[Kabar-Irian] Irian News - 2/24/03 (Part 1 of 2)

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- Indonesia derails RMIT bid to host conference
- Keep watch over separatist campaigners abroad: Legislators 
- Papuan activist calls for international condemnation of Indonesia’s plans to 
split Papua
- Papuan activists say plans to split the Indonesian province will lead to more 
violence
- Papua: Downer tells opposition: Stop unions backing independent Papua
- Justice and Peace letter re division of Papua
- Jakarta erects barriers to Papua's autonomy 
- Rumbiak denounces West Papua provincial carve up
- Regions: Papua: Governor Supports Split 
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The Age (Melbourne)
Indonesia derails RMIT bid to host conference
February 25 2003
By Farah Farouque

A conference billed as a "major event" to discuss the future of the Indonesian 
province of Papua will be launched tonight at Trades Hall.

The gestation of the conference, however, has been painful - especially for 
RMIT University.

RMIT's Globalism Institute is funding the two-day meeting, which was advertised 
to be held on campus. The venue was arranged late last year.

But a week-and-half ago these plans were halted when university management 
intervened. The administration was happy for its researchers to be involved in 
the conference, even give $2000 funding, but it did not want it to carry the 
university's official imprimatur. 

That meant a hasty change of venue. The co-organiser of the event, the left-
wing New Internationalist magazine suspects the hand of the Indonesian embassy 
in Canberra. 

A university spokesman, Professor Neil Furlong, confirmed that, after an 
invitation was dispatched to the acting Indonesian ambassador Imron Cotan to 
participate, representations were made to vice-chancellor Ruth Dunkin. 

"We have ongoing communications with the Indonesians," he said.

"They, as you'd expect, are not comfortable with the debates about West Papuan 
cessation." 

It's not the first time the university, which has about 2000 fee paying 
students from Indonesia, has ruffled Indonesia's national pride. Last year, the 
university apologised to the embassy when the Morning Star flag, a symbol of 
the Papuan independence movement, was raised at a function on campus.

Professor Furlong says although the booking at Storey Hall was long-standing, 
senior management was unaware of the event until recently. 

Chris Richards, the Australasian editor of New Internationalist , said: "What 
happened here is that the Indonesian Government has taken academic freedom 
hostage and RMIT has been a willing prisoner."

Meanwhile, the ABC has also come under scrutiny after it requested that 
organisers of a concert on Friday to support Papuan independence remove 
references to participation by the national broadcaster. (The ABC is pre-
recording it). 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
Latest News
2/24/2003 8:23:04 PM
Keep watch over separatist campaigners abroad: Legislators 

Jakarta (JP): Legislators here Monday urged the Defense Ministry to monitor and 
take counter measures against diplomatic activities being conducted by 
separatist OPM (Free Papua Movement) activists abroad, Antara reported. 

"According to reports reaching us, the separatists conduct their activities 
individually. Still they are threatening the unitary state of Indonesia," House 
Commission I member Mudjib Rahmat said at a meeting with Defense Minister 
Matori Abdul Djalil. Other Commission members, including Burhan Magenda, Astrid 
Susanto and Zulvan Lindan, shared Mudjib's view. 

Mujib said it was estimated the number of people engaged in a separatist 
campaign on behalf of OPM abroad was far larger than those who promoted East 
Timor's independence during the period when the territory was still an 
Indonesian province. 

Burhan Magenda said the government should monitor any increase in the number of 
OPM activists abroad. If to date their number was said to be as high as 1,600, 
there was a possibility the figure would rise, especially following the 
government's decision to divide Papua into three provinces.

"The decision had caused tensions in the region as well as polemics as the 
division would create two provinces with great natural resource potential and 
one with meager natural resource potential," Burhan said. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Radio New Zealand International
Created at 5:21 pm on 24 February 2003 
Papuan activist calls for international condemnation of Indonesia’s plans to 
split Papua

A Papuan human rights activist says the international community has to say 
where it stands on a controversial plan by the Indonesian government to split 
Papua province into three.

John Rumbiak, the international advocate for Papua’s Elsham human rights 
agency, says the decree is a deliberate attempt to create tensions and conflict 
in Papua. 

