[Kabar-Irian] Irian News - 4/4/05

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- Church leader pleads for Papua
- Oxford at centre of West Papua campaign
- Tapol Protests Military Build Up in Papua
- PM praises Indon leader ahead of visit
- PM Urged To Reaffirm Military Ban With Indonesia
- Australian and Indonesian leaders sign new partnership agreement
- Indonesia and Australia to strengthen ties
- Defence treaty with Indonesia Premature
- More Papuans HIV positive
- NT urged to contribute to Papuan research centre
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Sydney Morning Herald
Church leader pleads for Papua
April 3, 2005

A West Papuan church leader has urged the federal government not to turn a
blind eye to human rights abuses in his homeland as it contemplates a new
security pact with Indonesia.

The call from West Papua Baptist Church President Reverend Sofyan Yoman
comes as Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono arrives in Canberra
for his first visit to Australia.

Rev Yoman criticised a ground-breaking security treaty Australia is
preparing to sign with Indonesian and which is likely to be endorsed when
Prime Minister John Howard meets with President Yudhoyono.

It is expected Australia will formally recognise Indonesia's territorial
integrity and oppose any independence movements as part of the treaty.

Instead, the federal government should be prioritising "human integrity"
over territorial integrity, the church leader said in Melbourne.

"They should be saying `we support human rights and integrity',' he said.

Rev Yoman said investigations by his church showed the Indonesian military
has been siphoning off money from the province's Special Autonomy Fund.

The Indonesian military (TNI) had been extorting the money - a total
amount of 2.5 billion rupiah ($A338,000) - at the local government level
to fund its operations.

Rev Yoman said the regional government had announced it had spent
approximately 19 billion rupiah ($A2.56 million) to pay for medicine and
food but there was no evidence of that at the village level.

"We are suffering but the government is not giving us the food or medicines.'

Rev Yoman said international donors to Indonesia such as Australia should
pressure Jakarta to open a dialogue with the independence movement, the
OPM.

As well, Australia should be pushing its new ally to investigate the
corruption claims and secure access for human rights officials to visit
areas where recent military operations have occurred.

He said the federal government should regard West Papua as a neighbour
since it was close physically, shared a Christian culture and even had
similar fauna such as kangaroos.

"They are dancing while Christian people are suffering in West Papua. We
are neighbours. Why are they blind men?"

A continuing military offensive in the Puncak Jaya area of Indonesia's
easternmost province had destroyed villages forcing up to 6,000 people to
flee, Rev Yoman said.

The military's strategy was to kill people by forcing them to face hunger
and disease in the forest rather than shooting them outright, he said.

"They create a stigma by saying the OPM are staying in this village.

"The military create the problem themselves.

"They come and the people run to the forest and the military burn the
houses and damage the gardens and kill the pigs. It's the new system."

Rev Yoman also warned that Islamic militia groups, backed by the military,
were spreading through the province.

Earlier this month the Indonesian army announced a new 15,000-strong
division of its crack Kostrad troops would be formed and sent to the
restive province.

The poorly-armed OPM has fought Indonesian rule since Jakarta annexed
Papua in 1962 and backed the takeover with a referendum in 1969 widely
seen as rigged.
-- © 2005 AAP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BBC
March 2005
Oxford at centre of West Papua campaign
Traditional tribes are under threat.
-- Tiny West Papua is thousands of miles from Oxford but its future could
hinge on people living in the city.
BBC Oxford's Jeremy Stern reports.

West Papua has been unsettled since Indonesia took control more than 30
years ago.

Since then a growing number of Indonesians have entered the country and
the military presence has also increased.

It's created conflict with indigenous West Papuan people who fear their
culture is being wiped out.

The ensuing violence, and stories of the torture and murders of West
Papuan people, are now bringing the country's plight to the world's
attention.

The Oxford-based Free West Papua Campaign group was launched earlier this
month.

Organisers hope it will further raise West Papua's profile and lead to the
freedom of its inhabitants.

"We've started this campaign to make people listen. We've already had some
degree of success and we're hoping to have a lot more in the coming year,"
explained Paul Kingsnorth.

The Oxford East MP Andrew Smith and the Bishop of Oxford the Rt Rev
Richard Harries were both at the launch.

Mr Smith compared West Papua to East Timor - a country which won
independence from Indonesia but only after decades of human suffering.

