Subj: KABAR-IRIAN: [EN] Separatists angered by treason charges against rebel leaders
Date: 6/23/00 5:58:03 PM Central Daylight 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


Indonesian Observer
Saturday, June 24 - 2000
Separatists angered by treason charges against rebel leaders

JAKARTA (IO) The Papua National Front has urged the Irian Jaya
Police to drop charges against the territorys separatist leaders
who have been accused of treason.

Chairman of the Front, Herman Wayoi, yesterday said he has asked
police to rescind the charges of attempted coup and subversion
leveled against the pro-independence leaders.

I demand the police abrogate all charges against Papuan leaders
because the political status of Papua is not within the Unitary
State of Indonesia, Wayoi was quoted as saying by Antara.

According to him, the fight for independence is the political right
of the Papuans, who were manipulated by the New Order regime under
former president Soeharto.

So there is no legal justification for the police to arrest and
examine Papuan leaders, because Irian Jaya is actually just a colony
of Indonesia, he said.

To set the history of the Papuan nation straight, there is a need
for dialogs with the House of Representatives (DPR) and Peoples
Consultative Assembly (MPR), he added. Wayoi threatened to take the
Papua issue to the United Nations if the DPR and MPR refuse to hold
such talks.

Irian Jaya Police are investigating six Papuan leaders in connection
with the Papua Peoples Congress.

The six are: Agustinus Alua (congress organizer), Reverend Herman
Awom (congress secretary), Thaha Alhamid (member of the steering
committee), Don Al Flassy (Papua Independence Committee), John
Mambor (leader of the Free Papua Movement), and Beatrix Koibur
(Papuan womens leader).

They are charged with an attempted coup, because they hoisted Papua
s Morning Star flag on December 1, 1999, and then held deliberations
on independence from February 23-26, and finally held the May
29-June 4 congress.

The suspects are being assisted by 31 lawyers from the Irian Jaya
Human Rights Advocacy Team, consisting of representatives from the
Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI), Legal Aid Institute (LBH),
Indonesian Advocates Association (IAI), Institute for the Study of
Human Rights (ELS-HAM), and individual lawyers from Irian Jaya and
Jakarta.



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

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

Subj: KABAR-IRIAN: [EN] Papua wants Jakarta to hand back rights
Date: 6/23/00 5:57:05 PM Central Daylight 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


Indonesian Observer
Saturday, June 24 - 2000
Papua wants Jakarta to hand back rights

JAKARTA A leading Irian Jaya (West Papua) separatist has urged
foreign companies to stop dealing with Jakarta and work directly
with the people of the resource-rich province instead.

Theys Eluay, chief of a tribal congress which declared the province
s split from Indonesia earlier this month, said in an interview the
government should stop managing the natural resources of Irian Jaya
and hand control back to locals.

I want the Indonesian government to stop meddling in the Freeport
mine.

They...the central and local government... have to stop talking on
behalf of the Papuans, he said.

The vast province on the western half of New Guinea island is rich
in natural resources, including one of the worlds largest copper
and gold mines, the Grasberg mine majority-owned by US-based
Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. The government and Rio Tinto
have stakes in PT Freeport Indonesia, Freeport McMoRans subsidiary.

Eluay, a former local legislator, also said foreign investors should
stop signing contracts with Jakarta and now deal directly with the
Papua Presidium, a recently established pro-independence council.
They have to negotiate only with the Papuans via this presidium.
Papuans are the lawful owners.

So do not deal with Indonesia, he said on Wednesday. Why should
Jakarta sign the contracts? Do Jakartans own the land? Jakarta only
wants to grab the fortune of the Papuans.

Along with the westernmost province of Aceh, Irian Jaya is home to
one of the strongest separatist movements in the diverse
archipelago. Many Papuans accuse Jakarta of plundering their natural
resources and brutally suppressing their rights for decades.

But many Indonesians, including the powerful military, fear granting
either Aceh or Irian Jaya independence could spark the break-up of
the worlds fourth most populous nation.

Independence
Irian Jaya was incorporated into Indonesia in 1963, after heavy
diplomatic pressure on the Netherlands, the former colonial ruler of
the Indonesian archipelago which held onto West Papua after it
handed over rule of the rest of the country.

In 1969, a UN-run vote among local leaders, including Eluay,
resulted in a vote to join Indonesia. But its legality and fairness
have been widely disputed. Eluay and other pro-independence leaders
argue the Dutch established a country of West Papua in 1961.

We have never been a part of Indonesia. Now we ask Indonesia ...
when will Indonesia return the independence back to Papuans? he
said. When will our rights be given back?

Irian Jaya Police have named Eluay a suspect for treason for his
separatist activities, especially his role in the June Papua People
s Congress which made him leader of the Papua Presidium.

He has twice defied police summonses for questioning, but said he
would turn up for questioning soon.

Eluay plans to meet President Abdurrahman Wahid soon to outline the
pro-independence movements demands and the results of the congress.

