Australia West Papua Association, Sydney
PO Box 65, Millers Point, Sydney, Australia 2000 Ph/fax 61.2.99601698
email: iris@matra.com.au
Hon Alexander Downer MP
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Parliament House
Canberra
ACT 2600
30 April 2002
Dear Mr. Downer,
I am writing to you in my capacity as secretary of The Australia West Papua Association, Sydney, concerning the recent reports that large numbers of members of the Laskar Jihad are moving into West Papua (reports indicate that there are at least 3000 Jihad members in Papua).
This is of great concern as the Laskar Jihad is blamed for the conflict between the Muslim and Christian communities in the eastern islands of Maluku, where large numbers from both sides have been killed. The presence of the Laskar Jihad in Papua has raised fears amongst West Papuans that the group may try to incite religious conflict in the province where previously all communities have lived in religious harmony.
The Laskar Jihad could not operate in West Papua without the knowledge and approval of the Indonesian Government and military. We believe the military are using the Laskar Jihad in West Papua to counter the West Papuan people in their peaceful struggle for self determination.
To this end, the Laskar Jihad have been,
The Laskar Jihad has also been conducting religious activities in various
areas of West Papua including , Sorong, Fak Fak and Manokwari, areas which
have large populations of Muslim migrants from other provinces. As
the Jihad militias view Papuan Christians as pro independence, it is believed
they are trying to spark hatred between Muslims and non-Muslims which could
have grave consequence for both communities in the province.
AWPA is also concerned about the ongoing human rights violations in Papua where intimidation, arbitrary arrest and torture are a regular occurrence.
We urge you to use your good offices to communicate to the Indonesian Government the Australian Government’s concern about the dangers the Laskar Jihad pose for stability. Stability and mutual trust are essential to promote peaceful dialogue between all parties wishing to solve the problems in the province
and we also urge the Australian Government to send a fact finding mission to the province to investigate the human rights situation in West Papua.
Joe Collins
AWPA, Sydney
Hon Alexander Downer MP
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Parliament House
Canberra
ACT 2600
14 November 2001
Dear Mr. Downer,
I am writing to you in my capacity as secretary of the Australia West Papua Association, Sydney, concerning the murder of the West Papuan leader Chief Theys Eluay in West Papua. Chief Theys was chairman of The Papuan Presidium Council. He was kidnapped on the 10 November on his way home from the headquarters of the Tribuana military command in Hamadi where he been attending a ceremony commemorating the Indonesian Heroes' Day. The National police spokesman Saleh Saaf said in Jakarta that the killers had attempted to make the murder look like a traffic accident by trying to push the van into a 50 meter ravine.
The driver of the car, Aristoteles Masoka (now missing) phoned his wife in great distress to say that the car had been ambushed by non-Papuans. He said that he had been dragged from the car and beaten. While they were still talking the line was disconnected. Chief Theys=92 family and his supporters believe his death to be the work of the military who have being trying to destabilize any progress towards a peaceful solution to the problems in West Papua.
A recent report has revealed that top-ranking Indonesian government officials and military and police intelligence agencies were so disturbed by the political impact of the Grand Congress held in Jayapura last year which led to the creation of the Papuan Presidium Council (PPC), that they conspired to launch a counter-intelligence operation to undermine and destroy all pro-independence activities in West Papua. It appears that much of what has occurred in West Papua in the past year including major incidents of human rights abuses has been the result of this military operation.
We ask you to use your good offices with the Indonesian Government,
urging them to set up an independent commission to investigate his death as soon as possible and also urging the Indonesian government to include in the commission Papuans from the Human Rights organization in the province as well as members from International organizations such as Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists.
to urge the Indonesian Government to take immediate action to ascertain the whereabouts of Aristoteles Masoka, who was driving the victim=92s car and do all in its power to protect him as the only witness to the murder.
and once again we urge the Australian Government to send a fact finding mission to the province to investigate the human rights violations that have occurred in West Papua since the beginning of 2001.
Yours Sincerely
Joe Collins
Secretary
AWPA, Sydney
Honorable Sir Mekere Morauta, MP
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea
Office of the Prime Minister
Port Moresby
Papua New Guinea
22 June 2001
Dear Prime Minister,
We are writing to you with great concern about reports that your government may be handing over to Indonesian authorities up to 40 West Papuan refugees, including Mathias Wenda and his assistant Simon Alum.
