Famine-hit region of Indonesia’s Papua proposes mass-relocation

Yahukimo District Head Ones Pahabol has announced a proposal to
prevent further famine by relocating hinterlands based residents
to a location close to the district capital of Dekai.

According to Pahabol, the relocation would be completed within
10-15 years and involve 200,000 families, with priority
initially given to the Unaukam, Kemial, Mek and Yali tribes.

Calls for dialog as funds wasted

Andi Hajramurni , The Jakarta Post , Makassar | Fri, 09/11/2009 2:51 PM | The Archipelago

Papuas have urged Vice President Jusuf Kalla to act as a mediator to settle problems with the regional autonomy program and improve relations with Jakarta, an official said Thursday.

Papua governments blew Rp 30t on ‘special autonomy’: Official

Andi Hajramurni , The Jakarta Post , Makassar | Thu, 09/10/2009 6:41 PM | National

After eight years, special autonomy has yet to improve the welfare of Papuan people, partly because of incompetent governments of the two easternmost provinces, a West Papua official says.

A disaster, but not genocide

Migration has caused many problems in Papua, but it is not part of a genocidal master plan

Stuart Upton

In the second of two pieces on demographic change in Indonesian Papua, Inside Indonesia here presents an analysis by Stuart Upton that suggests – in contrast to the first piece written by Jim Elmslie –there is little hard evidence to support claims of genocide in Papua.

Urban areas are where the population is most mixed, and where the best opportunities are. Sergio Piumatti http://www.stockimagesnet.com/

Link to read complete article Inside Indonesia

Dialogue vital to solve Papua conflicts: Rights activists

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 09/14/2009 9:48 AM | National

Human right activists are urging the government to initiate a dialogue with representatives of various groups in Papua to find a peaceful solution to violence and separatism in the resources-rich province.

Mine guards hurt in Papua ambush

THE AGE

JAKARTA

September 13, 2009

TWO security officers have been hurt in an ambush near a US-owned mine in Indonesia’s restive West Papua province.

The officers were wounded when shots were fired at a Freeport McMoRan bus they were travelling on to the giant Grasberg gold and copper mine, according to police spokesman Agus Rianto.

The attack was on the only road linking the highland mine to the coast, where similar ambushes have taken place. Australian mine technician Drew Grant was killed in a July 11 attack, and a Freeport security guard and a policeman were killed the next day.

The Freeport mine sits on some of the world’s richest gold reserves, and the US company’s local subsidiary is the largest single taxpayer to the Indonesian Government.

CAIRNS FORUM: WEST PAPUA OFF THE FORUM AGENDA

Nic Maclellan

Following the Forum leaders meeting, West Papuan leaders expressed disappointment that the issue of human rights in the Indonesian-controlled territory was not discussed by regional leaders.

Speaking to ISLANDS BUSINESS in Cairns, the Vice Chair of the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL) John Ondawame stated: “We don’t expect much from this meeting but we are here to set out our objectives for the future. I’m very pessimistic—with Australia in the chair, it’s unlikely our calls will be considered.”

Reports that Papua quake claimed two lives

Posted at 02:27 on 03 September, 2009 UTC

Two people have been confirmed killed and 35 injured after a major earthquake last Sunday near the north coast of Indonesia’s West Papua province.

The tremor was recorded at magnitude 7.6 and centred about 150 kilometres west-northwest of Manokwari, at a depth of 35 kilometres.

The Indonesian National Disaster Coordinating Agency has reported a number of houses and buildings had collapsed.

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