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Dear Pacific Islands Forum leaders - On behalf of the Australia West Papua Association (Sydney) I am
writing to you concerning the issue of West
Papua.
AWPA believes that since the last Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) summit in Auckland, the situation in West Papua has deteriorated further. We would like to bring your attention to a number of incidents and reports that raise grave concerns about the human rights situation in the territory.
In
October 2011 there was a crackdown on the 3rd Papuan Peoples congress where
security forces used excessive force when arresting up to 300 Papuans. Up to
six people were reported killed and five of the organisers arrested and charged
with treason. They received three years in prison for
subversion. At no time did these men commit violence and they have been jailed solely for peacefully expressing their
political views as is their right under Article 19 of
the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. As opposed to the three year sentence
given to the five activists, no action was taken against the security force
personal who were involved in the brutal crackdown and they received only
written warnings.
Amnesty
International in its annual report 2011 on Indonesia states
“The security forces tortured and otherwise ill-treated
detainees, and used excessive force against protesters, sometimes leading to
death. No adequate accountability mechanisms were in place to ensure justice or
act as an effective deterrent against police abuses. The criminal justice
system remained unable to address ongoing impunity for current and past human
rights violations. Restrictions on freedom of expression were severe in areas
such as Papua and Maluku”.
Amnesty
International also believes there are at least 100 political activists in
prison for peacefully expressing their views in areas seeking independence such
as Maluku and Papua.
An
article in the Jakarta Globe (4 January 2012) titled “2011 a Busy Year for
Human Rights Investigations in Papua” quotes the head of the Papua office of the National Commission on
Human Rights (Komnas HAM) as saying they “looked into 58 alleged violations of
human rights in 2011, and was anticipating investigating at least that many
cases in 2012”, and,
“In almost
65 percent of human rights violation cases in Papua, the perpetrators are TNI
[Indonesian Armed Forces] and National Police members,”
The
Freeport mine is a symbol to West Papuan people of the exploitation of their
natural resources from which they receive little benefit. A
three-month strike began on the 15 September with workers asking for
better conditions. During the strike a number of shootings
occurred around the mine. In one incident Petrus Ayamiseba, a
worker was killed when Indonesian security forces fired on striking
workers in Timika.
A
number of military operations occurred in West Papua in the past year.
A
Military operation in the Paniai region caused the displacement of
thousands of people and villages burned. According to a report
in Jubi (29 December) referring to a military operation in November and December
2011, “The operation has been on-going ever since Brimob troops from
East Kalimantan were sent to Paniai in the second week of November”
Jubi also commented that this operation will continue as the security
forces hunt for the OPM who have moved from Eduda (one of their base
camps into woodland areas following an attack by the security forces. The Free
Papua Organization says 14 of its members were killed during the
attack. At one stage approximately 500 inhabitants of Dagouto village
in Paniai Regency had to leave their homes and seek refuge following the
deployment of 150 Mobile Brigade officers to their area.
It is now 49 years since Indonesia took over the administration
of West Papua from the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) in
1963 and the people of West Papua still continue their struggle for self
-determination. This
can be clearly seen by the thousands of West Papuans who marched
peacefully in the past year in numerous rallies calling for their
right to self-determination and for a referendum. The most recent rallies took
place on the 1st May
when thousands marched to protest the UN handover of West Papua to Indonesian
administration in 1963.
In
light of the ongoing human rights abuses in West Papua, AWPA urges
the PIF Leaders;
- to discuss the human rights situation in West Papua at the 43rd Pacific Islands Forum in August in Rarotonga.
- to raise the human rights situation in West Papua with the Indonesian President and to urge the Indonesian Government to release all West Papuan political prisoners as a sign of good faith to the West Papuan people.
- to request permission from the Indonesian Government to allow a PIF fact finding mission to West Papua to investigate the human rights situation in the territory.
- to encourage the Indonesian Government to allow greater access for human rights monitors and the international media to West Papua.
- to grant observer status to genuine representatives of the Melanesian people of West Papua who are struggling for their right to self determination . We note that the PIF has granted observer status to Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the United Nations, the Asian Development Bank, the Word Bank, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas, and the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States Secretariat. New Caledonia and French Polynesia, previously Forum Observers are now Associate Members with Timor Leste having Special Observer status.
We believe that the time is now right to bring representatives of the Melanesian people of
West Papua back into the Pacific community .
The
issue of West Papua will not disappear and AWPA believes that it should be of
great concern to the Forum that the situation in West Papua could deteriorate further. The
West Papuan people have been calling for dialogue with Jakarta for years (under
third party mediation ) and AWPA believes the PIF can play an
important role in helping facilitate such a dialogue between genuine
representatives of the West Papuan leadership and the Indonesian
Government. The PIF should place pressure on
Jakarta to resolve West Papuans’ issues of concern. Otherwise we will see
increasing conflict in West Papua which in turn could affect the region.h
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