We want to report it to the president, no other. And tell him all
Papuans want independence.
Reuters



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

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

Subj: KABAR-IRIAN: [EN] Papua Natl Front Demands A Stop To Papua Leaders Examination
Date: 6/23/00 5:57:15 PM Central Daylight 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


National News
Papua Natl Front Demands A Stop To Papua Leaders Examination
Friday, June 23, 2000/3:37:08 PM
Jayapura, Irian Jaya, June 23 (ANTARA)

The Papua National Front has urged the Irian Jaya Police to stop
examining and detaining Papuas political leaders, saying that Papua
s integration with Indonesia is unlawful.

Front chairman, Herman Wayoi, disclosed here Friday that he has
asked the police to abrogate the charges of coup attempt and
subversion levelled against pro-independence Papua leaders.

"I demand the police to abrogate all charges against Papua leaders
because the political status of Papua is not within the Unitary
State of Indonesia," Wayoi said.

According to him, the fight for independence is the political right
of the Papuans, who were manipulated by the New Order regime under
former president Soeharto.

"So, there is no legal justification for the police to arrest and
examine Papua leaders, because Irian Jaya (or Papua) is actually
just a colony of Indonesia," he said.

To set the history of the Papuan nation aright, according to Wayoi,
there is a real need for dialogs with Indonesias House of
Representatives (DPR) and Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR).

He threatened to take the Papua issue to the United Nations if the
House and the Assembly refused to carry out the dialogs.

The charges
The Irian Jaya police are examining six Papua leaders in connection
with the holding of the Papua National Congress early in June, which
winded up with a declaration that Papua is no longer a part of
Indonesia.

The six Papua leaders under police examination are Agustinus Alua
(congress organizer), Rev Herman Awom (congress secretary), Thaha
Alhamid (member of the steering committee), Don Al Flassy (Papua
Independent Committee), John Mambor (leader of the Free Papua
Movement), and Beatrix Koibur (Papua womens leader).

The Papuan leaders were charged with coup attempt, as attested to in
their activities in the hoisting of Papuas morning-star flag on Dec
1, 1999, the Papua deliberation last Feb 23-26, and the Papua
National Congress on May 29-June 4.

They are being assisted by 31 lawyers from the Irian Jaya Human
Rights Advocacy Team, consisting of representatives from the
Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI), Legal Aid Institute - Irian
Jaya (LBH), Indonesian Advocates Association (IAI), Institute for
the Study of Human Rights (ELS-HAM), and individual lawyers from
Irian Jaya as well as Jakarta.

The deadline
Meanwhile, chairman of the Papua Council Presidium, Theys Hiyo
Eluay, has failed to fulfill the Irian Jaya Polices summonses
because he is busy in Jakarta.

Theys maintained that the summonses have nothing to do with the
congress, which he claimed was approved by President Abdurrahman
Wahid.

According to Wayoi, the Front will fight shoulder-to-shoulder with
the Papua Council Presidium in the pursuit of the aspiration for
independence.

The Papua National Congress has set Dec 1, 2000 as the deadline for
the final decision whether Irian Jaya will remain integrated with
Indonesia or declare it as a separate and sovereign state.



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

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

Subj: KABAR-IRIAN: [EN] Human Rights Watch report on Papua (fwd)
Date: 6/23/00 5:57:34 PM Central Daylight 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



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 12:36:49 -0400
From: Charles Scheiner
To: reg.westpapua@gn.apc.org
Subject: Human Rights Watch report on Papua

The recent HRW report on Papua,
"HUMAN RIGHTS AND PRO-INDEPENDENCE ACTIONS IN
PAPUA, 1999-2000" is available on the web at
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2000/papua/

The Table of Contents and Summary of the report
follow:

May 2000 Vol. 12, No. 2 (C)
INDONESIA
HUMAN RIGHTS AND PRO-INDEPENDENCE ACTIONS IN PAPUA, 1999-2000
I. SUMMARY
II. RECOMMENDATIONS
III. BACKGROUND
IV. THE RISE AND FALL OF THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON IRIAN JAYA
V. CRACKDOWN FOLLOWING THE OPENING OF THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE
VI. RIGHTS VIOLATIONS FOLLOWING FLAG-RAISINGS IN SORONG AND GENYEM
Genyem
Sorong, July 5, 1999
Sorong, September 9
VII. PUBLIC MOBILIZATION AGAINST DIVISION OF THE PROVINCE
VIII. DECEMBER 1 FLAG-RAISINGS AND THE CLASH IN TIMIKA
The Clash in Timika
APPENDICES

I. SUMMARY

In December 1999, Indonesia's new President, Abdurrahman Wahid, announced
that he would watch the first sunrise of the new century from the
easternmost province of Irian Jaya. It was an unusual choice-the province,
roughly the size of France, has a population under two million in a country
of over two hundred million, and its capital, Jayapura, is some 3,500
kilometers (2,100 miles) from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta-but Wahid's
announcement was clearly intended to signal a major change of policy after
more than thirty years of authoritarian rule. At a ceremony at an army base
near Jayapura on January 1, 2000, Wahid declared that the province would
from that day forward be called "Papua," an important gesture of
reconciliation toward the indigenous population of the province, who call
themselves "orang Papua" (Papuan people). For decades, the name had been all
but taboo as the embodiment of forbidden aspirations to political and
cultural autonomy.1

