Perpetrators of violence in Papua to be charged under anti-terrorism law

Kompas.com - December 19, 2012

Dian Maharani, Jakarta – National police criminal investigation bureau chief Commissioner General Sutarman says that perpetrators of violence in West Papua could be charged under Law Number 15/2003 on Terrorism.

According to Sutarman, the national police will also not hesitate to use the articles under the law against armed perpetrators that cause loss of human life.

"If someone in Papua shoots an innocent person or migrant, or creates fear, we cannot rule out the possibility of using the articles on terrorism", said Sutarman at the national police's Bhayangkara Field in South Jakarta on Wednesday December 19.

In previous shooting incidents that have occurred in Papua, perpetrators have not been indicted under the Terrorism Law. Sutarman denied that the articles on terrorism had not been applied because of the existence of the Free Papua Organisation (OPM).

"It's not because [of the OPM]. It is Indonesian territory. The law [will be applied] based on the articles that are violated and the evidence that we find. It is Indonesian territory, even though [West Papua] has special autonomy", he explained.

Mysterious shootings have occurred frequently in the Land of the Cenderawasih (Bird of Paradise, West Papua). In the most recent incident, a sectoral police post in Pirime, Lany Jaya regency, was attacked and burnt down by an armed group on Tuesday November 27. Three police officers including sectoral police chief Ipda Rofli Takubesi were shot dead.

A shoot out also occurred on Wednesday November 27 between a group led by Papua police chief Inspector General Tito Karnavian and an armed group at the Indawa village located between the district of Makki, Jayawijaya regency and Tiom district, Lany Jaya regency.

[Pelaku Penyerangan di Papua Dapat Dikenakan UU Terorisme - Kompas.com. Rabu, 19 Desember 2012. Translated by James Balowski.]

Papuans in Jakarta condemn killings and arrests of activists in Wamena

Tribune News - December 18, 2012

Adi Suhendi, Jakarta – Scores of Papuan youths living in Jakarta held a demonstration in front of the Security Maintenance Agency (Baharkam) building at the national police headquarters in South Jakarta on Tuesday December 18.

The protesters unfurled a 1 x 1.5 meter banner with the message, "State crimes, the TNI [Indonesian military] and polri [national police] have shot, arrested humanitarian activists and burnt down the Wamena Papua Traditional Council office".

They also wrote their demands in a cartoon titled, "The violent actions by the TNI and polri are just security to safeguard foreign interests in Papua".

Action coordinator Martheen Goo [from Papua National Solidarity, NAPAS – JB] said that the protest action represented Papuan's sense of mistrust in the national police headquarters.

"When the police in the regions commits crimes in the field, the national police headquarters just claim that there was an attempt to resist", Goo told Tribune News on the grounds of the Baharkam building.

Goo also responded to the arbitrary arrests of several Papuan activists on charges that they were from a separatist group committing treason.

"Yet they were [just] local people and the best of Papuans who take pride in giving voice to the truth, but when they speak the truth, the state scapegoats them with accusations of being a separatist group or committing treason, but what are the separatist or treasonable actions in this? It is foolishness", he said.

Goo charged that the TNI and the national police are maintaining a climate of violence in Papua and questioned why the police have been unable to uncover who is behind the acts of violence committed by so-called unidentified individuals (OTK). Goo suggested that this is being done intentionally by the TNI and police as justification to carry out sweeps in the land of Papua.

"It is suspected that the OTK are being maintained, in order to provide legitimisation in conducting sweeps. It is suspect that it is the TNI and the police that are maintaining them (the OTK). This is foolishness", he asserted.

[Puluhan Pemuda Papua Berdemo di Mabes Polri - Tribunnews.com. Selasa, 18 Desember 2012. Translated by James Balowski.]

Wealth gap widens as Indonesia's rich get richer

Koran Jakarta - December 11, 2012

Jakarta – The growth in the number of wealthy individuals over the last 10 years has been spectacular, increasing by five fold or by 500 percent. This can be seen from the total wealth and bank deposits that continue to increase. Data shows that the growth in the number of rich in Indonesia has been the fastest and most spectacular in the world over the last decade, surpassing even China where the number of wealthy people has only risen three fold or 300 percent.

"We project that the growth in [the number] of wealthy people in Indonesia over the next five years will continue to skyrocket by [a figure] of two fold", said Center for Welfare Studies (Perkumpulan Prakarsa) director Setyo Budiantoro in Jakarta on Tuesday December 10. According to Budiantoro, in 2012 the number of people with assets of US$1 million or around 9.5 billion rupiah totaled 104,000.

And by 2017 it is estimated that this will increase to 207,000 people. This growth is among the fastest in the world, along with Brazil, Malaysia, Poland and Russia. Although optimistic about the growth in the number of wealthy, Budiantoro said that this is still not 'quality' growth and is unbalanced. The number of relatively poor people that own assets of less than US$10,000 or around 95 million rupiah still dominates and stands at 82 percent of the population. This far above the global average of 69 percent.

