Cegah Separatis Papau Dipecah Jadi Empat Provinsi

TRIBUNNEWS.COM, JAKARTA - Terkait sering kisruhnya keamanan dan tata kelola pemerintahan di Papua terkait gerakan terbuka Papua merdeka jelas mengindikasikan pemerintah pusat yang belum berhasil membangun Papua dan Papua Barat sebagai bagian dari NKRI. Pemerintah pusat harus lebih pro aktif dan terbuka.

"Tidak bisa hanya membuat perintah atau instruksi kepada pemerintah daerah. Akan tetapi, tokoh masyarakat harus diajak dialog dan diajak bekerjasama, membicarakan aspek kesejahteraan dan pemerataan serta percepatan pembangunan infrastruktur khususnya pendidikan yang diharapkan," kata Ketua Fraksi PDI-P Tjahjo Kumolo, Jumat (05/08/2011).

Pola ABRI Masuk Desa (AMD) bagi Polri dan TNI, ujarnya, perlu ditingkatkan kembali. Alangkah lebih baik, menghindari pola siapa kawan siapa lawan, jadikan semua adalah warga negara NKRI. Kelompok separatis memang harus ditindak tegas, akan tetapi pola pembinaan dan pendekatan sosial yang komprehensif perlu dilakukan.

"Mengingat wilayah yang sangat luas perlu dipertimbangkan penataan penerintahan yang lebih effektif. Misalnya dengan pembentukan propinsi baru sehingga Papua setidaknya ada 3 hingga 4 provinsi sehingga mempercepat koordinasi dan pemerataan pembangunan. Demikian juga instansi lain dibentuk sama, baik kodam, polda, kejaksaan dan pengadilan di tiang-tiap propinsi," papar Tjahjo yang juga anggota Komisi I DPR RI ini.

Paling tidak, katanya lagi, aparat keamanan dapat cepat bereaksi, bersikap bila ada gangguan hingga ancaman integrasi. Dan Komisi I DPR bisa mengundang dalam masa reses ini, saat raker, atau mengundang khusus Menhan Panglima TNI BIN BIA serta Kastaf Matra-matra TNI.

Melakukan evaluasi bersama, kata Tjahjo lagi, tentang tata dan pola gerakan komando dan pelaksanaan intelijen strategisnya di Papua. (tribunnews/yat)

Sumber; http://www.tribunnews.com

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Gerakan Baru Papua Merdeka

Makin Modern Menuntut Pisah
Deden Gunawan - detikNews

Jakarta - Sejak pagi hari, ribuan orang Papua asli terus mengalir mendatangi Lapangan Timika Indah. Hari itu, Selasa, 2 Agustus 2011.

Di belahan bumi lain, tepatnya di East School of the Examination Schools, 75-81 High Street, Oxford, Inggris, pada hari yang sama tengah digelar konferensi internasional yang mengupayakan kemerdekaan Papua.

Konferensi itu diprakarsai International Lawyers for West Papua (ILWP). ILWP diluncurkan di House of Commons, London, tepatnya pada15 Oktober 2008.

Konferensi ILWP bertujuan untuk mendukung penentuan nasib sendiri bagi warga asli Papua. Pada tahun ketiga ini, konferensi mengangkat tema tentang kemerdekaan Papua Barat dengan judul "West Papua? The Road to Freedom".

Berdasarkan informasi dari laman situs ILWP, pembicara dalam konferensi itu yaitu Benny Wenda, yang disebut sebagai pemimpin kemerdekaan masyarakat Papua Barat , ahli Penentuan Pendapat Rakyat (Pepera) tahun 1969 John Saltford, dan saksi Penentuan Pendapat Rakyat tahun 1969 Clement Ronawery.

Konferensi itu melakukan pengkajian hukum terhadap Pepera 1969 yang dianggap cacat oleh kelompok prokemerdekaan Papua.