"We don't want things to have to get any worse in West Papua to draw it to
the attention of the conscience of the world," he said.

Also at Oxford Town Hall was Benny Wenda who said he was tortured by the
Indonesian Military Police, forcing him to flee West Papua.

He's now been granted asylum in England and the campaign headquarters will
be at his new home in Oxford.

He said: "The campaign is medicine for me and to my people. It's great
news that people are taking issue with the suffering of people in West
Papua."

*To find out more on the campaign visit the website
(http://www.freewestpapua.org/).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Laksamana.net
Tapol Protests Military Build Up in Papua
April 4, 2005 04:50 AM,

Laksamana.Net -  A human rights groups says the Indonesian military’s
decision to increase the number of troops in remote Papua province could
undermine efforts to find a peaceful solution to problems in the
rebellious territory.

The UK-based Indonesia Human Rights Campaign (Tapol) has written to
British Foreign Minister Douglas Alexander, urging him to put pressure on
Indonesian authorities to halt ongoing military operations and end the
build-up of troops in Papua.

Following is the text of the letter, signed by Tapol founder Carmel
Budiardjo. Via the Tapol website (http://tapol.gn.apc.org/).
***********
Military Build Up in West Papua
29 March 2005
The Rt Hon. Douglas Alexander MP,
Minister of State, Foreign Office,
King George's Street, London SW1A 0AA

Dear Mr Alexander,

Last week, the Commander-in-Chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces, General
Endriartono Sutarto, announced a major enlargement of the country's
military forces with the establishment of 22 new territorial commands.
This flies in the face of expectations that the TNI would undertake reform
measures to cut back the number of territorial commands.

It was also announced that KOSTRAD, the Army's Strategic Reserve Command,
is to create a third division, in addition to the two based in West and
East Java. The new division will be based in Sorong for regular duties
there, along with additional combat forces. This means that in addition to
the three battalions now stationed in Jayapura, Sorong and Nabire, new
battalions will be located in Timika, Wamena and Merauke. One of the 22
new territorial commands will be located in Merauke.

Plans are also afoot to establish a KODAM (a military command normally set
up alongside a provincial administration) in Merauke, which our source
believes is in preparation for the creation of a new province in the
south-east. This points to the further partition of West Papua,
undermining the Special Autonomy for Papua enacted into law in 2001.
Merauke is also regarded as an OPM stronghold although no skirmishes have
occurred for a long time.

One of the reasons given for the new deployment in West Papua is to locate
troops in places closer to points 'in need of strengthening', which can
only mean stepping up counter-insurgency operations. The Army is also
known to be involved in illegal logging in Papua.

The deployments will double the number of troops in West Papua, to a total
of 50,000 men.

While all this is happening, Papuans of all persuasions have been pressing
for Papua to become a Zone of Peace and have called for dialogue with the
authorities in Jakarta. Far from responding to these proposals, which
could pave the way to a peaceful resolution of the problems in the
territory, the government and Armed Forces seem bent on a military build
up.

There have been a number of serious incidents over the past few years in
which security forces were involved which are still unresolved. The most
recent ongoing incident is in Puncak Jaya in the Central Highlands, where
a conflict has developed between the security forces and members of the
Tabuni tribe whose traditional land was seized last August without their
consent for an airstrip and highway. A local Tabuni leader, Goliath
Tabuni, who wanted to hold talks with the authorities regarding this
dispute is now the target of a manhunt for allegedly being an OPM member.
Last September, during the manhunt, a Christian minister, the Reverend
Eliza Tabuni, was tortured, then shot dead by troops for failing to say
whether he knew the whereabouts of Goliath. His son was injured but
managed to escape.

Subsequent air and land operations around Mulia and Tolikara in the
Central Highlands, when dozens of Papuan honai and family gardens were
burnt and damaged, so terrified local villagers that they fled to safety
from the troops. After months in the mountains, they are suffering from
serious lack of food and sixty have already died as a result.

We urge the British Government along with its EU partners to make
representatives to the Indonesian authorities:

1. To end the build-up of troops, including the new KOSTRAD Division, in
West Papua.

2. To respond to the proposal from West Papuan leaders for Papua to become
a Zone of Peace and to enter into dialogue regarding continuing conflicts
and the future status of West Papua.

3. To call a halt to the ongoing military operations in the Central
Highlands and for the withdrawal of troops from the area, and to allow
humanitarian groups to visit the villagers, to provide them with
urgently-needed sustenance and help them return to their homes and
gardens.