Since coming to power in October 1999, the Wahid government has introduced
significant reforms in Papua in the face of widespread demands for
independence. In addition to the name change, which has yet to be officially
endorsed by Indonesia's parliament, the government has declared that
peaceful expression of pro-independence sentiment will no longer be punished
as it had been in former years, and it released over sixty Papuans from jail
as part of a nationwide amnesty for political prisoners. The government's
actions, however, have not been consistent and abuses have continued. While
it has permitted a number of peaceful demonstrations, which usually take the
form of symbolic raising of the "Morning Star" flag signifying an
independent Papua, other such rallies have been forcibly dispersed by police
with resulting injuries to demonstrators. Likewise, even as Indonesia's
Minister for Law and Legislation announced on December 13, 1999, that all
Papuan political prisoners would be released, five men involved in a
peaceful flag-raising which had taken place in the town Genyem on July 1,
1999, were charged with rebellion by a state prosecutor in Jayapura.
Although those charges subsequently were dropped, at the time this report
was being prepared authorities were continuing investigations into a series
of peaceful flag-raising ceremonies held throughout the province on December
1, 1999 and nine people already had been named as suspects.

Human Rights Watch takes no position on Papuan claims to self-determination,
but it supports the right of all individuals, including independence
supporters, to express their political views peacefully without fear of
arrest or other forms of reprisal. To the extent individuals are arrested
and imprisoned for peaceful participation in symbolic flag-raising
ceremonies, such treatment constitutes arbitrary arrest and detention in
violation of international standards. According to the U.N. Working Group on
Arbitrary Detention, which visited Indonesia in February 1999, the majority
of individuals then facing charges in connection with flag-raising
ceremonies in Irian Jaya were being held for peaceful expression of their
views and, as such, their detention was arbitrary and in violation of
international law. Under the new administration, the number of cases is
down, but Indonesia has continued to prosecute organizers of peaceful
protests.

Papua, Indonesia's largest province, comprising more than one-fifth of the
country's total land area, was first put under Indonesian control in 1963.
It was formally incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 in a still
controversial, U.N.-approved process. For many years, the province was
categorized as a military combat zone (Daerah Operasi Militer or DOM;
literally, Military Operations Area) and under an effective state of martial
law, ostensibly because of the threat posed by the Free Papua Movement
(Organisasi Papua Merdeka or OPM), an armed group engaged in a generally low
level guerrilla campaign for independence from Indonesian rule. At the same
time, many Papuans sought to express their support for independence through
peaceful means, notably the symbolic public raising of the "Morning Star"
flag which had first been flown openly when local people sought to free the
territory from Dutch colonial rule in 1961.

Under Soeharto, who ruled Indonesia for thirty years until forced to resign
by popular protests in 1998, such flag-raising ceremonies and other
pro-independence manifestations were ruthlessly suppressed. Demonstrators
were forcibly dispersed and assaulted, and leading activists were subjected
to arbitrary arrest and detention. Such activists frequentlywere prosecuted
and imprisoned under harsh laws dealing with subversion and rebellion, as
well as the notorious "hate sowing" articles of the Indonesian penal code.

Indigenous Papuans, who are Melanesians and darker-skinned than the
numerically and politically dominant Javanese and members of most other
ethnic groups in Indonesia, were also subject to ethnic and racial
discrimination. While Indonesian rule brought unprecedented economic
development, it also resulted in an influx of immigrants from other parts of
Indonesia and caused resentment among Papuans as the benefits went
disproportionately to foreign investors and these immigrants.When Soeharto
was forced from power in May 1998, many of these long repressed sentiments
could be made public for the first time.

When he took over following Soeharto's resignation, President B.J. Habibie
initially made efforts to recognize and apologize for the human rights
violations committed under his predecessor. But the new administration's
willingness to acknowledge past abuses in general terms was not accompanied
by concrete measures to establish justice or redress for the victims. In the
meantime, demands for independence mounted.

The strength of pro-independence sentiment was unmistakable as early as
February 1999, when 100 leading Papuan leaders met with President Habibie to
initiate what was being hailed as a "National Dialogue" on Papuan concerns.
But the leaders presented President Habibie with a single demand:
independence. This clearly shocked and displeased the Habibie government,
which had encouraged the National Dialogue up to then, and the process was
soon suspended. In April 1999, the government reverted to the methods used
during the Soeharto era, attempting to round up independence supporters and
censor discussion of the subject. The crackdown included bans on expression,
assembly, and association, arbitrary arrests, and widespread intimidation of
independence supporters. With nationwide demands for democratization still
mounting across Indonesia, however, opposition voices could not easily be
silenced. The result was an uncertain atmosphere in which, even as the
crackdown was underway, Papuan leaders continued to assert their right to
advocate Papuan independence. In July and September 1999, at least four
demonstrators were seriously injured, one of whom subsequently died in
custody, and thirty-two were arrested after police moved in to disperse what
had intially been peaceful flag-raising ceremonies.

