Education and health services in Papua — West Papua

Education and health services in Papua Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said maternal and child health services for indigenous Papuans, especially in West Papua Province, require increased availability and access to […] The post Education and health services in Papua appeared first on West Papua .

Education and health services in Papua — West Papua

Australia allocates $602m for development in Indonesia

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 05/12/2011 10:04 AM | World

Australia has announced it will provide an estimated Rp 5.15 trillion (US$602.55 million) in development assistance to Indonesia this year, an increase of more than $100 million compared to last year.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty said Australia’s aid program would focus on alleviating poverty through social protection programs, supporting governance reforms and improving the poor’s access to health, education, transportation, clean water and sanitation.

Oz funds health, education in Papua

The Jakarta Post | Thu, 05/05/2011 8:00 AM | National

JAKARTA: Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Greg Moriarty witnessed a signing between Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu and West Papua Governor Abraham O. Atururi for a new Australian government-funded program to improve health, education and infrastructure in the two provinces.

Free West Papua separatism is a problem, not a solution

This early December 2009, less then 5 papuans and several British citizens gathered in Westminster to demonstrate a small disturbance to the peaceful development of Papua and West Papua provinces. 

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.

BHP plan controversial West Papua nickel mine

Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Broadcast: 29/09/2008
Reporter: Geoff Thompson and Tony Jones

BHP Billiton is on the verge of starting one of the most sensitive mining operations it has ever planned.

Transcript
TONY JONES: In West Papua, and after evading questions about the project for years, BHP Billiton is on the verge of starting one of the most sensitive mining operations it has ever planned. Gag Island in West Papua holds one of the world’s richest nickel deposits. But it, and the islands around it, are ringed by what UNESCO and many marine scientists believe is the richest and most diverse coral reef system in the world.

Conservationists say BHP’s disastrous environmental record at Papua New Guinea’s Ol Tedi mine should rule out any gamble with Gag Island’s riches. And it’s not just the potential for environmental damage that makes the gag project controversial. The island lies in West Papua, formerly Irian Jaya. The disputed Indonesian province where previous mining concessions like Freeport have become the focus for pro-independence guerrilla attacks and Indonesian human rights abuses.

Inventing Papua

Papuan culture on sale at the Hamadi art market in Jayapura (Iskandar Nugroho collection)

Iskandar Nugroho wrote a very interesting research on the role of non Papuan of the manufacturing Papuan tradition. Nugroho said that the representations of Papuan culture produced by the traders from South Sulawesi don’t just satisfy the needs of tourists for objects that symbolise their experience of Papua. These objects may be inauthentic, but they have helped create a sense of identity amongst urban Papuans.

If only Papuan and non-Papuan in the peaceful land of Papua work together to develop our motherland then most of the problem will go. Papua is not solely a problem of separatism but also a cultural understanding that has been in silence for many years. Please read the article of Inventing Papua in Inside Indonesia for further understanding.

Military purpose, influence in Indonesia

Juwono Sudarsono, Jakarta

The Indonesian Defense Force was established from a myriad group of student brigades, guerrilla militias and irregulars representing ethnic, religious and provincial identities preceding proclamation of Indonesian independence in Aug. 1945.

These guerrilla forces and student brigades were imbued with the guiding ethos that defined latter-day Indonesian defense policy: “Total people’s warfare”, and later on, “total defense and security”.

All services of the Indonesian Military (TNI) are at once a fighting force (tentara kejuangan), a people’s force (tentara rakyat), a national force (tentara nasional) and a professional force (tentara profesional). Professionalism is deliberately subsumed under the preceding three guiding elements. Every single Indonesian soldier, sailor, airman and marine is honor-bound to think and act first and foremost as an Indonesian, to be “first in war, first in peace and first in emergency response”.

Papuans Need Democracy, Not Separatism

Yesterday I read this article in Papua Story, I can only make a short comment to Mr. Andri Hadi…what a brilliant choice of title! as for the content, I couldn’t agree with you more…

So please for all Papuans, Papua experts and Papua Observers, read this article carefully and try to understand Papua in a more objective perspective.

Papuans Need Democracy, Not Separatism

by Andri Hadi

The Jakarta Post
July 30, 2004

Efforts by certain quarters, within and outside Indonesia, to question the decolonization process in Papua gain a momentum by the declassification of restricted documents in the U.S. recently.

The documents portray the 1969 “Act of Free Choice” (AFC) as a sham, among others because it excluded most Papuans (Jakarta Post, July 16, 2004). Arguably, this development may provide ammunition to the hands of people pursuing the separatist aspiration in Papua, thus endangering Indonesia’s territorial integrity and its democracy.

