Markus Makur, Timika – Papua province's rich natural resources have had no impact on life in the remote villages of Asmat and East Mimika Jauh, in Mimika regency. The villages are symbols of the lack of development in many areas of the province.
Most of the 300 fishing families in Asmat village live in stilt houses, because the village sits on swampy ground. Most people in the village earn just enough to survive catching crabs and fish, and then selling them around the village.
Asmat village chief Yanuarius Kayam said residents were in dire need of clean water facilities, electricity, bridges and proper housing.
"Four to five families live under one roof, so we desperately need new homes. We only receive clean water rations from the Asmat regency administration, but the Mimika regency administration has never provided us with anything," Yanuarius said.
Some of the villagers have started working as porters at nearby Pelabuhan Rakyat Port.
The Asmat settlement can be reached from Timika city by motorcycle, public van or private car. The distance between Mimika regency capital Timika and Asmat village is around 40 kilometers.
Most of the Asmat people in the village are illiterate, preventing them from looking for other work. The local administration does not provide them with adequate medical care, education or potable water. They drink rainwater they collect in vessels.
Residents live in squalid conditions, and they are worried about oil sludge discharged by ships mooring at the Pertamina state oil company's fuel depot.
Most children in the village get little or no schooling. There is one part-time teacher assigned to take care of around 300 students. Yanuarius said schoolchildren needed more classrooms because now they were crammed into one room.
Only sporadic development, carried out through the District Development Program, is evident in the village. Asmat village is not remote, but only seems that way because of the lack of physical development.
In East Mimika Jauh village on Karaka Island, where members of the Kamoro tribe live, the situation is very much the same. Residents live in poverty, many are illiterate and there is little development or government assistance.
The Mimika regency administration receives huge amounts of cash, from special autonomy funds, royalties from PT Freeport Indonesia and from the provincial budget, yet this has not translated into development for many areas.
Head of the Mimika Regency Education Office, Ausilius You, said his office would propose additional classrooms and teachers for Asmat village to the Mimika Legislative Council.
After recently touring 19 regencies and cities in the province, Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu said the quality of life in 2,600 villages was very low. "All of the problems related to the low quality of life for indigenous Papuans are caused by poor education and healthcare facilities," he said.