4. To permit Komnas HAM to send a mission to Puncak Jaya to investigate
the circumstances in which the Reverend Tabuni was killed and the events
that led to the villagers fleeing their homes and gardens.

Unless action is taken by the authorities to end the rapidly worsening
situation in West Papua, we fear that instability will take hold, the
consequences of which could be yet more conflict and suffering for the
West Papuan people.

Yours sincerely,
Carmel Budiardjo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sydney Morning Herald
PM praises Indon leader ahead of visit
April 2, 2005 - 3:19PM

Prime Minister John Howard lavished praise on his Indonesian counterpart,
describing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as a moderate Islamic leader
ahead of his visit to Australia.

"His election was a triumph for moderate Islam over the forces of evil and
extremism," Mr Howard said during an address to a state Liberal Party
conference in Melbourne.

"The terrorists want him to fail but good, decent, moderate Islamic people
want him to succeed.

"And who can doubt where the interests of our country lie?

"They lie in forging a close friendship and a close partnership with this
country."

Mr Yudhoyono is due to land in Canberra on Sunday after postponing his
visit to Australia following the Sumatran earthquake disaster.

The first directly elected Indonesian president was a man who represented
"a new hope, a new inspiration for the people of Indonesia", Mr Howard
said.

"Indonesia has undergone a tremendous transformation.

"It doesn't get enough credit in my opinion, particularly in Europe, for
what it has achieved over the last few years."

Mr Yudhoyono had implemented "some very bold economic reforms", including
cutting fuel subsidies to millions of Indonesians by 30 per cent, he said.

During his visit, the Indonesian president is expected to discuss the $1
billion joint earthquake relief package as well as trade, investment,
security and education issues.

But peace activists have vowed to protest the visit and have accused the
Indonesian army of human rights abuses during its offensives against
self-determination movements in Aceh and West Papua.

ACT Network Opposing War (ACT NOW) spokesman James Crafti said Mr
Yudhoyono was oppressing independence movements in Aceh and West Papua and
Australia should not be discussing further security ties with Indonesia.

Earlier this month a senior Baptist minister in Papua who is visiting
Australia alleged money from a special autonomy fund, set up to support
humanitarian projects in the province, was being used to fund army
operations against independence fighters from the Free Papua Movement, or
OPM.

West Papua Baptist Church President Reverend Sofyan Yoman said the fund
was partially made up from international contributions, including from
Australia, and he pressed the federal government to demand answers from
Indonesia.
-- © 2005 AAP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Press Release: Indonesia Human Rights Committee
PM Urged To Reaffirm Military Ban With Indonesia
Monday, 4 April 2005, 9:00 am

Helen Clark urged to reaffirm the ban on military ties when she meets with
the President of Indonesia
3 April , 2005

This week Prime Minister Helen Clark will meet with the President of
Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The Indonesia Human Rights Committee
has urged the Prime Minister to take the opportunity to reaffirm that New
Zealand will maintain the ban on military ties, which was imposed in 1999.

“The US has decided to resume military ties and Australia is talking about
a new Security Treaty with Indonesia. This “business as usual” agenda
sends a signal that crimes against humanity can be overlooked. This is
also terrible news for the oppressed people of Aceh and West Papua where
new military offensives are taking place right now.”

“New Zealand can buck the trend and show the world that it is serious
about the call for justice for the crimes committed in East Timor and
about its support for democratic reform in Indonesia.”

Ironically the US State Department’s 2004 Annual Report describes the
Indonesian military as an institution of vast wealth and unaccountable
power, responsible for crimes including politically motivated
extrajudicial killings, torture, rape and robbery.

Indonesian military abuses include:
- Unaccountability for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor.
Not one Indonesian military or political figure has been held to account
for the mayhem of murder and destruction that took place in 1999 before
international peace force was sent to East Timor. Several of the Generals
who were in command at the time have since been promoted, and have gone on
to serve in the conflict areas of Aceh and West Papua.

- Human rights abuses in the devastated province of Aceh. The military has
faced numerous charges of withholding and controlling the flow of tsunami
aid. All calls for a ceasefire have been turned. 40,000 troops continue to
prosecute a brutal war against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and civilians
caught in the crossfire. Recent crimes include the torture, abduction and
murder of villagers suspected of helping GAM fighters.

