8 September 2012

Papua National Solidarity against militarism


NAPAS calls for Paniai police chief, military commander to be sacked

Kompas.com - August 23, 2012

NAPAS: Kapolres dan Dandim Paniai Sebaiknya Dicopot - Kompas.com. Kamis, 23 Agustus 2012

Aditya Revianur, Jakarta -- Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta, Papua National Solidarity (NAPAS) coordinator Martheen Goo called for the Panai district police chief and district military commander to be removed from their posts.

The call came following sweep operations by security forces in Paniai regency, West Papua, that have left the region in the grip of fear.


"The Paniai district police chief and the district military commander should be sacked because they have failed to maintain a peaceful situation", said Goo at the offices of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) in Central Jakarta on Thursday August 23.

Goo explained that Paniai is in the grip of fear following the security sweeps, which have resulted in a series of arrests and the victimisation of ordinary civilians. The security forces should be conducting sweeps in the hills in order to catch the perpetrators of a spate of recent shootings, which according to officials are from the National Liberation Army (TPN), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).

The district police chief and district military commander, he continued, have failed and should be removed because conducting sweeps in city areas has resulted in damage to facilities. Security forces have even conducted sweeps on patients at the Paniai public hospital.

Even worse, explained Goo, they have reason to believe that when questioned by security forces in Paniai, civilians have been assaulted. "Yet the perpetrators are supposedly the TPN, not civilians who are then stigmatised by the security forces as if they are armed. The terrible thing is that security forces stigmatise [all] Papuan people as OPM, this is excessive", he said.

Goo explained that based on the facts on the ground, the justification for the arrest of civilians in Paniai is unclear. Security forces have used armed force to conduct sweeps against and to arrest civilians. This has added to the already muddy situation in Paniai with many ordinary people increasingly afraid to carry out their normal activities.

The security forces, continued Goo, should be maintaining a favourable situation in Paniai and not be conducting security sweeps. Goo appealed to the TNI and police leadership to support peace in Papua by putting an end to the security sweeps within the city and adopting prudent measures to prevent incidents of violence. Ordinary civilians should not be victimised because the security forces are incompetent and unable to catch the perpetrators.

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NAPAS slams president's speech on West Papua as deceptive, indifferent

Cahayareformasi.com - August 18, 2012

Nasional Papua Solidary (NAPAS) Menilai, Pidato Presiden Berlebihan - Cahayareformasi.com. 18 Agu 2012

Surabaya (CARE) -- President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's speech on August 16 took up several issues related to West Papua, including that it is not easy to solve the Papuan problem, that it needs measures that are specific, basic and comprehensive, that we have to integrate these measures to accelerate development in Papua.

Therefore special autonomy (Otsus) for Papua and West Papua is our basic framework to manage public services, development and regional governments. In order to ensure that development is in accordance with plans and policies, of both the central and regional governments, the government has formed the Acceleration of Development in Papua and West Papua (UP4B), which is working to ensure the synergy, synchronisation and coordination all agents of development. It is by this means that, in a systematic manner, we can accelerate improvements to the people's standard of living in the provinces of Papua and West Papua.

Papua National Solidarity (NAPAS) coordinator Marten Goo is of the view that this is actually an effort on the part of the head of state to deceive the public. Resolving the Papua problem would actually be easy, if the central government is prepared to open up to the Papuan people through a democratic process beginning with a dialogue or negotiations.

"In actual fact, the central government is making the problem more difficult, and we (NAPAS – ed.) are of the view that the central government has hidden interests with regard to Papua", said Goo in a press release sent to cahayareformasi.com.

The speech, continued Goo, shows that President Yudhoyono is indifferent to the needs of the ordinary people, above all the Papuan people. The president is inviting the people to have false hopes. Yet up until now these two things [dialogue and negotiations] have not been implemented, and instead humanitarian crimes continue to be committed in Papua.

"The government's programs such as special autonomy, the UP4B and breaking up the region into new provinces and districts will only complicate the Papuan problem. Humanitarian crimes will only increase instead", said Goo.