In October 1999, following democratic elections, a new government took
office in Indonesia under President Abdurrahman Wahid, and promptly
initiated a number of reforms. Openly acknowledging the errors of the past,
the new administration moved quickly to allow greater freedom and to permit
the open expression of pro-independence views. Peaceful Papuan
flag-raisings, which had been broken up under Soeharto and Habibie, were now
permitted and were held without police interference in at least a dozen
places in Papua on December 1, 1999. The next day, however, there was a
violent clash between police and demonstrators at a flag-raising in Timika
in which six people were shot by police and dozens were injured. When he met
local community leaders at Jayapura on December 31, President Wahid assured
them that flag-raisings and other peaceful expression of pro-independence
views should and would be considered protected acts of free speech. At the
same time, Wahid stated unambiguously that the Indonesian government was not
prepared to accede to Papuan demands for independence.

During a visit to Irian Jaya in December, 1999, Indonesia's new minister for
human rights, Hasballah Saad, acknowledged the link between the past lack of
accountability for human rights abuses suffered by Papuans and the growth of
the separatist movement within the territory, and announced that a new
center for human rights study and advocacy would be established in Irian
Jaya. "If human rights are not respected . . . that could in turn provoke
people to ask what maintaining the unity of the Republic is for," Saad was
quoted as saying. "This circumstance could in turn encourage people to fight
for an independent state."2

This report details violations of civil and political rights in Papua from
the beginning of 1999, including those associated with the National Dialogue
and subsequent symbolic flag-raising ceremonies. At the outset, it provides
an overview of independence demands, then describes the rise and fall of the
National Dialogue and the crackdown that followed. It also reviews
developments since President Abdurrahman Wahid came to power in October 1999.

As this report was being prepared, Human Rights Watch learned of disturbing
developments in Merauke and Nabire in which groups of armed Papuan
neighborhood patrols (Satgas Papua) clashed with police and troops, an
incident in Fak Fak in which villagers clashed with the entourage of a local
government official, and communal violence in Entrop, near Jayapura, in
which a Papuan mob attacked non-Papuan shopkeepers. There were also reports
that, in response, non-Papuan transmigrant residents in the province were
being provided with firearms by government officials, and that, in at least
one district, an East Timor-style pro-government militia was being set up.
These reports, if true, make it all the more imperative that respect for
basic civil and political rights and strict implementation of the
distinction between peaceful advocacy and violent criminal acts be made
components of any long-term solution in Papua. Although the Indonesian
government has recognized such rights in principle, it has not yet
consistently respected those rights in practice.

1 The names "Papua" and "Irian Jaya" are used interchangeably in this report
to refer to the province.

2 "Rights abuses fed separatism in Irian Jaya," Jakarta Post, December 10,
1999; "Indonesia proposes rights center in Irian Jaya," Radio Australia,
December 9, 1999.
***********************************************************
Charles Scheiner
National Coordinator, East Timor Action Network/US
P.O. Box 1182, White Plains, New York 10602 USA
Telephone:1-914-428-7299; fax:1-914-428-7383 cell:1-914-720-9205
charlie@etan.org PGP key available on request.
Check out ETAN's web site: http://www.etan.org
For information on East Timor write info@etan.org



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

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

Subj: WPapua leader tells foreign companies not to deal with RI
Date: 6/22/00 9:13:06 AM Central Daylight Time
From: tapol@gn.apc.org (TAPOL)
To: reg.westpapua@gn.apc.org

Received from Joyo Indonesian News

INTERVIEW-Irian wants Jakarta to hand back rights

By Achmad Sukarsono

JAKARTA, June 22 (Reuters) - A leading Irian Jaya separatist has urged
foreign companies to stop dealing with Jakarta and work directly with the
people of the resource-rich province instead.

Theys Eluay, chief of a tribal congress which declared the province's split
from Indonesia this month, said in an interview the Indonesian government
should stop managing the natural resources of Irian Jaya and hand control
back to the locals.

``I want the Indonesian government to stop meddling in the Freeport mine.
They..the central and local government... have to stop talking on behalf of
the Papuans,'' he said.

The vast province on the western half of New Guinea island is rich in natural
resources, including one of the world's largest copper and gold mines, the
Grasberg mine majority-owned by U.S based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc
(FCX.

The Indonesian government and Rio Tinto have stakes in PT Freeport Indonesia,
Freeport McMoRan's subsidiary.

Eluay, a former local legislator, also told Reuters foreign investors should
stop signing contracts with Jakarta and now deal directly with the Papua
Presidium, a recently established pro-independence council.

``They have to negotiate only with the Papuans via this presidium. Papuans
are the lawful owners. So do not deal with Indonesia,'' he said on Wednesday.

``Why should Jakarta sign the contracts? Do Jakartans own the land? Jakarta
only wants to grab the fortune of the Papuans.''

Along with the westernmost province of Aceh, Irian Jaya -- also known as
Papua -- is home to one of the strongest separatist movements in the diverse
archipelago.

Many Papuans accuse Jakarta of plundering their natural resources and
brutally suppressing their rights for decades.

But many Indonesians, including the powerful military, fear granting either
Aceh or Irian Jaya independence could spark the break-up of the world's
fourth most populous nation.

ELUAY WANTS INDEPENDENCE

Irian Jaya was incorporated into Indonesia in 1963 under controversial
circumstances, after heavy diplomatic pressure on the Netherlands, the former
colonial ruler of the Indonesian archipelago which held on to Irian Jaya
after it handed over rule of the rest of the country.