Nah ribuan orang berduyun-duyun ke Lapangan Timika Indah 2 Agustus 2011 itu untuk mendukung konferensi ILWP tersebut.

Yel-yel Papua merdeka berkali-kali bergema dalam aksi di lapangan itu. Tarian Waita sesekali meramaikan aksi. Tapi tentu saja orasi politik menjadi menu utama. Inti orasi, masyarakat asli Papua menuntut referendrum bagi Papua Barat.

"Ini untuk menunjukkan pada dunia maupun Indonesia , kami ingin menentukan nasib sendiri, melalui mekanisme hukum yang sah dan legal, yakni referendum," kata Ketua Komite Nasional Papua Barat (KNPB) Maco Tabuni. KNPB merupakan organisasi yang menggelar demontrasi itu.

Selain di Timika, aksi serupa juga digelar di sejumlah kota lainnya, seperti Jayapura, Nabire, dan Abepura. Aksi juga digelar di depan Istana Negara, Jakarta.

Aksi ribuan masyarakat asli Papua itu berlangsung damai. Padahal malam sebelumnya sempat beredar pesan singkat (SMS) yang isinya akan terjadi pembantaian dan lain sebagainya, yang mengarah pada tindakan anarkis. Dua hari sebelum aksi itu pun, terjadi bentrokan antar pendukung calon bupati di kabupaten Puncak yang menewaskan 19 orang. Juga terjadi serangan terhadap angkutan umum yang menyebabkan 7 korban termasuk dari TNI.

Tiga hari setelah demo besar-besaran itu, tuntutan Papua Merdeka terus bergema. Pada 5 Agustus 2011, Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) bahkan menuntut referendum dengan cara membakar bendera Merah Putih di Markas Tentara Pembebasan (TPM)-OPM di Tinggi, Nambut, Pucak Jaya.

Tuntutan Papua untuk memisahkan diri dari Indonesia sejatinya memang sudah bergaung lama. George Junus Aditjondro mencatat gerakan memerdekakan diri Papua dilakukan OPM sejak didirikan pada 26 Juli 1965 di Manokwari.

Lantas pada tanggal 1 Juli 1971, Nicolaas Jouwe dan dua komandan OPM yang lain, Seth Jafeth Rumkorem dan Jacob Hendrik Prai memproklamasikan berdirinya Republik Papua Barat. Saat itu juga bendera Bintang Kejora dikibarkan di tanah Papua.

Namun republik itu kemudian ditumpas oleh militer Indonesia di bawah perintah Presiden Soeharto. Meski demikian gerakan separatis ini tidak lantas mati. Hampir setiap presiden Indonesia harus berhadapan dengan tuntutan pemisahan diri Papua.

Pada masa awal pemeirntahan Gus Dur misalnya, tepatnya 12 November 1999, Ketua Presidium Dewan Papua, Theys Hiyo Eluay mendeklarasi Papua Merdeka di kediamannya. Pada Desember di tahun yang sama, Theys menjadi inspektur upacara pengibaran bendera Bintang Kejora di halaman Gedung Dewan Kesenian Irianjaya.

Presiden Gus Dur sempat menyelesaikan gerakan separatis ini lewat pemberian otonomi khusus pada 1 Januari 2001. Selain otonomi khusus, Gus Dur juga mengubah nama Irian Jaya menjadi Papua.

Namun 10 tahun otonomi khusus berlalu, keinginan untuk merdeka Papua tidak kunjung padam. Akhir-akhir ini malah gerakan menuntut kemerdekaan ini semakin masif.

Gerakan prokemerdekaan di Papua kini telah bertransformasi menjadi gerakan baru dengan menggunakan cara-cara modern. Gerakan ini mulai menghindari cara kekerasan, tapi menggunakan cara politik dan diplomasi.

