IRIAN JAYA (WEST PAPUA, NEW GUINEA): THE QUEST FOR INDEPENDENCE-February 1, 2001 TO ----------------

THE RECORD
February 1, 2000 TO ------------

Date: 2/14/01 4:05:56 AM Central Standard Time
From: plovers@gn.apc.org (Paul Barber)
To: indonesia-act@igc.topica.com, u.braun@xcc.de, slliem@xs4all.nl, jonathan.head@bbc.co.uk, tapol@gn.apc.org

Indonesian Observer
February 14, 2001

Autonomy law review to curb secession: Minister

JAKARTA (IO) - The government will review the regional autonomy law to
prevent the possible breakaway of certain regions from Indonesian rule, a
senior minister said yesterday.

Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy Minister Surjadi Soedirdja said
amendments will be made because the law contains some articles that could
threaten the country's territorial integrity.

He said his office is now compiling planned revisions for Law No.22 on
Regional Autonomy, which was enacted in 1999.

"We are gathering input and information for the revisions," Soedirdja told
journalists on the sidelines of a hearing with the House of
Representatives' commission dealing with home and legal affairs.

On Monday, at least 25 provincial governors met in the South Sumatra
capital of Palembang and called for some changes to the regional autonomy
law. The governors cited some flaws in the law, which they said pose
dangers to national integrity.

Soedirdja welcomed the criticism from the governors. "I am quite
responsive to the governors' aspirations," he said.

The minister said the law is flawed because it does not include any
stipulations regulating hierarchical relations between municipal, district
or provincial administrations.

He said the government will soon hold in-depth discussions to prepare for
the revisions of the law, which partially came into effect early last
month.

The minister acknowledged that perhaps insufficient forethought had been
given to the original law. "Existing social and political conditions
certainly had their bearing when the bill was being deliberated in the
House," he said.

The House commission on home and legal affairs agreed with the plan to
revise the autonomy law, urging the minister to submit a new bill by June
at the latest.

Amin Aryoso, head of the parliamentary commission, said the
House "supports and appreciates any steps" by the Home Affairs Ministry to
implement the autonomy law.

However, the law should take national cohesion into consideration, he
added. "Regional autonomy should support the Unitary State of the Republic
of Indonesia."

Aryoso said his commission feels the revisions should include articles on
the financial balance between the central and regional governments.

**************************************************
Paul Barber
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign,
25 Plovers Way, Alton Hampshire GU34 2JJ
Tel/Fax: 01420 80153
Email: plovers@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Defending victims of oppression in Indonesia and
East Timor, 1973-2000
**************************************************

=======================================================

Date: 2/13/01 6:48:50 PM Central Standard Time
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Tempo Magazine
National NO. 50/XXIX/February 13 - 19, 2001
End of the Nikita Bar Drama
-- William Onde has freed all his hostages. It turns out that it
all started with an unpaid bar bill.

Gunfire shattered the silence of the jungle in Asiki, Merauke, as
Willem Onde's men fired their weapons. But there was no battle-it
was just to mark their arrival, along with three hostages they
were about to release. Last Wednesday, Col. Onde kept his promise.
The commander of the Free Papua Organization (OPM) troops handed
over PT Korindo director Lee Jong Yong, Kwok Eduk and Kamelius
Mayu to the head of the negotiating team.

The three-week-long kidnap drama was over. It started on January
16 when Onde's troops took 17 employees of Korean plywood company
Korindo hostage. The firm manages 1 million hectares of forests in
Irian Jaya. Three of the hostages, including Jong Yong, were
Korean nationals. The others had been released 10 days previously.

"Praise God, I have been allowed to see my family again," Kwok
Eduk told TEMPO. Although they were frightened, they were treated
well, he said. Onde even ordered his men not to snap at the
hostages as they shuffled along the swampy jungle.

While in there, they slept on leaves spread on the ground. Even
food was "not lacking." Every day, they ate rice, canned sardines
and whatever vegetables they could find. Messengers from Korindo
periodically delivered food and medicine. But their movements were
closely watched by 50 of Onde's men, most of whom were armed with
just bows and arrows-only five had automatic weapons and pistols.

The successful outcome, according to chief of the Irian Jaya
Police Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika, was the result of pressure
from the negotiators, who ignored Onde's demands. The security
forces, says Mangku Pastika, surrounded Onde's secret base. Onde
did not have enough supplies to allow him to hide out in the
jungle forever. If he had tried to flee across the border, there
was a high risk that the Papua New Guinea Police would arrest
him-as they recently did with Mathias Wenda, another OPM leader.

Finding himself in this difficult situation, Onde made further
demands: he asked for a guarantee for his safety and to meet with
President Abdurrahman Wahid. The negotiators seized the
opportunity, and brought the drama to a successful conclusion.

As for the rest of his demands, Onde will have to live with the
disappointment. For example, he had asked for a US$2 million
ransom payment from Korindo, a withdrawal of all Mobile Police
Brigade (Brimob) personnel from Papua, a retraction of a
declaration of OPM as a banned organization and recognition of the
sovereignty of Papua. Intriguingly, he had also asked for his
Rp2.4 million bar tab at the Nikita Bar to be paid.

Onde claims to have strong reasons for his criminal act. The
kidnapping, he says, was a protest. "It's been a year since we
conveyed our aspirations to the vice president, but there has been
no reply."

As it turns out, though, 39 year old's motives are not that
genuine. He is no Che Guevera. Although he became a guerilla at
the age of 13, he has is also a 'favorite son' of the military.
"Onde's group can be hard-line one minute but are then ready to
talk," the late Maj. Gen. Tonny Rompis, commander of the Trikora
Military Command (which includes Papua) told TEMPO last December.

This close relationship has existed since 1997, when Onde signed a
peace agreement with Maj. Gen. Johny Lumintang, the then Trikora
commander. Last July, the military even took Onde to Jakarta to
meet Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Six months after later,
he came close to meeting the president, but the meeting was
suddenly cancelled. Onde arrived in Jayapura too late and then
stayed at the Kopassus (special forces) Tribuana Taskforce
Headquarters in Hamadi. The guerilla colonel was even able to
invite reporters to attend a news conference at the military base.

TEMPO's investigations and the explanation from Gen. Pastika have
revealed that the chaotic series of events began with a drunken
night in the Nikita Bar in Merauke on January 9. That night, a man
with untidy hair looked at his bar bill and his eyes nearly popped
out of his head when he saw the total: Rp2.4 million. He certainly
didn't have that kind of money in his pocket.

As usual, he called Korindo boss Lee Hun (one of the hostages) and
asked him to pay it-Onde had been working for the Korean company
as a security guard since 1999. Korindo even paid for Onde's
headquarters to be built. However, fed up with the same thing
happening over and over again, the firm refused to foot the bill.
Not content with money for the tab, Onde also asked for automatic
weapons and ammunition and for another debt to be settled: a Rp1.5
million hotel bill. When this request was also turned down, the
elementary school dropout lost his temper.

And so the half-hearted hostage drama took place.
-- Karaniya Dharmasaputra, Edy Budiyarso (Jakarta) and Kristian
Ansaka (West Papua)/DB
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Kabar-Irian

Subject: Re: Papua Council Presidium Media statement
MEDIA STATEMENT 13 February 2001
West Papuans willing to go to war if forced, say leaders

West Papuan leaders have expressed extreme satisfaction with their
Port Vila meetings. They have just concluded a series of
high-level consultations with Prime Minister Barak Sope and his
government. They discussed, among others, the need to step up
diplomatic efforts and persuade Indonesia to accept international
dialogue as the most humane and sensible way out in addressing the
West Papua conflict.

The visiting two-man delegation has also conveyed to Prime
Minister Sope the fraternal greetings of the West Papuan people to
the government and the people of Vanuatu, especially expressing
their appreciation for Vanuatu's historic and long-standing
support in aid of the Melanesian independence issue.

However, it is feared that further atrocities, torture,
intimidation, and suppression of basic human rights in West Papua
will leave its largely unarmed Melanesian inhabitants with no
option, but to resort to physical retaliation in self-defense.
This is according to the Papua Council Presidium's international
relations moderator, Mr Franzalbert Joku, and its Vanuatu-based
resident representative to Pacific countries, Mr Andy Ayamiseba.

The pair who represent the pro-independence Papua Council
Presidium (Presidium Dewan Papua) leaders have warned that the
disputed province could become a major war zone, if Indonesian
military brutalities persisted and the Council's pleas for urgent
external help continued to fall on deaf ears.

"This vicious and inhuman death machine has to be stopped at all
cost. What else can you do, if you are pushed against the wall, or
barely hanging over the cliff edge," they said in a media
statement issued in Port Vila today at the conclusion of their
meeting with the government here.

Joku was recently appointed and authorised to act on behalf of the
Papua Council Presidium to explore and secure all forms of
external assistance, following the mass arrest and jailing of key
independence leaders and other Council members.

They maintained that the peace path they had embarked on was
consistent with the Papua Congress resolution of mid last year and
the broad concern the Pacific Islands Forum leaders had expressed
in the official Forum communique adopted at the Tarawa (Kiribati)
summit last October.

In their statement, the pair strongly urged all sovereign
governments in the region to collectively assume a leading role in
seeking a peaceful solution to end what they described as "one of
the biggest human abbatoirs in the recent history of Melanesia".

"That is precisely what is happening to our people. Peace is our
preference, but what use is it when death stares you in the face.
How much longer must our people go on tolerating this," Joku and
Ayamiseba said.

The West Papuan leaders said continuing inaction by regional gover
nments, in particular the troubled province's near neighbours, and
the international community at large would only serve to encourage
the Papuans to resort to less peaceful means to defend themselves
and reassert control over their native homeland.

"It's a grave mistake to assume that Papuans of today are the same
as those of yesteryears, therefore, incapable of physical
retaliation or inflicting damage.

"Seriously, the Indonesia government must now be placed on notice.
If our pleas for speedy end to atrocities, rape, torture, murder
and all forms of intimidation go unheeded, the Papua Council will
have no choice but to step aside and allow shock therapies to be
administered on the perpetrators," Joku and Ayamiseba said, in
concluding their statement. They would not elaborate.

Franzalbert Joku
International Relations Moderator & Interim Papua Council Mandate
Holder

Andy Ayamiseba
Resident Representative in Vanuatu & International Rel. Pacific
Coordinator
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Received from Joyo Indonesian News

South China Morning Post
February 10, 2001
Irian Jaya students fear fresh violence
By David Cohen

An academic at Cenderawasih University in Jayapura, the capital of
the disputed Indonesian province of Irian Jaya, has warned of
escalating violence in the wake of sectarian unrest which swept
the city in December and in which at least three students died.

