What Is Indonesia Trying to Hide in West Papua?

What Is Indonesia Trying to Hide in West Papua?

1) What Is Indonesia Trying to Hide in West Papua?

2) View Point: Old (military) habits die hard

3) WPNA demnstration will call for greater concern from the government
4) New supermarket in Jayapura triggers complaints about goods on offer
and price differentials
----------------------------------------------------

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/american-anthropological-association/indonesia-west-papua_b_1652245.html

1) What Is Indonesia Trying to Hide in West Papua?

Posted: 07/11/2012 3:56 pm

/Written by Eben Kirksey/

West Papua is one of the most difficult places to access on the planet.
Still a steady trickle of adventurous travelers is being drawn there by
images of highlanders wearing penis sheaths and birds of paradise. In
the words of /Lonely Planet
/ this
place has a mystique that "piques the imagination of the explorer... The
diversity in lifestyle and culture of the indigenous people, who speak
more than 250 languages, is matched only by [the area's] biodiversity
and geography." Part of this mystique has been created by the Indonesian
government. According to the website
of their
embassy in Washington D.C., West Papua is one of the "regions in
Indonesia that the foreign national is not allowed to visit without
special written permission and approval... Visitors who enter these
restricted regions without permission are subject to arrest, detention,
and will be prosecuted according to Indonesian law."

A man in a penis sheath from West Papua's highlands (Photograph: Eben
Kirksey)

It took me years of writing letters and making repeat visits to the
Indonesian Embassy in Washington, before my application to be an
undergraduate exchange student was approved in 1998. Weeks after
receiving a much-coveted visa stamp, I found myself in the middle of a
peaceful demonstration on the streets of West Papua. I stumbled upon an
event that government officials tried to hide. Fourteen years ago today
-- on July 6th, 1998 -- I was a bystander at a massacre.

The protest was led by Filep Karma, a Papuan leader who wants
independence from Indonesia. As the attack started, Karma roused his
followers, all unarmed civilians, with a hymn. They held hands, sitting
in a circle, under a water tower where their outlawed banner, the
Morning Star flag, flew. During the initial assault by Indonesian
police, military, and navy forces, Karma was shot twice -- once in each
leg -- but he survived the incident. Many of his followers were not so
fortunate and were killed instantly. A truck came to cart away the
bodies of the dead and dying. "I counted fifteen people in the first
load," one eyewitness told me. "The truck came a second time and I
counted seventeen people inside. When they opened up the truck bed I
could see lots of blood, in that small truck there was lots of blood,"
[Quoted from Kirksey,/Freedom in Entangled Worlds
/,
49-50]. Human rights investigators could not determine what happened to
the dead and wounded people who were transported in this truck. Filep
Karma, who is now an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, told
me about how to find one mass grave. But, forensic archaeologists have
not yet visited this site.

Filep Karma (Photograph by Eben Kirksey)

At the time I was hiding in Hotel Irian, a colonial era building, and I
heard gun shots as security forces killed people. From my hotel window I
saw Navy ships docked out in the harbor. Survivors of the initial
assault were loaded onto these ships, taken out to open ocean, and
dumped overboard to drown. One group investigating the incident
concluded that "one hundred thirty-nine people were loaded on two
frigates that headed in two directions to the east and to the west and
these people were dropped into the sea," [Quoted in Kirksey, /Freedom in
Entangled Worlds/, 48]. At least 32 decaying bodies later washed ashore.
Elsham, an indigenous human rights organization, produced a 69-page
report in Indonesian about the massacre titled "Names Without Graves,
Graves Without Names." The report called for an international
investigation, but no one has since followed up.

Indonesian officials routinely stymie human rights research in West
Papua. Amnesty International researchers were expelled from West Papua
in 2002 while investigating a separate massacre
.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur for Extrajudicial, Summary, or
Arbitrary Executions formally asked to visit West Papua in 1994. This
request was denied. In 2004 the government also rejected the
Rapporteur's follow-up request to visit Indonesia
.
Even the International Committee for the Red Cross
, a moderate
organization that is renowned for negotiating access to wartorn regions,
has been banned.

