PNG blocks West Papua’s MSG bid

Breaking News from the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG)

It seems that Papua New Guinea shows a very good intention in building trust with the Democratic Republic of Indonesia.

Posted at 03:28 on 28 May, 2008 UTC in RNZI

The push by Vanuatu to have West Papuans granted observer status at the Melanesian Spearhead Group is being blocked by Papua New Guinea.

Speaking at the MSG Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Port Vila, PNG’s Foreign Minister Sam Abal says his country will not allow Indonesia’s Papua region to be an MSG matter.

Vanuatu’s government has sponsored the issue as a discussion item on this year’s MSG agenda and is understood to have won the support of Solomon Islands, Fiji and New Caledonia’s FLNKS delegates for granting observer status to West Papuans.

But while the final decision will be made by MSG leaders later in the week, Mr Abal indicated that PNG won’t have the West Papuans in the group.

“The issue of Papua for PNG, that is an issue we don’t consider as an issue that should be brought into the MSG. It’s something that is an internal issue that has a lot of ramifications, implications on it. So we would wish that it should not figure as part of the MSG discussion.”

Meanwhile, the Ministers were saying little about the situation in Fiji which has been a key focus of the MSG review of political and security developments in their region.

Fiji’s interim Prime Minister is in Port Vila for the MSG leaders summit and the other members of the group are expected to try and gauge his commitment to his promise to have Fiji elections held by next March.

In the meantime, Fiji’s interim Foreign Minister Ratu Epeli Nailatikau has briefed his MSG counterparts on the progress his country is making towards returning to democracy.

“And the presentation on Fiji was on what we’ve done so far. We updated them on that report and what has taken place in Auckland and after Auckland I addressed the meeting on that.” Ratu Epeli Nailatikau

Greenpeace says Indonesia mustn’t encroach on Papua forests in oil palm push

A very important warning from Arief Wicaksono of Greenpeace

Posted at 08:12 on 22 May, 2008 UTC in RNZI

Greenpeace says that without good governance, Indonesia’s plans to utilise millions more hectares in its Papua region are unlikely to be sustainably managed.

Indonesia’s agriculture ministry says that since Sumatra and Kalimantan have become too dense for new palm oil plantations, the only land available is in Papua.

Indonesia, which is the world’s largest palm oil producer, has three to four million hectares of land suitable for palm oil plantations in the Papua region.

However Indonesia’s already the third largest carbon emitter in the world and Greenpeace Southeast Asia Political Advisor, Arief Wicaksono, says oil palm plantation expansion will only increase the rate.

He says such plans usually mean more deforestation and ongoing hunger for land.

“The government should have stronger and stricter controls on how the plantations not encroaching the forests. If you look back to early 2007, the Agriculture Minister said that to become number one palm oil producer [in the world], we don’t have to encroach natural forests.”

Arief Wicaksono of Greenpeace

Eco-tourism in Papua

(FWP, May 14, 2008)

The government of Papua Province will develop “Pariwisata sadar lingkungan” or Eco-tourism in the land of Cenderawasih to attract tourist from around the world. The program will add  original regional income or Pendapatan Asli Daerah (PAD). According to the Governor of Papua, Barnabas Suebu SH, Eco-tourism program in Papua will be done by the continuing forest conservation and protection. “We knew that the in our protected forest the richest species of flora and fauna in the world exist. All those thing were used to  attract nature tourism to create a new source of regional income , “Suebu said in between the ceremony of signing the Memorandum of Undarstanding (MoU) between the Government of Papua and Emerald Planet Limited and New Forest Asset Management for the research of potential forest carbon trading in Papua, Tuesday (13/5) at Gedung Negara Dok V Atas Jayapura. Suebu mentioned Kosta Rika as an example of a country that successfully implementing the billion dollar Eco-tourism program dan forest carbon trading. “Just like Kosta Rika when I was an ambassador , the forest conservation can create billion dollar without cutting trees,” he said. Suebu also adds that Eco-tourism Papua will become one of efforts of the Government of Papua in the future as a source of regional income. Hopefully these efforts can increase Papua local budget APBD to support the process of continuous development in Papua.

Translated from Papua Province Official Website

High mountain, high stakes

Yesterday I read a very interesting story of a great mountain climber, Kevin Flynn in MPNnow. He had a  unique experience of pleasure of climbing Carstensz Pyramid, Oceania’s highest peak. He had also found himself caught in a violent conflict between native Papuans, Indonesian police squads and the largest gold mine in the world, Freeport.