Police officers raided three dormitories at Irian Jaya's only
university in search of "terrorists" who they claimed had
earlier killed at least two of their colleagues. One of the
students died at the scene of the raid, while two others died
after being taken into police custody, according to the
regional-based Institute for Human Rights Studies and Advocacy.

At least 50 other students were arrested, according to the
institute. Irian Jaya, formerly known as Dutch New Guinea, is
home to a native Melanesian population of 1.8 million, most of
them Christians, as well as 700,000 settlers from other parts of
Indonesia. It was ceded to Indonesia by the United Nations in
1963.

Virtually all of the students affected by the recent violence come
from the mountain hill tribes of the province, where a
29-year-old separatist movement against Indonesian rule draws its
most militant support.

The police raids occurred shortly after the anniversary of the
separatists' 1961 declaration of independence, commemorating the
time when, they say, their homeland was stolen from them by
Indonesia, which comprises about 7,000 inhabited islands.

Speaking by telephone from the city of Yogyakarta on the island of
Java, Sem Karoba, an English language teacher at Cenderawasih
University, warned that the disputed province seemed likely to
become "a war zone" as "the cycle of retribution gathers pace".

For the institution's 4,000 students, he said, "campus life right
now is a matter of being more and more alert to the reality of
violence. Many of the students no longer even dress like students,
but rather as street workers," he said, for fear of what could
happen to them at the hands of security-force officers.

An additional 1,000 officers were recently sent by the Indonesian
government to restore order in the city.

But faculty members also remain at risk in the wake of the
disorder, said Mr Karoba.

"English language instructors - some of whom, like me, have been
intimidated by the police, and others who have been assaulted or
killed - are being especially targeted, both because we read more
widely and can communicate more widely to the outside world about
what's really happening here."

**************************************************
Paul Barber
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign,
25 Plovers Way, Alton Hampshire GU34 2JJ
Tel/Fax: 01420 80153
Email: plovers@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Defending victims of oppression in Indonesia and
East Timor, 1973-2000
**************************************************
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center For Pacific Islands Studies/University Of
Hawai'I

Church, Governments Talk On West Papua Border Strife
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
(February 12, 2001 - Post-Courier/PINA Nius Online)

Government officials from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia are
meeting this week in Jayapura at a time when problems are
occurring on the common border.

PNG officials, including representatives from the police, PNG
Defense Force, Foreign Affairs and other institutions, were
expected to cross the border to Jayapura yesterday for the Border
Liaison Officers Meeting.

The situation on the border has been contentious since December
when troubles erupted in Indonesian-ruled West Papua. Hundreds of
West Papuans have fled across the border from the province, called
Irian Jaya by the Indonesians.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Jayapura will also meet this
week and has invited the bishops of Vanimo and Kiunga from across
the border in Papua New Guinea to join them. Catholic Bishop of
Vanimo Cesare Bonivento, accompanied by Father Saverio Taffary,
Michael Kalili and a representative from Kiunga, will lead the PNG
group.

The Catholic Bishops Conferences in PNG and Jayapura have been
vocal on alleged human rights abuses by the Indonesian police and
army against West Papuans.

Last month, Lawrence Stephens, of the Catholic Bishops Conference
in PNG, wrote to the United Nations High Commissioner on Human
Rights based in Switzerland, Mary Robinson. He expressed concern
for the "serious human rights violations in West Papua."

Mr. Stephens said five foremost leaders of the West Papuans'
political arm, the Papua Presidium Council, have been charged with
subversion /treason, which carries a penalty of life sentence.

"We regard these persons as political prisoners, who should be
released immediately," he said.

"They had all been advocates of non-violence and had sought
throughout the past year to negotiate a settlement with the
Indonesian President, Mr. Wahid, on the withstanding regional
issues, including past abuses by the military, land rights and the
right of self-determination accorded by the New York Agreement in
1962."

The Catholic Bishops Conference wants withdrawal of thousands of
extra Indonesian troops and police sent to the resource-rich
province in recent months.

There have been bloody clashes in West Papua following the
Indonesian police arrest of the Melanesian West Papuan
pro-independence leaders.

Human rights activists say thousands of people have died in years
of fighting between Indonesian security forces and West Papuans
seeking independence. Many of the province's two million people
still live a traditional life in the mountainous interior.

The province was officially taken over by Indonesia following a
controversial referendum after the departure of the Dutch, who had
ruled the territory. The West Papuans call the referendum a sham
and said only a small and intimidated number of people were
allowed to take part.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of
Hawai'i

PNG Bishops Disturbed At West Papua Reports
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
(February 12, 2001 - The National/ Independent/PINA Nius Online)

Catholic bishops have described as "disturbing" reports that West
Papuan border crossers fleeing violence will be forcibly sent back
to Indonesian-ruled Irian Jaya.

Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon
Islands president Bishop Steven Reichert said rumors of efforts by
officials to return border crossers to the Indonesian officials
are disturbing.

"Suggestions that PNG will forcibly remove the border crossers
send very sad messages to the world," Bishop Reichert said in a
statement released over the weekend.

"We have reports of shocking, barbaric treatment of prisoners in
Irian Jaya (the name the Indonesians use for West Papua). We have
reports of families and associates being intimidated by officials
in Irian Jaya. We have more than 400 people who fled to Vanimo
apparently because they held reasonable fears about their safety."

He said the Catholic Bishops Conference strongly supports the
position of "our Council of Churches" on the matter.

The Roman Catholic Church in Vanimo has provided the border
crossers with two meals a day, a canvas for the construction of
temporary housing and water tanks. The church is paying the
Department of Works to truck in drinking water from a nearby
river. Two hundred mosquito nets have also been distributed.

The Papua New Guinea government is reported to be unwilling to
help the border crossers because of concern over Indonesian
sensitivities and a lack of resources. If the border crossers are
given refugee status they will become eligible to receive
international assistance.

Reports circulating in Vanimo say that Papua New Guinea can expect
more border crossers as the Indonesian military mount operations
against the Biak settlers living around Jayapura, the provincial
capital.

Sandaun provincial health authorities also acknowledge that in the
coming week they are expecting more people to try and cross the
border.

This follows the killing of four Indonesian special forces
soldiers by OPM (Free Papua Movement) pro-independence fighters
and a major Indonesian military operation in retaliation.

Residents in Vanimo have also reported an increase in Papua New
Guinea military activity in border areas.

In recent months there have been bloody clashes in West Papua
following the Indonesian police arrest of Melanesian West Papuan
pro-independence leaders.

Human rights activists say thousands of people have died in years
of fighting between Indonesian security forces and West Papuans
seeking independence. Many of the province's two million people
still live a traditional life in the mountainous interior.

The province was officially taken over by Indonesia following a
controversial referendum after the departure of the Dutch, who had
ruled the territory. The West Papuans call the referendum a sham
and said only a small and intimidated number of people were
allowed to take part.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of
Hawai'i

Worries Over Health Of West Papuan Refugees
By Adam Elliot
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
(January 11, 2001 - The Independent/PINA Nius Online/Abridged)

Papua New Guinea government health workers will screen 220 West
Papuan border crossers currently in Vanimo as efforts to monitor
their health continue.

Health officers will be checking for Tuberculosis (TB) after a
confirmed case was admitted to Vanimo hospital. A Dutch doctor
based in Vanimo, Martyn Pannekoek, says a person was admitted to
hospital with the infectious form of TB.

An aid post located in the camp and staffed by nurses and
community health workers treats around 25 people a day. There has
been a total of around 20 admissions at the Vanimo hospital.

An aid post worker, Helen Sebatles, said: "We are treating simple
illnesses like coughs, malaria and skin diseases like grille. Last
month people were coming in with dysentery but had now improved
and we only had one case yesterday."

The Roman Catholic Church in Vanimo has provided the people with
two meals a day, a canvas for the construction of temporary
housing and water tanks. The church is paying the Department of
Works to truck in drinking water from a nearby river. Two hundred
mosquito nets have also been distributed.

Dr. Pannekoek says the Papua New Guinea government will not help
the border crossers because of concern over Indonesian
sensitivities and a lack of resources. If the border crossers are
given refugee status they will become eligible to receive
international assistance.

The people are occupying government land at the transmitter
station in Vanimo. The border crossers are all from the Wamina
settlement around Jayapura. Wamina is located in the highlands
along the border with PNG.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indonesian Observer
Wednesday, February 14 - 2001
Autonomy law review to curb secession: Minister

JAKARTA (IO) - The government will review the regional autonomy
law to prevent the possible breakaway of certain regions from
Indonesian rule, a senior minister said yesterday.

Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy Minister Surjadi Soedirdja said
amendments will be made because the law contains some articles
that could threaten the country's territorial integrity.

He said his office is now compiling planned revisions for Law
No.22 on Regional Autonomy, which was enacted in 1999.

"We are gathering input and information for the revisions,"
Soedirdja told journalists on the sidelines of a hearing with the
House of Representatives' commission dealing with home and legal
affairs.

On Monday, at least 25 provincial governors met in the South
Sumatra capital of Palembang and called for some changes to the
regional autonomy law. The governors cited some flaws in the law,
which they said pose dangers to national integrity.

Soedirdja welcomed the criticism from the governors. "I am quite
responsive to the governors' aspirations," he said.

The minister said the law is flawed because it does not include
any stipulations regulating hierarchical relations between
municipal, district or provincial administrations.

He said the government will soon hold in-depth discussions to
prepare for the revisions of the law, which partially came into
effect early last month.

The minister acknowledged that perhaps insufficient forethought
had been given to the original law. "Existing social and political
conditions certainly had their bearing when the bill was being
deliberated in the House," he said.

The House commission on home and legal affairs agreed with the
plan to revise the autonomy law, urging the minister to submit a
new bill by June at the latest.

Amin Aryoso, head of the parliamentary commission, said the House
"supports and appreciates any steps" by the Home Affairs Ministry
to implement the autonomy law.

However, the law should take national cohesion into consideration,
he added. "Regional autonomy should support the Unitary State of
the Republic of Indonesia."

Aryoso said his commission feels the revisions should include
articles on the financial balance between the central and regional
governments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indonesian Observer
Wednesday, February 14 - 2001
Editorial
Rethinking national interests

A number of provinces blessed with abundant natural resources are
now busy with their agendas to strengthen their financial
performance as the nation shifts from central to regional
management. Over the past few days, reports from Kalimantan and
Irian Jaya have suggested that officials of the provincial
governments have invited Malaysian loggers to exploit their
resources by granting them small-scale forest concessions. Local
governments, having been empowered by the new autonomy laws, have
the right to issue licenses.

On one hand, the news is a relief since the Malaysians will be
able to realise the potential of our forests, but we won't have to
buy the expensive capital loggers need. The news also implies that
foreign investors are beginning to have more confidence that their
businesses will not be disturbed by locals.