Aktivis prokemerdekaan Papua sudah meniru gaya Timor Leste dengan aktif menjalin jaringan dengan luar negeri. Hasilnya di Inggris terbentuk ILWP dan International Parliamentarians of West Papua (IPWP). Di Amerika Serikat ada West Papua Network dan di Australia ada yang namanya West Papua Freedom Association, dan sebagainya.

Tidak cuma itu, tuntutan kemerdekaan Papua juga disuarakan lewat media sosial yang sudah terbukti berhasil menumbangkan rezim di sejumlah negara seperti Mesir dan Tunisia.

Di Facebook misalnya, ada gerakan "100 Juta Suara Dukung Referendum West Papua". Saat ini pendukung ajakan itu jumlahnya mencapai ratusan orang. Di Youtube banyak postingan film yang menuntut kemerdekaan Papua.

Mantan KSAD Jenderal Ryamizard Ryacudu, pada 2008, telah mengingatkan potensi Papua lepas dari NKRI sangat besar. Papua telah memiliki beberapa persyaratan untuk menjadi sebuah negara.

Sebuah wilayah yang ingin menjadi negara merdeka harus memenuhi sejumlah syarat. Di antaranya mempunyai pemerintahan, wilayah negara, tentara, lagu kebangsaan, bendera, dan pengakuan internasional.

"Untuk menjadi sebuah negara merdeka, hanya tinggal deklarasi dan pengakuan internasional saja," kata Ryamizard.

Kini, gerakan Papua Merdeka sudah mendapat dukungan 'internasional', paling tidak sudah ada dukungan dari dua anggota Parlemen Inggris, Hon Andrew Smith MP dan Lord Harries. Dengan demikian, kemungkinan Papua sudah tinggal sejengkal lagi untuk merdeka.

Tapi sejauh ini pemerintah masih menganggap remeh. Sikap ini ditunjukkan oleh Menteri Pertahanan Purnomo Yusgiantoro dan Menteri Luar Negeri Marty Natalegawa. Keduanya menilai konferensi ILWP bukanlah hal yang perlu dikhawatirkan.

"Kumpulan pengacara itu tidak begitu kuat, karena hanya dilakukan segelintir orang, di Papua mereka juga tidak mendapat antusiasme dari masyarakat," kata Purnomo.

Sementara Marty menilai tuntutan kemerdekaan Papua tidak akan pernah mendapat dukungan masyarakat luas ataupun pemerintah Inggris. Pemerintah Inggris senantiasa mendukung kebijakan otonomi khusus di Papua.(ddg/iy)

Sumber; http://www.detiknews.com

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Kontras Yakin Parlemen Inggris Tak akan Dukung OPM

Jakarta - Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) bertemu dengan beberapa anggota parlemen Inggris untuk meminta dukungan agar bisa lepas dari NKRI. Menurut Komisi untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan (Kontras), pemerintah RI tidak perlu gerah menanggapi pertemuan itu karena negara-negara besar tidak mungkin mendukung kemerdekaan Papua.

“Itu bentuk ekpresi ketidakpuasan Papua. Pemerintah nggak perlu gerah. (Mereka) Nggak bakalan memberikan dukungan. Ada kepentingan ekonomi di sana, Amerika, Inggris dan negara besar. Mereka butuh stabilitas ekonomi politik untuk bisnisnya. Siapa kalau bukan pusat yang bisa menjamin. Mereka masih percaya pemerintah pusat mampu menjaga stabilitas,“ kata Koordinator Badan Pekerja Kontras, Haris Azhar, kepada wartawan di kantornya, Jl Borobudur, Minggu (7/8/2011).

Menurut Haris, peningkatan suhu keamanan pasca kerusuhan yang menewaskan belasan warga Papua memunculkan tarik-menarik kekuatan antar kepentingan. Ada yang menginginkan damai, ada yang menempuh jalur hukum internasional maupun opsi kekerasan.

Atas berbagai alternatif itu, pemerintah diminta bijak.

