Tuesday, February 23, 2016

1) Indonesian police hound Catholic human rights priest over ‘treason’

2) Boundaries of West Papua completed This Year
3) Special Autonomy Fund and Authority Issue Trigger Conflict of Papua and Central Government
4) 49 Children Suffer Dengue in Merauke

5) Nine Die of Malaria in Yahukimo Regency
6) President Jokowi to Keep His Promise to Papuan Women Traders
7) Regulation on West Papua Province DOBs Being Drafted 
8) Fund Sharing Not Improving Public Welfare in Papua
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1) Indonesian police hound Catholic human rights priest over ‘treason’
  

By Benny Mawel in Jayapura and Ryan Dagur in Jakarta
Indonesian police are seeking to question a Catholic priest over possible treason charges for leading a prayer service attended by members of an alleged Papuan separatist group. Father John Djonga was summoned by police to appear at the station in Wamena on February 19. However, the priest refused to appear, saying that police also needed to contact his superiors at the Jayapura Diocese and that he needed to retain counsel before agreeing to meet with investigators. Father Djonga led a prayer service on February 15 to inaugurate the office building of the Papuan Customary Council, where a banner of the separatist United Liberation Movement for West Papua was unveiled. “I came to the programme as a priest on behalf of the Catholic Church. I just led the service,” he said. “The council fights for the Papuan people so that they can be free from poverty. It also fights against human rights violations and for other social issues. I prayed for this during the service.” Father Djonga, a noted human rights activist in the province, said he told police to send him a second letter in which diocesan officials also were notified “as I serve the diocese” He faces up to four months in prison by declining to answer the initial summons.
Diocese response
Father Julianus Bidau Mote, chairman of the diocese’s Commission for the Laity, said Father Djonga’s presence at the ceremony was as a priest representing the diocese, therefore police needed to contact the diocese before summoning one of its priests for questioning. “Don’t just send a letter. As an institution, the local police must be able to provide the diocese with notification,” he said. Police said they wanted to interview Father Djonga as a possible witness to an act of treason; it was unclear if the priest was a suspect himself. According to Papua police chief Inspector-General Paulus Waterpauw, police had questioned three witnesses so far.
Meanwhile, the Sydney chapter of the Australia West Papua Association (AWPA)  has written to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop concerning the intimidation of West Papuan representatives from the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) and other activists who attended the opening of an office in the town of Wamena in the Papuan Highlands on the February 15. The Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister, Luhut Pandjaitan has also told the ULMWP to leave the country as it could pose a threat to the country’s territorial integrity. The Jayawijaya Resort police have questioned a number of activists who attended the opening.  The security forces are trying to tarnish the ULMWP representatives as “separatists”, which raise grave concerns for their security as human rights defenders, and peaceful activists are regularly arrested because of accusations that they are so-called separatists. Father Djonga faces possible treason charges because he led a prayer service on that day to inaugurate the office building of the Papuan Customary Council, where a banner of the ULMWP was unveiled. Joe Collins of AWPA  said,  “We are urging the Foreign Minister to raise concerns about the threats by the security forces to representatives of the ULMWP with the Indonesian government,” said Joe Collins of AWPA. “We also urge the Foreign Minister to encourage the Indonesian government to respond favourably to the request by the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) leaders to allow a PIF fact-finding mission to investigate the human rights situation in the territory.Concern for human rights activists in Papua
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2) Boundaries of West Papua completed This Year
Manokwari, Jubi – West Papua provincial government determined to solve the problem of boundaries this year. The head of the government bureau and the secretariat of the regional autonomy of West Papua, Elisa Sroyer, said in Manokwari, Saturday (02/21/2016), that besides the boundaries between regencies, the government will also resolve the problem of the borders between the neighbouring province of West Papua, such as North Maluku and Papua. He added the settlement of the boundary becomes his priorities this year. The program will be tailored to the region segmentation, both regencies/ cities and provinces. According to him, the program has been accommodated in Budget Implementation List (DPA), which has been submitted to governor of West Papua at PKK hall (17/2). He explained, the agreement of point boundary of region must be met in the filed of regional expansion of new autonomous regions. The boundary should be made clear, so it will not cause problems in the future. “Minister of the Interior, Tjahjo Kumolo conveyed, DOB should not be problematic due to the issue of the boundary,” he said. He said, currently there are still conflicting areas in West Papua such as Manokwari to South Manokwari, South Manokwari to Pegunungan Arak and Sorong to Sorong city. For Sorong regency and city , Sroyer claimed to have communicated with the head of the local area. He is optimistic, the issue of the boundary of the two regions could be completed this year. “This year we will take steps to resolve, because this year, Sorong will be the host of regional meeting of West Papua,” he said. He said that efforts to resolve the boundary issue two of these areas, it will be seeked to bring together indigenous regents and mayors. It must be done before a period of two heads of the region ended in 2017. He added that the issue of the boundary will hinder development. This issue will adversely affect the certainty of the status of the region in which people living in border areas. If it is not resolved, people on the border would be difficult to access government services, he added. For that, he appealed, each head of regency who is still experiencing problems boundary, to put aside their egos, so the issue can be immediately completed. (*)


