Death of DEMOCRACY IN THE LAND OF PAPUA Dissolving Police and Resist set of People Who Want Worshipping

Jayapura-To commemorate the long suffering for the people of Papua, We Worship Committee of the Papuan People's Suffering musings about to do the prayer for the people of Papua in Papua, on Friday 1 July 2011. And for in Jayapura, where the grave of Theys H Eluway. Rallying point for in Jayapura is in Perumnas 3, expo, and in pigeons Abepura at 08.00. while the central rallying point is in the eating Theys H Eluway, as a place of prayer activities performed. because the activity starts at 10:00 at the Tomb of Theys H Eluway, then the other rallying points, gathering required 08.00 hours, until 09:30. At some point such as Expo and Housing 3, prohibited by the police to gather. Later in the pigeon abe, we were arrested by police. We include Marthen Goo, Herman Katmo, Bovit, Yulian and Sakarias Takimai.
Arrest against us is very confusing, because we only come together to wait for vehicle pick-prepared for the committee to the place of worship Worship and submit plans to the people who cross the street in front of the pigeon. There are also banners that we pajangkan inscribed "Prayer and Suffering Renungang Papuan People". Without further ado, the police came and dispersed us and hold us, which we brought to the Office of Police directly under Abe and again to the Police Jayapura for questioning. Arriving there, we asked and we just said "we want a prayer, and we were confused because prayers can only be dissolved by the police". Only in Papua, police dare to dissolve the people of the Lord who will pray. Our notification letter has been input into the regional police, Police, Police Jayapura, 4 days before activity. Our Ko disbanded?
Police have broken the Panca sila point 1, the Constitution, and the Act because disband the committee gathered to ride the vehicle to perform worship of prayer and reflection with this.
We see that this committee is an effort to shut down democratic space in the land of Papua. If the "Prayer" only prohibited by the police, let alone other activities. It was humiliating Republic of Indonesia in international eyes.

By: Marthebn Goo.
Coordinator of worship

Thousands of people have deserted their homes in the Central Highlands of West Papua as Indonesian troops step up their search for a rebel leader. Setyo Budi reports

Thousands of people have deserted their homes and are living in fear in jungle in the Central Highlands of West Papua as Indonesian soldiers search for those responsible for an attack on the police and army headquarters on Indonesian Independence Day (17 August).

A church official in the Paniai district told New Matilda they don’t know when the population will return. They are afraid of the heavily armed troops who are present in the town, and don’t want to become casualties.

The police have also been intimidating the local population. A local source told New Matilda that one of the police commanders in Paniai had sent an SMS to the district administrator calling for two residents to be "captured, tortured and killed or buried alive" for allegedly being members of the Free Papua Organisation (OPM).

Hundreds of Indonesian army and police officers have reportedly been deployed by air and land in the Paniai district since August 16, when John Magay Yogi, a 23-year-old field Commander of the National Liberation Army of Free Papua Organisation (TPN/OPM) Region IV, and his group ambushed police headquarters in Komopa, sub-district of Agadide, and seized two rifles. This incident was followed by a shootout, which started on August 17 at 1.55am around two villages close to the Paniai capital of Madi.

Yogi’s rebel group later attacked the police and army headquarters. The attack was motivated by revenge against the Indonesian security apparatus that has badly treated him and his family.

"I was imprisoned on April 9 in Nabire although the police could not produce any evidence," Yogi told New Matilda in a phone interview. "They accused me of defying the legitimacy of Indonesian authority in West Papua. I escaped. On another occasion the police confiscated my weapons and money when I attended a religious annual congress in Madi this year."

Yogi comes from a family that has a history of opposition to the Indonesian Government. His father, Tadius Yogi, was in charge of Territorial War Commands (KODAP) IV in Nabire and Paniai before being replaced by his sons.

Human rights violations in West Papua have bred resistance fighters. Like Yogi, 30-year-old Amatus Douw, the coordinator of International Forum for West Papua and one of the 43 West Papuan refugees who sought political asylum in Australia in 2006, told New Matilda about similar mistreatment he and his family have received from Indonesian army officers in the past.

"My father was a head of OPM in my town and became a target of the Indonesian military and police. In 1998, he was captured and tortured. He died two years later. In 1995 they kidnapped and tortured my mother when she did not reveal my father’s whereabouts, she died a year later," said Douw. His family’s ordeal is the primary drive for his political activism that started when he was in high school. It continued at Papua University in Manokwari. He was later targeted by the Indonesian military and police.

Human rights violations have significantly increased in West Papua, particularly in Puncak district, a rebel stronghold area where attacks are often launched against the Indonesian army. It is also known as the poorest region in Indonesia. According to Indonesia’s Human Rights Commission, since 2004 the military operations in the area have intensified. Cases of stigmatisation, torture and murder are common.

According to KontraS, a Jakarta-based human rights organisation, in 2010 alone there were eleven cases of torture, and three of these cases are now internationally known, after mobile phone footage of the torture was posted on YouTube.

One of these incidents involved Anggenpugu Kiwo and Telanggar Gire, civilians who were caught in a road on the way to Mulia, a district capital in Puncak Jaya, by Indonesian soldiers. They were suspected to be members of the OPM.

The Indonesian soldiers of battalion 7/Arvita PAM Rawan Puncak Jaya interrogated them. In the process they asked Kiwo to take off his clothes, tied his feet and hands and laid him on the ground. The soldiers put their feet on his mouth and chest, twice burned his genitals with charcoal and threatened to suffocate him with a plastic bag and behead him if he did not tell them where the OPM weapons were.