On the other hand, there is concern among national forest
concession holders because the presence of Malaysian logers, who
are better equipped, are expected to cut trees outside licensed
concessions.

Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Forest Concession
Holders, Adiwarsita Adinegoro, was quoted by Bisnis Indonesia,
January 12, 2001 as saying that the threat to businesses owned by
concession holders is serious. Aside from facing stiff competition
from foreign investors, they also have to deal with illegal
logging, which has been intensifying over the last three years.

National forest concession holders cannot profit when illegal
logging is pushing the price of a square metre of wood down to Rp
350.000 while concession holders have to stay at Rp 500.000. This
unfair pricing policy has forced concession holders to delay
paying tax to the government.

The decision of concession holders not to pay tax is a sign that
national interests are being abandoned. Concession holders believe
that the government is not protecting them.

They cite unclear tax policies, illegal retribution and allowing
illegal loggers to operate with impunity as evidence. Illegal
loggers have their own motivations, too. They see big concession
holders cutting trees outside of licensed forest areas and want to
get in on the action. It appears that granting local governments
more power will subvert national interests. Remember the national
Timor car project? It did not exactly help the average Indonesian
to buy a car.

This leaves us with a number of questions: are officials capable
of drafting forest affair policies in the context of autonomy but
still intact in the frame of national integrity? Was it because he
was too busy politicking that the Minister of Forestry Nur Mahmudi
Ismail forgot to deal with technical forestry matters? And is that
the reason the National Awakening Party (PKB) wants him to resign?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
National News
Japan Sends Tools For Irian Jaya's Agri'l Dev't
Monday, February 12, 2001/1:20:29 PM
Jayapura, Irian Jaya, Feb 12 (ANTARA)

The Japanese government, through its Overseas Economic Cooperation
Fund (OECF), has provided Indonesia's Irian Jaya province some
agricultural implements.

"The assistance is for regions with vast and fertile lands but
whose people are living in poor conditions," head of the
provincial agriculture office, Idrus Muhammad D, said here Monday.

The assistance, which consisted of hand tractors and water pumps,
was extended in October last year to four districts -- Merauke,
Nabire, Jayapura and Manokwari.

"These districts were chosen because their potentials are better
than those of other areas in the province," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
National News
RI, PNG Decide To Review Basic Agreements
Monday, February 12, 2001/1:20:06 PM
Jayapura, Irian Jaya, Feb 12 (ANTARA)

Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have decided to review some
of their basic agreements which ended last year, an Indonesian
diplomat said Monday.

The review aims to accommodate recent developments and future
needs, head of the Indonesian delegation to the talks on the basic
agreements, Sinyo Sarundayang, told ANTARA here.

Among those to be reviewed are the two countries' agreement on
border affairs, Sarundayang said, noting that the two governments
have signed 10 memoranda of understanding (MOUs).

He said the meeting will not discuss extradition as the two
neighboring countries have not signed any treaty on this.

Meanwhile, Irian Jaya's secretary for border affairs, FX Suryanto,
said there is a need to review several agreements on border
problems because they could no longer address recent developments.

Besides, the Indonesian and Papuan governments have agreed to
review their agreements every 10 years, he added.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indonesian Observer
Wednesday, February 14 - 2001
Indonesia, PNG to review agreements

JAKARTA (IO) - Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have decided
to review some of their basic agreements that ended last year,
says an Indonesian diplomat.

The review aims to accommodate recent developments and future
needs, head of an Indonesian delegation holding talks with PNG
officials, Sinyo Sarundayang, told Antara on Monday.

Among the agreements being reviewed are those on border affairs.
Thousands of Irian Jaya residents have reportedly claimed they
will seek sanctuary in PNG if the Indonesian military launches a
crackdown on separatist rebels.

Although Irian residents in the past have easily been able to
cross the border and stay there, authorities in PNG recently
arrested a group of rebels from the Free Papua Movement (OPM) and
put them on trial for raising an illegal army.

Sinyo said the bilateral talks, being held in the Irian Jaya
capital of Jayapura, will not discuss extradition as Indonesia and
PNG have not signed any pact on this.

Irian Jaya administration's border affairs spokesman, F.X.
Suryanto, said some agreements relating to border crossers must be
rewritten because they cannot address recent developments.

The Indonesian and Papuan governments have agreed to review their
agreements every 10 years, he added.

KABAR IRIAN ("Irian News") www.kabar-irian.com
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Date: 2/13/01 3:12:56 AM Central Standard Time
From: admin@irja.org
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Subject: Re: Papua Council Presidium Media statement

MEDIA STATEMENT 13 February 2001

West Papuans willing to go to war if forced, say leaders

West Papuan leaders have expressed extreme satisfaction with their Port Vila
meetings. They have just concluded a series of high-level consultations with
Prime Minister Barak Sope and his government. They discussed, among others,
the need to step up diplomatic efforts and persuade Indonesia to accept
international dialogue as the most humane and sensible way out in addressing
the West Papua conflict.

The visiting two-man delegation has also conveyed to Prime Minister Sope the
fraternal greetings of the West Papuan people to the government and the
people of Vanuatu, especially expressing their appreciation for Vanuatu's
historic and long-standing support in aid of the Melanesian independence
issue.

However, it is feared that further atrocities, torture, intimidation, and
suppression of basic human rights in West Papua will leave its largely
unarmed Melanesian inhabitants with no option, but to resort to physical
retaliation in self-defense. This is according to the Papua Council
Presidium's international relations moderator, Mr Franzalbert Joku, and its
Vanuatu-based resident representative to Pacific countries, Mr Andy
Ayamiseba.

The pair who represent the pro-independence Papua Council Presidium
(Presidium Dewan Papua) leaders have warned that the disputed province could
become a major war zone, if Indonesian military brutalities persisted and
the Council's pleas for urgent external help continued to fall on deaf ears.

"This vicious and inhuman death machine has to be stopped at all cost. What
else can you do, if you are pushed against the wall, or barely hanging over
the cliff edge," they said in a media statement issued in Port Vila today at
the conclusion of their meeting with the government here.

Joku was recently appointed and authorised to act on behalf of the Papua
Council Presidium to explore and secure all forms of external assistance,
following the mass arrest and jailing of key independence leaders and other
Council members.

They maintained that the peace path they had embarked on was consistent with
the Papua Congress resolution of mid last year and the broad concern the
Pacific Islands Forum leaders had expressed in the official Forum communique
adopted at the Tarawa (Kiribati) summit last October.

In their statement, the pair strongly urged all sovereign governments in the
region to collectively assume a leading role in seeking a peaceful solution
to end what they described as "one of the biggest human abbatoirs in the
recent history of Melanesia".

"That is precisely what is happening to our people. Peace is our preference,
but what use is it when death stares you in the face. How much longer must
our people go on tolerating this," Joku and Ayamiseba said.

The West Papuan leaders said continuing inaction by regional governments, in
particular the troubled province's near neighbours, and the international
community at large would only serve to encourage the Papuans to resort to
less peaceful means to defend themselves and reassert control over their
native homeland.

"It's a grave mistake to assume that Papuans of today are the same as those
of yesteryears, therefore, incapable of physical retaliation or inflicting
damage.

"Seriously, the Indonesia government must now be placed on notice. If our
pleas for speedy end to atrocities, rape, torture, murder and all forms of
intimidation go unheeded, the Papua Council will have no choice but to step
aside and allow shock therapies to be administered on the perpetrators,"
Joku and Ayamiseba said, in concluding their statement. They would not
elaborate.

Franzalbert Joku
International Relations Moderator & Interim Papua Council Mandate Holder

Andy Ayamiseba
Resident Representative in Vanuatu & International Rel. Pacific Coordinator

KABAR IRIAN ("Irian News") www.kabar-irian.com
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not necessarily the views of IRJA.org or subscribers. "

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=======================================================

Date: 2/11/01 5:56:16 PM Central Standard Time
From: Admin@irja.org
Sender: owner-kabar-irian@irja.org
Reply-to: admin@irja.org
To: Kabar-Irian@irja.org
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Sydney Morning Herald
Monday, February 12, 2001
A problem that's too close for comfort
We must actively seek a central role in settling the unrest in West
Papua, writes Bruce Haigh .

The upheaval in Indonesia over allegations of corruption against
president Wahid has swept the problems of West Papua from the news
just as they appeared to be getting something like the attention
they deserve.

Whatever the fate of Wahid, West Papua will be an abiding problem
for both Jakarta and Canberra. Indeed, if the military increase
their influence over the parliament because of the current problems,
there will be an even more pressing need to address the issue of
West Papua and its hopes for autonomy.

It was discouraging to hear the Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer,
recently respond to the legitimate aspirations of the people of West
Papua with the line that the territorial integrity of the Javanese
empire should be respected. That was in spite of all that has
occurred over the past three years regarding East Timor.

West Papua's grievances will remain for as long as the indigenous
people are subject to the arbitrary rule of the Indonesian army (the
TNI).

The problems in the Indonesian archipelago have been made by the
Javanese elite. Australia did not cause the bloodshed and
destruction in East Timor, (the TNI) did. The forces at play in West
Papua (and Aceh) are the result of historical imperatives. (And will
play themselves out no matter what level of encouragement is given
by Australians seeking an end to oppression in the archipelago.)

Downer and his department need a reality check and an end to the
policy of appeasement towards Indonesia. Rather they should be
actively developing an Australian role in bringing about a
reasonable and negotiated outcome in West Papua.

More than at any other time there is an opportunity for creative and
forward-looking diplomacy with Jakarta. Australia should clearly
state to both Indonesian politicians and the TNI leadership that a
change in the status of West Papua is inevitable. It should be put
that we do not want a repeat of East Timor where we were left
to pick up the pieces.

Australia should consider an intensive round of diplomatic
negotiations with Indonesia and the United Nations with the aim of
autonomy for West Papua within 10 years. Australia could offer to be
part of the process by providing aid, training, technical assistance
and expert advice to the West Papuans.

It would need to be made clear to Indonesia that failure to
negotiate a diplomatic outcome for West Papua will see violence
intensify between activists and the TNI to the point that
intervention from States with a vested interest in the stability of
the region will become inevitable.

As part of a diplomatic initiative, Australia would need to enlist
the support of PNG which is a significant stakeholder in a peaceful
transition of power in West Papua.

Australia would also need to gain the support of the US mining
company Freeport, the major economic player in West Papua and, too,
the support of the US government and of other Pacific countries and
ASEAN.

Australia might use a negotiated settlement in West Papua to engage
regional stakeholders and the UN in resolving similar problems in
other parts of the archipelago.

Any diplomatic initiative should see the World Bank and IMF
encouraged to enforce strict conditions on all future loans to
central and regional authorities in the archipelago.