In his speech, the president asserted that the government is implementing the UP4B for the sake of the Papuan people. The UP4B is a central government program that is being forced on the Papuan people. Special autonomy meanwhile, which has a higher position than the UP4B, has not been consistently implemented by the central government.

Because of this therefore, Goo believes that the UP4B is just an effort by the government to divert attention and stifle the Papuan people's good intentions to immediately hold a dialogue and negotiations to resolve the Papuan problem comprehensively.

"The state must immediately hold negotiations between Jakarta and Papua, which are mediated by a neutral third party. The president must immediately stop deceiving the public by trading off the Papuan people for a profit in the name of development and the like, through statements and speeches that are illogical", he asserted. (Ones Madai)

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Papuans rally in Central Java against violence

Jakarta Post - August 31, 2012

Dozens of Papuans in Semarang and Salatiga in Central Java and Yogyakarta rallied in front of Semarang Police headquarters on Thursday, urging the government to take steps to stop violence in Papua.

The Papuans, grouped under the aegis of National Solidarity of Papua (Napas), urged the government to withdraw Indonesian Military (TNI) troops from the province, set up a dialogue between Papuan leaders and the central government and form a team to investigate the violence.

"There have been some shootings in Papua. We are worried for the safety of our friends and relatives safety," Otis, the coordinator of the rally, said on Thursday.

Four people, including police officer Brig. Yohan Kisiwaitoi, were killed during recent attacks by unidentified perpetrators in Papua. "We are afraid that all the attacks are just parts of the strategy of some people who want to tear us Papuans apart," Otis added.

Similar protests also occurred in some other cities such as Jakarta; Bandung and Bogor, West Java; and Malang and Surabaya, East Java.

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Protest action in Semarang calls for end to violence in West Papua

Republika.com - August 30, 2012

Warga Papua 'Geruduk' Polda Jateng - Republika.co.id. Kamis, 30 Agustus 2012

Afriza Hanifa, Semarang -- Scores of Papuan protesters from Papua National Solidarity (NAPAS) held an action in front of the East Java regional police headquarters in the provincial capital of Semarang on Thursday August 30.

The demonstrators called on the Indonesian government to resolve the problem of violence in West Papua, which according to the group has been on-going since Papua became part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).

The protesters, who shouted demands calling for and end to violence in Papua, brought a variety of posters and banners with demands such as, "End the violence in Papua", "End military businesses in Papua" and "Provide a chance for democracy in Papua".

Following the action on the grounds of the East Java police headquarters, the protesters, who came from Semarang and the Central Java cities of Salatiga and Yogyakarta, then held a long-march towards Jl. Pahlawan, the location of the regional police office complex and the offices of the East Java governor.

Action coordinator Otis (20) said that the Papuan people have been beset by violence since Papua became part of NKRI. On August 23, a shooting took place in the Paniai-Dogiyai district, which resulted in the death of a police officer, and to this day the perpetrator remains unknown.

"The problem has continued unabated for years and years. This [protest] is so that follow up action is taken by those in authority", he said. Otis added that simultaneous actions are also being held in Jakarta, the West Java cities of Bandung and Bogor, and the East Java cities of Surabaya and Malang. Their demands are the same, the liberation of Papua from violence.

"NAPAS is demanding that the SBY-Boediono [President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono] regime take responsibility for the mysterious shootings in the land of Papua, end all forms of terror and violence against the Papuan people. Third, immediately form a national independent investigation team and provide space for an international investigation team to investigate the mysterious shootings in the land of Papua. Then, put an end to and evaluate the organic and non-organic military presence [in Papua]. Along with opening up democratic space and release all Papuan political prisoners in order resolve Papua's social-political problems", read their demands.

Action coordinator Gabi (26) said that NAPAS hopes that these demands can be acted upon, and if they are not fulfilled they will continue to hold protest actions. "If they are not fulfilled, we will continue to take to the streets to press [our demands]. The regional police should be able to discuss this with the TNI [Indonesian military] and the national police", said Gabi.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

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