Separatists Free West Papua suspected of killing 31 workers in Indonesia’s Papua province

ERWIDA MAULIA, Nikkei staff writerDECEMBER 04, 2018 14:03 JST  UPDATED ON DECEMBER 04, 2018 18:50 JST

Renewed violence highlights risks in Widodo’s push to develop remote region

Victims of Free West Papua Campaign Armed Group

JAKARTA — Attackers killed 31 construction workers in Indonesia’s Papua province over the weekend, highlighting the security challenges President Joko Widodo faces in developing the restive, remote region.

The workers were attacked by a group of armed men suspected of belonging to the separatist Free Papua Movement, local media reported. One of the construction workers had taken a photo of the group holding a ceremony, the reports said. The killing mark a violent turn for the group, which has been largely subdued in recent years, especially since Widodo took office in 2014.

Michael Gillard Special Investigation: Provoking Conflict by Supporting Separatist Propaganda

The “special investigation” BP in West Papua – Slow Motion Genocide, High Speed Profit, by Michael Gilllar is unreliable. The report discusses irrelevant matters insinuating ugly thing about Indonesia and neglects so many improvements in the last 20 years of Indonesia’s social and political reform.

In this article, I will discuss only one important matter that Gillard highlighted in his report.

The so called slow motion genocide is a term coined in 2013 by Jim Elmslie and Camellia Webb-Gannon, both Phd in their article A Slow Motion Genocide: Indonesian Rule in West Papua published in Griffith Journal of Law & Human Dignity. They argued that genocide is taking place in Indonesian-controlled West Papua only by a perception of a tight control against separatist movement. They said: “Explicit and implicit government policy has been consistently directed towards countering and eliminating Papuan attempts to create an independent state for their nation or enjoy political freedom on a par with other Indonesians. In this tightly controlled situation genocidal acts have been undertaken as government policy, effectively thwarting the Papuan nationalists in the era when information emerging from the province(s) could be tightly controlled”.

Richard Di Natale’s Political Propaganda Against British Petroleum and Indonesia

I see a lot of political writing that reads smoothly, has rhythm, but ultimately makes no sense. Richard Di Natale’s article: Green Leader Richard Di Natale Calls For BP Rethink On West Papuan Gas Field is one of them. In short, this article is a typical cheap propaganda based on unreliable sources to convince readers that BP should rethink their investment and project. 

More than 100 Remote Villages in Papua Can Use Electricity

I am very thankful to MACDIS for publishing the following article on electricity development in Papua.

 

Through the program of Bright Papua 2020, PLN builds power plants and power grids to remote villages that have not yet been electrified.

 

On National Electricity Day 2017, simultaneously 101 villages spread in Papua can use electricity. Regional Director of PLN Maluku and Papua Ahmad Rofik said this is a very special gift for people of Papua and West Papua who have not enjoyed electricity for decades. A total of 16 villages are located in Sorong, 4 villages in Merauke, 6 villages in Timika, 52 villages in Jayapura and 7 villages in Biak.

Through the program of Bright Papua 2020, PLN builds power plants and power grids to remote villages that have not yet been electrified. There are villages which systems are made isolated by installing diesel generators, such as in Neney district. But many of them use the grid system (extension) from the existing electricity. The total power capacity of the whole power plant with an isolated system is 300 kW with Medium Mining Network 214.37 kms and Low Voltage Network 157.04 kms.

PLN faces many challenges in building power plants and power lines in Papua. One of them is the spread of residential location in the mountains as well as transportation access to the location. Currently there are 117 villages that have electricity from the target of 379 villages for this year. The remaining villages that have not received electricity will be cultivated to be completed by the end of this year.

The west Papua provincial administration positively welcomed this program, hoping that the Bright Indonesia Program can be well executed so that all regencies in West Papua can enjoy 24 hours electricity supplies.

Keywords: Papua, West Papua, Indonesia, Government, Electricity, PLN, Infrastructure, Jayapura, Sorong, Bright Papua.

By: Rafika Suci (Researcher MaCDIS)

Developing Food Commodities in Papua Province

Thanks to an inactive website freewestpapua.co, we can learn about food commodities development in Papua province.

 

Papua Province is one of the regions that have a considerable diversity of biological resources, including local food crops.

Papuan local food sources that have the potential to be utilized as a source of carbohydrates are sweet potatoes, taro, sago, gembili, and millet. Local food has been widely used by the people of Papua. Communities domiciled in mountainous areas generally consume sweet potatoes, taro, and gembili, while those living on the beach use sago as a staple food. Some types of sweet potatoes, taro, and sago have adapted well and consumed by the people of Papua in decades. Thus, these commodities need to be developed as the main food source for the community. Besides being used as the main food source and for traditional ceremonies, local Papuan food commodities have also been developed into processed products such as cookies that are managed by a household industry scale.[1]

Minister of Agriculture, Amran, asserted that Indonesia’s future especially agriculture development is in the eastern region of West Papua. Because West Papua has a great agricultural potential to be excavated.

To achieve this, the effort made is to build the land of sleep so that available agricultural land on a large scale and prosperous farmers community. In addition, it is necessary to revive superior food commodities such as nutmeg, breadfruit, coffee, and corn to be exported.

Amran said that the Ministry of Agriculture will focus on increasing rice production in West Papua so that rice is no longer supplied from South Sulawesi, but can be fulfilled by itself. In 2017, the Ministry of Agriculture will make about 1900 ha of rice fields.

According to Amran, West Papua has great potential for developing of vegetable commodities such as carrots and cabbage so that their needs can be fulfilled or no longer supplied from other regions. West Papua also has excellent export-worthy commodities such as coconut, coffee, nutmeg, and cocoa. These commodities will be encouraged until they can be exported.