Such abuses happen often to West Papuans who do not cooperate with Indonesian soldiers. They generate a deep distrust towards the Indonesian army and government, and strengthen the desire for independence.

The population has also rejected a military public relations exercise as a way to win their hearts and minds.

In May this year the provincial command, Kodam XVII/Cendrawasih, began a four month program of community services that included activities such as building roads and bridges, repairing landslide-affected areas, rehabilitating housing, renovating schools and churches, providing health services, initiating reforestation, and developing farming and fishing activities in the area. The population strongly rejected the program and military presence in the area.

Since his arrival in Australia, Amatus Douw has campaigned for justice in West Papua. Earlier this year he wrote a letter to the Australian Government, calling on them to support West Papuans through international diplomacy. In the latest correspondence in April 2011, the Gillard government, via her Indonesia Political and Strategic Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, acknowledged that human rights violations have occurred in West Papua. However, the letter stated, "the Indonesian Government takes firm actions against separatist activity", and the Australian Government "respects Indonesian territorial integrity including in West Papua".

Douw does not accept the Australian Government’s argument, as the integration of West Papua into Indonesia in 1963 was not legitimate. He expresses his fears about the region’s future: "Learning from East Timor, I am scared that a massacre will occur as the International community mount more pressure to the Indonesian government and military".

Writing I: Environmental Impacts on Orang Asli Papua Customary
PAPUA: Papua Forest Is Threatened?
(By Santon Tekege)

The phenomenon of forest destruction are rife in Papua. Various cases of illegal logging and forest conversion in Papua with oil palm plantations and agricultural land is being aggressively promoted food. Papua's forests contain a variety of flora and fauna become the target of the investors in the areas of logging, oil palm and food agriculture.

Forests meaning for Papuans
Papuans as a society gatherers and farmers fields utilize the natural wealth as a source of livelihood. They take food directly from nature, sago, fish, game in the form of a deer, kangaroos, wild pigs, possum, and various kinds of vegetables. This situation is slowly changing, the Papuans began having trouble finding a sago and game animals because many forests have been cleared.
Generally Papuans have a strong bond with nature. Everything in the forest is always seen as an integral part of human life. That is why the Papuans really appreciate the forest and all its contents. Forest is seen as the abode of the ancestors. When forests are destroyed, then the existence of the Papuans would loose and wobbly. Consequently, when the people cleared the forest can be interpreted as an effort to undermine the integrity of the Papuans.
Currently there are several oil palm plantation companies who glanced Papua as a place of investment. Papua's forests will be converted to oil palm plantations. In a variety of propaganda, the company promises a grandiose thing to the customary owners of the community that they will receive plasma land plantations. The company will pay attention to education, and health all of which lead to greater prosperity. But reality shows instead of indigenous people increasingly suffer.
Edy Rosariyanto (SKPKC Jayapura), researchers palm oil plantations in Keerom found that indigenous people who have actually oil mengontrakkannya land to migrants because they always lose. High operational costs while the price of oil is uncertain. This suggests that the welfare of Papuans propaganda through forest conversion to oil palm is not true.
Papuans who have experienced the closeness to nature that they are in a dilemma situation. Dismantled their forests depleted, resulting in foraging, hunting and clean water sources disappear. Meanwhile, they benefit from oil palm plantations.

Stop Forest Conversion Papua
Papua is rich in natural resources and minerals is an opportunity for the welfare of Papuans. Here the needed policy in managing and utilizing natural resources in a balanced way. No need to replace the forests with oil palm plantations. There are still many business opportunities that improve the life of the Papuans. It is unethical, we sacrifice the forest has intrinsic value to things that are instant and momentary. The integrity of the Papuans as human beings with nature must be preserved and passed on to future generations.
There are several oil palm plantation companies which have opened the head of Palm plantations in Papua, for example PT PN II in Arso, Keerom District. In addition, there is a new company, PT Munitions Sawita Papua in the East Arso who plans to open 26 300 ha. PT Rajawali and PT Sinar Mas in Kaureh, Sentani district; Asiki, District Bouven Digoel; Bade, Merauke Regency and Regency Mappi.
Another thing that is emerging is the conversion of forests to agricultural land Papua food. The place chosen was the beginning of Merauke District with an area of 500,000 acres of 3 million hectares that have been planned (Reuters, 23/10). This land will be opened by several investors, among others, Medco, Sinar Mas, Wilmar and PT Bangun Cipta Sarana.
All this is bad for forest conservation efforts in Papua. If forest conversion to oil palm plantations in Papua and farmland food enforced, there will be deforestation and forest degradation. Use of pesticides, and the resulting decline of domestic waste environmental resources. Therefore, forest conversion in Papua must be stopped immediately.
Facts have shown that palm oil does not help improve the life of the Papuans, but why is oil palm plantations in Papua would continue to open? Oil palm plantation instead bring new problems in the middle of the Papuan people because they will lose a variety of food sources, medicinal plants were destroyed and sacred places is lost. Who has an interest in behind the opening of oil palm plantations in Papua?
In addition to oil palm plantations, agricultural land clearing food which is controlled by investor impact on forests and the little people. The little people will lose jobs as farmers being unable to compete with investors.
Papua forest conservation must be placed within the framework of human rescue Papua. Papua's forests are not seen as a jungle in itself, but has a correlation with the identity of the Papuans. So thinking, the forest is no longer seen as objects of exploitation but rather an integral part of Papua humankind that must be protected and conserved.

Writer: Activist-STFT Fajar Timur, Papua Abepura.