Meeting between military and civil society in Manokwari

Another important news update from TAPOL.

Report received from LP3BH, Institute for Analysing, Investigation and Development of Human Aid

A meeting convened by the local military commander, Lt.Col Irham Waroihanwas which was held in Manokwari on 28 November was attended by local military officers, local civil society leaders and representatives of NGOs.

Opening the meeting, the military commander said the aim of the meeting was to exchange thoughts in connection with the plan of the President to visit Manokwari on 20 December, and possible developments in the area on 1 and 14 December. He urged all those present to keep in communication with each other so as to avoid mutual suspicions and to ensure that any developments could be resolved peacefully, without resort to violence.

President meets with traditional kings and sultans

11/30/08 07:06

Jakarta (ANTARA News) – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here Saturday met with traditional kings and sultans grouped in the Nusantara Forum of Palaces and called on them to help safeguard the country`s national heritages.

“Indonesia has a variety of cultures, arts and civilizations which show the greatness of the country. As the head of state, I expect all kings and sultans to play a role in preserving and developing the national heritages ,” he said.

Three Fundamental Problems in West Papua

There are three fundamental problems that should be addressed peacefully in West Papua: crimes against humanity, the failure of New Order’s (Suharto regime) socio-economic and cultural development, and the reconciliation of Papua as land of peace. Democratisation in Indonesia has brought a very successful change in Papua. The majority of Papuan are now supporting the development program implemented under the special autonomy with the support of international community. Papuans are no longer facing marginalisation in their own land. Some would say it is time  for a real change.

Addressing these problems is an internal matter for Indonesia’s central government and local government of Papua and West Papua provinces. However, the international community through any international organization such as the UN , NGOs and civil society movements could take part in helping the development in Papua.

From remote villages to bustling cities: educating Indonesians about HIV

UNICEF Indonesia’s HIV/AIDS outreach team receives a warm welcome from the Arfak people of Papua, Indonesia.

copyright: UNICEF

Link source : UNICEF

By Suzanna Dayne

WEST PAPUA, Indonesia, 28 November 2008 – It is before dawn as a UNICEF outreach team departs on a bumpy six-hour drive up a steep mountain road to the remote village of Imbenti. The goal is to bring life saving information about HIV/AIDS to the approximately 100 families who are living in the Arfak moutains of West Papua.

In the past, the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS in such a small, rural community was not seen as very high. However, many young people are now leaving the village to further their schooling. As such, there is a fear that if these young people are not educated about HIV/AIDS, they could return to their village and spread the virus.

Human rights: business responsibility

What are the human rights responsibilities of corporations? Christine Bader, BP’s manager of policy development currently on secondment to the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for business & human rights, provides an overview of the current debate.

Business is increasingly multinational, and corporations from all countries continue to grow in scale and scope. But with this expanded breadth, business can increasingly impact on human rights, both positively and negatively.

Two Papuan refugees return to Indonesia from Australia: ministry

Agence France-Presse – 11/29/2008 10:28 AM GMT

Two Papuans out of a group of 43 asylum seekers who fled Indonesia in 2006, triggering a diplomatic row with Australia, have returned home, the foreign affairs ministry said Saturday. Yunus Wainggai and his young daughter Anike were repatriated more than two years after they travelled by boat to northern Australia led by Papuan separatist activist Herman Wainggai.

“There was no force whatsoever in their decision to return home,” foreign affairs ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah told AFP. “Yunus felt that he had been cheated by Herman. He was promised some money and a job but they were not realised. Yunus also told us that he missed his home and relatives,” he said. Faizasyah did not elaborate on how Yunus and Herman were related. The father and daughter flew from the Australian city of Canberra to the capital Jakarta through a transit in Denpasar, Bali. “It’s up to them to decide when they want to return to Papua,” Faizasyah said.

Lack of midwives and high mortality rate; education facilities very inadequate according to Governor

Wake up !!!

Indonesian citizen in Papua should work hand in hand to develop education facilities.

Indonesian citizen in Jakarta and other advance cities should pay more attention to help us…are we your brother or not !!!

Please read this ! Very Important News from Tapol

Kompas, 21 November 2008

The mortality rate of mothers and babies is very high in the provinces of Papua and West Papua because of a serious shortage of midwives, according to the director of the Mothers’ Health Department of the Indonesian Department of Health, Bagus Sukasuara.

Two quakes hit West Papua on Monday

Jakarta (ANTARA News) – Two earthquakes respectively measuring 5.2 and 5.5 on the Richter scale hit West Papua Province, on Monday.