We urge you not to return any refugees to West Papua against their will, particularly at this time of heightened tension there. At the present time the Indonesian police and military are conducting an operation in the Manokwari Regency where West Papuans have been arrested, tortured and killed,
There is a real fear for the safety of any West Papuans
handed over to the Indonesian military and certainly there are grave doubts
that Mathias Wenda and his assistant Simon Alum would receive a fair trial.
Recently two members of the Australian branch of the
ICJ (International Commission of Jurists) were refused
visas by the Indonesian authorities to enter West Papua to observe separatist
trials which raises concern that the Indonesian authorities prefer
not to have their justice system open to international scrutiny.
We urge you to treat all West Papuan border crossers as
genuine refugees fleeing persecution and to offer aid to those organisations
and church groups trying to assist the border crossers.
Yours sincerely
Joe Collins
Contact addresses
HON. SIR MEKERE MORAUTA, KT, MP
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea & Treasurer
Office of the Prime Minister
National Parliament House
PO Box 639
WAIGANI
FAX: +675 327 7328
HON JOHN PUNDARI, MP
Minister for Foreign Affairs
National Parliament House
PO Parliament House
FAX: +675327 7696
Regional Police Chief of Papua Province
Brig. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika
Jl. Sam Ratulangie No. 8, Jayapura - Papua/Irian Jaya
21 June 2001
Dear Sir,
We are writing to you about our concern at the police and military operation taking place in the village of Wondiboi and the surrounding Wasior district in Manokwari Regency. We understand that this operation is in response to the death of five members of Brimob and one employee of CV.Vatika Papuana Perkasa (VPP), which was caused by an 'armed unknown group'.
However, this operation is causing fear among the local population. It is reported that Brimob forces have acted inhumanely towards employees of VPP who are Papuans. They have being arrested, beaten and tortured, and after being transported by ship to Police Command in Manokwari, have been beating again by Brimob personal.
Also, the Brimob forces which have been brought into Wasior have indiscriminately shot at the houses of local inhabitants and as a result, six civilians were shot dead. This action by security forces has also sparked an exodus from the area with large numbers of inhabitants, fleeing into the jungle for protection.
We also understand that the Wasior district has been closed to outsiders during this operation and we urge you to,
reopen the area so that humanitarian and human rights workers and church groups can enter the area so they can help the civilian population with medical and food aid and any other assistance that they might require.
We also urge you to cease this operation and to stop sending extra troops into the area which only adds to the problem as well as terrifying the local population.
Yours sincerely
Joe Collins
Hon. Alexander Downer MP
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Parliament House
Canberra
ACT 2600
14 December 2000
Dear Mr. Downer,,
The Australia West Papua Association , Sydney, is writing to you concerning a dangerous escalation of tensions in West Papua This has been brought about by the arrest of five more members of the Papuan Presidium Council on suspicion of subversion. This follows the arrest three weeks ago of five other senior members of the council including its leader Theys Eluay.
These recent arrests are to do with an incident which took place in the town of Wamena last October when the police tried to pull down the West Papuan flag , which is an important symbol to the West Papuan people. However it is clear that these arrests are purely politically motivated as their lawyer has pointed out that one of those arrested was in Jaypura when the incident took place.
It should also be noted that the Jakarta-appointed governor of the province, Governor Jaap Salosa has called for the government to release the five detained Papuan independence leaders. Governor Jaap Salosa says he has reported to Indonesia's President Abdurrahman Wahid that they should be released.
You were quoted in The Straits Times yesterday predicting a bloodbath in Irian Jaya if the international community continued to call for the province’s independence from Indonesian. It is not the international community raising concerns about Human Rights abuses in the province that will cause a bloodbath, but it is an out of control military arresting the leaders of the presidium which will cause an escalation in any violence that occurs.
It should be pointed out the West Papuan leadership has continued to call for peaceful dialogue with the Indonesian government, but it is obvious the Indonesian military prefers to destabilise any such dialogue.
We call on you to urgently contact the Indonesian government asking that they do all in their power to restrain the military and calling on them to release the West Papuan leadership, as a sign of good faith. It is in this way that a peaceful dialogue can continue between the Indonesian government and the West Papuan leadership.
AWPA, Sydney
(Since the events of the 1st December, there has been
a crackdown by the
Indonesian military in West Papua. Much of the West Papuan
leadership
has been arrested, and at least 200 refugees are on the
PNG border
seeking safety.( One PNG official has raised fear of
possible pursuit
across the border after refugee). AWPA has written to
the PNG
Government and the Australian Foreign Minister ( below).