- Human Rights abuses in West Papua: In the highland area of West Papua,
around 5,000 Papuans have fled from military bombardment of their homes.
These people now shelter in the foothills of the Puncak Jaya Mountain. A
list of 53 villagers who have died of hunger or disease was recently sent
out to human rights agencies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Australian and Indonesian leaders sign new partnership agreement
Canberra, Australia April 03, 2005 (AP)

The leaders of Australia and Indonesia on Monday signed a partnership
agreement that they said would lead to new security pact between their
countries.

Prime Minister John Howard and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed
the framework agreement during Yudhoyono's first visit to Australia as his
nation's leader.

Indonesia scrapped an earlier defense treaty in anger over Australia's
participation in a military force against pro-Jakarta militias in the
former Indonesian province of East Timor after its violent split with
Indonesia in 1999.

Yudhoyono, who arrived Sunday for a visit expected to help bolster the
relationship between the two neighbors, said the military forces of the
two countries needed to cooperate more closely, but said the new security
pact would not amount to a nonaggression treaty.

"In general, we agreed to have positive and constructive cooperation in
the field of defense and security," Yudhoyono told reporters.

"With great understanding, of course, we have to find a framework to solve
the problem peacefully if there is a problem," he added.

Howard assured Yudhoyono that Australia would not support secessionist
movements in the provinces of Aceh and West Papua.

"I made it very clear to the president that Australia fully respects the
territorial integrity of the Indonesian republic," he said. "That is a
given in our relationship."

Details of the agreement signed Monday were not immediately available.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indonesia and Australia to strengthen ties
Reuters, Agence France-Presse
Tuesday, April 5, 2005
-- Tragedies help close gaps between rivals

Canberra - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia spoke of a "new
era" of relations with Australia here on Monday as a spate of shared
tragedies brought the once-rival neighboring nations closer together.

Making his first visit to Australia, Yudhoyono said his nation was also
"duty bound" to strengthen ties with Australia, which has pledged one
billion Australian dollars, or $769 million, and sent troops to help with
tsunami relief. "We are heralding a new era of Indonesia-Australia
bilateral relations," Yudhoyono told a news conference after talks with
Prime Minister John Howard of Australia.

After the talks, Yudhoyono announced that he would press fellow leaders in
Southeast Asia to accept Australia into Asian-bloc talks later this year.

Yudhoyono and Howard also issued a joint declaration on a "comprehensive
partnership" under which they agreed to negotiate a new security agreement
to protect both countries and to improve air and maritime cooperation.

The Australia-Indonesia summit came two days after nine people in
Australia's navy and air force died in a helicopter crash while on a
humanitarian mission to Indonesian villages stricken by a powerful
earthquake last week. Yudhoyono told a lunch in Canberra that he was
"utterly devastated" by the accident and that all those traveling on the
Sea King helicopter, including two soldiers who had been injured, would
receive "medals of honor."

Australia also played the leading role in rushing aid to Indonesia after
the devastating December 26 earthquake and tsunamis, which killed more
than 120,000 Indonesians.

Before the tsunamis, the two governments worked closely to track down
Islamic militants behind a string of bombings, the worst of which occurred
in Bali in 2002 when 202 people were killed, 88 of them Australian.

Howard said these shared tragedies had contributed to a "very strong
personal commitment" between himself and Yudhoyono to strengthening the
often tense relationship between the countries.

"Tragedy has brought our two countries together in recent months but
before the terrible tsunami tragedy overwhelmed the province of Aceh,
there had already been many positive developments in the relationship of
our two countries," Howard said. "We are both committed to the
strengthening of the partnership and the friendship between our two
countries."

Yudhoyono echoed the desire to improve ties between the world's most
populous Muslim-majority nation and Australia, often seen as an outsider
in Asia. "I strongly hope that my visit here will affirm the importance of
Australia to Indonesia and will help usher in a new era of bilateral
relations," Yudhoyono said.

In a sign of his enthusiasm for the relationship, the Indonesian leader
vowed to back Australia's bid to be accepted into the East Asia summit
meeting, which is to be held in Malaysia in December. "I stressed the
importance of Australia's close engagement with the region, and I
reiterated Indonesia's support for Australia to join the East Asia Summit
this year," Yudhoyono said.

Yudhoyono's stance puts him at odds with some Asian countries, including
Malaysia, whose prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is due in Canberra
later this week.

