Skip to commentsby Bruce Clark, Mon, 25 May 2009. 0
We are all familiar with Indonesia’s terrible record of human rights abuse in East Timor, a sorry tale of oppression, murder and torture. East Timor became something of a cause celebre, as the world woke up to the facts of Indonesia’s illegal invasion, harsh occupation and, finally, the rights of its people to self-determination. What we more easily forget is that while this murder and mayhem was being perpetrated by the Indonesian forces, the West, our own enlightened government and that of Australia, had for a generation or more turned a blind eye to the atrocities. The East Timorese were on their own, presumably as the need to maintain friendly relations with a growing economic power overrode any concerns about justice and human rights. One could scarcely imagine a clearer case of injustice and the right of a people to self-determination, yet the plight of the Timorese was so easily forgotten.
That such hypocrisy and neglect of a people so close to us could occur again would be unconscionable, would it not? Of course it would, but the Realpolitik of international relations should not be underestimated. A very similar set of circumstances to those that occurred in East Timor do indeed prevail in a land even closer to ours, and a mere hop skip and a jump from our Australian neighbours. West Papua, artificially divided from Papua New Guinea by its colonial legacy, has and is suffering just such a fate.
Ethnically and linguistically completely different from the other Indonesian populations, West Papua was granted independence. But in breach of an agreement with the Netherlands, the previous colonial master Indonesia illegally invaded in the early 60s, an invasion supposedly legitimised by a vote of 1000 or so tribal leaders under the gun. Indonesia has maintained a reign of terror carried out by its armed force since that time. From 1969 the Free Papua Movement, or OPM, has conducted an armed resistance, albeit with the most meagre of military resources. This insurgency has been fuelled by economic deprivation, political disempowerment and the forcible loss of and pollution of habitat. Protest has been met with the most vicious response. Lowry, in his book Armed Forces of Indonesia, cites the armed forces as “indulging in indiscriminate killing and torture of suspected rebels and sympathisers” and the “indiscriminate use of terror and force rather than the building of social structures and networks which would produce more enduring and self-sustaining results”. Because of the control of information coming out of West Papua, estimates of deaths are difficult, but tens of thousands (the OPM estimates hundreds of thousands) of non-combatants have been killed by the army since the 1960s. The exact figure may not be known, but recently the BBC gave a figure of 15% of the population having been killed in the ongoing independence struggle. The Indonesian army has an atrocious record of murder, rape and torture. The plight of the West Papuan people is all but ignored by the West and its press.
Of course, the usual suspects in the exploitation of the powerless—the multi-national mining and forestry concerns—are there as well, paying millions in protection to the army, while in the case of Freeport McMoran at its Grasberg mine for instance, earning about US$1million in profit per day. Needless to say, only a scrap of this finds its way to the local communities, whose protests are met with the most brutal response. Freeport McMoran built the largest gold mine and the third largest copper mine in the world in West Papua. It became the largest tax payer to the Indonesian government and was vital to the government’s drive to attract overseas investment in the post-Sukarno era. Its economic importance entailed the brutal suppression of any opposition to its activities. Mass killings of Papuans by the Indonesian forces have occurred near the mine and any call for a better deal for the local people has only ever been met with the stationing of more troops.
People disappear, whole populations are forcibly moved and denied the ability to pursue their traditional way of life, and the world stays silent. Having seen the hypocritical about-turn of our own and other governments over the situation in East Timor, one need not be surprised. The Indonesian government maintains strict control over media access to West Papua, and it is far enough off the beaten track for the Indonesian government and the multinationals to get on with business. Migration from other parts of Indonesia means that the West Papuans are threatened with becoming a minority in their own land with their land and resources being exploited for the gain of others, and their traditional way of life in danger of extinction.
Perhaps one day the world will wake up to the terrible oppression that goes on in West Papua, and people will wonder how this modern day colonial depredation had taken place right under our noses. No doubt, it will be asserted that such a thing could not happen again.
* Article tagged in: Issue11-2009
Senin, 25 Mei 2009
The Forgotten People
Strangers In Their Own Land
Rev. Socrates Sofyan Yoman, Mon, 4 Sep 2006. 0
The following is an extract from a presentation from Rev. Socrates Sofyan Yoman from West Papua given on Monday 28th August 2006. Socrates is one of the leaders of the Melanesian country currently being dominated and destroyed by Indonesian control.