Rather than wait in vain for help from the outside, help which might
never arrive, many Papuans are doing the work of human rights
themselves. Indigenous activists used the Internet to circulate a video
in 2010 that
showed the brutal torture and murder of a highland villager. Last
November, when thousands of West Papuans came together to declare
independence in a peaceful Congress, local human rights researchers used
their cell phones to give real-time updates and send video footage
abroad
.
Brave action on the ground by these activists helped prevent a massacre
on the scale that I witnessed in 1998. Last November, Indonesian
authorities knew that influential international leaders were watching
from afar.

Killings in West Papua have lately become more frequent, mysterious, and
arbitrary. In a string of shootings
that
has seemed to baffle regional government officials and investigators, at
least 19 people have been killed in recent weeks. [Read accounts from
the /Jakarta Post/ on 7/2/12
,
7/3/12
and
7/5/12
.]
Many more, including a German tourist
,
have sustained bullet wounds. One Papuan leader, Mako Tabuni, held a
press conference on June 13th where he publicly asked the police to get
to the bottom of the shootings. "Only one local media outlet,
papuapos.com, dared to report on this press conference," according to
aFacebook update by Octovianus
Mote, a Senior Human Rights Fellow at Yale Law School who hails from
West Papua's highlands. "Probably Mako didn't get a chance to read the
news story
,"
the Facebook post continues, "because it was published the same morning
that uniformed police officers came to his house and killed him."

Mako Tabuni (Photograph: Facebook
)

"The killing of Mr. Tabuni is a clear violation of international human
rights law principles," wrote Franciscans International in a formal
allegation to the United Nations last month. "This is a clear example of
a targeted killing." As international organizations call attention to
ongoing abuses, access to the region has become even more difficult. The
Indonesian government recently requested that Scott Marciel, the
Ambassador of the United States, reschedule a planned trip to West
Papua. In response to my query about this aborted trip a U.S. State
Department Spokesperson said:

Ambassador Marciel was not able to immediately reschedule his
visit... [and] is committed to rescheduling his travel to Papua as
soon as feasible. Limitations on access to Papua by foreign
government officials, NGO personnel and journalists feed suspicions
in the international community about government actions in those
areas. We encourage the Indonesian government to take this into
consideration when reviewing travel requests. The U.S. government
condemns the recent violence in Papua and urges the Indonesian
government to conduct full and transparent investigations into the
incidents and allegations of excessive force on the part of the
security forces.

Spectacular violence by Indonesia's security forces has long been hidden
in West Papua. But, the old tactics of terror are no longer working.
Smartphones and social media are allowing savvy indigenous leaders to
reach out to allies abroad and to spread audacious hopes amongst their
countrymen at home.

While travel guides intent on piquing the imagination of explorers are
still painting pictures of Papuans with an exotic brush, indigenous
activists are quietly formulating their own imaginative dreams. Papuans
are picturing sweeping changes on future horizons. They are imagining an
end to the current military occupation, a new era of justice and
freedom. Watching recent developments from afar, I have started to
expect the unexpected. Intrepid travelers who are willing to put up with
months of bureaucratic tedium, or who dare to defy unjust visa policies,
certainly stand a chance of learning about surprising indigenous visions.

/Eben Kirksey earned his
Ph.D. from the University of California-Santa Cruz and is currently a
Mellon Fellow at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. His first
book, Freedom in Entangled Worlds: West Papua and the Architecture of
Global Power, was published in April 2012 by Duke University Press/.

*Follow American Anthropological Association on
Twitter:www.twitter.com/AmericanAnthro
*

----------------------------
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/07/11/view-point-old-military-habits-die-hard.html

2) View Point: Old (military) habits die hard

ulia Suryakusuma, Jakarta | Opinion | Wed, July 11 2012, 8:17 AM
A- A A+

Paper Edition | Page: 7

“The only constant thing in life is change,” they say. Really? Looking
at the so-called “Arab Spring” and recent events in Egypt, you could
have fooled me.

When Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood was sworn in as president
in June, thousands flocked to Tahrir Square to celebrate. Waving
Egyptian flags, they chanted “God is great” and “Down with military rule”.

Who can blame them? After 60 years of authoritarian military rule,
anybody would be ready for a change. Since Egypt became a republic in
1953, it’s been a struggle between the Muslim Brotherhood and a secular,
nationalist military-backed government.

For decades, the Muslim Brothers led armed attempts to overthrow that
government. They tried to assassinate president Nasser, killed president
Anwar Sadat in 1981 and had a go at Mubarak too, but it didn’t get them
anywhere.

Now, after being outlawed and systematically repressed for decades, a
Muslim Brotherhood man is voted in, fair and square. Yippee, time to
sing Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” song!

Not so fast guys.

Yes, Mursi has been elected president of Egypt. But does he hold the
reins of power? The Egyptians elected a new legislature, but the
Constitutional Court declared it invalid and the Supreme Council of the
Armed Forces (SCAF) stepped in instead.

They also took away the president’s authority as supreme commander of
the armed forces. This means that Mursi can’t pass laws unless the army
agrees and he can’t instruct the army to do anything.

So Mursi is the president of nothing much, really. He’s been elected,
sure — sworn in too — but what power does he have? And if things go
wrong, he will be the fall guy. Very convenient — for the military that
is. Mursi or no Mursi, for all intents and purposes Egypt is not much
more than a military junta — unless Mursi confronts them by recalling
the legislature, as he is now threatening to do.

What if thousands return to Tahrir Square to protest? That may not worry
the generals too much. They know history has made the Muslim Brotherhood
very cautious. It will be reluctant to tackle the army head-on, because
that would provide the soldiers with an excuse to marginalize or even
annihilate them. Sans Mubarak, the old patterns are basically intact.

Having been brought up under 32 years of Soeharto’s authoritarian
military rule (1966-1998), I couldn’t help making comparisons with
Indonesia. Here it took 12 years for democratization to slow to a stop
(and stop it did, two years ago). In Egypt, it happened in the blink of
an eye – almost as soon as it started.

But is Indonesia now going to do an Egypt and return to military rule?
Well, Prabowo Subianto is ahead in the polls for the 2014 presidential
election. As the former Special Forces commander, he was a prominent
figure in the Indonesian Military. He is also a self-confessed human
rights offender who was denied a visa to the US for contravening the UN
Convention against Torture.

Like Egypt — and our regional neighbor Thailand — there is a historical
pattern of military intervention in this country. Yes, Indonesia has
become more complex now, and an army probably couldn’t manage it easily
any more.

But if people believe that democracy is failing, that could create an
opening — think about Germany after World War I, when president Paul von
Hindenburg appointed Nazi leader Adolf Hitler as chancellor.

Recently, Indonesia made it to the threshold of the Failed State Index.
We all know Indonesia isn’t really a failed state — the economy is
growing and the state system is intact. So what created this perception
of failure?

First, there’s a leadership crisis. People joke that President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono’s initials, SBY, now stand for suka bengong ya (going
blank). Because he leads a minority government, he’s often politically
paralyzed.

And among the current crop of presidential candidates there is no one
the people really like — even Prabowo only has support from less than 11
percent of voters, with the other candidates way behind him (see “Mega,
Prabowo, Bakrie all bottom out in new survey”, The Jakarta Post, July 9).

Second, the House of Representatives (DPR) is a disaster because of
rampant corruption, which points to a failure of the system. It brings
people into power indebted by campaign costs, and puts at their disposal
the means to get money, waiting for bribes to pass laws.

This means DPR members attack the Corruption Eradication Commission
(KPK) and other reform organizations because they feel threatened.

So they end up becoming opponents of reform, which is what is happening
to SBY’s imploding Democratic Party (PD) too. In fact, the PD is a good
metaphor for the legislature as a whole – both are beset by corruption
and have lost public confidence.