In common with other lending institutions, the World Bank ought to
ensure that funds are properly allocated and then spent according to
that allocation. This might be achieved by insisting on having World
Bank staff in local institutions as a condition of any loan. World
Bank money has been - and probably still is - finding its way to the
TNI which, as we are now well aware, controls the archipelago with a
comprehensive disregard of human rights.

Australia should also impose stricter conditions on its own aid to
Jakarta or, better still, make that aid conditional on a negotiated
settlement in West Papua.

Whether or not Australia engages in active and creative diplomacy,
West Papua will inevitably move toward substantial autonomy or
separation from the present Indonesian Republic. Australia has an
interest in preventing conflict. It should therefore seek to take a
lead in managing the process of change in West Papua. That would
save many lives and gain regional and international respect.

Effective Australian diplomacy would lessen the prospect of
Australia's future military involvement in a difficult physical and
political environment.

The forces of dissent in the archipelago, which gained momentum
under former president Habibi, will be bolstered by the announcement
from Jakarta last month that the ailing Wahid administration intends
to grant greater autonomy to the restive provinces. Rather than halt
the fracturing of the Javanese empire, it is likely to speed the
process.

By all accounts the initiative has not been thought through.
Planning is said to be rudimentary and devolution of authority is
likely to lead to increased corruption among local officials. In
addition, the economic downturn in the United States will affect
Asian economies, particularly Indonesia. This will put further
pressure on an enfeebled elite.

Popular dissent against poorly performing and corrupt officials,
made worse by economic hardship, is likely to find expression
through increased lawlessness by local activists.

A collapse in provincial law and order will invite intervention by
the TNI which sees maintenance of the status quo in the archipelago
as its duty. Elements within the TNI no doubt view the devolution
proposal with a degree of optimism seeing in it the potential to use
local unrest to advantage.
Indications from Colin Powell that America may be stepping back from
future conflicts the region are all the more reason for Australia
look for diplomatic solutions.
-- Former Australian diplomat Bruce Haigh was a director of the
Department of Foreign Affairs' Indonesia section from 1984 to 1986.

KABAR IRIAN ("Irian News") www.kabar-irian.com
NOTE: "All items are posted for their news/information content. They are
not necessarily the views of IRJA.org or subscribers. "

To unsubscribe send an email (leave subject blank) to majordomo@irja.org
that says: unsubscribe kabar-irian - or you can also un/subscribe at
http://www.irja.org/conf.htm

=======================================================

Date: 2/12/01 5:35:28 AM Central Standard Time
From: plovers@gn.apc.org (Paul Barber)
To: indonesia-act@igc.topica.com, u.braun@xcc.de, slliem@xs4all.nl, jonathan.head@bbc.co.uk, tapol@gn.apc.org
Received from Joyo Indonesian News

South China Morning Post
February 10, 2001

Irian Jaya students fear fresh violence

By David Cohen

An academic at Cenderawasih University in Jayapura, the capital of the
disputed Indonesian province of Irian Jaya, has warned of escalating violence
in
the wake of sectarian unrest which swept the city in December and in which at
least three students died.

Police officers raided three dormitories at Irian Jaya's only university
in
search of "terrorists" who they claimed had earlier killed at least two of
their
colleagues. One of the students died at the scene of the raid, while two
others
died after being taken into police custody, according to the regional-based
Institute for Human Rights Studies and Advocacy.

At least 50 other students were arrested, according to the institute.
Irian
Jaya, formerly known as Dutch New Guinea, is home to a native Melanesian
population of 1.8 million, most of them Christians, as well as 700,000
settlers
from other parts of Indonesia. It was ceded to Indonesia by the United
Nations in 1963.

Virtually all of the students affected by the recent violence come from
the
mountain hill tribes of the province, where a 29-year-old separatist movement
against Indonesian rule draws its most militant support.

The police raids occurred shortly after the anniversary of the
separatists'
1961 declaration of independence, commemorating the time when, they say, their
homeland was stolen from them by Indonesia, which comprises about 7,000
inhabited islands.

Speaking by telephone from the city of Yogyakarta on the island of Java,
Sem
Karoba, an English language teacher at Cenderawasih University, warned that
the
disputed province seemed likely to become "a war zone" as "the cycle of
retribution gathers pace".

For the institution's 4,000 students, he said, "campus life right now is a
matter of being more and more alert to the reality of violence. Many of the
students no longer even dress like students, but rather as street workers," he
said, for fear of what could happen to them at the hands of security-force
officers.

An additional 1,000 officers were recently sent by the Indonesian
government
to restore order in the city.

But faculty members also remain at risk in the wake of the disorder, said
Mr
Karoba.

"English language instructors - some of whom, like me, have been
intimidated
by the police, and others who have been assaulted or killed - are being
especially targeted, both because we read more widely and can communicate more
widely to the outside world about what's really happening here."

**************************************************
Paul Barber
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign,
25 Plovers Way, Alton Hampshire GU34 2JJ
Tel/Fax: 01420 80153
Email: plovers@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Defending victims of oppression in Indonesia and
East Timor, 1973-2000

========================================================

=======================================================

Date: 2/12/01 5:35:45 AM Central Standard Time
From: plovers@gn.apc.org (Paul Barber)
Reply-to: plovers@gn.apc.org
To: WestPapua@topica.com, u.braun@xcc.de, slliem@xs4all.nl, taylorjb@vax.sbu.ac.uk
The Jakarta Post
February 10, 2001

Thousands of Irianese threaten to migrate to Papua New Guinea

JAKARTA (JP): Some 62,000 Papuans living in the mountainous areas of Bintang
in Jayawijaya district have threatened to migrate to Papua New Guinea (PNG)
if the government fails to step up development in their area.

The threat was conveyed by 12 representatives of the community to the
secretary of Irian Jaya's provincial legislative assembly, I Nyoman Sudha, in
the provincial capital of Jayapura on Friday.

Spokesman of the delegation, Hironimus Kasikmabin, pointed out that the
people at the province's border with PNG have not enjoyed the fruits of
integrating with Indonesia for more than 35 years.

"If the government fails to pay serious attention (to the problem of
development in the area), the people might migrate to PNG," Hironimus said.

Hironimus urged the government to split Jayawijaya district into two, by
declaring Bintang a separate district.

"The area has rich natural resources and it is the most densely populated
area in Jayawijaya district," he said.

Hironimus disclosed that people in Bintang had submitted a proposal on the
forming of the new district to the Jayawijaya legislative assembly two years
ago, but had so far received no response.

The thousands of Papuans living at the border occupy six subdistricts --
Borme, Okbibab, Oksibil, Kiwirok, Batom and Iwur.

The six subdistricts in Bintang are only accessible by small planes, Twin
Otters and Cessnas, which are used by AMA Aviation, Trigana and PT Merpati
Nusantara Airlines.

People in the area have benefited from the work of missionaries who have set
up health centers and elementary and junior high schools.

**************************************************
Paul Barber
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign,
25 Plovers Way, Alton Hampshire GU34 2JJ
Tel/Fax: 01420 80153
Email: plovers@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Defending victims of oppression in Indonesia and
East Timor, 1973-2000
**************************************************

____________________________________________________________
T O P I C A -- Learn More. Surf Less.
Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose.
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01

=======================================================

Date: 2/11/01 5:56:16 PM Central Standard Time
From: Admin@irja.org
Sender: owner-kabar-irian@irja.org
Reply-to: admin@irja.org
To: Kabar-Irian@irja.org

To leave this list follow the instructions at the bottom of this email or
visit the above link. As a matter of policy we DO NOT handle u n s u b s c
r i b e requests except in emergencies.

Sydney Morning Herald
Monday, February 12, 2001
A problem that's too close for comfort
We must actively seek a central role in settling the unrest in West
Papua, writes Bruce Haigh .

The upheaval in Indonesia over allegations of corruption against
president Wahid has swept the problems of West Papua from the news
just as they appeared to be getting something like the attention
they deserve.

Whatever the fate of Wahid, West Papua will be an abiding problem
for both Jakarta and Canberra. Indeed, if the military increase
their influence over the parliament because of the current problems,
there will be an even more pressing need to address the issue of
West Papua and its hopes for autonomy.

It was discouraging to hear the Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer,
recently respond to the legitimate aspirations of the people of West
Papua with the line that the territorial integrity of the Javanese
empire should be respected. That was in spite of all that has
occurred over the past three years regarding East Timor.

West Papua's grievances will remain for as long as the indigenous
people are subject to the arbitrary rule of the Indonesian army (the
TNI).

The problems in the Indonesian archipelago have been made by the
Javanese elite. Australia did not cause the bloodshed and
destruction in East Timor, (the TNI) did. The forces at play in West
Papua (and Aceh) are the result of historical imperatives. (And will
play themselves out no matter what level of encouragement is given
by Australians seeking an end to oppression in the archipelago.)

Downer and his department need a reality check and an end to the
policy of appeasement towards Indonesia. Rather they should be
actively developing an Australian role in bringing about a
reasonable and negotiated outcome in West Papua.

More than at any other time there is an opportunity for creative and
forward-looking diplomacy with Jakarta. Australia should clearly
state to both Indonesian politicians and the TNI leadership that a
change in the status of West Papua is inevitable. It should be put
firmly that we do not want a repeat of East Timor where we were left
to pick up the pieces.

Australia should consider an intensive round of diplomatic
negotiations with Indonesia and the United Nations with the aim of
autonomy for West Papua within 10 years. Australia could offer to be
part of the process by providing aid, training, technical assistance
and expert advice to the West Papuans.

It would need to be made clear to Indonesia that failure to
negotiate a diplomatic outcome for West Papua will see violence
intensify between activists and the TNI to the point that
intervention from States with a vested interest in the stability of
the region will become inevitable.

As part of a diplomatic initiative, Australia would need to enlist
the support of PNG which is a significant stakeholder in a peaceful
transition of power in West Papua.

Australia would also need to gain the support of the US mining
company Freeport, the major economic player in West Papua and, too,
the support of the US government and of other Pacific countries and
ASEAN.

Australia might use a negotiated settlement in West Papua to engage
regional stakeholders and the UN in resolving similar problems in
other parts of the archipelago.

Any diplomatic initiative should see the World Bank and IMF
encouraged to enforce strict conditions on all future loans to
central and regional authorities in the archipelago.

In common with other lending institutions, the World Bank ought to
ensure that funds are properly allocated and then spent according to
that allocation. This might be achieved by insisting on having World
Bank staff in local institutions as a condition of any loan. World
Bank money has been - and probably still is - finding its way to the
TNI which, as we are now well aware, controls the archipelago with a
comprehensive disregard of human rights.