“Kekerasan meningkat, ada yang menginginkan konfrensi damai dan dialog damai di London. Ada kontestasi hukum internasional, di sisi lain dengan dialog damai. Ada kontestasi dengan model kekerasan,“ ucap Haris.

“Harusnya kita punya pelajaran soal-soal itu. Harus belajar. Ada Timor Leste, ada Aceh. Hanya keledai yang terperosok 2 kali. Ini sudah 3 kali,“ tambahnya.

Anggota parlemen Inggris memfasilitasi pertemuan dengan anggota OPM. Pertemuan itu dikenal dengan International Parliamentary for West Papua (IPWP) yang diluncurkan di House of Commons, London, Inggris sejak 15 Oktober 2008, yang bertujuan untuk mendukung penentuan nasib sendiri warga asli Papua.

IPWP itu didukung oleh dua anggota parlemen Inggris yaitu Hon Andrew Smith MP dan Lord Harries. Ada juga eksil kemerdekaan Papua Barat Benny Wanda. Tokoh utama di balik pergerakan pembebasan Papua Barat ini adalah Benny Wanda. Benny juga menyatakan dirinya sebagai pemimpin kemerdekaan Papua Barat.(Ari/gun)

Sumber; http://www.detiknews.com

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Dialog dengan Masyarakat Papua Harus Segera Dilakukan

Jakarta - Pasca bentrok di Papua dalam konflik Pilkada, situasi keamanan di tanah Papua masih belum stabil. Pemerintah diminta segera melakukan dialog dengan berbagai elemen masyarakat seperti kaum separatis, kelompok adat dan institusi lokal setempat.

Menurut Koordinator Badan Pekerja Komisi untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan (KontraS), Haris Azhar dialog tersebut untuk menekan kasus kekerasan.

“Dialog kelompok-kelompok di Papua harus dilakukan. Kalau memang bias, dialog dengan kelompok separatis, tidak hanya dengan satu kelompok. Unsur di masyarakat Papua, dewan adat Papua, itu harusnya diajak dialog,” kata Haris kepada wartawan di kantornya, Jl Prambanan, Jakarta, Minggu (7/8/2011).

Menurut catatan KontraS, sepanjang Juli hingga Agustus 2011 tercatat setidaknya 8 peristiwa kekerasan dan penembakan di Papua. Kondisi sulit tersebut membuat 15 orang warga sipil menjadi korban dalam kasus penembakan dan 17 warga sipil menjadi korban dalam kasus bentrokan antara kelompok Tomas Tabuni dan Simon Alom. Tak hanya warga sipil, 9 anggota TNI juga menjadi korban penembakan.

"Kami berharap Presiden RI dapat segera mengambil langkah strategis dan mengambil kebijakan untuk Papua yang berorientasi pada pendekatan persuasif, penurunan angka kekerasan dan mulai memperkokoh komitmen untuk pelaksanaan dialog antara Papua dan Jakarta," papar Haris.

Sementara itu, Staff Advokasi KontraS untuk Papua, Krisbiantoro menilai konflik berkepanjangan yang terjadi di Papua kebanyakan terjadi akibat dari kebijakan pemerintah Jakarta yang tidak memperhatikan keinginan masyarakat Papua.

"Beberapa konflik dilatar belakangi oleh kebijakan pemerintah yang lebih mengedepankan ekonomi dan tidak melihat permasalah di Papua secara komprehensif," ucap Krisbiantoro dalam kesempatan serupa.(Ari/fiq)

Sumber; http://www.detiknews.com

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Musical tribute to West Papuan struggle for independence

WHEN Melbourne musician and film composer David Bridie visited a refugee camp for West Papuans in 1990, it changed his life forever.

Now years later, Bridie is still working on keeping the region’s music alive.

The veteran musician, who has been in the industry almost 30 years, spent three years creating the soundtrack for the documentary “Strange Birds in Paradise,” a feature about the plight of the West Papuans in their fight for independence from Indonesia.