Peaceful Life of Papuan

Indonesia’s foreign minister has defended the government of Indonesia’s policy of restricting access by foreign journalists and human rights monitors to the troubled province of Papua by saying ‘We simply want the people to have a peaceful life.’

Hassan Wirajuda told Australian journalists, ‘You should not think that if not much access is given that we are hiding something.’

The people of West Papua have been the victims of conflict between the brutal OPM and Indonesian Military . They experienced human rights atrocities at the hands of the OPM, political opportunist, and military for 45 years.

Now, Indonesia keep moving forward the democracy path including its military and police. The people of Papua are also walking towards a bright future of peaceful life. However, political opporturnist who advocate for independence now responsible for the maintaining of conflict in Papua and West Papua. Sometimes those opportunist groups are behind the visit of foreign journalist and human rights monitor. But there are also a sincere visit of foreign journalist and human rights monitor, so Indonesian government should be very careful with this issues.

reported by Free West Papua

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

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.

Indonesia govt blamed for stagnant special autonomy in Papua

News Update from RNZI

Posted at 22:29 on 31 March, 2008 UTC

A delegation of politicians from Indonesia’s Papua province has been to Jakarta to further pressure the central government to help improve Special Autonomy in their region.

The Jakarta post reports that Papua legislature members, led by chief councilor Jimmy Demianus, held separate meetings with the House of Representatives and Regional Representative Council leadership.

Many Papuans believe Special Autonomy, established in 2001, has failed to address problems such as human rights violations, natural resource management, health, poverty and security.

Mr Demianus has warned that Papua’s problems will become more complex if Jakarta did not improve the implementation of Special Autonomy.

He blamed Jakarta for the stagnation of special autonomy in Papua and neighbouring West Papua province, saying they can’t properly implement autonomy without technical and operational guidance from central government.

Recently, Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu admitted that despite huge special autonomy funds being allocated over the last seven years, most Papuans remain poor and uneducated.

He said that most of the funds have been used to finance bureaucracy.

The British Human Rights Report 2007

A very important note was stated in British Human Rights Report 2007.  I think it would be great if a peaceful dialogue among Papuan, Papua local government, Indonesia central government, Indonesian civil society, Papuan local NGO, and national NGO can be held openly and sincerely. The implementation of special autonomy should be discussed carefully in an honest atmosphere as a vital step to resolve the complex problem of Papua. Hostile action and negative propaganda by some radicals should be stopped. Violation of human rights by some military unit should also be stopped. At the same time, during the process of dialogue among parties in Papua, restrictions on access to Papua by NGOs and journalists should be loosen, so the world will see the reality of positive development in Papua. Hopefully, some irresponsible Papuan who take economical and political opportunity in foreign countries will realise that their action is only worsening the situation in Papua.

U.S. firm to invest $4 bln in Indonesian pulp factory

Related to the logging industry pressure to loosen Papua Log Export Ban, an international pulp factory plans to invest and to destroy our forest. Do we need investment that only for the benefit of business elites? Forest is our mother, please help her to be green and protect our soul from greediness.

Source of Information: Xinhua and  Pulp.Inc

NGO raises concerns about Papuan

Do Australian and New Zealander know what happen in Papua recently? The news on protest against the special autonomy law was somehow mislead to a certain opinion that situation in Papua was so bad. In the name of human rights and political struggle, Australian pomp like Joe Collins manipulated the news by his own political agenda by saying that he concerned about Papuan safety.

BP Shattered illusions

I am sure that well educated Papuan either activist or government employee should read the article on BP business in Papua.  As I mentioned earlier in my writing on Multinational Projects that Papuan should watch closely all multinational projects in the land of Papua. The importance of this is not only watching but also push BP to take serious attention on the survival of the Papuans. We should prevent BP from doing a continuously destructive project on our forests and our trees. We also should fight againts BP projects that pollute the rivers and seas.

The article by John Vidal is must reading for all Papuan Watcher and Papuan Environment activist.

Radio Pikonane: Connecting Papua’s Central Highlands

Communication and Information are the blood of social change. Conecting Papua’s central highlands to some cities and other areas means an acceleration of information exchange in Papua. Hopefully the positive development of communication sytem will increase the awareness of all Papuan on the importance of Radio. Most importantly, the process of disseminating information by Radio should be free from political struggle, either in local election competition or the independence movement. Related news Radio Connects Remote Papuan Village

Source : Inside Indonesia