Australia should also impose stricter conditions on its own aid to
Jakarta or, better still, make that aid conditional on a negotiated
settlement in West Papua.

Whether or not Australia engages in active and creative diplomacy,
West Papua will inevitably move toward substantial autonomy or
separation from the present Indonesian Republic. Australia has an
interest in preventing conflict. It should therefore seek to take a
lead in managing the process of change in West Papua. That would
save many lives and gain regional and international respect.

Effective Australian diplomacy would lessen the prospect of
Australia's future military involvement in a difficult physical and
political environment.

The forces of dissent in the archipelago, which gained momentum
under former president Habibi, will be bolstered by the announcement
from Jakarta last month that the ailing Wahid administration intends
to grant greater autonomy to the restive provinces. Rather than halt
the fracturing of the Javanese empire, it is likely to speed the
process.

By all accounts the initiative has not been thought through.
Planning is said to be rudimentary and devolution of authority is
likely to lead to increased corruption among local officials. In
addition, the economic downturn in the United States will affect
Asian economies, particularly Indonesia. This will put further
pressure on an enfeebled elite.

Popular dissent against poorly performing and corrupt officials,
made worse by economic hardship, is likely to find expression
through increased lawlessness by local activists.

A collapse in provincial law and order will invite intervention by
the TNI which sees maintenance of the status quo in the archipelago
as its duty. Elements within the TNI no doubt view the devolution
proposal with a degree of optimism seeing in it the potential to use
local unrest to advantage.
Indications from Colin Powell that America may be stepping back from
future conflicts the region are all the more reason for Australia
look for diplomatic solutions.
-- Former Australian diplomat Bruce Haigh was a director of the
Department of Foreign Affairs' Indonesia section from 1984 to 1986.

KABAR IRIAN ("Irian News") www.kabar-irian.com
NOTE: "All items are posted for their news/information content. They are
not necessarily the views of IRJA.org or subscribers. "

To unsubscribe send an email (leave subject blank) to majordomo@irja.org
that says: unsubscribe kabar-irian - or you can also un/subscribe at
http://www.irja.org/conf.htm

=======================================================

Date: 2/12/01 5:35:28 AM Central Standard Time
From: plovers@gn.apc.org (Paul Barber)
To: indonesia-act@igc.topica.com, u.braun@xcc.de, slliem@xs4all.nl, jonathan.head@bbc.co.uk, tapol@gn.apc.org

South China Morning Post
February 10, 2001

Irian Jaya students fear fresh violence

By David Cohen

An academic at Cenderawasih University in Jayapura, the capital of the
disputed Indonesian province of Irian Jaya, has warned of escalating violence
in
the wake of sectarian unrest which swept the city in December and in which at
least three students died.

Police officers raided three dormitories at Irian Jaya's only university
in
search of "terrorists" who they claimed had earlier killed at least two of
their
colleagues. One of the students died at the scene of the raid, while two
others
died after being taken into police custody, according to the regional-based
Institute for Human Rights Studies and Advocacy.

At least 50 other students were arrested, according to the institute.
Irian
Jaya, formerly known as Dutch New Guinea, is home to a native Melanesian
population of 1.8 million, most of them Christians, as well as 700,000
settlers
from other parts of Indonesia. It was ceded to Indonesia by the United
Nations in 1963.

Virtually all of the students affected by the recent violence come from
the
mountain hill tribes of the province, where a 29-year-old separatist movement
against Indonesian rule draws its most militant support.

The police raids occurred shortly after the anniversary of the
separatists'
1961 declaration of independence, commemorating the time when, they say, their
homeland was stolen from them by Indonesia, which comprises about 7,000
inhabited islands.

Speaking by telephone from the city of Yogyakarta on the island of Java,
Sem
Karoba, an English language teacher at Cenderawasih University, warned that
the
disputed province seemed likely to become "a war zone" as "the cycle of
retribution gathers pace".

For the institution's 4,000 students, he said, "campus life right now is a
matter of being more and more alert to the reality of violence. Many of the
students no longer even dress like students, but rather as street workers," he
said, for fear of what could happen to them at the hands of security-force
officers.

An additional 1,000 officers were recently sent by the Indonesian
government
to restore order in the city.

But faculty members also remain at risk in the wake of the disorder, said
Mr
Karoba.

"English language instructors - some of whom, like me, have been
intimidated
by the police, and others who have been assaulted or killed - are being
especially targeted, both because we read more widely and can communicate more
widely to the outside world about what's really happening here."

**************************************************
Paul Barber
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign,
25 Plovers Way, Alton Hampshire GU34 2JJ
Tel/Fax: 01420 80153
Email: plovers@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Defending victims of oppression in Indonesia and
East Timor, 1973-2000
**************************************************

=======================================================

Date: 2/10/01 8:41:34 PM Central Standard Time
From: admin@irja.org
Sender: owner-kabar-irian@irja.org
Reply-to: admin@irja.org
To: kabar-irian@irja.org
Too much mail? Try our digest version. Info available at
http://www.irja.org/conf.htm

To leave this list follow the instructions at the bottom of this email or
visit the above link. As a matter of policy we DO NOT handle u n s u b s c
r i b e requests except in emergencies.

This is Freeport's response to the original news item. The original item
was based on testimony/complaints recieved from Papuans Freeport Employees
and others.

We thank freeport for taking the time to clarify. However, we stand by
three points:

1. We were told several times that staff were NOT able to go see the
journalist of their own choice.

2. By mamangement we refere to Dept. heads or higher. It is misleading to
talk about "Senior Papuan Staff" because that is a general term

3. While hiring goals may have been met, it is not actually bringing Hired
Papuans to the level sought. After all, people, quit, retire or get
fired. Papuans don't just want "X" amount hired, they want "x" number
maintained - and rightly so.

Admin

On February 09, 2001, FMS_Communications replied:

From: FMS_Communiations@fmi.com

It was unfortunate that the planned visit of a reporter from The New York
Times to Freeport's operations had to be postponed. Freeport had made
numerous preparations for the visit of the reporter and his entourage, all
from Jakarta. Unfortunately, due to their concerns about the security
situation, the local and provincial police asked Freeport to temporarily
suspend such visits in the interest of safety. Freeport sought to postpone
the reporter's visit, but he traveled to Timika anyway. Freeport was unable
to accommodate his visit at that time, because of the request of the local
authorities and because, as the reporter had been told, company
representatives had been released from the previously scheduled meetings when
the schedule was postponed.

Any attempt to imply, due to this incident, that Freeport is a "closed"
company or has something to hide, is ridiculous. In the past several years
alone, 700 reporters from around the world have visited the company's
operations in Irian Jaya (Papua) under Freeport's open door policy.

The suggestion that the company was trying to keep the reporter from meeting
with Papuans is also baseless. Freeport had scheduled the reporter to meet
with a number of Papuan employees and their families. With regards to
Freeport's 10-year Papuan hiring commitments made in 1996, these have all
already been surpassed. At the end of 2000, Freeport had 1,522 Papuan
employees, compared to 600 in 1996; and 113 Papuan staff, or managerial,
employees, compared to 48 in 1996. These efforts to educate, train, employ
and promote Papuans continue.

Freeport has apologized to the reporter for the inconvenience and sincerely
hopes to be able to reschedule his visit in the near future.

KABAR IRIAN ("Irian News") www.kabar-irian.com
NOTE: "All items are posted for their news/information content. They are
not necessarily the views of IRJA.org or subscribers. "

To unsubscribe send an email (leave subject blank) to majordomo@irja.org
that says: unsubscribe kabar-irian - or you can also un/subscribe at
http://www.irja.org/conf.htm

==================================

Date: 2/9/01 7:48:51 AM Central Standard Time
From: plovers@gn.apc.org (Paul Barber)
To: indonesia-act@igc.topica.com, u.braun@xcc.de, slliem@xs4all.nl, jonathan.head@bbc.co.uk, tapol@gn.apc.org

Received from Joyo Indonesian News

The Jakarta Post
February 8, 2001

Last three hostages freed by leader of Free Papua Movement

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Willem Onde, the leader of the Free Papua Movement
(OPM), released on Wednesday afternoon three hostages, including two Koreans,
who had been held for 23 days.

"Three PT Korindo Merauke employees, including two Korean nationals, were
released this afternoon at about 2:45 p.m. local time after being held
hostage since January 16," Chung Mulia Wijaya, vice president of PT Korindo
logging and plywood company, told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Chung said the three released hostages, identified as Lee Jong Myung, Kuon O
Deok and Emerikue Kamelius, "were in good condition and only lost few
kilograms".

"Thank God the two Koreans are surveyors who have been living in Indonesia
for 20 years ... so they are used to mosquito bites and raw food," he said.

The kidnappers, who are from a faction of OPM, seized 16 employees of the
South Korean-owned plywood firm based in Asiki district, some 360 kilometers
from Merauke.

Thirteen of the hostages were released on Jan. 28 following negotiations with
the rebels at their camp in Asiki district. The rebels then demanded a US$1
million ransom, a halt to logging in the area and the withdrawal of police
from the timber-cutting area for the release of the remaining three hostages.

"I met with Onde during the previous negotiations. Onde released the hostages
on the grounds that President Abdurrahman Wahid agreed to meet with him in
Jakarta. Basically he (Onde) was only trying to channel his aspirations for
Papua freedom and it had nothing to do with Korindo," Chung said.

Merauke Regent Johanes Gluba Gebse was in Jakarta on Wednesday reportedly to
confirm the planned meeting between the President and Onde. Presidential
spokesman Wimar Witoelar said earlier that the President had agreed to meet
with Onde.

Both Chung and Korindo director Eugenius Simon Lestuny said no ransom had
been paid for the release of the hostages.

"No ransom was paid. Logging is continuing as usual and as for the withdrawal
of troops, that is up to the government," Lestuny said.

The three hostages left Onde's camp in the Asiki district near Digul River
with negotiators, who included Merauke Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Yohanis
Agus Mulyono, the chief of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) in Tribuana,
Lt. Col. Nus Rasia, and two Koreans officials from PT Korindo.

"We are glad that all hostages are safe and sound and no rescue operation was
necessary," Trikora Military Commander Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon and Irian
Jaya Police chief Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika said.

"We thank Mgr. J. Duivenvoorde, Rev. Kees de Roy, (local residents) Marius
Marip, Vitalis and Linus, and Nor Bertha (Onde's sister), who played
wonderful roles as negotiators, along with the government, the security
forces and all related parties that have helped us in peacefully securing the
release of the hostages," Kim Dong Hwan, the vice chairman of PT Korindo,
said in a statement.

The company, however, urged the government to be more sensitive in
understanding the situation in the regions.