When political change takes place, people assume rapid democratization
will follow. In fact, it is very difficult to do well and harder to keep
intact. In the Philippines, it unraveled after Cory Aquino (1986-1992),
while in Thailand it fell apart with Thaksin Shinawatra (2001-2006). And
Egypt? Well, it hasn’t even got past “Go” in its reform process.

Indonesia needs to watch out too. How much of what reformasi achieved
will hold? Egypt is a lesson for Indonesia that democracy is fragile,
very vulnerable and liable to vanish when your back is turned.

I think the saying that’s more appropriate for Egypt is “plus ca change,
plus c’est la meme chose” (the more things change, the more they stay
the same). Let’s hope that doesn’t apply to Indonesia as well.

/The writer (www.juliasuryakusuma.com) is the author of Jihad Julia./

------------------------------
from Tapol
*3) WPNA demnstration will call for greater concern from the government*
Tabloid JUBI, 9July 2012

Jayapura: The aspirations of the Papuan people for Papua to become a
zone of peace are becoming increasingly difficult to
achieve.Imprisonment, killings, corruption, terror and acts of
intimidation against the civilian population are now occurring in Papua
but no one knows who will take responsibility for all these things.

In response to this situation, the West Papua National Authority (WPNA)
and other pro peace and anti violence organisations decided to organise
a peaceful demonstration on Tuesday this week, calling on the Indonesian
government and the Papuan people to spare no efforts in resolving the
conflict in Papua and to seek a solution as quickly as possible in the
interests of peace, justice and order for the Papuan people and the
Indonesian people now living in the Land of Papua.

'All of us who feel these concerns should join together in a peaceful
demonstration to mourn he current situation. When will there be pease in
Papua,' said one leaflet that has been distributed widely in Jayapura.

The co-ordinator of the demonstration Sius Ayemi said that they would
organise the demonstration under the slogan: 'Papua Mourns'.on Tuesday,
10 July from 9am until late in the afternoon.They will not allow people
in the demonstration to bring alcohol or sharp implements which could
lead to anarchy. and disorder.

One of the leaflets says: 'Dont just think about us or our organisation
but ask yourselves when will there be peace in Papua?'

[Translated by TAPOL]
--------------------------------------------

*4) New supermarket in Jayapura triggers complaints about goods on offer
and price differentials*
Bintang Papua, 9 and 10 July 2012

[Comment: This report reveals the continuing tendency to promote
businesses from outside Papua while failing to advance the interests of
local Papuan producers. TAPOL]

Many complaints about price differentials at newly open supermarket in
Jayapura

Although the supermarket Hypermart Jayapura has only recently open its
doors to the general public, many people who have purchased goods have
complained that there has been a huge differential between the prices
marked on the shelves and the prices of the goods when they reach the
cashier to pay for their purchases. As a result people who have been
shopping at the new store are being advised to take care about their
purchases to avoid losing a lot of money.

One shopper who spoke to Bintang Papua said that she was charged at the
cashier for something costing Rp 91,000 although she hadn't even
purchased the product. Other shoppers made similar complaints. In once
instance, the shopper was charged Rp. 105,000 for cooking oil while
the oil normally costs only Rp. 29,000. Other shoppers complained of
striking differences in the prices they were charged.

In most cases, the shoppers were able to get refunds from the store
after complaining. A store manager said that they would give refunds to
anyone complaining about price differentials.

In a subsequent article, Bintang Papua reported that demands were being
made by many people for the supermarket's licence to trade to be
revoked, because the terms of the licence which had been agreed in
Jakarta with the business had been violated.

Some people complained that many of the vegetables and fruit that were
offered for sale had been imported from outside West Papua or even from
abroad. Indigenous Papuans who were able to produce these products in
large quantities had not been able to compete with the many products on
offer at the store. Another complaint was that the store was selling alcohol

The Indonesian Consumers Association said that there was no need for
foodstuffs to be imported from outside Papua or from abroad because they
were readily available in the Land of Papua and would enable local
producers to compete in the local market. Taking supplies from local
producers would also help to improve the level of welfare of the Papuan
people

[Abridged in translation by TAPOL]

ENDS

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