[Onthebarricades] WEST PAPUA News stories, Dec-Jan 07/08, part 2 of 2

[Andy]

*  Commentary:  Papuan peace lovers want troops to leave
*  Tribes agree to ceasefire
*  Papua seeks cash to protect rainforests
*  Papua to ban log exports
*  Papua, Aceh and Amazonia sign agreement to protect rainforests
*  Climate change and the rights of indigenous peoples
*  Scientists discover two "new" (unrecorded) animal species in West Papua
*  Indonesia bans academic book in West Papua
*  Violations of Papuan autonomy criticised
*  Bush administration "trains terrorist groups" in Indonesia
*  Police arrest, torture and kill West Papuans
*  Rescued pandemelons (kangaroo-like mammals) returned to West Papua
*  Papua:  Genocide by demographics
*  3000 undocumented migrants cross into Papua New Guinea
*  Papua New Guinea looks at easing West Papua border restrictions
*  UN calls on PNG to resettle, not expel, disputed refugees
*  Commentary:  Turning Papua into a land of peace

http://thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20071008.F05&irec=4

Papuan peace lovers want troops to leave
Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua
In the wake of civil society's efforts to transform Papua into a land of 
peace, the Indonesian Military (TNI) has been growing both in strength and 
numbers in the province, as reported by the International Crisis Group in 
September last year.
Plagued by what the government calls a separatist movement, Papua is 
expected to become home to thousands of troops over the next few years.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Djoko Santoso has already revealed a plan to base 
the third infantry division of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command 
(Kostrad) and more cavalry as well as engineering battalions in Papua to 
protect the country's border and conflict-prone areas (The Jakarta Post, 
Sept. 13, 2007).
Citing Papua's vulnerability to conflicts and separatism, more troops are 
needed in Papua, Golkar Party politician Yuddhy Chrisnandy said in response 
to the plan. He may represent the general opinion of the House of 
Representatives, which is known for it's ultra-nationalistic bias.
Indigenous Papuans have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the 
deployment of thousands of reinforcement troops to their homeland.
The latest was voiced loudly on Oct. 19, when local people in Arso (the 
capital of Keerom regency, some 75 kilometers northeast of the provincial 
capital of Jayapura) blockaded the road connecting Keerom and Jayapura to 
vent their anger with military troops after a soldier assaulted a district 
chief.
Why do Papuans reject the sending of military reinforcements to the 
province?
Some cases below might be helpful in understanding the reasons behind 
Papuans' aversion to the military.
On Oct. 18, the head of Arso district, Charles Tafor, was beaten by a member 
of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), who was on duty at the border with 
Papua New Guinea. Responding to the incident, Papuans blockaded the main 
road in Arso and demanded the withdrawal of all Kopassus troops posted in 
Keerom regency. The military eventually removed the soldier.
Several weeks earlier, a Catholic priest, Father John Djonga, left Waris 
District (in the same regency) following a series of intimidations and death 
threats allegedly from military soldiers.
Djonga is a non-Papuan who has been defending and campaigning for the rights 
of Papuan people. The intimidation targeting him mounted after he reported 
to Governor Barnabas Suebu the concerns of Waris residents in the wake of 
the deployment of Kopassus troops to their home soil.
In the latest threat, Djonga said a man climbed over the back wall of the 
house where he lived. A well-built man entered the house in Abepura, just 
south of Jayapura, and asked a student, "Is Father Djonga here?" The 
intruder quickly removed himself however, when he was told the pastor of St. 
Mikael Church in Waris was not there.
Amnesty International immediately expressed its fears for Djonga's safety 
(AI, Sept. 24, 2007), and he was told not to return to Waris for the time 
being.
Church leaders are among those on the front line in the fight against human 
rights violations in Papua, and as a result have been publicly linked to the 
separatist movement.
According to Djonga, Papuans in Waris district were interrogated harshly and 
indiscriminately by Kopassus troops about their knowledge of the guerrilla 
movement.
Facing the military, they are commonly asked several questions: What's your 
name? Where are you from? What crops do you grow? Why do you carry a 
traditional bow and arrows? You are OPM, right? Do you keep the Morning Star 
flag? Who is hiding guns? (Tabloid Suara Perempuan Papua, No.02/15-21 August 
2007).
Papuans are afraid of moving around, going to their land or village because 
the presence of the Kopassus troops intimidates them. They live in fear, 
which goes against the Constitution.
It seems Papuans, who are Indonesians by citizenship, are treated as 
strangers in their own land by those who are supposed to protect them.
On Aug. 30, 2007, Papuans from Waris district were able to openly share 
their concerns with the local military commander Col. Burhanuddin Siagian. 
They said should the situation in Waris not improve, they would take refuge 
in Papua New Guinea.
More than eight years ago, in July 1999, four Catholic bishops from Papua 
highlighted, in their report to then president Abdurrahman Wahid, the heavy 
presence of troops in Papua. The religious leaders blamed the military's 
arrogance as one of the causes of anxiety among the Papuans.
The bitter experiences of the Arso district head and the parish priest 
confirm the situation has not improved.
The arrival of thousands of troops has failed to create peace or tranquility 
in Papua because the soldiers, including the Kopassus troops, serve as the 
central government's way of dealing with indigenous Papuans.
For the sake of peace, Papuans have called on the government and the TNI 
commander to pull out all Kopassus personnel from Keerom regency.
They know their request will be unheeded, as has happened since 1963, but at 
least they have the courage to speak up.
The writer is a lecturer at the Fajar Timur School of Theology and 
Philosophy in Abepura, Papua.

http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=36459

Four Papua tribes agree to ceasefire
Posted at 22:58 on 15 November, 2007 UTC
Four Papuan tribes locked in conflict since last month have expressed their 
willingness to end the violence
The violence erupted in mid-October when Dani, Damal and Moni tribesmen 
attacked Amungme tribesmen in a nearby village.
So far eight people, including three Amungme and five Dani have been killed 
and some 30 others injured in sporadic clashes.
Mimika's acting regent, Atanasius Allo Rafra, says the tribes have agreed a 
truce to allow a government mediating team to continue the peace process.
More than 500 police officers and Army soldiers have been deployed in the 
area for the last three weeks.

