Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-005-2012

Dear friends,

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – A regional election clash has once again erupted during campaigning for a local regent election in Papua, causing the death of a supporter of one of the election candidates in Tolikara regency.

The victim, identified as Yusuf Yikwa, 38, died on Saturday after being hit by an arrow in his chest.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – An unidentified armed group shot dead a civilian in Mulia district, Puncak Jaya regency on Friday at 8 p.m. local time, the first indiscriminate shooting to take place in Papua this year. The reason behind the shooting is unknown.

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reprimanded on Friday nongovernmental organizations that often criticized how the Indonesian Military (TNI) handles security in Papua, saying that they implied that the law should not be enforced in the country's easternmost island.

Jakarta – Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold's Indonesian unit has restarted concentrate shipments after a three-month strike ended in December, an official said on Wednesday, a sign that work at the world's second largest copper mine was returning to normal.

Jakarta – After 50 years, Papuans still feel that the Dutch government betrayed them by not honoring a past promise to give them independence, a Dutch newspaper reported.

Jakarta – A survey jointly conducted by the Partnership for Governance Reform (Kemitraan) and the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) found that torture is a common practice among members of the National Police in Papua and has become the chief means for extracting information from suspects.

Agus Triyono – A survey carried out by nongovernmental organizations between July and September last year showed there is a widespread belief among Papuans that the police committed most of the torture in the province.

Jakarta – Army Special Force (Kopassus) Commander Major General Wisnu Bawa Tenaya said the force's presence in Papua was to carry out part of the Army's main tasks in safeguarding and upholding the country's sovereignty.

Jakarta – The government is expanding its definition of "welfare" in its approach to Papua, and welcomes the assistance of foreign donors in developing Indonesia's eastern most provinces.

The government should pay attention to the campaigning being currently undertaken by Papua Merdeka groups abroad. These campaigns can be far more effective than the various armed operations currently being waged by the OPM – Organisasi Papua Merdeka.

This opinion was expressed by Poengky Indarti, executive director of Imparsial, speaking to journalists in Jakarta.

Jakarta – Vice President Boediono brushed aside fears of 'foreign intervention' in the event of donor development funds being more accessible in Papua.

"Don't seek ghosts in broad daylight," Boediono said on Wednesday. "The most important thing is for us to filter, be selective. Let's not close ourselves off (unnecessarily)," he remarked.

Banjir Ambarita & Antara, Jayapura – Citing an improved security situation in the restive province of Papua in recent days, nearly 500 additional officers deployed there to bolster the ranks of the provincial police will be withdrawn, a police spokesman said on Tuesday.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – As employees of miner PT Freeport Indonesia returned to work after their three-month strike, two men working for a contractor for the company were killed on Monday. The van they were driving was set on fire with the bodies inside.

Jakarta – Workers at a Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold Inc Indonesian mine on Tuesday halted their gradual return to work one day after gunmen shot two contractors dead on the road to the Grasberg mine, a union spokesman said.

It was unclear whether the halt also affected production at the mine in the central highlands of Papua, an island in eastern Indonesia.

AWPA calls on the Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd to raise the human rights situation in West Papua with the Indonesian Government during his visit to Indonesia.

Ulma Haryanto – Standards of living in Papua have continuously risen during the past 13 years, according to the Papua Office of the Central Statistics Agency, a claim vehemently disputed by researchers and activists.

General John Magai Yogi, the leader of the TPN/OPM Makodam Pemka IV Division in Paniai, declared in a letter that they will not withdraw a single step in their operations against the Indonesian army and police which have been under way since August, 2011.

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura, Papua – Soldiers in Papua's Puncak Jaya district shot dead on Thursday a suspected member of a separatist group and seized a weapon, sources said.

The soldiers, from the Yonif 753 base in Nabire, were on a routine patrol in Puncak Jaya when they were confronted by members of the outlawed Free Papua Movement (OPM).

Workers at a giant Indonesian gold and copper mine owned by US company Freeport-McMoRan said Friday they would not return to work, three weeks after officially ending the country's longest-ever strike.

Jayapura – The Papua office of the National Commission on Human Rights looked into 58 alleged violations of human rights in 2011, and was anticipating investigating at least that many cases in 2012.

Jakarta – Hundreds of PT Freeport Indonesia workers have returned to work after a three-month strike, but a workers' union official predicts that it will take three or four weeks before all the company's thousands of employees will get back to work.

Pressure built on an Indonesian firm on Wednesday to resolve a local dispute with workers at a Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold Inc mine that has prompted the union to halt a return to work after a three-month strike.

Thousands of workers at Freeport mine in Indonesia have ended their three-month strike for better wages, after a signing a pay-rise deal with the company.

The union at Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc's Grasberg mine in Indonesia has halted a return to work after a three-month strike pending the resolution of a local labour dispute, senior union official Virgo Solossa said on Tuesday.

Timika, Papua – Workers at Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold Inc's mine in Indonesia may delay returning to work, despite a deal to end a three-month strike, in the absence of a decision on the removal of about 100 workers at a local unit, a union official said on Monday.