The documentary, which will air on SBS in October, was dedicated to Arnold Ap and Kelly Kwalik , who were both assassinated for bringing folk songs to the people of West Papua.

“They did amazing work, and they knew they were risking their lives,” Bridie said.

The feature has been around the world and won Best Documentary at the Colorado Film Festival and at the IF Awards.

Bridie, who has a long history of producing music with artists from the region, has also worked on soundtracks for feature films including Proof, Bran Neu Dae and The Man Who Sued God.

“This stands as an album of cultural and political significance, putting West Papua’s extraordinary music talent firmly on the contemporary music map in the Pacific region and beyond,” Bridie said.

The film’s soundtrack will be launched at the Northcote Social Club, High St, Northcote on Sunday, August 14 from 1pm. Details: strangebirds.com.au

Source; http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au

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The week in review: Fighting graft and separatism

(Ed
In the nation-wide struggle to root out graft, Indonesians have to undoubtedly consider the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as the most prominent institution to take the lead compared to the police and the Attorney General’s Office; although there are critics saying the commission is dragging its feet in dealing with high-profile cases.

The stunning remark by House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie, who suggested that the KPK be dismantled if its leaders were unreliable, failed to erode the public’s faith in the antigraft body.

As the KPK is in dire need of new leaders, people are anxiously waiting for the results of the ongoing selection of new KPK leaders. The committee has shortlisted 10 figures — Abdullah Hehamahua, Abraham Samad, Adnan Pandupradja, Aryanto Sutadi, Bambang Widjojanto, Egi Sutjiati, Handoyo Sudrajat, Sayid Fadhil, Yunus Husein and Zulkarnain — for the last selection stage.

Interviews of the 10 candidates will take place on Aug. 15 to further cut the number to eight, after which their names will be submitted to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on
Aug. 18, according to Law and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar.

Fugitive graft suspect Muhammad Nazaruddin, the ousted treasurer of Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party, is certainly not part of the selection committee, but he could show a number of candidates the door.

To the public’s surprise, three key incumbent KPK figures – deputy chairman Chandra M. Hamzah, deputy for enforcement Ade Rahardja and spokesman Johan Budi – failed to qualify. Their exit came just after Nazaruddin talked to the media from his hiding place where he had met the three KPK officials and investigator Adj. Sr. Comr. Roni Samtana, to negotiate several cases implicating members of his party. Nazaruddin said Chandra and Ade would receive the party’s backing in return.

Another name that also attracted the public’s attention was Sutan Bagindo Fachmi, head of the West Sumatra Prosecutor’s Office. Fachmi failed to clear the hurdles after Nazaruddin claimed that the prosecutor had contributed Rp 1 billion (US$118,345) to the Democratic Party in exchange for the party’s favor. Fachmi has denied the allegation.

Nazaruddin is wanted for his role in corruption cases relating to the construction of SEA Games’ facilities in Palembang, South Sumatra. In an apparent act of retaliation, Nazaruddin named Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum the mastermind of his act of corruption. Nazaruddin said Anas won the party’s chief post in 2009 after buying votes, which he funded with ill-gotten money from projects commissioned by state-owned enterprises.

According to National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam, with the hunt for Nazaruddin intensifying, the police plan to confiscate BlackBerry smart phones used by a number of journalists to communicate with Nazaruddin.

The brouhaha has prompted the KPK to establish an ethics board, which is aimed to investigate alleged violations committed by commission members and, more importantly, restore its credibility.

We hope only people with integrity and honesty will stay in the KPK to continue the campaign against graft that has long tarnished the country’s image.

Indonesia also came under the spotlight this week as Papuan people renewed their demand for a referendum. On Tuesday, the heads of state institutions met with President Yudhoyono, calling on the government to pay more attention to the implementation of special autonomy in the provinces in order to prove the secessionist view is wrong.

