Members of U.S. Congress Call for U.N. Review of "Act of Free Choice";
Cite Ongoing Human Rights Abuses in West Papua as Reason for Opposing Resumption
of U.S. Training to Indonesian Military (TNI)
In March, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, at the initiative of
Congressman Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa), took action calling on the U.S.
government and the UN to address the human rights situation in West Papua and to
support Papuans" right to self determination. In a March 17 letter to U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan, 36 Caucus members urged the U.N. to review its
role in the "Act of Free Choice." That procedure, by which Indonesia formally
annexed West Papua in 1969, is seen by many observers, including the U.N.
officials charged with overseeing it, as fraudulent. The 36 Congress members
join more than 170 parliamentarians worldwide in urging the U.N. to review the
Act.
The Caucus members also wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice
opposing her decision to resume provision of the International Military
Education and Training (IMET) program to the Indonesian military (TNI). Members
noted continuing human rights abuse in West Papua and urged that the U.S.
government support Papuans" right to self-determination.
RFK Advocacy Team Member testifies at Congressional Hearing on Human
Rights in Indonesia
The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Asia Pacific Affairs held a
March 10 hearing on human rights concerns in Indonesia. The TNI"s record of
human rights abuse and impunity was the focus of speakers" testimonies, and some
lawmakers attacked Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice's
decision to resume IMET for the TNI.
Subcommittee Chairman, Rep. Jim Leach, cited Indonesia's
record in holding elections as evidence that the country is successfully
transitioning from corrupt to democratic governance. However, he also noted the
importance of improving Indonesia"s human rights record and the accountability
of its security forces and of resolving peacefully separatist conflicts such as
the decades" old situation in West Papua.
The U.S. government was represented at the hearing by Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asia Marie Huhtala. She stated that "Indonesia's
human rights record is mixed and there is much to be done. That said, there has
been progress, including an increased willingness among the Indonesian army to
hold their own service members accountable for human rights violations.î
Rep. Eni Faleomavega spoke out eloquently against the decision to resume IMET
for the Indonesian military. "Even in the aftermath of the devastation caused by
the recent tsunami, the media has reported that the Indonesian military has
withheld food and humanitarian assistance from those believed to be
pro-independence. The U.S. must not and cannot turn a blind eye to these abuses
or Indonesia's repression of the people of Aceh and West Papua," he declared.
RFK West Papua Advocacy Team member Edmund McWilliams testified concerning
the major challenges to resolving the human rights situation in West Papua and
elsewhere throughout the archipelago. McWilliams, a retired U.S. Foreign Service
Officer who headed the U.S. Embassy"s political section in Jakarta from 1996 to
1999, stated that "We have in Indonesia a new government, a fragile, fledgling
government, that unfortunately is not prepared or not capable of defending fully
the fundamental human rights of their own people. The principal menace to those
fundamental human rights and also to this government is posed by essentially the
Indonesian military." (Testimony available online at: www.rfkmemorial.org).
Also testifying was former U.S. Ambassador Alphonse La Porta, who now heads
the corporate-funded U.S.-Indonesia Society (USINDO).
West Papuan Religious Leaders Press "Land of Peace" Designation for West
Papua
During a March visit to Washington, D.C., Reverend Herman Saud, President of
Synod for the largest Protestant church in West Papua, told the RFK West Papua
Advocacy Team that he has joined with Catholic and Islamic leaders in West Papua
to resume efforts to secure Indonesian government designation of West Papua as a
"Land of Peace." The plan, which will be announced formally in Geneva during the
U.N. Commission on Human Rights, prioritizes the demilitarization of West Papua.
This effort by religious leaders runs counter to the TNI"s plans to base
thousands more troops in West Papua (see following report).
TNI"s Destabilizing Actions in West Papua Continue with Announcement of
Major Troop Build-up
Lt. General Hadi Waluyo, commander of the military"s strategic forces (KOSTRAD)
announced on March 16 that KOSTRAD would construct a new division built around
the existing 3rd Brigade, now based in Makassar, South Sulawesi. The new 3rd
Division, he said, will be based in West Papua. The KOSTRAD commander said the
creation of a new division and its deployment to West Papua was based on
Indonesia's "defense needs." Earlier in March, a TNI spokesman claimed the armed
opposition in West Papua (Free Papua Movement, or OPM) consisted of 650 fighters
possessing 150 weapons.
In a statement on March 19, Indonesian Army spokesperson Brig. General
Hotmagaradja Panjaitan added that the first deployment of 5,000 troops would be
to the Sorong area from their current base in Makassar. Panjaitan then said that
the deployment would secure Indonesia's border with Papua New Guinea, 750 miles
to the east.
(Sources: Kompas, March 17 Cyber Media website; Jakarta Post, March 19;
and BBC Worldwide Monitoring Service, March 19)
TNI Misusing International Development Assistance to Conduct Military
Operations in West Papua
Papuan religious leaders in contact with the RFK Memorial Center's West Papua
Advocacy Team have confirmed reports from West Papuan officials and others that
the TNI is using international aid funds designated for humanitarian purposes
and development within West Papua to fund its ongoing military operations in
West Papua"s central highlands. The military reportedly is also utilizing the
funds to create militias along the lines of the thug groups it created and
employed in East Timor in 1999 to devastating effect.
The military has also continued its ban on travel to the area, even by church
officials seeking to deliver humanitarian assistance to thousands of people who
have sought refuge in the forests to escape the TNI"s violent assaults on local
population centers.
A senior religious figure in West Papua has told the West Papua Advocacy Team
that financial interests, particularly gold exploration and extraction, are one
factor motivating TNI interest and activity in the area. A March 22 report in
the Queensland, Australia, Courier Mail noted that within the central highlands
"there are 10,000 non-Papuans mining alluvial gold which is [then] flown out by
helicopter to Jayapura and then sent to Jakarta."