He says it is aimed at increasing Jakarta’s control and weakening the self-
determination movement. 

Mr Rumbiak says it will also lead to a greater military presence with bases in 
each of the new provinces. 

And he says the Papuan people will find themselves further dominated by an 
increased influx of migrants. 

Much of the international community, including New Zealand and Australia, has 
backed the special autonomy law passed a year ago, and Mr Rumbiak wants to know 
where they stand now given Jakarta’s latest U-turn on Papua. 

“Are they supporting the autonomy law which they believe is a breakthrough to 
their growing demand for self determination in Papua?.... If that is so what is 
the position of the New Zealand government, Pacific Island Forum countries, as 
well as Australia itself, and the rest of the international community. ”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Radio New Zealand International
Created at 10:42 am on 24 February 2003 
Papuan activists say plans to split the Indonesian province will lead to more 
violence

A Papuan human rights organisation, Elsham, and the Australian West Papua 
Association have warned the current tensions in the Indonesian province will 
lead to an increase in violence.

A spokesman for Elsham, John Rumbiak, says the presidential instruction to 
divide the province in three has already seen pro and anti demonstrations 
throughout the area.

Mr Rumbiak says the plan, which goes against a special autonomy law for the 
province, will see greater conflict among Papuans and will lead to Indonesian 
military expansion.

He says the tensions over the proposed division are being exacerbated by 
incoming numbers of the fundamentalist Islamic movement, Lakshar Jihad.

A suspected Pakistani national is reported to have been arrested late last week 
and found to be carrying ten explosive devices 
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RNZI/PINA Nius 
Papua: Downer tells opposition: Stop unions backing independent Papua
Monday: February 24, 2003 
Melbourne

Australia’s Foreign Minister has called on the opposition to rein in the union 
movement over its support for independence for the Indonesian province of Papua.

Alexander Downer said Labor declared on the one hand that it supported the 
ongoing territorial integrity of Indonesia. But on the other hand supporters of 
the Labor Party were supporting independence for Papua through sponsorship of a 
concert in Melbourne later this week, he said.

The Australian Associated Press says the Australian Broadcasting Corporation 
(ABC) has been directed not to sponsor or broadcast the event which is 
presented by the Victorian Trades Hall Council. Papua, a resource rich former 
Dutch colony, was taken over by Indonesia in the 1960s in controversial 
circumstances. A continuing pro-independence movement has become increasingly 
vocal since the overthrow in Indonesia of the repressive Soeharto regime.

The Soeharto regime was blamed for many human rights abuses in Papua
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: "Paul Barber" <plovers at gn.apc.org>
Sent: Monday, February 24, 2003 3:56 AM
Subject: [wp] Justice and Peace letter re division of Papua

Jayapura, 22 February 2003 
Redaksi yang terhormat,

Herewith I like to react on your news related to the Inpres No. 1 2003 
(division of the Papua Province) as published in your paper Friday, 21 
February, under the title: Papua ready to form two new provinces: Governor, 
written by Nethy Dharma Somba.

After reading reports on the press-conference by the governor (local paper 
CEPOS 21 Febr) and after checking with the chairman of DPRD, it has to be said 
that the reporting in your paper is not correct and very misleading for people 
who depend on your paper for information.

As far as the information here tells me: DPRD is still going for a critical 
examination of the Inpres-matter, and a special committee has been appointed to 
look at all the options, including judicial review, virtual refusal of the 
Inpres etc. In a statement on Thursday the chair of the committee, A. Yance 
Ayomi makes very clear that the DPRD has not yet taken any official stand of 
possible approval, or political support of the Inpres (rather the inverse!). 
Therefore your information that DPRD is supporting the Inpres No.1, 2003 is 
completely incorrect.

The Governor is also very clear in his critical stand on the Inpres. In his 
press conference, he makes very clear that no instructions have been given to 
him as to the implementation of the Inpres; he refers to a meeting with the 
Minister for Domestic Affairs on 8 February, telling that he asked the minister 
for practical instructions what to do. The minister tells him clearly: just 
wait. I quote: "Yang jelas tidak ada petunjuk spesifik dari Mendagri kepada 
saya terkait dengan pemekaran. Karena itu mari kita tunggu perkembangan 
selanjutnya. Dan yang pasti sampai saat ini Provinsi Papua masih satu". He 
tells that everything in the Inpres No. 1 has been stated in a very general way 
and that the minister even couldn't tell him where the headquarters of the new 
province will be located and who might be the new governor there! Hence your 
information suggesting that the Governor is ready to get along with the 
implementation of the Inpres No. 1, 2003, is not correct and very misleading.