The Governor of West Papua, Dominggus Mandacan said the agricultural sector is very important to promote and prosper the community. West Papua government will prioritize the development of superior commodities until reach the export value. The leading commodities include nutmeg, coffee, vegetables (carrots, cabbage, potatoes), corn, coconut, cattle, breadfruit, and cocoa.[2]

[1] A. Wahid Rauf dan Martina Sri Lestari, Pemanfaatan Komoditas Pangan Lokal Sebagai Sumber Pangan Alternatif di Papua, diakses dari laman http://papuabarat.litbang.pertanian.go.id/index.php/publikasi/artikel/210-pemanfaatan-komoditas-pangan-lokal-sebagai-sumber-pangan-alternatif-di-papua pada 15/11/2017

[2] Dee Waluyo, Kementan Dorong Papua Barat Berdaulat Pangan, diakses dari laman https://jpp.go.id/ekonomi/pertanian/307558-kementan-dorong-papua-barat-berdaulat-pangan pada 15/11/2017

Keywords: West Papua, Papua, Food Commodities, local foods, agricultural, rice production, export commodities, Papuan food commodities, Papuans, local community.

By Sakhiyatun K

Indonesia to Evaluate Papua’s Special Autonomy Status

Indonesia Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi has said that the government will evaluate the special autonomy status of Papua. The evaluation team will consist of officials from different ministries and the evaluation result is expected to be completed by the end of December. “The result will be issued in early January 2012,” Gamawan said in Papua on Wednesday (07/12).

Read more WPPN

Freeport threatened us: Strikers

Rangga D. Fadillah and Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Jayapura | Sat, 09/17/2011 7:00 AM

Freeport employees on strike over wage increase demands claimed they had been intimidated by PT Freeport’s management, which on Friday reported that the copper and gold mining company was losing an estimated US$19 million per day as a result of the strike.

Cycling from Berlin to West Papua

Papua

Cycling from Berlin to West Papua – Our introductory film!

After “Jakarta Berlin — An Inspiration to Low Carbon Traveling” AugeFilms is proud to announce its next major project: “Berlin Chennai Papua — Eurasian Cyclocross 2011-12″. Starting in July 2011 (a few days) we (Dominik Oskar Zschäbitz and Florian Augustin) will be cycling from Berlin, Germany, via Chennai, India, to Papua, Indonesia.

Why Papua?!

This first step in trying to preserve a global treasure is bringing awareness to its being threatened. Watch “Cari Hutan – In the Search of Forest – Ich suche Wald” (vimeo.com/​26316515) and you’ll know everything about our intentions behind cycling to Papua. Papua is one of the last untouched areas of our planet — however critically endangered. The work of the countless NGO’s on Kalimantan (Borneo), the Indonesian Island West of Papua, has borne fruit. The huge amount of international attention has lead to a point where companies and governments are at least pretending to seek a solution. Our opinion: Too late. So this time, let’s bring the public international eye to papua BEFORE the Palm Oil, Pulp&Paper and Mining industries do. There is still a global demand for palm oil products (cosmetics, food, biofuels), timber and gold. While the deforestation on Borneo and Sumatra might eventually come to a slow down, as long as this demand continues to grow as it currently does, the destruction will move or even diversify to Papua. Our thought: What better way is there to bring awareness and the international public eye, embodied by our cameras, to this Island (Papua) than by CYCLING there!? Hence, we intend to prove that, if this place is reachable by bicycle, this destruction is not happening far from your home! It is happening on this very planet. The ONE that we all share and that is worth fighting for!

 

Our Goal!

– Cycling to Papua, taking a big dump on some Palm Oil plantations, maybe, if the opportunity is provided, even on the Freeport Gold Mine.

– Inspiring you to take action and showing that doing so can be incredibly fun!

– Making you think: “If these hobos make it from Berlin to Papua by bike, I’ll make it from home to work at least…”

 

Currently we’re still looking for sponsorships for the trip…wink, wink…

source:

augefilms.blog.com

A letter from Papua

ACKNOWLEDGE DOUBT AMONG PAPUANS ABOUT THEIR HISTORY AND POLITICAL STATUS

Dear friends,

I am writing this time trying to peel the history of Papua from a different angle than usual as a non-Papuans. During this time, I often read various online source and print coverage that tends to discredit the Government of Republic of Indonesia to raise the issue of history, racial differences and inequalities that are written by indigenous Papuans. As an Indonesian who was born and raised in this homeland, obviously, deeply regrets when Papua have to split from the my Homeland. More than two hundred years ago, We’ve never imagined a black race can lead the U.S. as it is now. Obama’s rise as the U.S. President has broken all the things that are considered taboo in the past. One friend of mine, a true Republican mentions the existence of an unwritten rule to become U.S. president was White, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant (WASP) as well as in Indonesia, Javanese and Muslim. Apparently all it can be broken by personal capabilities and impressive performance from a Presidential candidate. This is surely had crossed my mind, why not, someday, this prosperous land Gemah Ripah jinawi would led by a young nation from indigenous Papuan who has a highly potential intelligence? Obama has been prove it, why don’t we? YES YOU CAN, YES WE CAN

PLN Gives Rp4 Trillion to Eastern Regions

Friday, 10 June, 2011 | 15:32 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The state electricity company, PT PLN (Persero), disbursed Rp4 trillion to improve electrification in Indonesia’s eastern regions. These areas have the lowest rate of electrification or electrification ratio, among all PLN subscribers in Indonesia.

Most of Indonesia’s eastern regions can only access an average of 50 percent electrification. For example, Central Kalimantan has 50 percent, Southeast Sulawesi has 45 percent, and West Papua has 42 percent. To match the national scale, the electrification ratio target in these areas must reach 60 percent.