We encourage
groups and individuals to also write along similar lines.)
Joe Collins
Australia West Papua Association, Sydney
PO Box 65
Millers Point
Sydney
Australia 2000
(1)
Honorable Sir Mekere Morauta, MP
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea
Office of the Prime Minister
Port Moresby
Papua New Guinea
Dear Prime Minister
We are writing to you with great concern about the unfolding
events in
West Papua. Recent reports indicate that hundreds of
West Papuan
refugees who are fleeing the brutal crack down by the
Indonesian
military on the West Papuan population , are crossing
the border into
PNG territory.
We urge you to accept these West Papuan refugees and give
them all the
aid they may require such as food, medicines and shelter.
Reports also
indicate that Indonesian troops may be pursuing these
refugees into PNG
territory and we urge you to do all in your power to
protect the
refugees from such pursuits.
Yours Sincerely
Joe Collins
Please send copies to
The Ambassador
PNG Embassy
Canberra
ACT 2600
(2)
Hon Alexander Downer MP
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Parliament House
Canberra
ACT 2600
e-mail: minister.downer@dfat.gov.au
(Please note: e-mail correspondence should include your
postal address.
Responses will not be made via e-mail).
Dear Mr Downer,
The Australia West Papua Association , Sydney, is writing
to you
concerning unfolding events in West Papua, particularly
in relation to
the West Papuan Refugees fleeing across the border into
Papua New
Guinea. These West Papuan refugees are fleeing the brutal
crack down by
the Indonesian military after peaceful celebrations held
by the West
Papuan people to honor their Morning star Flag, which
holds great
symbolic meaning to the West Papuan people.
We ask you to use you good office to urge the PNG Government
to accept
these refugees and offer them protection from the pursuing
Indonesian
military. Reports indicate that the Indonesian military
may be crossing
the border in hot pursuit of the refugees. We also urge
you to offer
the PNG government financial aid to look after these
refugees.
We also urge you to communicate to the Indonesian Government
the
Australian GovernmentÕs concern about the human
rights abuses which are
presently occurring in West Papua,
Urge the Indonesian government to control its military in West Papua
Urge the Indonesian Government to release all political prisoners
And urge the Indonesian government to continue with the
peaceful
dialogue with the West Papuan leadership.
Yours Sincerely
And write to
The Prime Minister, John Howard
Parliament house
Canberra
ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA WEST PAPUA ASSOCIATION, SYDNEY
PO Box 65, Millers Point, NSW, Australia 2000
Tele/fax: 61.2. 99601698 Email:iris@matra.com.au
Dear
The Australia West Papua Association is writing to you concerning the issue of West Papua. I would first like to thank you and the other Pacific Islands Forum leaders for supporting West Papua being on the agenda at last years forum meeting . We hope that at this years meeting in Nauru that not only will West Papua be on the agenda but that the discussion will involve the issue of the West Papuan People being granted observer status at future forum meetings, as has been granted to the Kanak people of New Caledonia.
In last years communiqué the Forum leaders expressed "deep concern about past and recent violence and loss of life in West Papua". We would like to point out that since last years forum meeting there has been a large number of human rights abuses committed by the Indonesian military in West Papua and we have included some of these abuses in our briefing paper which is included with this letter.
We urge you to raise these human rights abuses by the Indonesia military with the other forum leaders, as well as with the Indonesian representatives at the post forum dialogue meeting.
We also urge you to encourage the Indonesian government to reassume the peaceful dialogue which was started by the West Papuan leadership as a way forward for the province. It is through dialogue that many of the problems in the province could be solved-the human rights abuses, the exploitation of resources at the expense of the local people and the status of the province itself, in relation to Indonesia.
Yours sincerely
Joe Collins
AWPA, Sydney
WEST PAPUA
In 1883 the island of New Guinea was partitioned by three Western powers, the Dutch claiming the western half, while the Germans and British divided the eastern half into German New Guinea in the north and British Papua in the south.The Republic of Indonesia was created in 1949 when The Netherlands granted independence to the colonised peoples of the former Dutch East Indies. West New Guinea however, due to its distinct Melanesian population and cultural characteristics, was retained as a colony by the Dutch and during the 1950s the Dutch government prepared the territory for independence. President Sukarno meanwhile consistently maintained Indonesia's claim to all former territory of the Dutch, and when his demands were not met armed conflict ensued from 1962.