What might be confusing for outside parties is the fact that the Governor as 
well as the DPRD have no objection that a division of the province will become 
a matter of discussion in the future, and even might be decided on as a good 
concept to improve the socio-economic wellbeing of the people. But that 
discussion should be hold according to the rules settled for in the Special 
Autonomy Law, and therefore is something to be thought of later. For sure they 
(Governor & DPRD) voice their strong objection to the way the division seem now 
to be forced onto the people, and the way it is denying the law. 
Some 'reporters' might miss the point and just translate the openess for a 
discussion on division of the province in the future as "backing the 
InpresNo.1". For sure that kind of 'translation' is a complete mistake and lack 
of understanding.

As the news published in your paper last Friday is very disturbing for a lot of 
the (especially international) readers of your paper, I ask you urgently to 
correct the information.

Sincerely yours,
Drs. Theo van den Broek
Director Office for Justice & Peace, Jayapura
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
National News
February 24, 2003
Jakarta erects barriers to Papua's autonomy 
Kanis Dursin, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

The decision to split up Papua into three provinces has eroded what little 
trust the Papuans had developed toward the government since the implementation 
of the special autonomy law on Jan. 1, 2002.

This decision also sends out a strong message to other troubled provinces, 
particularly Aceh, that the central government has no intention to honor 
agreements into which it voluntarily enters. 

President Megawati Soekarnoputri issued Decree No. 1/2003 dividing Papua into 
the three provinces of Papua, Central Irian Jaya and West Irian Jaya. Dated 
Jan. 27, the decree serves the political interests of the central government 
and power-hungry opportunists in Papua more than the well-being of its people. 

Dividing Papua, home to 2.3 million people, into several provinces will surely 
bring the government closer to the people, accelerate development, and boost 
indigenous Papuans' involvement in developing the province. In comparison, 
Java, which is one-third the size of Papua, is divided up into six provinces, 
including the capital of Jakarta. 

But the decree -- a copy of which was faxed to the Papua governor's office from 
a telephone kiosk in Jakarta instead of the office of the home affairs 
ministry -- violates Law No. 21/2001, article 76 of the special autonomy law, 
which clearly states that any move to divide Papua into several provinces must 
be with the approval of the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP). 

The Papuan People's Assembly, the highest legislative body in autonomous Papua, 
has not yet been established, but the central government has already divided 
the province. This leaves Papuan leaders and intellectuals wondering whether 
Jakarta is serious about implementing the special autonomy law there. 

The Papuan administration, fully backed by its legislature, has set up a joint 
team to look into legal flaws in the decree and to file a judicial review with 
the Supreme Court. 

"We want to show that we Papuans understand how law works," Papua legislature 
(DPRP) chairman John Ibo told The Jakarta Post. 

However, the Presidential Decree goes far beyond the legal wrangle. By 
unilaterally dividing Papua into three provinces, the government has taken over 
the function of the Assembly and has raised questions as to the government's 
sincerity in granting the special autonomy status to Papua. 

Under the special autonomy law, the Assembly has the authority to approve 
candidates for the positions of governor and deputy governor. It also has the 
final say in the selection of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) members 
representing Papua, and enacts bills submitted by the Papuan House of 
Representatives (DPRP) and the Papuan governor. 

The absence of the Papuan People's Assembly has deprived DPRP and the governor 
their rights to submit badly-needed regulations of the special autonomy law. 
The law has never been implemented since it came into effect in January 2002, 
thanks to Jakarta. 

The draft of a government regulation on the establishment of the Assembly was 
submitted to the home affairs ministry six months ago, but has not yet been 
approved. Jakarta has clearly sabotaged the implementation of the special 
autonomy law by delaying the establishment of the Papuan People's Assembly. 

This explains, at least partially, why Papuan leaders and intellectuals reacted 
angrily to Presidential Decree No. 1/2003. 