The story should be read by all Papuan to realise that Kevin can contribute a positive impact in the development of Papua. Not only about the destruction of our mother forest, Kevin can speak to the world about the beauty of our land. Kevin is not a provocateur like many Western visitor in Papua, he is a truly nature lover.

Here is his experience by By Kris Dreessen, staff writer Daily Messenger
Sat May 10, 2008, 06:37 PM EDT

When the angry tribesmen surrounded them and took their duffle bags, Kevin Flynn and his fellow climbers moved to the other end of the runway. They wanted to keep close to the helicopter that was going to fly them away.

He watched as the angry mob surrounded his guide, shouting and pointing fingers. When the guide got shoved, Kevin was sure the tinder box of emotions would blow up. In the tiny mountain village, no one would know if they went missing into the wilds of West Papua.

Photo by Kevin Flynn
Kevin Flynn’s crew makes its way along the Knife’s Edge Ridge on Carstensz Pyramid, so named because it’s so narrow you can straddle either side of the mountain.

President Yudhoyono observes Malaria Day

Health is of of the most importance issues in Papua. The attention from Indonesian President SBY hopefully will improve the seriousness of handling Malaria in Indonesia, especially in our land of Papua.

Here is the news from ANTARA

Jakarta (ANTARA News) – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono attended the commemoration of the first World Malaria Day at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Central Jakarta on Thursday.

Accompanied by First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, the President also dedicated an integrated treating room in the hospital.

London Free West Papua Campaign

A very important comment was made by Nicholas Messet on Friday last week (9/5/2008). He said that a bunch of people named Free West Papua stand outside Indonesian Embassy in London (May 1st) was only for tourist attraction.

Nick Messet was an ex member of Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) / Free Papua Organisation. He was formally return to Indonesia and claimed Indonesian citizenship.

Benny Wenda

Dozens of Indonesia`s dancer performed in ASEAN arts forum

Papuan traditional culture like dancing is really part of the diversity of Indonesian culture, our culture is in the same position as other ethnicities and tribes in Indonesia. Lets support the democracy and cultural pluralism in Indonesia.

FWP

Source of news from ANTARA

Jakarta (ANTARA News) – Dozens of Indonesian dancers from nine provinces who performed at the Gedung Kesenian (arts building) in Jakarta on Tuesday night had opened a new page in history of the strengthening of friendship among ASEAN member countries.

The dancers who performed in the first function of Best of ASEAN performing Arts entitled “The Mosaic Archipelago” came from the provinces of Jakarta, North Sumatra, East Nusa Tenggara, East Kalimantan, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, Riau, East Java, Bali and Papua.

Poor Access on Electricity in West Papua

A very nice information from Charles Roring should be read by Indonesian federal government and Papuan local government. Electricity is vital in the process of development in an area, the difficulties in accessing electricity will let West Papuan left behind the process of human resource development.

Charles Roring calculation on the potential energy and the amount of electricity which can be generated from the waterfall in a small village is a very-very important information.

I think it is time for all Papuan to work together to push Papuan local government and Indonesian federal government to generate electricity for us.

We need electricity ! Free Papua from poor access on electricity !

FWP

WEST PAPUAN VILLAGES DO NOT HAVE GOOD ACCESS ON ELECTRICITY

by Charles Roring

Sairo, a small village which is located in the northern coast of West Papua, can be reached within 15 minutes drive from Manokwari. Like many other West Papuan villages, Sairo doesn’t have electricity. It has a number of water falls that can be utilized to generate electricity but the locals do not have the know how to do it.

West Papua: The Truth and Lies

Free West Papua (FWP) has received information detailing the truth and lies about West Papuan criminal detainees, who are held by the Indonesian police and prison service in Jayapura, Manokwari and Timika.

Even though unfair treatment of  criminal detainees are common in many places in the world, such unfairness can not take place in Papua. We should push the improvement of treatment of criminal detainees in Papua.

45th anniversary of Papua integration to Indonesia

Papuan people in the world probably will thank UK Government for the positive support for economic develoment in Papua and West Papua Province. In contrast to that, an element of opportunist group has plan to deliver a pushy Petition to the Prime Minister Gordon Brown. It must be an opportunistic movement driven by a Western individual with hidden agenda.

The democratic Indonesia is one of the closest partner of democratic UK, there is no need for dialogue on West Papuan self-determination in the international community, because this idea was came from unknown  Western figure who might have personal interest in creating conflict in Papua.

British parliamentarians should be very-very careful in giving support to such movement, if possible they should visit Papua in order to see the real condition in Papua.

Free West Papua