Under pressure from the United States to come to terms with Indonesia, the Dutch agreed to secret negotiations. In August 1962 an agreement was concluded in New York between the Netherlands and Indonesia, under which the Dutch were to leave West New Guinea and transfer sovereignty to UNTEA (the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority), for a period of six years until a national vote was to be conducted to determine Papuan preference for independence, or integration with Indonesia.
Almost immediately however, Indonesia took over the administration from UNTEA, and the oppression of the West Papuan people intensified. A sham referendum was held in 1969, and the UN sanctioned a vote by 1025 handpicked electors, coerced into unanimously choosing to "remain with Indonesia".
The UN Representative sent to observe the election process produced a report which outlined various and serious violations of the New York Agreement. In spite of the "duly noted" report and in spite also of testimonials from the press, the opposition of fifteen countries and the cries of help and justice from the Papuans themselves, West Irian was handed over to Indonesia in November 1969. The inhabitants of Papua New Guinea, across the border, achieved full independence in1975.
Once Indonesian took over responsibility for administration of the province , they brutally repressed any West Papuan not accepting the takeover. Uprisings began to take place against their brutal rule in various areas such as Biak Island and in the Central Mountains. The Indonesian military responded by exterminting entire villages. There is no exact figure on the number of West Papuans killed in the resistance, but it is believed to exceed 200,000.
Since the 1st December 2000, the anniversary of the first flying of the West Papuan Morning Star flag in 1962, the TNI has cracked down on the West Papuan People. Many have been killed and their leaders have been arrested. A subversion trial of five of the key leaders has been set for May 14th. They include Theys Eluay, Reverend Herman Awom, Don Flassy, John Mabor and Thaha Al Hamid.The five presidium members were arrested in Jayapura on subversion charges in the days surrounding last year's commemorations on December the 1st.Most recently large numbers of the TNI have been sent to West Papua exacerbating the already highly volatile situation. The Indonesian airforce has also been flying Hawk jet fighter aircraft (supplied by Britain ) low over villages in an effort to terrorise the population
The most recent build up is on the area bordering Papua New Guinea. It was reported in The jakarta Post of the 21st April that three new battalions coming from outside Irian Jaya have been deployed for an ongoing 'Security Border Operation'.
During this period (late 2000-2001) over 400 refugees (the majority of whom are women and children) have fled across the border into PNG, joining approximately 10,000 other West Papuan refugees, many having been there since the early 1980’s. Latest figures indicate that there are now up to 512 (recent) border crossers in the Vanimo area. The Papua New Guinea Council of Churches has made a strong plea to the PNG government to recognize the plight of these West Papuan border crossers. The call comes following a visit by Council of Churches General Secretary Sophia Gegeyo and the Social Concerns Desk Secretary Peter Saroya in April 2001 to Vanimo, where the West Papuans are living.
There has been consent human abuses in West Papua since the Forum meeting in Nauru last year. We have included one of the graver cases below. We have also included (in the appendex), the report from the Swiss journalists who was arrested after the events of the 1st of December 2000. His eyewitness account makes for horrific reading and vividly describes what can happen to West Papuans believed to have separatists tendencies.
Following an attack on the police station at Abepura (near Jaypura) on the 7 December 2000 by an unidentified group (in which two police officers and one security officer where killed), the police and anti-riot troops retaliated by raiding student hostels in the area, although there was no evidence that the students were involved in the attack on the police station. Hundreds of students were taken into police custody and were beaten and tortured. (See account by Swiss journalist below).The National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas Ham) who investigated the incidence, confirmed at a press conference in April that torture and other inhumane deeds had been committed by police and Brimbo personal against local West Papuans. An official said that two people were killed while 34 others suffered serious wounds while in police custody.
In an other disturbing event, two members of the Australian branch of the ICJ (international Commission of Jurists) were refused visas by the Indonesian authorities to enter West Papua. They had been invited by the local human rights organisation in Jatpura to observe separatist trials in Jaypura and Wamena. Justice Dowd of the ICJ said the refusal from Jakarta was the first time Australian ICJ observers had been formally rejected by Indonesia. Justice Dowd said the exclusion of international observers reduced the chances of a fair trial. “We know now that some of them are being seriously intimidated, some are being subjected to torture and assaults, he said. “There is no fair trial if that’s what is happening."top | contents