Jakarta – A human rights watchdog has called on the United States' Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to support the release of all Indonesian political prisoners who are being held for the peaceful expression of their political views.

Australia categorically rejected Papuan independence Sunday saying it could not lead to a viable nation and would "completely rupture" ties with Indonesia were Canberra to weigh in.

West Papua Advocacy Team
c/o PO Box 21873
Brooklyn, NY 11202-1873
wpat@igc.org
+1- 575-648-2078

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton
Department of State
Washington, DC 20520
via fax

Dear Secretary Clinton:

Ismira Lutfia & Ezra Sihite – Following an investigative report from Australian media alleging that the country's counterterrorism unit Special Detachment 88 killed a Papuan pro-independence activist, an analyst urged Indonesia to further probe the incident.

Dozens of Papuans in Semarang and Salatiga in Central Java and Yogyakarta rallied in front of Semarang Police headquarters on Thursday, urging the government to take steps to stop violence in Papua.

Afriza Hanifa, Semarang – Scores of Papuan protesters from Papua National Solidarity (NAPAS) held an action in front of the East Java regional police headquarters in the provincial capital of Semarang on Thursday August 30.

Michael Bachelard – A senior Indonesian legislator has hit out at Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr for having "double standards" after he called for an inquiry into the police killing of a West Papuan independence leader.

Alex Perrottet – Fresh allegations of human rights violations in West Papua implicating Australian military training on ABC's 7:30 Report this week have prompted calls for leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum in the Cook Islands to seek a fact-finding mission.

The Human Rights Law Centre is trying to pressure the Federal Government to act on allegations of torture and killings by an Australian-trained counter-terrorism group.

Philip Jacobson – There has been talk of an arms deal between the United States and Indonesia. Reportedly on the table are eight Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopters. These are top-of-the-line attack machines, the best in their class.

Jayapura – Brutal scenes occurred at a highland students dormitory in Abepura early on Sunday night (26 August) as a massive assault was carried out on students from the Liborang Asrama (dormitory) by a joint force of Army (TNI) and Police.

Canberra called on Wednesday for an Indonesian inquiry into the killing of a Papuan independence leader but could not say whether Australian-trained counter-terrorism police were involved in the death.

Hayden Cooper and Lisa Main – An elite counter-terrorism unit trained and supplied by Australia is being accused of acting as a death squad in Indonesia's troubled West Papua region.

The group, known as Detachment 88, receives training, supplies and extensive operational support from the Australian Federal Police.

Hayden Cooper and Lisa Main – Resistance leaders in the restive Indonesian region of West Papua say they are losing their struggle for independence as authorities step up a decades-long campaign of abuse and intimidation.

Mimika, Papua – A senior member of the Mimika Legislative Council called on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to investigate the "rampant" corruption present in Papua, claiming that fraudulence has contributed to the growing separatist sentiment of Indonesia's easternmost province.

UA: 251/12 Index: ASA 21/032/2012

Former prisoner of conscience Yusak Pakage is being denied access to medical treatment while in police detention in Papua province, Indonesia. He has reportedly been threatened with torture and has not had access to a lawyer since his arrest.

Banjir Ambarita & Arientha Primanita – Authorities in the Paniai district of Papua have imposed a curfew after a police officer was shot and killed this week, bringing a fresh wave of violence in the resource-rich province.

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The government has warned it will take all necessary measures to locate those responsible for the recent shootings in Papua.

The National Committee for West Papua (KNPB) has urged the police authorities in West Papua to agree to the transfer of Buchtar Tabuni who is now in custody and on trial to the special prison for narcotics offences in order to ensure that he receives the necessary treatment for a stomach complaint and low blood pressure.

Aditya Revianur, Jakarta – Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta, Papua National Solidarity (NAPAS) coordinator Martheen Goo called for the Panai district police chief and district military commander to be removed from their posts.

The call came following sweep operations by security forces in Paniai regency, West Papua, that have left the region in the grip of fear.

Rangga Prakoso & Tito Summa Siahaan – Little progress has been made in attempts by the government to renegotiate the mining contract held by Freeport Indonesia in an effort to improve the welfare of Papuans, a nongovernmental organization claims.

The district police chief in Paniai, Papua, on Wednesday said investigators had narrowed their search for suspects after the fatal shooting of a police officer at a local airport, a report said.

John Mcbeth – German biologist Pieter Helmut and his wife were walking up the beach after swimming near the Papua provincial capital of Jayapura when a bearded gunman suddenly got out of a van and opened fire.

Jayapura – An unidentified shooter shot a policeman to death at Enarotali airport in the Paniai district of West Papua on Tuesday morning, according to officials.

Papua Police Spokesman Sr. Comr. Yohannes Nugroho said Brig. Yohan Kasiwaitouw was shot while he was washing a car at the end of the airport runway.

Ayub Natanubun, head of the forestry agency of Papua's Sarmi district, was shot by an unidentified gunman near the border of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea on Saturday afternoon.

Surabaya (CARE) – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's speech on August 16 took up several issues related to West Papua, including that it is not easy to solve the Papuan problem, that it needs measures that are specific, basic and comprehensive, that we have to integrate these measures to accelerate development in Papua.