Scholars See Tensions Rising in West Papua; Offer Recommendations for
Achieving Peace and Progress
Irian News (March 7) provided summaries of four papers recently published as
part of the East-West Center"s project, "Management of Internal Conflicts in
Asia - Policy Papers on Papua." One paper commenting on Jakarta's control over
West Papua observed that " . . . the fragility of Jakarta's authority and the
lack of Papuan consent for Indonesian rule are both the cart and the horse of
the reliance on force to sustain central control." (http://www.eastwestcenter.org/res-rp-publicationdetails.asp?pub_ID=1458&;Search
string)
A second study explored whether special autonomy could resolve the
secessionist challenges in West Papua. The analysis noted that Jakarta had
"backslid" on special autonomy offers and instead adopted more coercive measures
to respond to separatist demands. The paper concludes that the coercive approach
failed to address the underlying causes of injustice fueling the conflict and
assessed that "it is not conceivable, therefore, that the government may once
again turn to special autonomy as a means to address separatism." The paper
encourages Jakarta to consider instead linking concessions offered in the
original special autonomy legislation and genuine dialogue. Failure to pursue
the course of concessions and dialogue, the paper concludes, would mean West
Papua would likely remain "a continuing source of conflict and secessionism for
the Indonesian state." (http://www.eastwestcenter.org/res-rp-publicationdetails.asp?pub_ID=1523&;Search
string)
A third study examined the ways in which large-scale migration and rapid
economic change have fueled separatism and ethnic conflict in West Papua. This
research notes that three quarters of a million migrants from other parts of
Indonesia have resettled in West Papua since 1970. Rrapid modernization and
demographic change have resulted in the displacement and dislocation of West
Papua's indigenous population, provoking Papuan resentment and demands for
independence. The report adds that these dynamics have led to growing
competition for land and resources between settlers and Papuans. The research
foresees the threat that this social dynamic could trigger a larger outbreak of
communal and ethnic violence as occurred recently in neighboring areas such as
the Malukus and Central Sulawesi. It concludes that unless the Indonesian
government reverses many of its divisive policies and brings woefully lacking
services to remote indigenous communities, the "continuing inflows of migrants
into the province may well overwhelm the mechanisms for social management that
have so far kept conflict from spiraling out of control." (http://www.eastwestcenter.org/res-rp-publicationdetails.asp?pub_ID=1567&;Search
string)
The fourth paper examines the development of Papuan nationalism. It contends
that a pan-Papuan identity has been forged from a mosaic of tribal groups. It
explores the possibility that the Special Autonomy Law of 2001, if fully
implemented, might provide a framework in which Papuan national aspirations
could be realized. (http://www.eastwestcenter.org/res-rp-publicationdetails.asp?pub_ID=1458&;Search
string)
Amnesty International Renews Calls or Release of Prisoners of Conscience;
End to Indonesian Abuse of west Papua People's Political Rights
In a February 1 statement, Amnesty International (AI) charged that "... [S]ince
early 2001, repressive legislation has once again been used with increasing
frequency against government critics, including labour and political activists,
journalists, and independence activists in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) and
Papua Provinces."
The statement also underscored that "Amnesty International believes that the
right to freedom of expression includes the right to peacefully advocate
referenda, independence, or other political solutions and that these rights must
be upheld."
AI noted that many Papuans have been convicted for just such peaceful
political appeals and called on the Indonesian government to "immediately and
unconditionally release Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage, and all other prisoners of
conscience in Indonesia." Karma and Pakage were detained in December 2004 for
their role in a peaceful political demonstration in Abepura, near the West
Papuan provincial capital of Jayapura (see the February 2005 West Papua Report).
AI also called on the Indonesian government to "conduct effective and
independent investigations into the allegations of human rights violations by
members of the security forces in Abepura in relation to the events of 1
December 2004, including the unnecessary use of force against peaceful
demonstrators, and the ill-treatment of detainees; and to prosecute those found
to be responsible. "
World Council of Churches and Franciscans International Press for Papuan
Human Rights at U.N. Commission on Human Rights
The World Council of Churches (WCC), in a statement at the convening of the
61st session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), stated that "the
economic, social, and cultural rights of the Papuan people will be the main
focus of the WCC's involvement in this year's 61st
session." The WCC has called on the UNCHR to inform the government of Indonesia
that "its present measures to divide the province [of West Papua] against the
wishes of the people can only lead. to further denial of their socio-economic
and cultural rights." More information on WCC work is available at: http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/chr2005.html
Meanwhile, Franciscans International, together with other NGOs with Special
Consultative Status with ECOSOC, submitted a document to the UNCHR that
expressed deep concern over the "ongoing practice of torture, arbitrary arrest
and detention, and displacement reportedly committed by the security apparatus .
. ."
It emphasized that "cases of extra-judicial killings reported in the villages
of Mariedi, Bintuni District where BP Tangguh Gas project is located, and in
Mulia, District of Punjak Jaya cause us deep concern." It added that the
situation in Punjak Jaya, scene of military operations since late summer,
"exemplifies the gravity of the general situation." It also concluded that the
Indonesian judicial system had proved its "inability to convene fair trials
owing to the pervasive influence of the security apparatus."
Necessary Preparations for Regional Elections in West Papua Problematic
According to the Jakarta Post (March 8), provincial offices of the General
Elections Commission (KPUD) in West Papua claim to be unprepared for the direct
elections for regional heads set nationwide for June. Local administrations have
not finished compiling data on eligible voters, despite a February 28 deadline.
Moreover, election materials remain unavailable. One solution under
consideration is to delay the elections until November when they can be held in
conjunction with the gubernatorial elections.