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3) Special Autonomy Fund and Authority Issue Trigger Conflict of Papua and Central Government

Jayapura, Jubi/BenarNews – Since the Special Autonomy Law was ratified in 2001 on the land of Papua – both Papua and Papua Barat provinces – the Central Govenrment has delivered Rp 42 trillion to both regions. However the development has not been marked on this land. This year, Papua set 11,756 trillion in its Regional Budget. For the last four years, during the period of 2012-2015, Papua has set the respectively amount of 7.3 trillion, 8.184 trillion and 13.26 trillion rupiahs in Regional Budget. However, Papua Provincial Government considered the amount of funds was not enough while the Central Government blamed the Provincial Government not capable to manage the fund properly. Consequently the recriminations feared to raise new conflict between Papua and the Central Government.
Large Grant Not Enough 
“In 2002-2015, the funds (for Papua) was nearly Rp53 trillion, special autonomy fund was Rp42 trillion and infrastructure funding was Rp 12 trillion. So, where were those funds go?” said the Minister of Politic, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut B. Pandjaitan. He conveyed the statement during the meeting to discuss Papua and Papua Barat Special Autonomy Fund with the Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representative in Jakarta few times ago. He said the amount of funds delivered to Papua and Papua Barat was not in small amount, but until now good quality infrastructure has not been seen in Papua. His statement has made the Papua Governor Lukas Enembe furious; because it seems blaming the local authority is not capable. Because of this accusation, he also thought better to return the fund to the Central Government. Because, Enembe said, the Special Autonomy Fund is too small and do not give benefit to the development in Papua. Even the fund has profited as a political commodity by the Central Government to intimidate both provincial and regional/municipal 
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4) 49 Children Suffer Dengue in Merauke

Merauke, Jubi – Merauke Health Office chief Steven’s Osok said the number of patients with dengue fever from January-February reached 49, mostly children. There are 17 cases in January while 32 cases in February occurred in some villages with details as follows: 6 children in Maro, 6 children in Mandala, 1 patient in Karang Indah, 3 patients in Seringgu, 2 patients in Banpel, 2 patients in Sakai, 6 patients in Rimba Jaya, 5 patients in Kelapa Lima, 2 patients in SP and 2 patients in Tanah Miring, 5 patients in Rawa Sari, 1 patient in Kurik, 7 patients in Kumbe, 2 patients in Padang Raharja and 1 patient in Semangga Jaya. Those patients, he said, were treated at Merauke Public Hospital and a private hospital, Bunda Hardpan and the Navy Hospital. “They are mostly treated at Merauke Public Hospital,” Osok told Jubi on Monday (22/2/2016). Most are already undergoing treatment and recovery, so they can go home. But some are also on recovery treat. “So far none are reportedly died of dengue fever,” he said. Further Osok said the regional health office has repeatedly warned people to keep their environment clean. Dirty environment and puddles would be places for mosquitoes to hide. Merauske Sub-district Chief Hasan Matdoan has instructed the village chiefs to mobile residents to clean their environment considering many children have being treated at hospital due to dengue outbreaks. (Frans L Kobun/rom)