Bank deposits

This wealth inequality can also be seen from the structure of bank deposits that have not changed over the last few years. Total customer deposits in banks, which have reached more than 3,000 trillion rupiah, are held in 111 million accounts. Almost 1,300 trillion rupiah or 43 percent of these deposits are held in less than 60,000 accounts.

So, less than 1.4 percent of accounts hold almost 2,400 trillion rupiah or 78 percent of deposits. Alongside the growth in the number of rich, Budiantoro said that the wealth of the 40 richest people in Indonesia has also increased several fold. Over the last three years, between 2009 and 2011, the wealth of the 40 richest people has increase by four fold.

In 2008 the total wealth of the 40 richest people stood at around US$20 billion or around 190 trillion rupiah. By 2011 this had skyrocketed to US$85 billion or around 800 trillion rupiah. "Meaning the value of the 190 trillion rupiah owned by the 40 richest people in 2008 is equivalent to what is owned by 30 million poor people", said Budiantoro. lex/E-9

Notes

According to the Deposit Security Agency (LPS), in 2012 51 percent of bank deposits totalling 1,700 trillion rupiah were held by 0.13 percent customers. Data from the National Land Agency (BPN) found that the majority of state assets in the form of land were controlled by 0.2 percent of the population.

[Kesenjangan Pendapatan - Orang Kaya di Indonesia Tumbuh Signifikan - Koran Jakarta. Selasa, 11 Desember 2012. Translated by James Balowski.]

Papuan students in Yogyakarta commemorate West Papuan Independence Day

Kompas.com - December 1, 2012

Wijaya Kusuma, Yogyakarta – Hundreds of Papuan students from Java and Bali that are part of the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) held an action at the zero kilometre point in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta to commemorate the 51st anniversary of West Papuan independence on Saturday December 1.

The protesters were furnished with banners with messages such as "Stop manipulating Papua's entry into the NKRI [Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia] and recognise the sovereignty of the West Papuan people".

"The date December 1 is not OPM (Free Papua Movement) day but West Papua Independence Day that was officially endorsed on December 1, 1961. We, Papuan students in Java and Bali are holding this action to demand the recognition of independence of the Papuan people", said action coordinator Sonny Dogapia.

Dogapia explained that to this day the Papuan people are still being silenced through various plots, coercion, intimidation and terror in order to quash resistance by the Papuan people. This is being done by the Indonesian government in order to ensure that Papua does not separate from Indonesia.

"Before the declaration of Trikora, the West Papuan nation was already independent but its independence did not last long. On December 19, 1961 [President] Sukarno declared the Trikora in order to thwart the formation of the West Papuan state, since then the Papuan people have lived under Indonesian colonial domination", he asserted.

After giving speeches for two hours, the action was closed with the reading of a statement. AMP made three demands, namely, affirming that December 1, 1961 is not the OPM's anniversary but West Papua Sovereignty Day. The second demand was that Indonesia and the United Nations immediately hand over West Papuan sovereignty and third, an end to claims that West Papua is part of the Indonesian republic. (k75-12)

Notes

Trikora - After the Netherlands announced the formation of a Nieuw Guinea Raad on April 1961, with the intention of creating an independent Papuan state, Indonesia's founding President Sukarno declared a military confrontation in his Tri Komando Rakjat (Trikora, Triple Commands of the People) speech in Yogyakarta, on December 19, 1961.

[Mahasiswa Papua Peringati HUT West Papua - KOMPAS.com. Sabtu, 1 Desember 2012. Translated by James Balowski.]

Police arrest three in Jayapura during Papua Independence Day rally

Metro TV News - December 1, 2012

Jayapura – West Papua National Committee (KNPB) chairperson Victor Yeimo was arrested by police during a protest action in the Waena area, Heram district, in Jayapura city on Saturday. He was arrested along with two other colleagues, Hukum Kiman and Ebes Sala.

The arrests occurred when demonstrators led by Yeimo began marching from the Waena III State Housing Company (Perumnas) towards the Expo area. Hundreds of police from the Jayapura municipal police were mobilised and police initially requested that they disburse. The KNPB were intending to commemorate December 1, which is usually referred to as Papua Independence Day.

Earlier, they held speeches at the Waena III Perumnas public transport roundabout and were determined to hold a long-march to the Waena Expo complex. After marching for around 500 metres, the demonstrators where blocked by police in front of the Waena diesel power plant, who requested that they disperse. The demonstrators refused and police dispersed them forcibly by firing tear gas into the crowd.

The 50 or so protesters immediately dispersed but not before three people were detained and placed in a paddy wagon. Jayapura municipal police chief Police Commissioner Alfred said that they were arrested because the protest did not have a permit.

"I issued an order to block them in front of the Dian Harapan hospital. While negotiations were taking place they remained determined [to march] and we used force to disburse the demonstrators", he said.

The protesters were disbursed after tear gas was fired twice when they pelted people in the vicinity [with stones]. "As a result of the [stone] throwing a person was injured in the vicinity of their elbow as a result of the [stone] throwing and is now being treated in hospital", said Alfred. As a result of the incident a number of shops were closed. (MI/DOR

[Peringati Kemerdekaan Papua, Ketua KNPB Ditangkap - Metrotvnews.com. Sabtu, 1 Desember 2012. Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]