AWPA pleads with Pacific Islands Forum leaders

AWPA pleads with Pacific Islands Forum leaders not to forget West Papua

AWPA (Sydney) has written to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders who are meeting in Cairns in August, urging them to discus the deteriorating situation in West Papua at their meeting .

Since last year’s Pacific Islands Forum, the situation in West Papua has continued to deteriorate with increasing intimidation of the West Papuan people by the Indonesian security forces.

In Amnesty International’s State of the world's human rights report (2009), Amnesty reported that in Papua

"Local community leaders were intimidated and threatened by the military and police. There were reports of torture and other ill-treatment, excessive use of force and extraj-udicial executions by security forces".

In an open letter to PIF leaders

Joe Collins of AWPA said “ It is now forty six years since Indonesia took over administration of West Papua from the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority in 1963, and the West Papuan people are still continuing their struggle for justice and self-determination. The issue of West Papua will not disappear and AWPA believes that regional organisations such as PIF can play an important role in helping facilitate dialogue between the West Papuan leadership and the Indonesian Government to try and solve "peacefully" the many issues of concern in West Papua. For years the West Papuan people have been calling on the international community to support such dialogue".

The West Papuan people are a Melanesian people, a Pacific people and the Forum should be doing all it can to help a Pacific neighbour. A good start would be to raise the human rights situation in West Papua with the Indonesian Government and send a fact finding mission to West Papua to investigate the human rights situation in the territory.

Info Joe Collins Mob 04077 857 97

Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)

Open letter to Pacific Islands Forum leaders

20 June 2009

Dear Prime Minister,

On behalf of the Australia West Papua Association in Sydney, I am writing to you concerning the issue of West Papua. As a Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leader, I urge you to discuss with the other Forum leaders the deteriorating human rights situation in West Papua at the coming meeting in Cairns in August.

It is now forty six years since Indonesia took over administration of West Papua from the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority in 1963, and the West Papuan people are still continuing their struggle for justice and self-determination.

Although Indonesia has made great progress towards democracy in recent years, unfortunately this has not translated to an improvement in the human rights situation in West Papua. There are ongoing human rights abuses in West Papua with many recent reports documenting these abuses.

In Amnesty International’s State of the world's human rights report (2009), Amnesty reported that the situations in Papua and Maluku have continued to deteriorate. In Amnesty’s country report on Indonesia it stated that there continued to be attacks on freedom of expression, that the number of prisoners of conscience rose sharply to 117 and attacks against minority religious groups and their leaders increased across the archipelago. Amnesty also reported that “torture, excessive use of force and unlawful killings by police and security forces continued” and “no progress was made in bringing the perpetrators of past gross human rights violations in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD), Papua and Timor-Leste to justice”.

From the report-Papua

“Low-level conflict between the security forces and pro-independence insurgents in Papua continued. Local community leaders were intimidated and threatened by the military and police. There were reports of torture and other ill-treatment, excessive use of force and extrajudicial executions by security forces. In August, at a rally celebrating World Indigenous Day, police opened fire into a crowd of people after some of them had raised the banned “Morning Star” flag. One peaceful demonstrator, Opinus Tabuni, was found dead following the event. Filep Karma, sentenced to 15 years, and Yusak Pakage, sentenced to ten years, remained in jail. The two men were convicted in 2005 for raising the “Morning Star” flag”.

The West Papuan people face great challenges including ongoing human rights abuses, the exploitation of their natural resources with little or no benefit to themselves, the danger of becoming a minority in their own land as the result of migrants arriving daily and a HIV/AIDS epidemic.

AWPA urges the Pacific Islands Forum to

raise concerns about the grave human rights situation in West Papua with the Indonesian Government.

to send a fact finding mission to West Papua to investigate the human rights situation in the territory.

to encourage the Indonesian Government to allow greater access for human rights monitors and the international media to West Papua. Although some access is possible the fact that the International Committee of the Red Cross was told to leave the Papua region in April and four Dutch journalists were arrested in March, indicates access is restricted thus far.

The West Papuan people are calling for dialogue with the Indonesian Government to try and solve the many issues of concern in West Papua. AWPA urges the PIF Leaders to encourage the Indonesian President to dialogue with genuine representatives of the West Papuan people.

Political prisoners

In July 2007, Indonesia’s Constitutional Court declared unconstitutional articles 154 and 155 of Indonesia’s Criminal Code, commonly known as the “hate sowing” (Haatzai Artikelen) offenses. Articles 154 and 155 criminalized “public expression of feelings of hostility, hatred or contempt toward the government” and prohibited “the expression of such feelings or views through the public media.” These articles have been used to target activists, students, and human rights defenders to try and silence political discussion and limit free expression in Indonesia.

In the Human Rights Bill of 1999 , the law concerning protection of human rights of political prisoners is referred to in Article 4 of Law 39 in the Indonesian Constitution in 1999. In that same Law 39 in Article 6 , paras 1 and 2 particular mention is made of protection of rights of Indigenous people, including land rights.

AWPA asks the PIF Leaders to urge the Indonesian President to release all West Papuan political prisoners imprisoned under these laws (contrary to Indonesia's constitution) as a sign of good faith to the West Papuan people.

Yours Sincerely

Joe Collins

Secretary

AWPA (Sydney)

ENDS

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