Timika, Papua – Thousands of Indonesian workers have returned to work at Freeport-McMoRan's largest gold and copper mine.

Banjir Ambarita – Tension was palpable in the hilly coastal district of Paniai, West Papua, more than 10 days after police raided a mountain hideout where armed separatists were believed to be staying.

On Dec. 12, police attacked a site in Eduda, Paniai, believed to be the headquarters for the local chapter of the outlawed Free Papua Organization (OPM)

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Mimika – Mimika's population is just 184,000 but it is one of the top three richest regencies in Indonesia. Millions in development funds from Jakarta have poured into it over the past decade.

Olivia Rondonuwu – Thousands of workers at Freeport-McMoRan's giant gold and copper mine in Papua will start going back to work today to end a three-month strike that shook labor relations in Southeast Asia's largest economy.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – If he really wants to understand the grievances of the Papuan people, the president should set up an office there, an opposition legislator said on Thursday.

Reports are emerging this week that the helicopters from which 17 West Papuans were recently shot are those of an Australian-owned mining company, Paniai Gold. Further, this ongoing Indonesian offensive involves counter-terrorism unit Detachment 88, which has been trained by Australia.

Alex Rayfield – Human rights defenders in Paniai report that searches were recently carried out in the Badauwo, Geko and Kinouv area of East Paniai. Shooting was also heard in the vicinity of Mt Wege.

The Australian government has confirmed that it is investigating reports that an Australian-owned mining company was involved in ongoing Indonesian military operations in Paniai, West Papua.

Timika – Workers at Papua's giant Grasberg mine operated by US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan have not returned to work, police in the Indonesian province said on Thursday, despite previous announcements that the crippling, three-month strike had ended.

We, the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS), condemn in the strongest terms the Indonesian military and police forces for barbaric attacks on the people of West Papua, particularly in the large area of Paniai since December 13.

Farouk Arnaz – An unidentified group of people set the Angkaisera police office in Yapen Waropen district Papua on fire and raised the Morning Star flag on Tuesday morning.

Alex Rayfield – Human Rights Defenders in West Papua accuse the Australian Government and an Australian-owned mining company, Paniai Gold, of being involved in ongoing military operations in Paniai, West Papua.

Timika, Papua – A joint investigation conducted by the Papua police and the Mimika police named five Papuans from Timika on Monday as suspects for raising the Morning Star flag during the anniversary of the Free Papua Organization earlier this month.

Ismira Lutfia – In stark contrast to government figures who say Papuan unrest stems from a lack of prosperity among native inhabitants, senior Papuan church figures say the real problem is a history of injustice and the island's problematic integration into Indonesia.

The West Papua National Coalition for Liberation has announced the establishment of the West Papua Decolonisation Committee.

The coalition says the Committee will petition the United Nations Decolonisation Committee for the re-inscription of West Papua in order for it to be granted the due process of decolonisation.

Alan Howe – Legendary reporter Hugh Lunn, then an Asia correspondent for Reuters, witnessed the cruel farce of the Act of Free Choice in 1969.

"There were 400 journalists covering East Timor – there were two (in Papua), myself and a Dutchman. There were no photographers. I took pictures and sent them out by hand."

Timika, Papua – Police say gunmen attacked a helicopter carrying workers from Freeport-McMoRan's massive gold and copper mine in eastern Indonesia, wounding one person.

The attack occurred on Saturday as thousands of workers returned to the Grasberg mine in Papua province following a three-month strike over low wages.

An international nongovernmental organization campaigning to highlight human rights abuses in Indonesia, has called for international intervention "after receiving highly distressing accounts of indiscriminate and brutal military raids" in West Papua.

Reports from Indonesian controlled West Papua indicate that thousands of villagers in Paniai are undergoing a military siege involving horrendous destruction and violence. Homes have been torched and villages razed, while helicopters are said to be strafing the villages. There are reports of deaths, forcible evacuations and the displacement of thousands of people.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appointed in early October Lt. Gen. (ret.) Bambang Dharmono, former Aceh military commander and negotiator representing Indonesia for the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM), to lead the Presidential Unit for the Acceleration of Development in Papua and West Papua (UP4B).

Dr. Richard Di Natale
Greens Senator for Victoria

16/12/11

Greens' spokesperson for West Papua, Senator Richard Di Natale, has called for urgent action in response to reports of conflict, deaths and displacement in the Paniai region of West Papua.

"Australia can no longer stand silent while West Papua burns," said Senator Di Natale.

Setyo Budi – After three violent months and a tough negotiation process, the Freeport strike is over. Not all the demands of the workers have been met, but union officials are cautiously happy with the deal, writes Setyo Budi

On Wednesday union heads clinched a deal with Freeport management to end the three-month long strike at West Papua's troubled Grasberg mine.

Jakarta – Commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Admiral Agus Suhartono said TNI will focus on the implementation of civic mission activities by launching a "Military Enters Village" (TMMD) program in Papua and West Papua next year.

Anti-graft organization Indonesian Corruption Watch will report the subsidiary of US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan to the US Department of Justice next month for involvement in a bribery case.