Mehrtens said.
Sigiro, in response, said her party considered the threat made by TPNPB as a provocation that could trigger the government to use a security-based approach in Papua even more. The act of holding Mehrtens hostage, Sigiro said, was a criminal act that had aggravated the situation in Papua, resulting in casualties and public unrest.
“Komnas HAM once again urges Egianus Kogeya to immediately and unconditionally release Philip Mark Mehrtens,” Sigiro said.
According to Sigiro, the act of taking hostages and issuing death threats undermines public sympathy, including from the international community, towards human rights concerns in Papua. The violent actions carried out by TPNPB, which include threatening to kill hostages, go against the principles of promoting dialogue. Taking Philip Mark Mehrtens hostage and endangering his life is not a suitable approach for initiating a dialogue.
She emphasized that dialogue can only be achieved by demonstrating goodwill and fostering trust among all parties involved.
Sigiro emphasized that the Komnas HAM consistently urged the government, including the TNI and Police to adopt a measured security approach when it came to the rescue of Philip Mark Mehrtens and addressing the situation in Papua.
Komnas HAM also calls upon all stakeholders in Papua, including civil society groups, churches, traditional customs, and local governments, to collectively engage in persuasive efforts towards Egianus Kogeya and his followers, urging them to cease violent methods immediately.
Furthermore, Komnas HAM requests the government to promptly initiate genuine peace initiatives, which can be initiated at the local level through collaboration with community groups in Papua. (*)
- https://en.jubi.id/threats-to-kill-pilot-philip-mark-mehrtens-worsen-human-rights-situation-in-papua-komnas-ham/
- https://thediplomat.com/2023/05/papuan-separatists-threaten-to-execute-new-zealand-pilot/
6) Southwest Papua allocates US$2.6 mln for tackling extreme poverty
Sorong, Southwest Papua (ANTARA) - The Southwest Papua administration has allocated Rp40 billion (US$2.6 million) to address extreme poverty in the province.
"The provincial government has allocated Rp40 billion, and (the budget) will add from each regional budget in each district and city," Acting Governor of Southwest Papua Muhammad Musa'ad said here on Sunday.
He said the budget allocation is needed to overcome the high rate of extreme poverty in Southwest Papua.
The extreme poverty rate in Southwest Papua was recorded at 9.05 percent in 2021 and dropped to 7.37 percent in 2022.
One of the regions that experienced a decrease in extreme poverty, he said, was Sorong District, where the poverty rate was recorded at 14.86 percent in 2021 and 12.09 percent in 2022.
While extreme poverty remains high in the Tambrauw and Maybrat Districts, with 22.40 percent or 3,140 extremely poor people, and 22.89 percent or 9,520 people, respectively.
"Based on our analysis, it is the dependence among family members that causes extreme poverty," Musa'ad said.
He explained that many elderly residents who have no longer had a source of income depend on their children to meet their daily needs.
When the youngest generation in the family is married, their parents and even their relatives can live together in one house, he said.
In such conditions, where only one person generates an income, he said, it will not be enough to meet the needs of all the family members.
Therefore, Musa'ad said, the provincial government is implementing the elderly protection program called Paitua to reduce old people's dependence on their family members.
"This is a social protection program. Every person aged 65 years and over gets an allowance of Rp250 thousand (US$16.66) per month," he said.
He said that the provincial government is designing integrated and focused programs to address extreme poverty to ensure the community can accept the implementation too.
He also asked the local governments to empower residents economically through the programs.
Related news: Minister Effendy lauds extreme poverty handling in West Papua
Related news: Southwest Papua seeks to tackle extreme poverty through Paitua program
Reporter: Yuvensius B, Kenzu