West Papua is a beautiful land, like your country. West Papua is the land of peace. West Papua is the land of paradise, of many birds. West Papua is the Melanesians’ land, the Melanesians of the Pacific Islands. West Papua is a rich land: copper, gold, and minerals available to be mined. West Papua is the beautiful country of beautiful lands. There are also beautiful people – friendly people in West Papua, like here.
It has already changed to the hopeless land, 43 years after Indonesia took over and occupied West Papua land. In 1963 West Papua [was] taken over by the Indonesian government with support from the United States. Ordinary people, West Papuans, local people, in the Christian perspective we say God’s people, indigenous people in West Papua, the Indonesian army, they kill the people. They terrorize and intimidate the people publicly. They put them in the paper. [When] people are killed their photos are put in the local newspaper. The military have taken over the newspaper; we call it a criminal newspaper. After the military kill the people, then they put them in the newspaper.
They’re killing our mentality. They create our fear. Killing continually, systematically … they plan to depopulate West Papua. They’re not only killing Papuans physically, but their mentality, emotion, character. Also they kill it economically, [and] education and health. We need the health, need to educate, and build [for] the local indigenous people, but we are struggling [for] justice and peace, and human rights and hum an dignity, [but] how do we develop economically, educationally and in health?
Environmental destruction, with the presence of multinational companies like [the] Freeport mine, Rio Tinto, of Australia, and now presently BP, with petroleum [have created] damage, huge destruction our mountains, and illegally supported by the military … HIV/AIDS in West Papua, prostitution in West Papua infects the women, HIV/AIDS brought to West Papua [is] facilitated by the military. The Papuans are for self-determination, to be fully independent on their own land. Indonesia says no. But we have to look for another way, [and] consult West Papuans for the answer.
Transmigration and the marginalisation of West Papuans Papua is marginalized economically
West Papuans on their own lands are very marginalized. The main purpose of Indonesians coming to West Papua is not to develop the people in Papua. They want to take over the lands, control the Papuans’ lands. And they never develop the Papuans economically, or their capacity … They never will develop the education of our people.
The Papuans, the young people, the women, are members of the separatist movement. The Papuans never got an education. So the economy is controlled by migrants, because they’ve got good facilities, from the government. The transmigrants build good roads, bridges, schools, good houses. They put them there. And in the bank, if we want to get money, credit, we never get access. We never get the benefit of our land, of our resources. The international community give money to the Indonesian government to develop the Papuans, but I never see it. The government is killing them. When they bring the people from outside, they [also] establish military bases close by, they protect their people, and they marginalize the Papuans.
West Papuans know very well that Indonesia will never improve education and develop the Papuans. They only come and kill us. Systematically killing, and there is genocide. And they want to take away our lands. It is increasing [the military presence] and there are more military barracks everywhere.
And [another] thing is, they divided the new provinces. We have only a population of 1.2 million. We don’t need more provinces. How do they develop education, health, [and the] economy? They divided the new province again! They will spend more money on other resources and apparatus. They will have more transmigration, more military. This is a problem for us.
Another thing is… the people are still in jail. Many Papuans are still in prison and … [there is] no freedom to demonstrate. When we come demonstrate, the police shoot the people, arrest the people. [There are] no public demonstrations in West Papua. This is happening in West Papua, and it is our our problem. With my community, with my people.
Intimidation of West Papuan leaders
Because we speak for justice and peace, for protecting the people, they want to kill the us, the little and small people. But they will not. They never will stop us. Many times they terrorize me, many times. After I visit Australia, I return to West Papua. I arrive in the Airport in Jakarta. Indonesian Intelligence came, they took my passport. But I say I don’t follow you, for who needs my passport, if not me? Because I have my people with me, from West Papua. They terrorize me. This is what’s going on.
Support from the international community
We need the voice of the international community to relieve the West Papuans of their suffering. We need to be helped like East Timor. How are you able to help East Timor and not assist us in West Papua?