PT Korindo has been operating in Indonesia for 30 years. The company has
4,000 employees in Irian Jaya. (edt/35)

**************************************************
Paul Barber
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign,
25 Plovers Way, Alton Hampshire GU34 2JJ
Tel/Fax: 01420 80153
Email: plovers@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Defending victims of oppression in Indonesia and
East Timor, 1973-2000
**************************************************

=======================================================

Date: 2/9/01 4:02:13 PM Central Standard Time
From: plovers@gn.apc.org (Paul Barber)
To: indonesia-act@igc.topica.com, u.braun@xcc.de, slliem@xs4all.nl, jonathan.head@bbc.co.uk, tapol@gn.apc.org

also: Lawyer urges Papua New Guinea not to extradite Irian separatist to
Indonesia

BBC Worldwide Monitoring
February 8, 2001

Source: Papua New Guinea Post-Courier web site, Port Moresby, in English 8
Feb 01

Papua New Guinea churches are alarmed at reports more than 400 refugees
from
West Papua Irian Jaya are to be sent back over the border to Indonesia.
Hundreds of West Papuan families have been living in jungle camps just inside
the PNG border since 1997, when the Indonesian military and police began
cracking down on nationalists among its Melanesian people. Hundreds have fled
to
PNG between October and December last year, when independence demonstrations
flared up.

PNG Council of Churches General Secretary Sophia Gegeyo said she was
concerned about a Radio New Zealand report that West Sepik Governor Robert
Sakias expected that more than 400 border-crossers near Vanimo would be
"forced" across the border. She said this was not an accurate representation
of
the intentions of either the PNG government or the United Nations.

Mrs Gegeyo said, during a recent visit by a UN representative to Vanimo,
the
border-crossers were assured that both the UN and the PNG government hoped
they
would "soon feel free" to return home.

"At the same time, three assurances were given to the people," she said.
"Firstly, that none of them would be forced to go back unwillingly. Secondly,
that there would be no effort made to return any of them until it was
established that life in West Papua had returned to normal, following the
disturbances there late last year. Finally, the people were promised that when
any of them were returned home, careful measures would be taken to monitor
their
safety and ensure they were not in any way threatened with harm."

Governor Sakias could not be reached for comment.

------------------

Summary of World Broadcasts
February 09, 2001
Source: Radio Australia, Melbourne, in English 1005 gmt 7 Feb 01

[Presenter Peter Mares] A West Papuan guerrilla leader appeared in a Papua
New Guinea Court today charged with raising an illegal army. Mathias Wenda is
described as the supreme commander of the OPM [Organisasi Papua Merdeka], the
rebel movement fighting for a separate state in the Indonesian province of
West
Papua, or Irian Jaya. He was arrested last month near the border town of
Vanimo
in Papua New Guinea [PNG].

Mr Wenda's lawyer has accused Port Moresby and Canberra of collaborating
with
Jakarta over his arrest. And Powes Parkop says PNG must resist calls for Mr
Wenda to be handed over to Indonesian authorities. Tricia Fitzgerald reports:

[Fitzgerald] Mathias Wenda and 12 of his followers were picked up in a
surprise police raid on an alleged rebel camp inside PNG in late January.
Eleven
of those detained have already been sentenced to six months hard labour for
being illegally in PNG. But Mr Wenda and his deputy, James Kogoiya, are facing
more serious charges. Both leaders appeared in Wewak District Court today, and
are likely to be referred on to a national court later this month. Mr Wenda is
in his 60s and reportedly in bad health.

Human rights worker (?Paul Katmau) was at Wewak prison this week, but was
refused permission to talk to the West Papuan prisoners...

[Parkop] It is a well-known fact in PNG that Wenda has been operating in
West
Sepik for all these years. I think the last 15 to 20 years, he has been living
in West Sepik around Bewani area, and also around Vanimo area, operating out
of
PNG. And government officials have spoken to him in the past. [The] military
have also spoken to him in the past, and they know that he has been operating
in
PNG.

Australia, PNG and Indonesia have probably agreed to a policy as to what
will happen in West Papua and that is to stop all the autonomy. They probably
would not want to see people like Wenda around, who is for independence...

**************************************************
Paul Barber
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign,
25 Plovers Way, Alton Hampshire GU34 2JJ
Tel/Fax: 01420 80153
Email: plovers@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Defending victims of oppression in Indonesia and
East Timor, 1973-2000
**************************************************

=======================================================

Date: 2/9/01 7:18:05 AM Central Standard Time
From: plovers@gn.apc.org (Paul Barber)
To: indonesia-act@igc.topica.com, u.braun@xcc.de, slliem@xs4all.nl, jonathan.head@bbc.co.uk, tapol@gn.apc.org
Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2001 05:00:08 -0800
Received from Joyo Indonesian News

The Jakarta Post
February 8, 2001

Last three hostages freed by leader of Free Papua Movement

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Willem Onde, the leader of the Free Papua Movement
(OPM), released on Wednesday afternoon three hostages, including two Koreans,
who had been held for 23 days.

"Three PT Korindo Merauke employees, including two Korean nationals, were
released this afternoon at about 2:45 p.m. local time after being held
hostage since January 16," Chung Mulia Wijaya, vice president of PT Korindo
logging and plywood company, told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Chung said the three released hostages, identified as Lee Jong Myung, Kuon O
Deok and Emerikue Kamelius, "were in good condition and only lost few
kilograms".

"Thank God the two Koreans are surveyors who have been living in Indonesia
for 20 years ... so they are used to mosquito bites and raw food," he said.

The kidnappers, who are from a faction of OPM, seized 16 employees of the
South Korean-owned plywood firm based in Asiki district, some 360 kilometers
from Merauke.

Thirteen of the hostages were released on Jan. 28 following negotiations with
the rebels at their camp in Asiki district. The rebels then demanded a US$1
million ransom, a halt to logging in the area and the withdrawal of police
from the timber-cutting area for the release of the remaining three hostages.

"I met with Onde during the previous negotiations. Onde released the hostages
on the grounds that President Abdurrahman Wahid agreed to meet with him in
Jakarta. Basically he (Onde) was only trying to channel his aspirations for
Papua freedom and it had nothing to do with Korindo," Chung said.

Merauke Regent Johanes Gluba Gebse was in Jakarta on Wednesday reportedly to
confirm the planned meeting between the President and Onde. Presidential
spokesman Wimar Witoelar said earlier that the President had agreed to meet
with Onde.

Both Chung and Korindo director Eugenius Simon Lestuny said no ransom had
been paid for the release of the hostages.

"No ransom was paid. Logging is continuing as usual and as for the withdrawal
of troops, that is up to the government," Lestuny said.

The three hostages left Onde's camp in the Asiki district near Digul River
with negotiators, who included Merauke Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Yohanis
Agus Mulyono, the chief of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) in Tribuana,
Lt. Col. Nus Rasia, and two Koreans officials from PT Korindo.

"We are glad that all hostages are safe and sound and no rescue operation was
necessary," Trikora Military Commander Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon and Irian
Jaya Police chief Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika said.

"We thank Mgr. J. Duivenvoorde, Rev. Kees de Roy, (local residents) Marius
Marip, Vitalis and Linus, and Nor Bertha (Onde's sister), who played
wonderful roles as negotiators, along with the government, the security
forces and all related parties that have helped us in peacefully securing the
release of the hostages," Kim Dong Hwan, the vice chairman of PT Korindo,
said in a statement.

The company, however, urged the government to be more sensitive in
understanding the situation in the regions.

PT Korindo has been operating in Indonesia for 30 years. The company has
4,000 employees in Irian Jaya. (edt/35)

**************************************************
Paul Barber
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign,
25 Plovers Way, Alton Hampshire GU34 2JJ
Tel/Fax: 01420 80153
Email: plovers@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Defending victims of oppression in Indonesia and
East Timor, 1973-2000
**************************************************

____________________________________________________________
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Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose.
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01

=======================================================

Date: 2/8/01 6:10:39 AM Central Standard Time
From: admin@irja.org
Sender: owner-kabar-irian@irja.org
Reply-to: admin@irja.org
To: kabar-irian@irja.org
Too much mail? Try our digest version. Info available at
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Thursday feb 8 2001

On the tuesday of this week a journalist from the New York Times arrived
in Timika doing a story on West Papua. He requested an interview with
Freeport employees, in particular Papuan employees.

However Freeport categorically refused any such interviews and forbade all
staff to meet him. They even took security measures to make sure no one
spoke with him.

This is somewhat disturbing when one considers the current disatisfaction
between Papuan Freeport employees and Freeport as well as the usual
problems between Freeport and the local people. The implication, justly or
not, is that Freeport has something to hide from the world - in particular
where its Papuan employee's are concerned.

There have been a recent spate of articles in the Timika Pos (A paper
local to Timika but read throughout Irian) by a Papuan Freeport employee
criticising Freeport for their lack of support for Papuans in the freeport
workforce. A point of note was that five years ago Freeport made promises
in writing as to how many more Papuans they would hire and how many would
be directed to managment.

These promises have not been met. This is not a matter of opinion but of
numbers. Currently with the exception of one token Vice President and two
managers there are no Papuan employees of significant seniority. Papuans
are angered by this.

When we have copies of those articles translated we will post them

Kabar-Irian

KABAR IRIAN ("Irian News") www.kabar-irian.com
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not necessarily the views of IRJA.org or subscribers. "

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Date: 2/8/01 7:37:27 PM Central Standard Time
From: admin@irja.org
Sender: owner-kabar-irian@irja.org
Reply-to: admin@irja.org
To: kabar-irian@irja.org
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The OPM in Indonesia
John R. G. Djopari, Pemberontakan Organisasi Papua Merdeka (Revolt of the
OPM), Jakarta: Gramedia, 1993. 180pp. RRP: Rp 7,000 (approx. AU$4.00 in
Indonesian bookstores).
Maj.-Gen. Samsudin, Pergolakan di Perbatasan - operasi pembebasan sandera
tanpa pertumpahan darah (Border Troubles - bloodless operations to free
hostages), Jakarta: Gramedia, 1995, 463 pp. RRP: Rp 15,000 (AU$8.50).

Reviewed by Gerry van Klinken

After four and half months, the hostage crisis in Irian Jaya was resolved
with military action. Two hostages died, as did more than two dozen
combatants on both sides through accidents or battle. It is important to
grasp the longevity of the political problems in the territory, which cry
out for fundamental change. These two timely books, in their own way, do
something to make us think there are Indonesians who realise this.

Samsudin's book is written in the genre of memoirs of heroic deeds. It
recounts in detail his own role (with the rank of colonel in the Indonesian
army) in resolving a series of hostage crises between 1978 and 1982.
Besides illustrating that hostage-taking is almost a traditional OPM
strategy, the story is remarkable because it takes pride in the fact that
all the crises were resolved without shedding blood (except for the death
of a helicopter crew in a crash).