Papua has recently seen a spate of violence. Just after 19 people were killed in a clash between supporters of rival political candidates in Puncak Jaya regency over the weekend, gunmen shot dead three civilians and a military soldier in Nafri, near the provincial capital of Jayapura on Monday. Two days later, gunmen shot at a military helicopter in Puncak Jaya, which is believed to be the stronghold of the separatist rebel group, OPM (Free Papua Organization).

Thousands of Papuans rallied in Jayapura, Biak and Jakarta in a show of support for the conference of International Lawyers for West Papua (ILWP) in Oxford. The ILWP argues that the 1969 Act of Free Choice in Papua, albeit supervised by the United Nations, was flawed because it relied on the consensus of elders who did not represent the entire population in Papua.

It was unfortunate that during the meeting between the state institutions’ leaders and the President, they did not discuss the conference result. Regional Representatives Council head Irman Gusman said that “the Unitary State of Indonesia is already final.” He added that the state institution leaders demanded that the government “better manage Papua and Aceh ahead of the regional elections, which are prone to conflict”.

Speaking after the meeting, however, Yudhoyono did not touch on the issue of Papua or Aceh. Instead, he said he would consider input from state institution leaders to be inserted in his state address to be delivered on Aug. 16, ahead of the Independence Day anniversary.

As the first week of Ramadhan has passed, people have begun to complain about the rising prices of food and basic goods. The increasing demand for food supplies has prompted the government to set aside Rp 2.2 trillion to ensure demands are met.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa said Rp 1 trillion from the funds would be used to finance “rice for the poor”. BPS chairman Rusman Heriawan called on the government to focus on the last week of August, when people brace themselves for the Idul Fitri holiday, to stabilize prices through market operations.

In spite of these events, hopefully peace will prevail in the remaining weeks of Ramadhan.

— Primastuti Handayani

Source; http://www.thejakartapost.com

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West Papua: Fresh protests for freedom

By Ash Pemberton

Thousands of West Papuans rallied for independence on August 2, despite attempts by the Indonesian government to scare people away.

About 10,000 people protested across Indonesian-occupied West Papua, Radio Australia's Pacific Beat said on August 3.

They demanded a referendum on independence from Indonesia.

The largest protest took place in the capital Jayapura. Hundreds of heavily armed riot police and soldiers hindered protesters marching from Abepura and Waena who were trying to march into Jayapura, West Papua Media Alerts said on August 2.

The march was eventually allowed to proceed.

The rally in the western city of Manokwari was also initially disrupted by police, until they later relented, WPMA said.

Protests were also held in Wamena, Biak, Nabire, Paniai, and Timika. Solidarity actions were held in Jakarta and London.

The protests were called by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) and supported by the whole pro-independence movement, WPMA said.

The lead-up to the rallies was marred by violence, suspected to be at the hands of Indonesian security forces with the aim of spreading fear and dividing protest groups.

Four people ― including a soldier ― were murdered and eight injured in an attack on a queue of cars on August 1, the Jakarta Post said on August 3.

Police allegedly found a Morning Star flag ― a symbol of the independence movement ― at the scene, leading them to blame the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).

Lambert Pekikir, the OPM commander in Keerom district told AFP on August 2: “The OPM wasn’t responsible for the shooting as there’s been an order from our headquarters to lay down our arms.

“When there’s a shooting, that’s certainly committed by the military, if not the police.”

Australian-trained “anti-terrorism” unit Detachment 88 had been mobilised to hunt down OPM members after a series of alleged attacks on police and military in Abepura and Puncak Jaya, Antaranews.com said on August 3.

The latest violence follows months of increased conflict between OPM and Indonesian forces in the mountainous Puncak Jaya area in central West Papua, where the OPM headquarters is based.

Fighting between the OPM and Indonesian soldiers escalated in May when 600 troops from Indonesia's notorious 753 Nabire battalion went to the Puncak Jaya area as part of a public relations effort to improve the image of the Indonesian military.

The battalion's “social program” involved soldiers rebuilding houses, gardening, giving free medical care and delivering sermons at prayer meetings.