In 1969, a U.N.-run vote among local leaders, including Eluay, resulted in a
vote to join Indonesia. But its legality and fairness have been widely
disputed.

Eluay and many other pro-independence leaders argue the Dutch actually
established a country of West Papua in 1961.

``We have never been a part of Indonesia. Now we ask Indonesia ...When will
Indonesia return the independence back to Papuans,'' he said. ``When will our
rights be given back.''

The Irian Jaya police have named Eluay a suspect for treason for his
separatist activities, especially his role in the June Papua People's
Congress which made him leader of the Papua Presidium.

He has twice defied police summonses for questioning, but said he would turn
up for questioning this week.

Eluay plans to meet President Abdurrahman Wahid soon to outline the
pro-independence movement's demands and the results of the congress.

``We want to report it to the president, no other. And tell him all Papuans
want independence.''

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath,
Surrey CR7 8HW, UK
Phone: 020 8771-2904 Fax: 020 8653-0322
email: tapol@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Campaigning to expose human rights violations in
Indonesia, West Papua and Aceh

26 years - and still going strong
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
=======================================================

Subj: KABAR-IRIAN: [EN] Illegal polling in Biak - Military suspected
Date: 6/22/00 2:50:33 PM Central Daylight 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


Jakarta Post
June 23, 2000
National news


'Illegal' polling on Irian's fate underway

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Biak Military chief Lt. Col. Bayu Purwiyono
confirmed on Thursday reports that residents of at least 10 villages in
the regency had been asked to respond to a poll checking their attitude
toward a campaign to set up an independent state in the province.

The officer said people in the districts of West Biak, West Numfor and
East Numfor received the forms from certain people, who claimed to be
carrying out a government-sanctioned survey.

Bayu denied the military's involvement in the polling. "I never ordered
the distribution of any such questionnaires. And I do not know from where
they came," he added.

Oschar Kabarek, head of West Biak district, alleged that some military
personnel were involved in distributing the forms to the Papuans. The
polling has been conducted since the day after the Papuan Congress agreed
on June 4 to the separation of Irian Jaya from Indonesia.

According to Oschar, the respondents are asked to reply whether they
choose a special autonomy for the province or to become an independent
state.

"I have informed the West Biak Military chief about the polling, and he
promised to withdraw the forms quickly from the villages," Oschar told The
Jakarta Post by phone.

Leo Wamafma, a Protestant church leader, and Izhak B. Wamafma, chief of
Wansra village in West Numfor, claimed to see on June 11 a soldier visit
the village and ask the people to fill out the forms.

During the door-to-door survey, the soldier told the villagers to
participate in the state polling, said Leo.

"Some of the villagers accepted the forms while many just returned the
empty forms," said Izhak.

Ottis Alber Msen, a member of the Biak legislative council, deplored the
polling because it could provoke new unrest in the territory.

"The purpose of the polling is just to create chaos," said Ottis. (eba)



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

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

Subj: A general lesson for Government
Date: 6/22/00 9:47:46 PM Central Daylight Time
From: iris@matra.com.au (Anne Noonan)
To: reg.westpapua@gn.apc.org

from AWPA

Australian 23/6/00

A general lesson for Government
By Foreign editor GREG SHERIDAN

MAJOR-GENERAL Peter Cosgrove is a big, big media star whose primary
dangers now lie in the bureaucratic and political jealousy he has
aroused, and in the temptation for big headedness that the wave of media
adulation, following his successful leadership of Interfet in East
Timor, must have induced in him.

Nonetheless, his Larry Adler lecture this week to the Sydney Institute
was masterful, both in style and substance. If the Government were
generally this coherent in foreign policy, things would be a lot better
than they are. Most of the attention from the speech focused on a moving
anecdote about judgment under pressure shown by a 22-year-old Australian
soldier.

But Cosgrove's real import lay in his remarks on Indonesia, especially
on the value of Australia's past military engagement with Indonesia. One
part of the Howard Government's serious mismanagement of the Indonesia
and East Timor relationships was to paint our necessary troop deployment
as a total repudiation of past Australian policy, which it characterised
as subservient and sycophantic towards Indonesia and frantic in its
obsession with Asia in general. It would have been much better to
present it as a continuation of our commitment to deep regional
engagement.

No part of our previous relationship with Indonesia has been subject to
more wholesale repudiation than the military-to-military relationship.
>From the Australian point of view this process had several purposes.
One was to attempt to influence the way the Indonesian military
developed, one was to have a purchase on a key institution in the
Indonesian government, one was to gain crucial knowledge, another to
avoid any military tension arising out of misunderstanding ? all
sensible and worthy goals.

Cosgrove has added another vital dimension to the debate by saying, in
effect, that this relationship probably saved lives in East Timor.
Cosgrove's words are worth quoting at length: "I would like to emphasise
that the mission in East Timor was accomplished with the co-operation of
the Indonesian armed forces not, as has been wrongly described by some
commentators, [despite] them or in opposition to them.

