AWPA Update. November - Beginning December 2011

It is with sad news that we hear Clemens Rumawery passed away in Port Moresby on the 6 December. Condolences to his family and friends.

Human rights organisations continued to condemn the brutal crackdown on the 3rd Papuan Peoples’ Congress in October. The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) reported on Thursday that it had found that 96 out of 387 participants at the third Papuan Peoples Congress had been assaulted by police officers. The commission’s investigation found that police officers had seized millions of rupiah from participants, four cars and several pieces of electronic equipment. According to the investigation, police officers also destroyed seven motorbikes. The commission reported that participants had also lost 50 cellular phones. Julles said that the commission had urged the Papua Police to return any property belonging to the participants. Komnas HAM also recorded several deaths.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/11/03/96-assaulted-papuan-congress-says-komnas-ham.html

Amnesty International also called on the Indonesian government to act on Komnas HAM’s findings that human rights violations were committed by Indonesian security forces at the Congress.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA21/034/2011/en/51a0893e-f8b1-46e0-9223-abeefc6a735a/asa210342011en.html

Amnesty also criticized an internal police disciplinary hearing in Jayapura, which found the former Jayapura Police Chief Iman Setiawan guilty of violating the Disciplinary Code for “his inability to co-ordinate police officers under his command”. Amnesty in its statement said “The fact that eight Indonesian police officers involved in a violent crackdown on a peaceful gathering that left three dead have only been given written warnings, is a failure of human rights accountability.”
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/indonesia-‘slap-wrist’-police-violence-papua-accountability-failure-2011-11-23

Ahead of US President Barack Obama’s visit to Bali, members of Congress called upon him to make West Papua one of his top priorities during his talks with Indonesian President
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/11/18/to-indonesia-step-and-end-systematic-abuses-west-papua.html

On the 14 November thousands of people marched in Jayapura demanding their right to self-determination and calling for a referendum. On ABC VIDEO: West Papuans march on Jayapura to demand referendum http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-17/west-papuans-march-on-jayapura-to-demand-referendum/3676772

Photos at http://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2011/11/photos-thousands-people-of-west-papua.html

A number of military operations continued in the highlands and a google translate of an article in Jubi concerning an operation in Paniai can be found below. (Beware google translate can be erratic). http://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2011/11/security-operation-in-paniai-continues.html

Operations continued into the beginning of December with security forces hunting rebels after two police were killed in an attack. http://westpapuamedia.info/2011/12/05/villagers-flee-to-papuas-forests-fearing-further-police-attacks/ West Papua Media also reported that entire villages were forcibly evacuated by Brimob forces . http://westpapuamedia.info/2011/12/06/entire-paniai-villages-forcibly-evacuated-by-brimob-gegana/

Tension was high in West Papua leading up to West Papuan national flag day on the 1st December with extra troops being brought into West Papua for security operations. Many organisations wrote to their governments calling on them to contact the Indonesian Government urging it to control its military in West Papua. AWPA letter to Kevin Rudd at http://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2011/11/media-release-increasing-tension-in.html

The majority of rallies marking the 50th anniversary of the first raising of the Morning Star flag in 1961 went off verily peacefully, however in Timika the security forces opened fire on the unarmed crowd injuring a number of people critically. Five people who were involved in the flag-raising incident are to go on trial.

In a show of solidarity with the West Papuan people, Leichhardt and Marrickville Councils raised the West Papuan national flag on their town halls in Sydney AWPA supporters and West Papuan representatives Rex Rumakiek and Octo Mote were in attendance.

AWPA also wrote to AusAid asking that it assist with food aid for the people in the Intan Jaya district of West Papua (letter below). Media reports indicate that thousands of Papuans are suffering from a lack of food for the past four months. The report said that 19 villages in Homeo, Intan Jaya district, Papua, have been suffering from a lack of food and the people have been forced to eat tubers from the forest to survive. Australia is one of the best-resourced countries in the region and we urge the Government to offer assistance to the Papuan Governor for those affected by the food shortages. West Papua is one of our nearest neighbors.

http://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com/2011/11/media-release-awpa-calls-on-government.html

The Strike at the Freeport is continuing with workers saying that their industrial action will extend until at least 15 December.

ENDS

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