The national meteorological and geophysics office said here on Monday that the 5.2-magnitude quake occurred at 12.23 am Western Indonesian Time (WIB).

Benny Wenda Gives a pack of lies to Catholic peace and Justice group in Liverpool.

Nov 24, 2008

I will support  Benny Wenda if Indonesia still held the military and autocratic New Order system. But since 1998, a big change happened in Indonesia and all Indonesian can speak freely and openly to the world about everything. Indonesian press is also one of the freest in the world today. My only reaction to Benny Wenda campaign in UK is that please stop telling lies to British people. I will suggest Benny Wenda to go home and see the development in Papua by his own eyes.

Papuans left Australia to ‘avoid crime charge’ ???

“They (Papuans) came home by their own will, that’s what I know. Australia has its laws, we have ours. If they were involved in a crime, I think they should be punished. Many Australians have been punished here in Indonesia,” Setyawati said Wednesday.

Indonesian Alfons Adadikam following the instruction of Herman Wainggai tries his best to propagate lies abot Hana Gobay and Yubel Kareni.

Angela Flassy , The Jakarta Post , Jayapura | Fri, 11/21/2008 1:16 PM | The Archipelago

The return home from Australia of two Papuan asylum seekers was due to legal problems arising from the couples ongoing incidence of domestic violence — and nothing else, Alfons Adadikam, chairman of the Melbourne based Victoria West Papua Association (VIWPA) said. He criticized the Indonesian government for using the repatriation for political gain and said the repatriation was for no other reason.

Special Report: Defending Papua, RI’s main agenda in Pacific region

Fri, 11/14/2008 11:03 AM | World

Indonesia’s relations with countries in the Pacific region have received sparse media attention in recent times. However, a series of recent incidents and demonstrations have brought into question Indonesia’s right to sovereignty over Papua. The Jakarta Post’s Abdul Khalik joined an Indonesian delegation in a dialog last week with senior officials from Papua New Guinea (PNG) in Port Moresby to discuss problems along the 760-kilometer-long border the countries share. The event was preceded by a visit by Indonesian officials to the border town of Merauke in Papua. The following are reports from the event.

Benny Wenda Gives empty propaganda talks to Amnesty International in Oxford University

Mr Wenda who claimed himself as the great leader of West Papua made another super claim as the voice of 250 tribe.

He said that West Papua is Western Half of the New Guinea Island North of Australia, Home of Birth of paradise, but today home of Military. Indonesia Military & Police committed crime humanity in West Papua, everyday killing, rape, intimidation, torturing, and Imprisonment. He also mentioned that when West Papuan People made a peaceful demonstration, Indonesia Military and Police always came and stopped the demonstrator and arrest them, torture them put them in the prison very long time without any trial. Please check yourself by visiting Papua and you will find the peaceful land of Papua without any condition that Benny has accused in his speech at every corner of the United Kingdom.

Benny the great leader of West Papua is a Liar. He lies with his heart and never really think about the progress in West Papua.

Indonesia is a democratic country, and you have to prove it by seeing it directly with your eyes and not from what Benny has said so.

Why should smart people in UK believe what Benny said without crosscheck to reliable sources and if possible just see it with your own eyes.

West Papuan people need your help to see the situation in reality and not lies.

Here is the photo of UK smart people who listen and believe in a liar talks without crosscheck.

More lies on West Papua Story

It is normal for both democratic Indonesia and the United Kingdom to see exiles from West Papua demonstrated in Reading Festival to instigate a packed audience that included the mayor and mayoress about their fight for separating Papua province from Indonesia. South East MEP Dr Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party, also spoke at the meeting on October 17, 2008.

ProFauna Parrots Campaign

ProFauna Parrots Campaign (12.11.2008 — 06:21:43)
Together with Local Communities, ProFauna Campaigns on Parrot Protection in Manokwari, West Papua
ProFauna’s parrots campaign in Papua.

Thousands of parrots are caught from the wild in Papua and North Maluku to supply domestic and international illegal wildlife trade. This trade is valued at over 1 million USD. ProFauna‘s campaigns engage local people in the hope of raising their awareness.

(live-PR.com) – Thousands of parrots are caught from the wild in Papua and North Maluku to supply domestic and international illegal wildlife trade. In the 2001-2002 Flying without Wings report, the Indonesian wildlife protection NGO, ProFauna Indonesia (www.profauna.org), revealed evidence that an average of 15,000 parrots were caught from the wild to supply the pet markets. Among the

parrots poached from the wild in West Papua are black-capped Lories (Lorius lorry), sulphur-crested Cockatoos (Cacatua galerita), Eclectus parrots (Eclectus roratus), and rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglosus haematodus).