"My Indonesian counterpart in East Timor, Major-General Kiki Syahnakri,
worked very hard
during the first critical weeks after Interfet arrived in Dili to
evacuate disobedient Indonesian and East Timorese military personnel who
had misbehaved in East Timor. "One of my battalion commanders knew the
Indonesian garrison commander in Dili, having exercised in Indonesia
with his unit the year before. Many Australian officers in Interfet were
able to establish co-operative relations with Indonesian counterparts in
East Timor because they had either trained in Indonesia, learned Bahasa
or had hosted Indonesian personnel who had trained in Australia."

COSGROVE then moved to the critical judgment: "The Australian Defence
Force's engagement
with the Indonesian armed forces over the past decades did have a
pay-off in East Timor. There was a shared understanding by General
Syahnakri and the Indonesian commanders of those units deployed with him
just before Interfet arrived that it was in everyone's interests to
stabilise East Timor, to get miscreant elements out and to restore
public safety. Like Australia, all of the regional contributors to
Interfet saw the mission as one to help the Indonesian government sort
out a dangerous internal situation . . . We all co-operated in common
purpose. We were helped by knowing each other and having gained respect
for each other through past regional military engagement."

These are important and powerful words by Cosgrove, who has done the
nation a service by putting his moral authority behind both the past and
the future policies of engaging Indonesia, including the Indonesian
military. This is especially so because of the critical period we are
entering. The breakdown of order in the Melanesian world is leading to
the emergence of broken-backed micro-states, within land-based air power
range of Australia, so badly run that they could not even deny their
territory to someone else, and which inevitably end up as de facto aid
dependencies of Australia's.

Further, our whole long-term relationship with Indonesia is up for
grabs, as is Indonesia's future itself. Elite opinion in Jakarta is
firmly of the view that Australia wants to help dismantle at least the
eastern part of Indonesia. This is not true. Both the Coalition
Government and the Opposition support Indonesia's territorial integrity.
No one in mainstream Australian politics supports independence for West
Papua. The predominant strategic view in Canberra is that the emergence
of more non-viable micro-states would be bad in itself, bad for
Australia and fatal for the Australia-Indonesia relationship.
But our message on all this has been immensely confused. Members of the
Government would do well to enrol in the Cosgrove school of
communications and diplomacy.

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

Australia West Papua Association
PO BOX 65
Millers Point
Australia 2000
------------------------------------------------------------------------

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


from AWPA

Australian 23/6/00

A general lesson for Government

By Foreign editor GREG SHERIDAN
MAJOR-GENERAL Peter Cosgrove is a big, big media star whose primarydangers now lie in the bureaucratic and political jealousy he has aroused,and in the temptation for big headedness that the wave of media adulation,following his successful leadership of Interfet in East Timor, must haveinduced in him.
Nonetheless, his Larry Adler lecture this week to the Sydney Institutewas masterful, both in style and substance. If the Government were generallythis coherent in foreign policy, things would be a lot better than theyare. Most of the attention from the speech focused on a moving anecdoteabout judgment under pressure shown by a 22-year-old Australian soldier.
But Cosgrove's real import lay in his remarks on Indonesia, especiallyon the value of Australia's past military engagement with Indonesia. Onepart of the Howard Government's serious mismanagement of the Indonesiaand East Timor relationships was to paint our necessary troop deploymentas a total repudiation of past Australian policy, which it characterisedas subservient and sycophantic towards Indonesia and frantic in its obsessionwith Asia in general. It would have been much better to present it as acontinuation of our commitment to deep regional engagement.
No part of our previous relationship with Indonesia has been subjectto more wholesale repudiation than the military-to-military relationship.>From the Australian point of view this process had several purposes. Onewas to attempt to influence the way the Indonesian military developed,one was to have a purchase on a key institution in the Indonesian government,one was to gain crucial knowledge, another to avoid any military tensionarising out of misunderstanding ? all sensible and worthy goals.
Cosgrove has added another vital dimension to the debate by saying,in effect, that this relationship probably saved lives in East Timor. Cosgrove'swords are worth quoting at length: "I would like to emphasise that themission in East Timor was accomplished with the co-operation of the Indonesianarmed forces not, as has been wrongly described by some commentators, [despite]them or in opposition to them.
"My Indonesian counterpart in East Timor, Major-General Kiki Syahnakri,worked very hard
 during the first critical weeks after Interfet arrived in Dilito evacuate disobedient Indonesian and East Timorese military personnelwho had misbehaved in East Timor. "One of my battalion commanders knewthe Indonesian garrison commander in Dili, having exercised in Indonesiawith his unit the year before. Many Australian officers in Interfet wereable to establish co-operative relations with Indonesian counterparts inEast Timor because they had either trained in Indonesia, learned Bahasaor had hosted Indonesian personnel who had trained in Australia."
COSGROVE then moved to the critical judgment: "The Australian DefenceForce's engagement
with the Indonesian armed forces over the past decades did have a pay-offin East Timor. There was a shared understanding by General Syahnakri andthe Indonesian commanders of those units deployed with him just beforeInterfet arrived that it was in everyone's interests to stabilise EastTimor, to get miscreant elements out and to restore public safety. LikeAustralia, all of the regional contributors to Interfet saw the missionas one to help the Indonesian government sort out a dangerous internalsituation . . . We all co-operated in common purpose. We were helped byknowing each other and having gained respect for each other through pastregional military engagement."
These are important and powerful words by Cosgrove, who has done thenation a service by putting his moral authority behind both the past andthe future policies of engaging Indonesia, including the Indonesian military.This is especially so because of the critical period we are entering. Thebreakdown of order in the Melanesian world is leading to the emergenceof broken-backed micro-states, within land-based air power range of Australia,so badly run that they could not even deny their territory to someone else,and which inevitably end up as de facto aid dependencies of Australia's.
Further, our whole long-term relationship with Indonesia is up for grabs,as is Indonesia's future itself. Elite opinion in Jakarta is firmly ofthe view that Australia wants to help dismantle at least the eastern partof Indonesia. This is not true. Both the Coalition Government and the Oppositionsupport Indonesia's territorial integrity. No one in mainstream Australianpolitics supports independence for West Papua. The predominant strategicview in Canberra is that the emergence of more non-viable micro-stateswould be bad in itself, bad for Australia and fatal for the Australia-Indonesiarelationship.
But our message on all this has been immensely confused. Members ofthe Government would do well to enrol in the Cosgrove school of communicationsand diplomacy.