The Malaysian deputy prime minister, Najib Razak, recently called for
Australia to be excluded from the summit meeting, which is intended to
build cooperation between the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian
Nations and Japan, South Korea and China as part of a move toward an East
Asian Community.

The warm declarations emerging from Yudhoyono's visit were a stark
contrast with the tenor of relations in the past, especially when tensions
flared over Australian military involvement in the UN-backed process of
gaining independence for the former Indonesian province of East Timor in
1999.

At a joint press conference, Howard said he and Yudhoyono had signed an
agreement under which Canberra pledged not to support the further breaking
up of Indonesia by separatist groups. "Australia fully respects the
territorial integrity of the Indonesian republic," Howard said, adding
that Canberra wished to see separatist movements in the provinces of Aceh
and Papua resolved "amicably."

Under the joint declaration, Australia and Indonesia also committed to
"forge closer partnerships between our police forces, immigration and
customs officials and security and intelligence agencies," including more
cooperation to combat terrorism, people smuggling and the drug trade.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AWPA
Media Release
3 April 2005
Defence treaty with Indonesia Premature

John Howard must raise the issue of human rights abuses with the
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, during his visit to
Australia.

That's according to The Australia West Papua Association (Sydney), which
says Indonesian forces are carrying out a brutal campaign of repression
against independence activists, just north of Australia.

"Unfortunately murder and torture are almost routine in West Papua, which
has been fighting against Indonesian rule since the 60's", said
Association secretary, Joe Collins.

Mr Collins points to a recent "SBS Dateline" program in which a
representative from the Baptist Church in West Papua, said that a recent
military operation in the West Papuan highlands had destroyed a large
number of villages and caused over 6,000 people to flee to the bush for
safety.

A recent report also points to the military's involvement in a massive
illegal logging operation, the smuggling of logs from West Papua to China.

"Despite some democratic reforms in Indonesia, outrageous atrocities
against Papuan citizens continue unabated. Mr Howard must raise this issue
directly with the Indonesian President".

The AWPA also believes that until Jakarta can control its military in West
Papua, any defence treaty with Indonesia is premature, including given any
aid or training to the Indonesian military.

The Australian Government is concerned about stability in the regions to
our north. However, it is exactly these actions by the Indonesia military,
which will increase tension and lead to the very instability the
government is trying to avoid.

"If Australia's relationship with Indonesia is to flourish these
fundamental issues must be discussed. If we turn the other way, the issue
will eventually explode like East Timor".

"I urge Mr Howard and Kim Beazley to find the courage to stand up for
these forgotten people, who are our close neighbors" Joe Collins said.

For more information or comment:
Australia West Papua Association (Sydney) Joe Collins, (02) 9960 1698 Mob.
04077 857 97
http://www.zulenet.com/awpa/
Background info: http://www.freewestpapua.com/theissues
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
Islands in Focus
April 04, 2004
More Papuans HIV positive

Jayapura: The number of people with HIV/AIDS is on the rise in Papua, with
around 500 people testing positive for the virus every year.

Latest data from the Papua province health office in March this year
showed that 1,874 people were HIV/AIDS positive, an increase from the
1,749 people in December last year.

"If there's an addition of 125 HIV positive people in three months, it
means 500 in a year. That's an official figure. But if we use the theory
that claims for every known HIV positive case there are 100 unknown, it
might mean 5,000 HIV positive cases a year," said Suwardi Redjo, head of
communicable diseases subdivision at the Papua health office on Saturday.

Of the official figure of 1,874, 1,131 were HIV positive and 743 had
full-blown AIDS. Most of them were between 20-29 years of age (785), 30-39
years (451), 15-19 years (165) and 40-49 (161).
-- JP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABC/Radio Australia
Sunday, April 3, 2005. 12:15pm (AEST)
NT urged to contribute to Papuan research centre

A biologist wants the Northern Territory Government to help fund a
research centre in Papua.

Charles Darwin University lecturer Richard Noske is helping establish the
centre to counteract environmental destruction in Papua.

Dr Noske says the centre will be used to teach locals the importance of
conserving their natural resources.

He says the Territory Government should help to prevent the loss of
biodiversity in neighbouring countries.

"I believe that it's timely as the destructive processes in West Papua are
really increasing and gaining speed," he said.

"I think we should be involved in this just because we're so close and
because it represents such an enormous research opportunity."