John Ibo accuses the government of duping Papuans into accepting the special 
autonomy law. "We have been cheated repeatedly and even now, we are being 
deceived," John said. 

The special autonomy law -- drafted by Papuan leaders and intellectuals -- was 
adopted to accommodate the Papuans' strong aspirations toward independence, 
which emerged following the forced resignation of former dictator Soeharto in 
May 1998. 

The law allows Papua to have "its own government", complete with the MRP 
people's assembly, the House, an anthem, a flag and symbol, as well as a local 
political party. The role of the central government is limited to foreign 
policy, defense and security, monetary and fiscal matters, religion and the 
judicial system. 

The province is also allowed to retain up to 90 percent of its land and 
building tax, 80 percent of its revenues from forestry, fishery and general 
mining industries, and 70 percent of receipts from the oil and natural gas 
sector. 

Papuans had now finally begun to feel that they were "masters in their own 
land". Indigenous Papuans have taken over almost 90 percent of all key 
positions in the province, from the gubernatorial office and the provincial 
legislature down to the village level. Under the special autonomy arrangement, 
Papua was basically "an independent province within a sovereign country". 

The law somewhat successfully muffled the demands for independence among 
indigenous Papuans. Since the autonomy law came into effect, pro-independence 
rallies were conspicuously absent from Jayapura streets, including at the Papua 
legislature compound -- until the announcement of the above Decree. 

Papuan leaders and intellectuals suspect that the division of the province into 
three smaller provinces stems from "groundless fears" that the special autonomy 
law, if fully implemented, would lead to Papuan independence; a consequence 
Indonesia cannot afford, following the loss of East Timor in a United Nations-
sponsored referendum in 1999. 

Jakarta is particularly suspicious of the Papuan assembly, whose members are to 
hail from tribal societies, religious leaders and women's groups. Most leaders, 
if not all, of the Lembaga Masyarakat Adat, or tribal communities, are members 
of the Papua Presidium Council, a loose organization that has campaigned for 
and independent Papua. This explains why Jakarta has not endorsed the draft of 
a government regulation on the establishment of the Papuan People's Assembly. 

The government seems to think that dividing the province would weaken the 
secessionist movement and give Jakarta free reign to monitor and control the 
leaders of the poorly-organized Free Papua Movement (OPM). If this is true, 
then the government has not learned its lesson: A small population does not 
prevent a people from fighting for and achieving independence, as proved by the 
East Timor experience. 

In any case, the welfare of its people seems to have taken a back seat. Papuans 
were not consulted, and their social and cultural conditions were not taken 
into account in splitting up the province. In some parts, borders run through 
ancestral lands and divide people from the same minor ethnic groups into two 
different provinces. This, according to local leaders, would sooner or later 
create horizontal conflicts resulting from land disputes along provincial 
borders. 

Consulting Papuans before splitting up the province is necessary, not only 
because Papua is an autonomous province, but also because the division concerns 
their lives. Involving the Papuans in decision-making is part and parcel of its 
right as an autonomous province. Denying them of such an opportunity is 
tantamount to negating their existence as an integral part of the country, 
which has fueled renewed demands for independence. 

The controversial decree has clearly served as a wake-up call for indigenous 
Papuans, that not everything is fine with the special autonomy status. 

"This (the decree) will harden our struggle for independence," said a prominent 
youth leader in Jayapura last week, expressing his conviction that, sooner or 
later, Papua would be independent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Green Left Weekly
February 26, 2003. 
Rumbiak denounces West Papua provincial carve up
By Iggy Kim 

Sydney — The Indonesian government's decision to divide West Papua into three 
provinces is a further attack by Jakarta on the Papuan people's right to self-
determination, West Papua Institute for Human Rights supervisor John Rumbiak 
told a February 20 forum organised by the Uniting Church and the Australia-West 
Papua Association. 

On January 27, President Megawati Sukarnoputri issued a decree to implement a 
1999 law to divide the province of Papua into three provinces. On February 13, 
Indonesia’s House of Representatives endorsed the decree. 

