The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has spoken out against the Indonesian government’s continued persecution of religious minorities. Navanethem Pillay urged the world’s largest Muslim nation to translate universal human rights obligations into domestic law. Continue reading
Posts Tagged ‘Indonesia’
Indonesians guilty of crimes against humanity in Papua
Friday, November 9th, 2012
The Central Body for the Fellowship of Baptist Churches has expressed alarm at the conduct of Indonesian security forces in Papua, according to a press release dated 01 November. Examples of crimes by the Indonesian security forces include: The bombing of the parliament Jayawijaya building on 1 September 2012 by OTK (Orang Tak Dikenal) the throwing Read more
Indonesian authorities close down nine churches
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012
Authorities in Banda Aceh have closed down nine churches and six Buddhist temples in the past week following mounting pressure from local Islamic groups, ucanews.com quoted rights groups as saying. All the religious sites are in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province in Sumatra where sharia law is implemented. “Priests were forced to sign a document agreeing Read more
NZ Superannuation withdraws investment in Freeport mine for ethical reasons
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has withdrawn its investment of $1 million in Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold over allegations of human rights offences committed by security forces around the company’s controversial Grasberg mine in Papua. According to Papua New Guinea Mine Watch (PNMW) Freeport has been directly or indirectly responsible for gross human rights abuses Read more
Extremist groups attack Christians in Aceh
Friday, July 27th, 2012Concern is growing among Christians in the province of Aceh, victims of a series of recent attacks by extremist groups or unknown assailants, reports AsiaNews. The violence against Christians in Aceh is worsened by the policy of local authorities who, instead of halting attacks, continue closing churches and prayer halls for the (alleged) lack of Read more
Conflicting reports about situation in Papua
Friday, June 29th, 2012
Reports of arrests continue to come out of Papua as a police crackdown intensifies. The Jayapura Police chief announced last Monday that his forces had detained three people responsible for “spreading fear and terror” in the province. The three — Jefry Wandikwo, Zakius Saplay and Calvin Wenda — allegedly acted in conjunction with slain independence Read more
Church leader asks for international intervention in Papua
Friday, June 22nd, 2012
The chairman of the Baptist Churches of Papua, Sofyan Yoman, is visiting the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, lobbying foreign embassies to help generate international intervention in Papua. “The Indonesian government and the West Papua representative should come to the negotiation table to talk peacefully,” he said. Pastor Socratez has suggested that a neutral “referee” mediate the Read more
NZDF hosted Indonesian Kopassus Officer on 6 month course
Tuesday, June 19th, 2012
Last year The New Zealand Defence Force hosted a Kopassus officer, Major Edwin Sumanta at its six month Staff and Command training course. The Komando Pasukan Khusus (Kopassus) is Indonesia’s Special Forces Command. Formed in 1952 in the wake of Indonesian independence from the Dutch, Kopassus conducts special operations missions, including intelligence gathering, counter-terrorism, deep Read more
More Violence in West Papua
Tuesday, June 12th, 2012
A violent rampage by Indonesian soldiers in the town of Wamena in Papua province has sent thousands of residents fleeing to the bush. At least one person is confirmed to have been killed and several seriously injured by the soldiers from the Baliem Valley-based Battalion 756. An Indonesian military spokesman denied anybody had died and Read more
Lady Gaga Gets the Indonesian Boot
Monday, June 4th, 2012News of the cancellation of the Lady Gaga concert scheduled for early June in Jakarta, Indonesia is receiving a lullingly uniform spin in the American and international media. It is, we are told, a morality play about the triumph of radical Islamism over artistic freedom, and a disturbing omen of Indonesia’s supposed slide into religious Read more