FreeWestPapua.org said on July 16 that locals boycotted the program and avoided the troops.

“The Papuan people living in Puncak Jaya regard the military as murderers of the Papuan people and have refused to accept these military programmes,” it said.

“The army's socialising programme in Puncak Jaya is nothing but a shield and a cover-up of the violation of human rights.”

The 753 battalion was responsible for burning several villages in 2010, as well as the torture of civilians, WPMA said on July 10.

The unit was implicated in an infamous video released last year showing soldiers torturing two Papuan civilians, including burning one man's genitals with a flaming stick.

WPMA said on July 10 that soldiers suddenly stopped the social program on July 6 and began sweeps of the Tingginambut area and surrounded the OPM headquarters where leader Goliath Tabuni was stationed.

“All the troops who were building houses are now burning them down again, according to local sources,” WPMA said.

Source; http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/48427

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West Papua: Freedom protesters challenge ‘blind eye’ of the West

Article – Pacific Media Centre

Last week marked the 48th anniversary of the West Papuan struggle for independence from Indonesia. Thousands took to the streets and international lawyers are making a strong case for West Papuan self-rule.

West Papua: Freedom protesters challenge ‘blind eye’ of the West

By Nick Harvey of the New Internationalist
August 7, 2011

Last week marked the 48th anniversary of the West Papuan struggle for independence from Indonesia. Thousands took to the streets and international lawyers are making a strong case for West Papuan self-rule.

It is a grief-stricken path that has been followed for generations. It stretches from when the Dutch colonised the region in the 19th century and cruelly continued when control was handed to Indonesia by a United Nations Temporary Executive Authority in 1963.

And last week the journey towards independence has led thousands of West Papuans onto the streets to demand the international community acknowledge their right to be free.

“West Papuans will never recognise their homeland as being part of Indonesia and we have a fundamental right to self-determination under international law,” said Benny Wenda, a West Papua independence leader living in exile in Britain.

“West Papuans have marched peacefully this week and have shown again that they can meet violence with peace to achieve this [aim], no matter how much [Indonesia] tries to intimidate us.

“A blind eye has been most cynically turned by the international community towards the situation of the people in West Papua.”

Regularly harassed
Protesters and human rights campaigners are regularly harassed and arrested in West Papua and, according to Amnesty International, reports of torture while in detention and other human rights violations are commonplace.

But with momentum building for the cause, the police have been reluctant to intervene in the recent protests.

“The demonstrations were so big this time they know if they act violently towards the protesters it would be noticed internationally,” says Wenda.

“We have been trying for 48 years now and, just like the Middle East, we need people power to change the world – but we also need people from around the world to notice.”

One of the biggest obstacles that the Free West Papua campaign faces is a lack of interest, let alone support, from the outside world.

Forgotten conflict
“West Papua is a forgotten conflict,” says Charles Foster, spokesperson for International Lawyers for West Papua.

“A blind eye has been most cynically turned by the international community towards the situation of the people there.”

As part of efforts to raise the profile of the region, a conference was held in Oxford this week by the Free West Papua campaign. International lawyers and activists spoke at the event to highlight the case for an independent West Papua under international law.

“In legal terms, the region has a clear right to self-determination,” said Foster.

“If you look at the New York Agreement [a treaty signed in 1962 by the Netherlands and Indonesia regarding the political status of West Papua, then known as West New Guinea] the United Nations was given trustee status over the region which was supposed to lead to self-determination in 1969. Indonesia has never disputed the fact it put its name to this agreement; therefore it implicitly acknowledges that it was bound by it.”

But the New York Agreement was followed in 1969 by the ironically titled Act of Free Choice, a vote by a tiny section of the population of West Papua, hand-picked by the Indonesian military, on whether the region should become independent or remain part of Indonesia.

Although it has since been widely recognised that the process was a sham, calls for a revote have consistently been ignored.