Suze Metherell – The "banned" Morning Star flag of West Papuan independence will be displayed in shop fronts across New Zealand next week.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Dozens of Papuans rallied in front of the US Embassy in Jakarta on Wednesday, saying that New York Agreement signed 50 years ago had led to oppression and human rights violations.

Vitalis Yogi Trisna, Jakarta – Coinciding with the commemoration of 50 years since the New York Agreement, Papuan National Solidarity (NAPAS) held a protest action in front of the United States Embassy in the Gambir area of Central Jakarta on Wednesday August 15.

James Balowski, Jakarta – The killing of a leading pro-independence activist in West Papua during a raid reportedly led by members of the Australian-funded and -trained counter-terrorism unit Detachment 88 (Densus 88) raises serious questions about how Australian workers' tax money is being used in Indonesia.

Jayapura – West Papua Police have arrested 10 people for raising the banned Morning Star flag, a symbol of Papuan independence, during a rally in Manokwari on Thursday.

Index: ASA 21/031/2012

Amnesty International calls for an independent and impartial investigation into reports that police used unnecessary and excessive force to disperse a peaceful demonstration in Papua province commemorating International Day of the World's Indigenous People on 9 August 2012.

Jakarta – Selphius Bobii may have spent four months in Abepura Penitentiary in Papua on charges of treason after joining the third Papuan People's Congress last October, but he remains convinced that he was not guilty of any crime.

On the International Day of the Indigenous Peoples, Papuan people took to the streets to celebrate their continued survival as indigenous people, and called for an end to the Indonesian government's occupation of their land. Demonstrations took place in Manokwari, Serui, Baliem, Jayapura and various other locations around West Papua.

Jayapura – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) has requested that the security forces not be arrogant in continuing to chase, arrest and interrogate people who do not know anything, without following procedures that are applicable in Indonesia

Residents of the Asmat district in Papua have organized a blockade of the local airstrip there, calling for compensation owed for land used in an expansion of the facility, an air transportation official said on Wednesday.

Alex Tinsley – The case of Benny Wenda, leader of the West Papuan independence movement, is a perfect illustration of the need to reform Interpol and its abused red notice system.

Danny Shaw – A tribal leader from an Indonesian province who was granted asylum in Britain has won his battle to be removed from an Interpol wanted list.

Benny Wenda, who lives in Oxford, had been issued with a red notice and was at risk of arrest and extradition. The Indonesian authorities said they wanted him to stand trial for murder and arson, offences he denied.

A list is currently circulating on the internet which purports to list international supporters of the OPM (Organisasi Papua Merdek) in West Papua. (See for example, http://politik.kompasiana.com/2012/07/08/daftar-organisasi-pendukung-gerakan-papua-merdeka-di-luar-negeri/.) This list includes our organizations among others.

West Papua National Coalition for Liberation
Secretariat, c/o: WPPRO, P.O. Box 1571, Port Vila
Republic of Vanuatu,
Phone: + 678 7740808 or +61414149001
E-mail: ayamiseba@yahoo.com.au
awulkeweng53@yahoo.com; rrumakiek@gmail.com

26 June 2012

Police arrested 165 tribesmen from the village of Kwamki Lama in Mimika, Papua, on Wednesday, after yet another outbreak of violence between residents of three neighborhoods in the village.

Tito Summa Siahaan – Freeport Indonesia has agreed to raise its royalty payment to the government, according to a statement from a top economic minister on Monday.

Tatyana Shumsky, New York – Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.'s (FCX) Indonesia operations are approaching "normal" levels after a first quarter marked by labor disruptions, chief executive Richard Adkerson said on the company's second- quarter earnings conference call.

Selwyn Moran – West Papua, the easternmost island under Indonesia's control, is a land beset by troubles. Rarely a week goes by without news of some new tragedy in a relentless conflict that has endured and evolved over fifty years.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The trial of Buchtar Tabuni, 32, human rights activist and leader of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), began at the Jayapura District Court. He is accused of violence and vandalism at Abepura Penitentiary on Wednesday.

The police in Papua forcibly dispersed a humanitarian action taking place when Papuans were out collecting money to help political prisoners.

They were from an organisation called Solidarity for Human Rights Victims, SKPHP. The police said that they had dispersed the people because the SKPHP has not registered with the provincial administration.

Jayapura – The Papuan Street Parliament (Parjal) insists that it is the responsibility of the Indonesian government to safeguard the right to life of Papuans who are still behind bars.

Farouk Arnaz & Banjir Ambarita – A police officer succumbed to his wounds after being found beaten and stabbed in Keerom, Papua, on Tuesday.

Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr will meet today with his Indonesian counterpart, Marty Natalegawa, after vowing over the weekend that his country was cognizant of human rights issues in Papua.

Questions are being asked about the role that the partly Australian funded and trained elite Indonesian police squad, Densus (Detachment) 88, has played during the recent violence in West Papua. Set up in the wake of the Bali terrorist bombings, Densus 88's mandate was to tackle the rise of domestic terrorism in Indonesia.