Email Harassment

How to stop email harassment?

I am on an active wordpress blog, and all of a sudden this one person said things about me and my blog which are not true. This is done thru comments, and another person makes similar harassment comment and is going to file a report to the FBI in the United States and tell them where to find me. I know it’s not true, and I know there is nothing to find, but those scums keep sending spam comments, and it is really annoying. Is there anything that can be done????

Yes, we can rest easy, because people can threaten all they want. People can comment all they want. But, if you have done nothing wrong, nothing should be worried about.

As far as legal action for you to take, you can consult an authority if you wish. But, be prepared for the detail information to win a case of this nature. My experience, it is very effective because finally the email harassment stopped only after I report it to the authority in UK.

The cowards are always afraid because they have done something wrong. In the case of my blog, which tells the world about the objective situation in Papua, some cowards now give up their efforts to stop me from blogging. By the way, be always careful with impersonating email by those cowards so you will not need to make an apology in the future. Thanks God, the truth is always protected from evil acts. Thanks to the UK Police.

Teachers’ unite to improve education

The Jakarta Post
Saturday, November 8, 2008

Markus Makur, The Jakarta Post, Timika

Papuan teachers have been taking part in a jamboree aiming to
build character, increase competency and development to improve
education levels in the region.

Around 200 teachers from 10 regencies and municipalities across
Papua have been taking part in the three-day jamboree, jointly
organized by the Papua provincial administration and mining
giant PT Freeport Indonesia.

Idiots don’t like this blog

No they don’t, harassment seems to escalate every time I post on it. Who are they? yes both stubborn Indonesian military and idiots separatist supporters hate Free West Papua Blog.

My slow internet connection would have rusted all those harassment and intimidation. Took me more than 5 minutes to open onto new post, which actually is a bit faster than usual. I almost lost my cyber ID because someone tried to hack my email and for several days I couldn’t get into my email account, especially after 15th October. Oh God…why do Idiots so evil to me?

Idiots really don’t like this blog.

West Papua: Inside Indonesia?

Photo: Leslie Butt

When it comes to the debate about the development in West Papua, we must be very careful in reading so many sources in the internet. Wind of change is still blowing in Indonesia after the reform movement in 1998, including in West Papua provinces. Indonesian citizen who live  in West Papua are now enjoying more freedom and economic development. If we compare it with the New Order era, West Papua is independent legally under the special autonomy law.

There are small elements of Papuan who still trying to destroy the positive development in Papua. Those Papuan are honest and hurt during the New Order regime, they dream of revenge in the name of their father and familes who were killed during the conflict between the military wing of Free Papua Movement  (OPM) and Indonesian military. Now peace and prosperity is moving in a fast track and more Papuan leaders hold a  key position in Papua and West Papuan provinces.

I do understand the difference perspectives among us regarding independence, so I suggest we must be very careful in understanding the reality in West Papua. The more we read about West Papua the more we understand. Although I am not in a full confidence with the articles within Inside Indonesia magazine, I think we should read the issue of Papua within the Inside Indonesia magazine, which has the special report/analysis about West Papua for the last 7 years.

Here is the editorial of the current edition.

Jennifer Robinson

For many people, West Papua is unquestionably part of Indonesia and therefore a proper topic for discussion in this magazine. For many others, it rankles. This difference in opinion boils down to a significant point in Papuan – and Indonesian – history. Next year marks 40 years since a UN sponsored vote in 1969, the Act of Free Choice (AOFC), which determined that West Papua would be integrated into Indonesia rather than become an independent state. Of course, there was another big and much-discussed anniversary in Indonesia this year. May 2008 marked ten years since the downfall of President Suharto and the beginning of reformasi. This anniversary prompted much reflection about the state of Indonesia’s democracy. That the anniversary of the AOFC is looming is hardly less significant. The contested histories arising from the AOFC – in particular concerning Papua’s status as a part of Indonesia – are at the root of ongoing conflict in Papua.

Regional Autonomy: Mimika’s rural areas rise after 20 years of neglect

Markus Makur , The Jakarta Post , Timika | Mon, 11/03/2008 10:24 AM | The Archipelago

During the Catholic missionary period, the village of Kokonao was a center of education, but when West Mimika’s administration center moved to Timika city twenty years ago, it was gradually forgotten about.

Kokonao, the capital of West Mimika district, is situated in the mountainous region of Central Papua. However, thanks to various development programs set up by the regency administration, the condition of the area has considerably improved. Fisheries, housing, clean water facilities and a number of other infrastructure projects have been established.