The five different events ranged from the taking of the Abepura Military
Region Commander to the taking of a large group of junior government
officials and local workers. Some took as long as 8 months to resolve, by
means of trusted civilian mediators. There are many fascinating photos.

OPM

Djopari's book is thinner, yet more substantial. It is only the second full
study on the OPM to appear in Indonesia. The first was done by Nazaruddin
Sjamsuddin, who also supervised this one. Djopari comes from Irian Jaya and
teaches at the Interior Ministry's Institute of Government Studies. He
travelled widely for this study and is remarkably open about his
observations.

Both revolt and collaboration have always been matters for a small elite in
West Papua. The Dutch who ruled the territory till 1962 recognised this,
and so did the Indonesians. However, Indonesia's misfortune was that its
economy was in such a shambles in 1962 that it could offer the Papuan elite
nothing.

The Dutch had poured money into the territory in the late 'fifties and
early 'sixties, making the Papuan elite feel, Djopari says, 'as if they
were not being colonised'. In stark contrast, Indonesians stripped the
place bare, even taking to Java the aircraft steps from the Biak
International Airport. Attempts to socialise the notion of Indonesian-ness
failed dismally, Djopari notes, because the standard line that Dutch
colonialism impoverishes the people just did not ring true.

Crude

In the absence of a soft pillow for the elite, the government resorted to
crude intimidation by Ali Moertopo's Special Operations (Opsus). In the
process it created a unity in dissent that may never have existed before.

As so often, the coloniser provided a vocabulary for the colonised. The
name Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM, Free Papua Organisation) was first
coined by the Indonesian military. In reality, Djopari says, the OPM is
'not a single organisation for the liberation of Irian Jaya, but an
umbrella for a whole range of resistance organisations both in Irian Jaya
and overseas'.

Some will question the methods of this study - it is functionalist and thus
uses too much communications theory and not enough economics. But it
contains much valuable data, and deserves to be more widely quoted in
Indonesia today.

KABAR IRIAN ("Irian News") www.kabar-irian.com
NOTE: "All items are posted for their news/information content. They are
not necessarily the views of IRJA.org or subscribers. "

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=======================================================

Date: 2/8/01 6:04:34 PM Central Standard Time
From: Admin@irja.org
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From: Tapol
Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 2:08 PM
Subject: [wp] Kopassus retaliate for killing of their men

Kopassus retaliate for the killing of four Kopassus soldiers

Hundreds of reinforcements, including two hundred Kopassus (army
special command) troops have been sent to an area west of Jayapura
in an operation to hunt down the commander of the TPN (National
Liberation Army) unit that killed four Kopassus soldiers on 3
February. The troops are spread out through Sarmi, Tor Atas, Betaf
and Bonggo, sub-districts in the district of Jayapura 90 - 135 kms
west of Jayapura.

The additional troops have been dispatched to the area by the
Trikora military command and include Kostrad, Brimob, territorial
troops as well as marines operating offshore.

According to a report issued on 8 February by ELS-HAM, the Institute
for Human Rights Study and Advocacy, the arrival of these troops has
caused consternation among the local population many of whom have
fled their villages to find sanctuary in nearby towns or farther
afield in Jayapura,

Security conditions throughout the area have been tightened on land
and also off shore. New army posts have been set up and restrictions
have been placed on freedom of movement.

According to a report leaked to an ELS-HAM source in the area, the
troops plan to attack and torch three villages in Tor Atas which are
suspected of being strongholds of the TPN.

Local people are fleeing out of fear that the troop reinforcements
will not differentiate between TPN members and ordinary civilians.
People still remember the military operations in the same region
that resulted in hundreds of deaths in the area several years.

Since December last year, there have been a number of actions by TPN
units. In one of these actions, a unit led by Max Rumbiak succeeded
in seizing two weapons from the police. Local Kopassus forces
managed to persuade the TPN unit to hand back the weapons and took
the TPN members to Jayapura for the handing over ceremony. This made
local police suspicious of the Kopassus, whom they accused of
collaborating with the TPN unit. Moreover, another TPN unit planned
an attack on a local Brimob post. This plan was foiled and three
members of the unit were taken into police custody. As a result the
TPN members came down from the hills and occupied Betaf town
demanding the release of their three comrades, threatening to attack
the police of this demand was not met.

The clash between the TPN members and the security forces led to the
killing on 3 February of the four Kopassus soldiers; during the
attack, one TPN member was also killed.

ELS-HAM sources in the area report that there have been a number of
operations by security forces throughout the region, particularly
involving Brimob forces. Activists have been taken into custody. In
Merauke, a number of people employed by a local plywood company were
kidnapped by a TPN unit which is known to be very close to Kopassus.
Two days after the killing of the Kopassus soldiers, there was an
attack in Nabire during which a member of Brimob was killed by
unidentified assailants.

The situation today is reminiscent of the situation in Papua in the
mid and late 1960s when the status of the territory was in dispute.
Terror and intimidation were widespread and grew to a climax in late
1969 when the so-called Act of Free Choice took place in August of
that year.

TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon CR7 8HW, UK.
tel +44 020 8771 2904 fax +44 020 8653 0322
tapol@gn.apc.org www.gn.apc.org/tapol
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Too much mail? Try our digest version. Info available at
http://www.irja.org/conf.htm

Thursday Feb 8 2001

On the Tuesday of this week a journalist from the New York Times
arrived in Timika doing a story on West Papua. He requested an
interview with Freeport employees, in particular Papuan employees.

However Freeport categorically refused any such interviews and
forbade all staff to meet him. They even took security measures to
make sure no one spoke with him.

This is somewhat disturbing when one considers the current
dissatisfaction between Papuan Freeport employees and Freeport as
well as the usual problems between Freeport and the local people.
The implication, justly or not, is that Freeport has something to
hide from the world - in particular where its Papuan employee's are
concerned.

There have been a recent spate of articles in the Timika Pos (A
paper local to Timika but read throughout Irian) by a Papuan
Freeport employee criticising Freeport for their lack of support for
Papuans in the Freeport workforce. A point of note was that five
years ago Freeport made promises in writing as to how many more
Papuans they would hire and how many would be directed to managment.

These promises have not been met. This is not a matter of opinion
but of numbers. Currently with the exception of one token Vice
President and two managers there are no Papuan employees of
significant seniority. Papuans are angered by this.

When we have copies of those articles translated we will post them

Kabar-Irian
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 01:26:30 +0800
From: MAL-development
Newsgroups: aus.politics
Subject: West Papua's "act of free choice"

West Papua's "act of free choice" ---------------------------------
by Malcolm Bradley [Draft at best]

West Papua is Indonesia's most distant and resource rich 'province',
located on the western half of the island of New Guinea, which is to
the north of Australia. The local indigenous people call it Papua,
but others may know it by its more commonly used Indonesian name,
Irian Jaya. The first peoples of Papua (comprising some 245 tribes
and languages) are culturally distinct from the Indonesian nation in
which they have been 'included'. Papuans are of similar Melanesian
origin to their neighbours in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

A long standing struggle for independence in the Papuan province
from Indonesia has been fed by military brutality and perceived
exploitation of Papua's huge oil, gas, timber and mineral resources.
The indigenous peoples of this former Dutch colony have grown
increasingly resentful and defiant toward the Indonesian occupation
of Papua and to its colonisation / transmigration policies which are
gradually making Papua culturally Javanese.

Over recent years the Papuan's have been increasingly vocally
demanding their independence from Indonesia (despite Indonesian
repression) through the acts of defiance such as the raising their
Morning Star flag (the Papuan symbol and rallying point for
independence) and through the various actions of OPM (themilitary
arm of Papua's independence movement) who have been waging a low
level guerilla war on and off since Indonesian occupation. The
situation in Papua is escalating dangerously as independence
activists face an increasing repressive Indonesian military / police
crackdown

Today, after almost 40 years later of Indonesian occupation, finally
the international community and Indonesia are seemingly starting
'listen' to the Papuans continued legitimate demands for
independence. For arguably Indonesia has no legitimate grounds, nor
right to sovereignty over Papua and its natural resources. Papua
'is' Indonesian by conquest alone, a conquest sanctioned by the then
international community and United Nations (UN).

Papua was not originally included in the Indonesian archipelago that
won independence from the Dutch following World War II, instead
remained under Dutch control in preparation for independence. Infact
Papua was 'incorporated' into Indonesia first by conquest in late
1961 (after Papua declared independence from the Dutch), then in
1963 when the UN 'transferred' Papuan sovereignty to Indonesia on
the condition that an "act of free choice" be permitted to ascertain
the views of the people.

In the place of an "act of free choice", a farcical UN endorsed
undemocratic vote was held in which the Papuans were cheated of
their right to independence. This validation of Indonesian rule of
Papua consisted of a vote of 1,025 hand picked delegates (selected
by Indonesia), many of whom were bribed / coerced into voting to
join Indonesia, and later rescinded their so called votes.
Subsequently it has been shown that Australia colluded with Holland,
the United States (US) and UN officials to rubber-stamp the
Indonesian 'takeover' of Papua. A truly democratic UN sanctioned act
of free choice is still required.

Despite this obvious historical travesty of justice and the
longstanding actions of the Papuan independence movement, it has
been only in the last year or so that Papuans have received any
visible moral political support - from the small Pacific Island
nations of Nauru, Tuvalu and Vanuatu through the UN and from
solidarity groups in the West. The Dutch have spoken of pursuing a
reinvestigating through the UN of the so called "act of free choice"
(which underlies Indonesia's claim to sovereignty over Papua), but
that is a can or worms that many do not want to open as yet,
including and particularly the Australia government.

So far the Australian government has avoided addressing this central
grievance of the Papuans. Prime Minister 'little' Johny Howard, for
instance has sidestepped questions about the legitimacy of the
'vote' with statements like, "I don't express a view on it!", or
"there was a judgment made by the United Nations." Whilst Foreign
Affairs Minister Alexander 'THE GREAT' Downer has been quoted as
saying that, "We don't think there's any value in unravelling that
[vote] and exacerbating the situation in Irian Jaya." This is not
good enough, as Australia is already complicate in this messy
affair. Just like we were in the invasion of East Timor.

The Australian government has clearly expressed its acceptance of
Indonesia's 'sovereign right' of 'ownership' of Papua and its other
troublesome 'provinces', for now at least. Downer states that, "We
do not support independence movements in West Papua, _ Australia is
totally committed to the territorial integrity of Indonesia." Downer
hasn't given any real indication of what Australian policy actually
is, beyond appeasing Indonesia and implying that the argument over
Papua begins and ends with 'our' recognition of Indonesian
sovereignty of Papua. Hopefully this will change before things get
much more bloodier and out of hand in Papua.