Australia West Papua Association
PO BOX 65
Millers Point
Australia 2000

---

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

Subj: KABAR-IRIAN: [EN] 2 articles: Irian Jaya congress organisers suspected of treason/8 named
Date: 6/21/00 12:23:26 AM Central Daylight 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


Tuesday, June 20 11:19 AM SGT
Irian Jaya congress organisers suspected of treason
JAKARTA, June 20 (AFP)

Five civic leaders who organized a landmark congress that called on
Jakarta to recognise the independence of the Indonesian province of
Irian Jaya, face possible life imprisonment for suspected treason, a
press report said Tuesday.

The five were questioned by police in the Irian Jaya capital of
Jayapura on Monday over their involvement in the week-long Papuan
National Congress which called for the province's independence, the
state Antara news agency said.

Under Indonesian law, fomenting separatism is a crime that carries a
maximum punishment of a life sentence.

The congress ended in Jayapura on June 4 with a resolution
reaffirming that West Papua -- the term the congress used for Irian
Jaya -- has been independent since December 1961, and called on the
Jakarta to recognize its sovereignty.

The five were Agustinus Alua, head of the organizing committee,
Herman Awom, the congress' secretary, Thaha Al-Hamid, chief of the
congress' steering committee, Don Al Flassy, head of the Papuan
Independent Committee and Joh Mambor, a former political prisoner.

"My clients came to the police headquarters and were questioned
separately from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. on the Papuan Congress of
February 23-26 and the Papuan National Congress of May 29 - June 4,"
the lawyer for the five, Demianus Wakman, said.

The February congress was a meeting of the Papua Presidium which
resulted in the decision to hold the National Congress in May and
June.

With the exception of Al-Hamid, the four others had already ignored
a first police summons for questioning last week.

A sixth suspect, Theys Hiyo Eluay, who heads the Papua Presidium,
did not come for questioning as he was in East Java.

Antara said that the five men questioned were suspected of treason
for advocating separatism through their role in organizing the
congress.

Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid had initially supported the
holding of the conference and helped fund it.

But he cancelled plans to open it at the last minute and later
dimissed the meeting as illegitimate, saying that it had failed to
represent the entire spectrum of society in Irian Jaya.

Calls have since mounted in Jakarta for the government to take a
firmer stance against separatists in regions such as Irian Jaya, and
Aceh, another province where there is strong pressure for self-rule.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indonesian Observer
Wednesday, June 21 - 2000
Eight Papuans named suspects

JAKARTA (IO) Police have named eight organizers of the Papuan
Peoples Congress as suspects of treason for their attempts to have
Irian Jaya (West Papua) secede.

The eight figures include Theys Eluay, chairman of the Papua
Presidium, which held the May 29-June 4 Papuan Peoples Congress,
Satunet.com reported.

Irian Jaya Police Chief Brigadier General S.Y. Wenas told the press
after meeting with Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri that the
police have interrogated all the suspects and some could be sent to
court.

The Papuan Peoples Congress ended with a resolution claiming the
integration of West Papua into Indonesia in the 1960s was invalid
therefore the international community must support the independence
movement.

President Abdurrahman Wahid did not recognize the results of the
congress, but rejected a militaristic approach in overcoming the
separatist moves. The government has also refused to say the
congress organizers committed treason.

The National Defense Forces (TNI) chief has said that he would obey
the governments policy on Irian Jaya, but warned the Papuan
Congress organizers against making further separatist moves.

Wenas said that the police have interrogated Theys, who is chairman
of the Papua Presidium, the organizing committee of the Papua People
Congress, four times. We have drafted dossiers from the
interrogation and some of the dossiers have been submitted to
court.

Wenas said the congress had violated an agreement with the
government in which foreign groups were not to allowed to attend.
The government donated Rp3 billion to the congress implementation.

He said that apart from continuing the legal process against the
eight Papuan figures, the police have also approached other Papuan
figures so that they will not provide support to the separatist
movement.

Wenas also said the police, in cooperation with other security
officers, were able to maintain security in Irian Jaya. He said that
the people had promised that they will not make trouble as long as
the security forces were not repressive against them.