“There is no serious legal scholar anywhere in the world who thinks the Act of Free Choice was a genuine expression of the free will of the West Papuan people,” said Foster.

Embarrassing reality
“When Indonesians talk about this they try to steer clear of what actually happened on the ground in 1969. They’re not stupid, they realise how embarrassing it is.”

As long as the international inertia continues, the situation for West Papuans continues to worsen.

Yet even if the New York Agreement is somehow forgotten and the circumstances surrounding the Act of Free Choice somehow ignored, international law still falls heavily on the side of the West Papuans.

In 1960 the UN General Assembly passed a crucial agreement, the Declaration of Granting Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, which states: “All peoples have the right to self-determination; by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.”

This firm legal ground has yet to translate into any meaningful concessions to the West Papuan people. And as long as the international inertia continues, the situation for West Papuans continues to worsen.

Clemens Runawery is an exiled independence activist who has been unable to return to his country for more than 40 years.

“The longer we stay part of Indonesia the more our status will suffer, both physically and demographically,” he said.

“Back in 1961 the vast majority of the people in West Papua were West Papuan, with only a minority from other places. Today this situation has been completely reversed. How much time do we really have left?”

ENDS

Source; http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2011/08/west-papua-freedom-protesters-challenge-%E2%80%98blind-eye%E2%80%99-of-west/?ScoopSrc=scoop_pacific

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The struggle to make Papua a land of peace

RICHARD CHAUVEL

LAST Tuesday Papuans rallied in the provincial capital, Jayapura, demanding a referendum and independence from Indonesia. Such demonstrations are not unusual. This one, however, was timed to support a conference at Oxford University that questioned the legality of Indonesian rule in West Papua. The demonstration also attracted media attention because in the days before some 20 people had been killed in two separate incidents.

Responsibility for the killing of four people, including one soldier, on the outskirts of Jayapura is contested, with police accusing the pro-independence Free Papua Movement and human rights activists denying that.

Two days before the demonstration, in violence not related to the demand for independence, 17 people were killed in the Puncak district of the central highlands. Supporters of rival candidates in the forthcoming district election clashed, reflecting the intensity of competition for control of local governments and government resources.

The demonstration and the violence highlight unresolved tensions in Papua.

In early July the Papuan Peace Network, a movement campaigning for dialogue to resolve those tensions, held a conference in Jayapura called ''Let us make Papua a land of peace''.

The presence of senior government figures suggested a more open mind in Jakarta and that the campaign to persuade the government that dialogue was the appropriate means to resolve conflict was beginning to produce results.

The tenor of the Papuan presentations at the conference demonstrated the strength of Papuan identity and the demand for independence. Papuan interpretations of the history of their integration into Indonesia during the 1960s reject the legality of Indonesian sovereignty. The foundations of this argument was the focus of the Oxford conference and is central to what Papuans want to discuss with Jakarta, but it is the issue Indonesian governments find most difficult.

The failure of the 2001 autonomy law is one of the few issues that the government and its Papuan critics agree on. Papuan responses to the failure have been demands for a referendum or a dialogue with Jakarta. The government, however, has preferred to see Papua's problems as ones of socio-economic backwardness, as well as corruption and poor governance.

The peace conference declaration reasserted that dialogue was the best way to finding the solution to the conflict between Papuan people and the government and that the dialogue had to be mediated by a neutral third party.

One month on from the conference, there are no signs that the government is prepared to engage in dialogue, particularly with international mediation. Given the daunting differences between the government and Papuans and the intense mutual distrust, it might be naive to hope that Hillary Clinton's recent advice to Indonesia that it hold an ''open dialogue'' with Papuan representatives be seriously considered by Jakarta.

Richard Chauvel teaches at Victoria University, specialising in Indonesian history and politics.

Source; http://www.devonporttimes.com.au/news/world/world/general/the-struggle-to-make-papua-a-land-of-peace/2250432.aspx?storypage=0

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