A separatist conflict has simmered in Papua since it became part of Indonesia after a disputed UN referendum in 1969.

An Amnesty International report found at least 95 deaths in 69 incidents. It says these happened between January 2010 and February 2018.

Of those, 39 happened during peaceful political activities like demonstrations, Amnesty says.

In one case, it says police killed a mentally disabled man after he hit a police officer with a piece of sugar cane.

Amnesty says there have been no independent criminal investigations into any of the killings.

Indonesia president breaks promise

The report criticises Indonesian President Joko Widodo. It says he failed to fulfil his promise to improve human rights in Papua when he took office in 2014.

Local activists say the killings continue despite Widodo's promises to end them.

Father John Djonga is a prominent rights activist in Papua. He says the report contradicts government denials.

"The report is the most concrete evidence confirming lack of progress in human rights enforcement in Papua," Djonga says.

Another Catholic activist is Yuliana Langowuyo. He is deputy director of the Franciscan commission for justice, peace, and integrity of creation. Langowuyo says the government has to look at these cases and be transparent.

Finally the government says it will investigate the killings. It says it wants to find out who, how and whether people were killed.

Amnesty says it visited towns across Papua in its two-year investigation. It says it talked to authorities, victims' families, activists and church-based groups among others.

Sources:

• Channel NewsAsia
• UCA News

Image credit: UCA News

A three-member pastoral solidarity team spent four days in West Papua with an "intensive" programme of visits and meetings.

"Indigenous West Papuans shared with the CCA delegation about the on-going repression and systematic human rights violations in West Papua, including the passing of laws that suppress freedom of speech and freedom of association," the CCA said.

They spoke of the growing concern at the impunity for human rights abuses enjoyed by the police and the military.

They described the Special Autonomy Law as a failure.

This law is supposed to enshrine respect for local socio-cultural expressions, including:

• the restoration of the Papua name over the Indonesia-preferred Irian Jaya,
• the freedom to fly the Papuan flag and sing the community's national anthem.

The CCA report says the Indonesian government systematically restricts the right to freedom of the press as well as the initiatives of West Papuans who come forward to monitor human rights violations.

• Many indigenous West Papuans are being arrested and detained for non-violent expressions of their political opinion.
• The indigenous West Papuans constantly face discrimination as well as violent attacks.
• Peaceful demonstrations are often dispersed by force.
• In many instances, non-violent participants have been arrested, detained and tortured, while others have been killed.
• Many prisoners and human rights activists have died while in detention.
• Reports of torture and ill-treatment of political detainees have been increasing.
• Civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights are being violated.
• The Christian Conference of Asia includes 17 national councils and more than 100 churches in 21 countries.

Source

• RNZ
• ANS
• Image: ETAN

The call was made at the end of a four-day Catholic Student Association of the Republic of Indonesia conference in Jayapura on July 31.

Conference participants — association members from 70 chapters across the country — said the central government should dissolve the current investigative team formed by the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, and sit down with the Papuans.

An ongoing conflict in West Papua between the Indonesian government and indigenous groups seeking independence or greater autonomy has led to many rights abuses, according to rights groups and Papuan activists.

Catholic students have also urged President Widodo to remove restrictions and allow foreign journalists free access to Papua.

"We demand [the] government gives access to foreign journalists so they can visit Papua, without interference, including from the military," Angelo Wake Kako, the association's chairman, said on July 31.

Mario Yumte, a member of the association's Jayapura chapter, said Papua's longstanding conflicts need to end with dignity.

Catholic students see it as their duty to encourage the relevant parties to sit down, talk heart to heart, and listen to each other, she said.

"If we are silent on the Papua conflict it means we do not care about humanity," said Yumte.

Father John Djonga, a human rights advocate, said Aug. 1 that he appreciated the Catholic students' concerns about Papua. But he also reminded students to build intensive communication with local Papuan leaders.

Communication with local leaders, he said, is important because there is so much poverty and injustice in Papua that needs immediate attention.

According to the priest, there have been efforts to have a dialogue mediated by third party, but the Indonesian government has not listened.

This made the Papuans seek international attention regarding their struggle especially in the Pacific region, Father Djonga said.

Source

• ucanews.com
• Image: etan.org

"We see injustices in the fields of economy, social, culture and politics in the land of Papua. We are concerned about various acts of violence happening in the Bird of Paradise Land. Violence is faced by violence.

"All these violent acts hamper the development, harm the peace, and hurt the feeling of so many people," the priests said in a statement released following their recent meeting in Jayapura, Papua province.

Among those diocesan priests attending the June 30-July 5 meeting was Father Neles Kebadabi Tebay from Jayapura diocese. Other dioceses included Agats-Asmat, Manokwari-Sorong and Timika as well as the Merauke archdiocese.

Speaking with ucanews.com over the phone on July 13, Tebay said that such injustices could be seen in the development programs that focused only on district towns, where migrants mostly from Java now stay.

"It's based on what we see in our parishes located in remote areas," he said.

Tebay said that migrants comprise about 70 percent of the total population in district towns such as Jayapura, Keerom, Manokwari, Merauke, Mimika, Nabire and Sorong.

In March Tebay received South Korea's Tji Hak-soon Justice and Peace Award.

Source

• ucannews.com.com
• Facebook
• Image: facebook.com

The bylaw, or qanun, was approved on April 30 by district legislators.

According to Fauzan Hamzah, who heads the legislation committee of the district's legislative body, the law calls for separate classrooms for male and female students in junior high school and senior high school, as well as universities. The order, he said, was in line with sharia regulations.

"Separation will help prevent students from social intercourse which violates the ethics and the sharia law," he told local news website kompas.com

The qanun also prohibits unmarried men and women from riding motorbikes together and bans traders from selling inappropriate clothes. Additionally, it bans keyboard and karaoke performances at wedding ceremonies and other activities held in schools, universities and offices.

Source

• ucannew.com
• The Malaysian Insider
• Image: c1.staticflickr.com