This is not a good experience for us and we need Australia and the international community, especially the New Zealand government to become the mediators, to mediate a deal, genuine dialogue, to sort out the West Papua problem, not through the special autonomy law, but [for] West Papua and Indonesia to come together, facilitated by the New Zealand government.
And secondly, the New Zealand government [can] also support West Papua to gain observer status at the Pacific Island Forum. This is important. We are not ethnically, culturally, democratically Indonesia! We are actually Melanesian, part of the Pacific Island people. How do they force us to be Indonesian?
And the last thing is [that] we need a statement made by the international community, especially governments, to say we strongly support territorial integrity. The international community has to stop, has to make a firm statement … Better the West Papuans get their own government, own land.
We need education. Bring one or two or three here, and educate them. And after they come back, [they] will educate [their] own people with language, culture, and with your support. We need your support. We also want justice and peace and selfdetermination also. The better way is [our] own government, own land and capacity.
Thank you very much, God bless you.
West Papua Coalition wary of Indonesia’s closer links to Vanuatu
Posted at 02:04 on 11 May, 2009 UTC
The West Papua National Coalition for Liberation says a visit by Indonesia’s Ambassador is unlikely to sway Vanuatu’s support for West Papuan self-determination.
Primo Alui Joelianto has been in Vanuatu to present his credentials to the Head of State as Indonesia’s newly appointed ambassador to Vanuatu, based in Canberra.
The ambassador expressed his government’s desire to engage in constructive dialogue with the Pacific region on development and policy issues in line with Jakarta’s "look east" policy, despite differences with countries like Vanuatu over the issue of Papua.
The Coalition’s Secretary General, Rex Rumakiek, says Indonesia could be trying to butter up Pacific countries...
“We know that they’re doing that and it is open that we want to battle them on that ground. We’re winning the upper hand. So I don’t think they’ve any economic power to influence any government in the region to support them.”
Meanwhile, Vanuatu’s Foreign Minister Bakoa Kaltongga has told the ambassador that his government will continue the country’s long-standing tradition of vocal support for West Papuan self-determination.
News Content © Radio New Zealand International
PO Box 123, Wellington, New Zealand
PNG defends decision to repatriate West Papuans
Posted at 18:16 on 17 May, 2009 UTC
Papua New Guinea has been defending its agreement to repatriate 700 West Papuans to neighbouring Indonesia.
Papua New Guinea’s Foreign Minister, Sam Abal, says there’s nothing new about his country’s officials working with their Indonesian counterparts.
The agreement between the two nations’ leaders was announced last week after a meeting also attended by the Indonesian military commander.
Mr Abal says it’s always been the case that his government helps facilitate the return of Papuans who have fled Indonesia should they want to return.
“There have been for some time quite a few people from West papua on this side but it’s always been our wish to process them, whether they decide to stay in PNG, where there’s always the opportunity for citizenship, but where they’re not able to do that they can be repatriated to a third country. But the best option we always look at is to see if they be returned and be accepted over there (Indonesia)”
News Content © Radio New Zealand International
PO Box 123, Wellington, New Zealand
Papuans seek US support for dialogue with Jakarta
Posted at 21:31 on 08 May, 2009 UTC
West Papua advocates have been urging the United States to apply meaningful pressure on Indonesia for internationally-facilitated dialogue between Jakarta and Papuan leaders.
A member of the West Papua Advocacy Team spoke before a US Congressional panel about threats to human rights and the environment in Indonesia’s Papua region.
The NGO has joined with the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network, or ETAN, in urging Washington to move beyond the current Special Autonomy arrangement in Papua to address the growing human rights crisis.
Their appeal came in response to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s call for a degree of autonomy for Papuans.
ETAN’s John Miller says he doesn’t think the statement signals a fresh approach from the previous Bush administration.
“The Papuans themselves are saying that Special Autonomy has failed, and that they would like meaningful discussion which we think the US has the potential - because of (President) Obama’s background - to do with Indonesia about what Papua’s future should be where everything is on the table.”
John Miller
News Content © Radio New Zealand International
PO Box 123, Wellington, New Zealand
Melanesia Posterous
Melanesia Posterous is dedicated to Post News and Information on Free Melanesia Activities