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5) Nine Die of Malaria in Yahukimo Regency
Victor Mambor  2 days ago
Jayapura, Jubi – Nine Yahukimo residents have died of malaria because of poor health services, ineffectiveness of mobile clinics and the closing of the health services including hospital and community health centre, said the chief of Papua Health Development Acceleration Unit (UP2KP) Yahukimo Region told reporters on last week in Jayapura. “In December 2015, four died of malaria, then five died of malaria in January 2016,” he said. He said initially it was occurred due to lacking of medical staffs in this region. “It was also an impact of the strike conducted by midwives and nurses. At that time 30 doctors who deployed the hospital were out of office,” he said. The strike has been occurred since Tuesday (12/1/2016). No job placement for medical staffs in respective community health centres in Yahukimo, all doctors were appointed in Yahukimo General Public Hospital. “It’s all the same with the nurses. They do not support the services in the health centres but only being centered in Yahukimo Public Hospital, while the hospital is currently dominated by temporarily employees or contract workers,” he said. Along with these cases, UP2KP Yahukimo Region expected the hospital has the integrated health services pact with Yahukimo natives to avoid the unexpected cases leading to the death. “UP2KP is ready to push the better health services according to its task and responsibility and also to support the regent’s priority program,” he said. The priority program of elected regent Abok Busub and Julianus Helukka is to optimizing the medical services at regional, sub-district and rural levels in particular to provide the health facility and circulation of medicine supplies, medical staffs placement and the increment of allowance. “In order to improve the community health services, we will provide a special flight subsidy for health. We will work with several aviation services and flight subsided members in health sector to assist patient who needs medical referral to get transportation,” he said. (Roy Ratumakin/rom)
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6) President Jokowi to Keep His Promise to Papuan Women Traders
Victor Mambor 2 days ago
Sentani, Jubi – Special expert of the President Joko Widodo, Lenis Kogoya said the president had no intention to let Papuan women traders known as mama-mama Papua suffer. The plan to grow the permanent market for Papuan women is still being materialised. “I always follow up and monitor the president’s promise related to permanent market for mama-mama Papua during his campaign. For example, Papua Barat traditional market in Sorong, it is now on going as well as the market in Biak that has been starting with the road construction, and the construction of fish market in Youtefa, the fund has been budgeted,” he said when confirmed by Jubi at the Sentani Airport in Jayapura on last week. He said so to respond the solidarity to support the market development for mama-mama Papua circulating in social media for last few days. “History proves that only the current president could visit Papua three times within a year. It showed that he is very concerned to what have been experienced by Papuan people, especially our women,” he said. “Actually the mayor has prepared a location for mama-mama but they refused to be removed because the place is still on dispute. The regional government also must resolve the status of land ownership because the budget was already provided to build the market for mama-mama Papua,” he said. Earlier, Joko Widodo promised mama-mama Papua to build a permanent market for them when he was visited Jayapura for first time during his presidential campaign three years ago. (Engel Wally/rom)
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7) Regulation on West Papua Province DOBs Being Drafted 
Victor Mambor 1 day ago
Manokwari, Jubi – The Indonesian Government and Commission II of the Indonesian House Representative are drafting a regulation on ten proposed autonomy regions in West Papua Province, said Vice Governor Irene Minibus on Monday (22/2/2016). Ms. Manubuy said overall there are 87 proposed autonomy regions (DOB) in Indonesia, both at provincial, municipal and regional levels, 10 of which are in West Papua Province. The 10 DOBs are Manokwari Municipality, Manokwari Barat Regency, Imeko Regency, Kokas Regency, Raja Amat Utara Regency, Raja Ampat Selatan Regency, Maybrat Souw Regency, Malamoy Regency, Moskona Utara Regency and Papua Barat Daya Province. “The ten proposed regions are basically ready to be established, because it is already in the stage of preparation of regulation drafting,” she told reporters after attending an event held by the Amanat National Party at a hotel in Manokwari. According to her, the region split would be done in two stages. The first Presidential Mandate would be issued for 65 new regions and the second mandate would be issued for other 22. She confessed not knowing which regions become priority of both government and parliament. However she expected the region split could be done within 2016. “I entrusted the aspiration to the Chairman of People’s Assembly, Zulkifli Hasan, to participate enforcing the ten proposed regions in West Papua Province to become priority in the plenary session of the House of Representative,” he said. She hoped both central and regional governments and the Indonesian House of Representative would synergize in materializing the new regions, especially for West Papua Province regions. She considered the DOBs is people’s aspiration to be fought by legislators of the Indonesian House of Representative. “Therefore it would rely on how the parliament build a synergy to the government, in particular to fight for region split in West Papua province,” she said. (*/rom)
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8) Fund Sharing Not Improving Public Welfare in Papua
Victor Mambor 1 day ago

Jayapura, Jubi – The management of special autonomy funds has not brought prosperity to Papuan people, a local legislator said, urging the provincial government to take over it. “Return it and let the provincial government manage the special autonomy funds, because so far it’s not been well-managed and become a prolonged polemic,” said the chairman of Hanura Fraction of the Papua Legislative Council, Yan Mandenas, in Jayapura on Tuesday (23/2/2016). He said the use of special autonomy funds has been in the spotlight because it has not yet improved the lot of Papuans as the management is delegated to regional/municipal governments. The allocation of 80 percent of fund by regional/municipal governments supposed to improve the community’s welfare but the otherwise was occurred. Therefore an evaluation is needed and it should return to provincial government. “Hangar Fraction is ready to be an initiator of returning the management of special autonomy fund to provincial government because these allocated budgets at least could provide a free education and health services for Papuan people,” said the Councilor Mandenas who’s also Chairman of Hanura Papua. According to him, the governor has taken a right action by conducting monitoring and evaluation, but without reaching the community in its implementation, it should return to the provincial government because the portion 80:20 percent is not significant to improve the community’s welfare. “Through the special autonomy fund, people are supposed to get free education and health services,” he said. (*/rom)
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