He denied the political elite in Jakarta were involved in the Papuan
Congress as well as in creating insecure conditions in Irian Jaya.



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

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

Subj: KABAR-IRIAN: [EN] Freeport eyes more community aid
Date: 6/21/00 12:23:32 AM Central Daylight 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


Indonesian Observer
Wednesday, June 21 - 2000
Freeport eyes more community aid

BANDUNG Mining company PT Freeport Indonesia plans to increase
contributions to the local community in remote Irian Jaya province,
says Mines and Energy Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Proposals have been conveyed to the government which are quite
significant...in terms of funding and range of community development
projects. We are still negotiating, he told Reuters in an interview
on Monday.

Freeport Indonesia, which has long been criticized by local
activists for harming the environment and not doing enough to
support the Irianese, is majority owned by US-based Freeport McMoRan
Copper & Gold Inc.

The Indonesian government also holds a stake in PT Freeport.

Yudhoyono said Freeport would set aside one percent of the firms
gross revenue for community development during the life of its giant
copper and gold mining operation in a province where many people
still practice stone-age lifestyles.

This would amount to some US$15 million each year, said Yudhoyono,
speaking in the West Java town of Bandung.

Freeport already provides one percent of its gross revenue for
community development, but such funding would expire in several
years under an earlier agreement, Yudhoyono said.

Other funding proposals involved land reclamation, improving the
environment, building a technology institute and a center dedicated
to human rights, Yudhoyono said.

As a minister I encourage community development in accordance with
peoples aspirations, he added.

Last month, about 200 people from the remote eastern province
rallied outside Freeports central Jakarta office, demanding the
company set aside two percent of its revenue for community
development and education, instead of one percent.

A Freeport executive confirmed the proposals had been submitted to
the government, but declined to give details. Freeport, which
employs 16,000 people, says it has been assisting Indonesias
development.

Yudhoyono also brushed aside suggestions from non-governmental
organisations that the mine be shut.

For the government, we cannot quickly take decisions to close
businesses in this country...We have to look at the business climate
and the fate of thousands of workers, he said.

Yudhoyono said Freeport had also come up with a proposal to repair
and strengthen the companys Lake Wanagon waste dump.

On May 4 a landslide of waste from the mine triggered flooding down
an adjacent valley, killing four workers. I told them (Freeport)
the plan was logical, but I asked related parties, including mines
and energy officials in cooperation with several universities, to
vet the technology, said Yudhoyono, who visited the Freeport mining
site last week.

Freeport has agreed to temporarily limit production at its Grasberg
copper and gold mine to an average of 200,000 tons of ore per day
since the accident.

The Grasberg mine is home to the one of the worlds largest deposits
of gold and copper.
-- Reuters






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

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

Subj: Eight Papuans named suspects
Date: 6/21/00 2:35:01 AM Central Daylight Time
From: tapol@gn.apc.org (TAPOL)
To: tapol@gn.apc.org
CC: mallison@amnesty.org

>From AWPA

Indonesian Observer 21/6/00
Eight Papuans named suspects

JAKARTA (IO) — Police have named eight organizers of the Papuan People’s
Congress as suspects of treason for their attempts to have Irian Jaya (West
Papua) secede. The eight figures include Theys Eluay, chairman of the Papua
Presidium, which held the May 29-June 4 Papuan People’s Congress, Satunet.com
reported.

Irian Jaya Police Chief Brigadier General S.Y. Wenas told the press after
meeting with Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri that the police have
interrogated all the suspects and some could be sent to court. The Papuan
People’s Congress ended with a resolution claiming the integration of West
Papua into Indonesia in the 1960s was invalid therefore the international
community must support the independence movement.

President Abdurrahman Wahid did not recognize the results of the congress, but
rejected a militaristic approach in overcoming the separatist moves. The
government has also refused to say the congress organizers committed treason.
The National Defense Forces (TNI) chief has said that he would obey the
government’s policy on Irian Jaya, but warned the Papuan Congress organizers
against making further separatist moves.

Wenas said that the police have interrogated Theys, who is chairman of the
Papua Presidium, the organizing committee of the Papua People Congress, four
times. "We have drafted dossiers from the interrogation and some of the
dossiers have been submitted to court." Wenas said the congress had
violated an
agreement with the government in which foreign groups were not to allowed to
attend. The government donated Rp3 billion to the congress’ implementation.

He said that apart from continuing the legal process against the eight Papuan
figures, the police have also approached other Papuan figures so that they
will
not provide support to the separatist movement. Wenas also said the police, in
cooperation with other security officers, were able to maintain security in
Irian Jaya. He said that the people had promised that they will not make
trouble as long as the security forces were not repressive against them. He
denied the political elite in Jakarta were involved in the Papuan Congress as
well as in creating insecure conditions in Irian Jaya.

----------

Australia West Papua Association
PO BOX 65
Millers Point
Australia 2000

----------





+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath,
Surrey CR7 8HW, UK
Phone: 020 8771-2904 Fax: 020 8653-0322
email: tapol@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Campaigning to expose human rights violations in
Indonesia, West Papua and Aceh

26 years - and still going strong
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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

Copyright 2000

E-Mail:
isssues@lykos.com