The original law was not implemented due to widespread opposition both inside 
and outside West Papua. In October 2001, Megawati's predecessor, President 
Abdurrahman Wahid, introduced a new law enacting special autonomy for the 
province. This came into effect in January 2002 but has not been implemented 
under Megawati’s presidency. 

Rumbiak explained that the division of Papua province into three provinces will 
increase Jakarta’s exploitation and militarisation of West Papua. Each new 
province will have a separate military command, troop numbers will be increased 
and there will be more military control over business operations, especially 
the lucrative resource industries. 

The decree has raised social tensions to an explosive point in West Papua, 
Rumbiak warned. He recounted that on February 18, a pro-division rally of 1300 
clashed with thousands of independence supporters in the West Papuan capital of 
Jayapura. This social tension has been exacerbated by Jakarta’s program of 
bringing in colonial-settlers from Indonesia. 

Rumbiak warned that an additional factor is the relocation in West Papua of the 
military-backed terror gang Laskar Jihad. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Laksamana.net
Regions: Papua: Governor Supports Split 
February 24, 2003 11:12 AM
 
Laksamana.Net - Though religious leaders in Papua have opposed the plan by 
Jakarta to split the province into three, Papua governor Jaap Salossa has come 
out strongly in favor of the move. 

“We are ready to split Papua province into three or even four as long as it is 
aimed at improving local people's social welfare, because it is not in 
contradictory with Law No. 45/1999 on the formation of West and Central Irian 
Jaya provinces and Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua," he said 
Thursday (20/2/03). 

The governor called on all sides to stay calm in enforcing the law to avoid any 
frictions or conflicts and prevent it from raising new problems in the region. 

All factions in the provincial legislative council except the biggest one, the 
Golkar Party, have expressed support for the proposed formation of the new 
provinces. 

Golkar has expressed its opposition and warned that the decree would increase 
friction among the people. The party plans to call for a judicial review by the 
Supreme Court, so that the House of Representatives would be forced to annul 
it. 

The division is also opposed by pro-independence Papuans who claim it is part 
of a divide-and-rule policy while the government says Papua is too big and 
needs to be split. 

They say the move violates the special autonomy law introduced on Jan. 1, 2002. 
Under that law, the division of Papua can only be done with the approval of the 
Papuan provincial legislature. 

Bram Atururi, acting Governor of West Papua, said the formation of the new 
provinces was already final and those who opposed the process should be labeled 
separatists. 

According to him, the people of West Papua covering the regencies of Manokwari, 
Fakfak and Sorong, have agreed to form a new province to speed up development 
in the new province. 

But the governor said the recent unilateral declaration by political leaders in 
Manokwari was invalid because so far, the central government has yet to issue 
regulations to enforce the law on the formation of the new provinces. 
*****
Australian activities support Papua 
Jakarta has said the activities of Australian-based Papua pro-separatist groups 
that could disturb Indonesia's sovereignty in Papua are hampering its 
relationship with Canberra. The two countries have agreed to hold ministerial-
level talks on the issue. 

Melbourne Concert Hall will host the 'Morning Star Concert for Papua’ on 
February 28 when artists from Australia, West Papua, Papua New Guinea and East 
Timor will raise funds for the non-government organization, Elsham. 

Elsham documents human rights abuses in Papua. Proceeds from the concert will 
go towards setting up an international office of Elsham in New York, in order 
to intensify efforts to lobby the United Nations. 
*****
Laskad Jihad still in Papua 
Elsham leader John Rumbiak said Friday that radical Islamic group, Laskar 
Jihad, continues to operate in the area under Indonesian military protection 
despite being disbanded elsewhere. 

The group, blamed for fostering sectarian violence in a number of Indonesian 
provinces, was formally disbanded after the Bali bombings last year. 

Rumbiak says the Indonesian military is collaborating closely with the Laskar 
Jihad, especially along the border with Papua New Guinea. 

He said the military was also training the Laskar Jihad and added that “they 
have placed them in several districts in Papua like the transmigration sites 
where the majority of the Muslims are." 

Across the border, Sandaun Governor Carlos Yuni called for Papua New Guinea to 
construct police and military barracks near the border with Indonesia, the Post 
Courier reported. 

Indonesia maintained a police/military post next to the border, and Papua 
should do the same as a matter of urgency.
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