Build a sovereign economy for the Papuan people

Joint Statement by Traditional Papuan Women's Traders - November 26, 2011

Long live the Papuan people... Long live Papuan women... Long live the urban poor

Papua is rich in natural resources, but it is not the indigenous people of Papua who own it. This can be seen from the character of economic development in Papua, particularly in and around the provincial capital of Jayapura, where the many shops, stalls and malls are not even owned by us, the people who own the land.

The reality at the moment is that the suffering experienced by traditional Papuan women traders -- referred to as mama-mama -- has been going on for some time. The mama-mama are steadily being pushed aside by residents who control large amounts of capital in Jayapura.

Demanding referendum, thousands of Papuans protest in Jayapura

TEMPO/Jerry Omona

Detik News - November 14, 2011

Tuntut Referendum, 1.000-an Warga Papua Unjuk Rasa  detikNews. Senin, 14/11/2011

Chazizah Gusnita, Jakarta -- Thousands of Papuans from the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) demonstrated in front of the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) building in the Papuan provincial capital of Jayapura today. The protesters demanded an end to violence in Papua.

Jakarta wants Freeport mine open

Armed police officers patrol the streets of Jayapura, Papua, on Monday. National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo admitted on Friday that his officers in the restive region receive funds, which he dubs as 'lunch money,' from PT Freeport Indonesia. (Antara Photo)

The government is sending the deputy minister for mineral resources to Papua with orders to get the Freeport mine operating again before dealing with the demands of striking workers or calls to renegotiate the company’s terms of operations.

Widjajono Partowidagdo said his first priority would be to improve the security situation at the US-owned gold and copper mine and get it working again.

“Essentially [the company wants] security to return to normal. I will go to Papua this week,” Widjajono said.

Movement against Freeport is set up by students

Bintang Papua - October 28, 2011

A number of UNCEN student organisations along with the KNPB, the National Committee for West Papua, have announced the establishment of a movement to oppose Freeport. They regard this company as having been the cause of many problems in Papua. The students unfurled two banners, one of which depicts the US flag intertwined with the logo of Freeport.

The new organisation is called People's Movement Against Freeport Crimes - Gerklaf. The coordinator of the new organisation is Fanny Kogoya and Bovid Defa is the secretary. At the end of the ceremony, the US flag was set on fire. This opposition movement regards the presence of Freeport as having come about as the result of a political contract between the USA and its allies in order to ensure the continuance of Papua within the Unitary Republic of Indonesia.

Indonesia 'should be ashamed of failure to reduce poverty'

Jakarta Globe - October 27, 2011

Aguis Triyono -- The combined wealth of Indonesia's 40 richest people is equivalent to that of about 60 million of its poorest citizens, a nongovernmental organization said on Wednesday.

"In 2010, we noted that the wealth of these 40 people had reached Rp 680 trillion [$76.8 billion]," said Setyo Budiantoro, the executive director of the Center for Welfare Studies (Prakarsa). "This is about 10.3 percent of Indonesia's entire gross domestic product."

That Rp 680 trillion, Setyo said, also represented the wealth of about 15 million of the country's poorest families, or about 60 million people. "The economy is now dominated by a group of super-rich people who number very few," he said.

Occupy Jakarta, an awareness building movement for social change

Pelita Online - October 21, 2011

Occupy Jakarta, Gerakan Penyadaran untuk Perubahan – Pelitaonline.com. Jumat, 21 Oktober 2011

Jakarta -- The Occupy Jakarta movement inspired by Occupy Wall Street in New York continues to reverberate with no end in sight in the midst of the controversy surrounding the cabinet reshuffle and rampant corruption in Indonesia.

Aside from being a symbol of the fight against the capitalist system, the action is also being used as a platform for social awareness building to highlight that 1 percent of the population dominates economic life in Indonesia.

44 years of theft, 44 years of state protection, end the violence and close Freeport now

Joint statement in solidarity with Freeport Indonesia workers - October 20, 2011

PT Freeport Indonesia,  a subsidiary of Freeport McMoran Cooper and Gold – of which 90.64 percent of the shares are owned by Freeport CEO James R. Moffet – is the largest mining company in the world. Freeport contributes 95 percent of the entire production of gold by Freeport McMoran and a significant percentage of its copper production.

The controversial corporation obtained the exploration and mining rights through Work Contract I, several months before the enactment of Law Number 1/1967 on Foreign Capital Investment and Law Number 11/1967 on the Basic Provisions of Mining during the rule of the New Order regime of former President Suharto. Odd but true!

Occupy Indonesia has started and continues

Occupy Jakarta protest say capitalism has derailed national development

Metro TV News - October 19, 2011

Occupy Jakarta Tolak Ekonomi Kapitalis - Metrotvnews.com. Rabu, 19 Oktober 2011

Jakarta -- In concert with the Occupy Wall Street movement that is calling for reforms to the United States' economic policies, a similar movement has emerged in Indonesia. The Occupy Jakarta group has been holding protest actions at the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) building on Jl. Sudirman in Jakarta.

The Occupy Jakarta group comprises university lecturers, non-government organisation activists and people working in the arts. They expressed the view that Indonesia has unknowingly been coopted by capitalist economic ideas like the US.

INDONESIA: Security forces open fire at Third Papuan People's Congress

(Hong Kong, October 19, 2011) At around 3pm today the security forces surrounding the Third Papuan People's Congress in Indonesia opened fire and dispersed the event. Possible casualties are not known as of now. Several persons are reported to have been arrested, including Forkorus Yaboisembut and Edison Waromi, indigenous political leaders.

The AHRC has received reports from several credible sources about the violent intervention by the Indonesian military (TNI) and the mobile brigades of the police (BRIMOB) at the Tunas Harapan field in Abepura, Papua, where the event took place. See our earlier press release in which the AHRC reported the military and police’s aggressive approach to the event. Some reports allege that several persons have been killed.

Yogyakarta protesters demand nationalisation of Freeport

KRjogja.com - October 13, 2011

Laskar Tambang Tuntut Nasionalisasi Freeport - KRjogja.com. Kamis, 13 Oktober 2011

Yogyakarta -- Scores of demonstrators from the People's Mining Militia held a free-speech forum in front of the Gedung Agung Presidential Palace in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on Thursday October 13. They were demanding the return of the nation's sovereignty through the nationalisation of the foreign mining industry, in particular PT Freeport Indonesia, under the control of the people.