Within the mostly artificial climate of fear over the potential for
the breakup of the Republic of Indonesia since East Timor's
independence, and the mounting secessionist pressures in a number of
Indonesian provinces, Australia's reluctance to take any real
position on independence is somewhat understandable. Yet, clearly it
doesn't follow that independence for Papua, or other provinces,
would necessarily lead to the breakup of Indonesia. Indonesia has
flatly refused to consider granting independence to the resource
rich province of Papua, citing and fanning such fears of a breakup,
and attempting to carm the situation by promising 'broader'
provincial autonomy. But is that enough?

The escalating mood for independence in Papua, has lead to an
ongoing Indonesian military / police crackdown over the recent
months, in which a ban has been instituted on foreign journalists
entering Papua. It is clear that there has been a of large troop /
police build up in Papua, including regular displays of Indonesian
military power. There have been reports of : Indonesian training and
arming of pro-Indonesian militias, the arbitrary detention and
torture of Papuans and their leaders, as well as numerous other
human rights abuses including killings for the raising the Morning
Star flag. To quote a Papuan friend, "I think we are living in a
jail!"

Papuan refugees have been trickling over the boarder to PNG for some
time now, but as yet the UN has yet to recognised these mostly women
and children as the refugees that they are. Their men folk are
joining the OPM, and are training in large numbers for guerilla war
in the jungles of Papua. The OPM have been retaliating against the
Indonesian crackdown, which has resulted in the deaths of Indonesian
civilians and police, as well as hostage taking. The OPM have stated
and proven that they are willing to die for their independence
(despite their primitive weaponry), they do not and will not accept
Indonesian sovereignty of their lands.

It seems the international community is afraid of confronting the
policy implications of the profound Papuan disenchantment with
Indonesian rule and of the regrettable historical failure of the UN
that led to it. The people of Florida and the US recently found
themselves in political limbo for only a few weeks, whilst the
people of Papua have been in limbo for at least 31 long years.
Something must be done and soon, write to your politicians and urge
them to help Papua.

The Murdoch Guild of Student is deeply concerned by what is
happening in Papua and has expressed its solidarity with student
activists fighting for Papuan independence from Indonesia.

SOME LINKS TO SITES

http://westpapuaaction.buz.org A good site for background info on
Papua independence

http://www.koteka.net An excellent general site on Papua
independence

www.kabar-irian.com An excellent Papuan independence news site /
email list

KABAR IRIAN ("Irian News") www.kabar-irian.com
NOTE: "All items are posted for their news/information content. They are
not necessarily the views of IRJA.org or subscribers. "

To unsubscribe send an email (leave subject blank) to majordomo@irja.org
that says: unsubscribe kabar-irian - or you can also un/subscribe at
http://www.irja.org/conf.htm
=======================================================

Date: 2/8/01 3:53:47 PM Central Standard Time
From: tapol@gn.apc.org (Tapol)
To: westpapua@topica.com, indonesia-act@igc.topica.com

Hundreds of reinforcements, including two hundred Kopassus (army special
command) troops have been sent to an area west of Jayapura in an operation
to hunt down the commander of the TPN (National Liberation Army) unit that
killed four Kopassus soldiers on 3 February. The troops are spread out
through Sarmi, Tor Atas, Betaf and Bonggo, sub-districts in the district of
Jayapura 90 - 135 kms west of Jayapura.

The additional troops have been dispatched to the area by the Trikora
military command and include Kostrad, Brimob, territorial troops as well as
marines operating offshore.

According to a report issued on 8 February by ELS-HAM, the Institute for
Human Rights Study and Advocacy, the arrival of these troops has caused
consternation among the local population many of whom have fled their
villages to find sanctuary in nearby towns or farther afield in Jayapura,

Security conditions throughout the area have been tightened on land and
also off shore. New army posts have been set up and restrictions have been
placed on freedom of movement.

According to a report leaked to an ELS-HAM source in the area, the troops
plan to attack and torch three villages in Tor Atas which are suspected of
being strongholds of the TPN.

Local people are fleeing out of fear that the troop reinforcements will not
differentiate between TPN members and ordinary civilians. People still
remember the military operations in the same region that resulted in
hundreds of deaths in the area several years.

Since December last year, there have been a number of actions by TPN units.
In one of these actions, a unit led by Max Rumbiak succeeded in seizing two
weapons from the police. Local Kopassus forces managed to persuade the TPN
unit to hand back the weapons and took the TPN members to Jayapura for the
handing over ceremony. This made local police suspicious of the Kopassus,
whom they accused of collaborating with the TPN unit. Moreover, another TPN
unit planned an attack on a local Brimob post. This plan was foiled and
three members of the unit were taken into police custody. As a result the
TPN members came down from the hills and occupied Betaf town demanding the
release of their three comrades, threatening to attack the police of this
demand was not met.

The clash between the TPN members and the security forces led to the
killing on 3 February of the four Kopassus soldiers; during the attack, one
TPN member was also killed.

ELS-HAM sources in the area report that there have been a number of
operations by security forces throughout the region, particularly involving
Brimob forces. Activists have been taken into custody. In Merauke, a number
of people employed by a local plywood company were kidnapped by a TPN unit
which is known to be very close to Kopassus. Two days after the killing of
the Kopassus soldiers, there was an attack in Nabire during which a member
of Brimob was killed by unidentified assailants.

The situation today is reminiscent of the situation in Papua in the mid and
late 1960s when the status of the territory was in dispute. Terror and
intimidation were widespread and grew to a climax in late 1969 when the
so-called Act of Free Choice took place in August of that year.

TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon CR7 8HW, UK.
tel +44 020 8771 2904 fax +44 020 8653 0322
tapol@gn.apc.org www.gn.apc.org/tapol

=======================================================

Date: 2/7/01 3:30:45 AM Central Standard Time
From: plovers@gn.apc.org (Paul Barber)
To: westpapua@topica.com, u.braun@xcc.de, slliem@xs4all.nl, taylorjb@vax.sbu.ac.uk

Indonesia hopes Irian hostages free on Wednesday

JAKARTA, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Indonesian police said on Tuesday they hoped
separatist rebels in remote Irian Jaya province would release their three
remaining hostages, including two South Koreans, on Wednesday.

"The rebels have hinted they may release the hostages tomorrow. But we can
not guarantee that the hostages will be freed tomorrow," Irian Jaya chief
detective Tukarno told Reuters from the provincial capital, Jayapura, 3,700
km (2,300 miles) east of Jakarta.

Indonesia resumed negotiations with the rebels on Tuesday after losing
contact for a week. The rebels last week released 14 of the 17 timber workers
they had captured three weeks ago in the jungled Asiki district.

They have refused to hand over the last three hostages -- two South Koreans
and an Indonesian -- until President Abdurrahman Wahid agrees to meet them.

They have also demanded a $1 million ransom, a halt to logging and the
removal of police from the timber cutting area.

Tukarno reiterated any rescue operation would be a last resort.

"As long as we can still sit together and talk, we won't launch any
operation. It's for the safety of the hostages," he added.

In recent months, separatists in Irian Jaya have stepped up their fight for
independence from Indonesia for the resource-rich province covering the
western half of New Guinea island.

**************************************************
Paul Barber
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign,
25 Plovers Way, Alton Hampshire GU34 2JJ
Tel/Fax: 01420 80153
Email: plovers@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Defending victims of oppression in Indonesia and
East Timor, 1973-2000
**************************************************

=======================================================

Date: 2/7/01 3:30:57 AM Central Standard Time
From: plovers@gn.apc.org (Paul Barber)
To: indonesia-act@igc.topica.com, u.braun@xcc.de, slliem@xs4all.nl, jonathan.head@bbc.co.uk, tapol@gn.apc.org

Received from Joyo Indonesian News

The Jakarta Post
February 7, 2001

One arrested over killing of soldiers in Irian Jaya

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): A military team set up following Saturday's
killing of four soldiers in Betav, Jayapura regency, Irian Jaya, apprehended
on Tuesday a man believed to be a member of the separatist group that killed
the soldiers.

A military source, who asked for anonymity, said here on Tuesday that the
man, identified as Torius Intora, was caught when trying to escape into a
forest in Betav village, where four soldiers of the Army's Special Force
(Kopassus) were slain.

"The 20-year-old man claimed to be a member of the Papuan Liberation Front
Army (TPN Papua) and was caught with 19 metal arrows, 36 bullets for an FN
handgun, a holster for an M-16 rifle and documents and photos of the TPN
Papua," the officer said. "He also claimed to be one of the attackers of the
Kopassus soldiers."

The officer said Torius was still being questioned.

Betav is a remote hilly land about 600 kilometers from the capital of
Jayapura. It is a one-hour helicopter trip to the village from Jayapura.

The terrain apparently prevented reporters based in Jayapura from traveling
there to cover the arrest.

The area has been open since timber company PT Somalindo started operations
there several years ago.

On Saturday, Second Sgt. Zulkarnain, Second Sgt. Wani, Chief Sgt. Nandang and
Pvt. Sudirman were tortured to death, allegedly by members of TPN Papua. One
Kopassus soldier, Pvt. Paulinus, survived the attack.

One of the rebels, Mesak Dawin, was shot dead in the assault.

The attackers also stole guns and other military equipment from the soldiers.
However, later on Sunday, the rebels returned most of the military equipment,
including five rifles, to Indonesian Military personnel in Betav.

Militant groups of indigenous Irianese have tried to obtain separation from
the Republic of Indonesia ever since the mineral-rich land became an
Indonesian province in the 1960s.

Trikora Military Commander Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon has accused Hans Ore
Yuweni, leader of rebels in the Bonggo district in the Jayawijaya hinterland,
of plotting the killing of the four Kopassus members.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said that members of the Free Papua Movement
operating in the Merauke regency area planned to release on Wednesday the
remaining three people taken hostage last month. Thirteen of the hostages
have already been released.

The rebels, led by Willem Onde, abducted 16 people, including three South
Koreans, who work for timber company PT Korindo in the district of Asiki in
January.

They demanded, among other things, US$1 million in compensation for
environmental damage, the withdrawal of the police's Mobile Brigade from the
regency of Asiki and a total halt to logging. (35/sur)

**************************************************
Paul Barber
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign,
25 Plovers Way, Alton Hampshire GU34 2JJ
Tel/Fax: 01420 80153
Email: plovers@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Defending victims of oppression in Indonesia and
East Timor, 1973-2000
**************************************************

IRIAN JAYA (WEST PAPUA, NEW GUINEA): THE QUEST FOR INDEPENDENCE-February 1, 2001 TO ----------------

THE RECORD February 1, 2000 TO ------------

THE RECORD
February 1, 2000 TO ------------