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/45834/story.htm

Indonesia's Papua to Protect Forests, Seeks Cash

INDONESIA: December 7, 2007

NUSA DUA, Indonesia - Indonesia's Papua wants to preserve part of its 
rainforest in exchange for cash to help the world slow global warming, the 
governor said at UN climate talks.

"We have decided to set aside a large part of our conversion forests to save 
the planet," Governor Barnabas Suebu told Reuters during UN climate talks in 
Bali. Conversion forests are earmarked for clearance for palm oil or pulp 
plantations.
Deforestation accounts for about 20 percent of all man-made carbon emissions 
blamed for global warming -- trees soak up carbon when they grow and release 
it when they rot or burn.
Stopping or curbing the destruction is widely regarded as a crucial part of 
any new climate pact to succeed the UN's Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012.
Suebu said that the remote forest-rich province on the Indonesian half of 
Guinea island was offering to preserve 7 million hectares (17.30 million 
acres) -- an area almost the size of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
In return, Papua hopes to earn millions of dollars through carbon trading by 
getting credit for leaving the forests intact.
Delegatas at the UN climate talks on the resort island of Bali are aiming to 
launch talks to work out a new pact by 2009 to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, 
which runs to 2012.
The United Nations hopes the two-week conference will agree to study schemes 
to curb emissions by slowing deforestation and bind it into an emissions 
trading scheme.
Suebu said his scheme could help boost development in the area, where more 
than 80 percent of about 500,000 households live in poverty. But he said the 
world needs to create ways to ensure money goes to the forest-dependent 
people of Papua.
"The Papuan people own the forests. The money should go to them," he said.

HEADSTART
With 42 millon hectares of tropical forests and some of the richest 
biodiversity in the world, Papua is considered the country's last rainforest 
frontier. But it is under threat from increased cutting and clearing for 
palm oil plantations as well as rampant illegal logging.
Suebu vowed to get tough on illegal logging, by stepping up law enforcement 
and introducing a ban on log exports by January. The governor also plans to 
restrict logging licenses.
Papua took a headstart by signing agreements with several carbon investment 
companies, including Carbon Pool of Australia to help finance ways to 
preserve forests. But the central government in Jakarta is wary.
Forestry Minister Malam Sambet Kaban recently dubbed Papua's decision to go 
ahead with carbon trading outside the national framework as a move to "sell 
our forests at a discount."
The minister warned of "vultures" who lure governors into making decisions 
that would have long-term effort on Indonesia's plan to push for a fair and 
equitable pay-and-preserve plan under the new climate deal.
But Suebu brushed aside the criticism. "The central government is busy 
counting money. As Papuans say: we're busy fighting over the fish before 
it's even caught."
(Editing by Alister Doyle)

Story by Adhityani Arga

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/papua-moves-to-ban-all-log-exports/2007/12/05/1196812829442.html

Papua moves to ban all log exports
Mark Forbes
December 6, 2007
Advertisement
PAPUA will ban all log exports from next month, in a radical move to 
preserve one of the world's largest remaining tracts of untouched forests.
Governor of the Indonesian province, Barnabas Suebu, told The Age that the 
Bali climate change conference should endorse funding the anti-logging 
moves, due to its impact on reducing global warming.
Mr Suebu said he had already imposed a moratorium on issuing new logging 
licences and would present legislation next month withdrawing all licences, 
as loggers had been destroying Papua's forests illegally. Licences would 
only be reissued under strict conditions, he said.
All forest concession holders would have to develop wood processing 
facilities in Papua, as the ban on raw log exports would remain in place. 
They must also agree to plant five trees for every one they cut.
The "Chinese mafia", operating out of Malaysia and mainland China were 
responsible for rampant illegal logging in Papua, Mr Suebu said. "I think 
the mafia of illegal logging is well organised."
At least 7.2 million cubic metres of timber was being cut in Papua a year, 
rapidly shrinking its 42 million hectares of forests, which has the highest 
level of biodiversity in the world. Papua was receiving almost no income 
from the logging, he said.
Mr Suebu revealed a new decree for forest preservation, which he had just 
signed along with the Governor of the neighbouring province of West Papua.
The proposals had also been submitted to the Indonesian Government, but Mr 
Suebu stated he had the authority to implement them under new regional 
autonomy laws.
"From January 2008, we will stop all logs going out of this island," Mr 
Suebu said. "We will not export timber from Papua."
The total prohibition on log exports was justified as local communities 
received only $US10 ($A11.50) for a high-quality log, he said. Once the log 
was smuggled to China and processed, it was worth $US1500.
Small-scale timber processing industries would be established in Papua so 
local people could benefit from logging, he said, despite the reduction in 
tree felling.
About 65% of Papua's forest cover would be totally protected, including at 
least 15% of the forests earmarked for logging. The world, through the Bali 
conference initiatives, should compensate Papua for the move, he said.
"I am the governor for all creatures in Papua, for the ants, for the birds, 
for the trees and I have to protect them. Without them there will be no life 
for all of us."
Mr Suebu said he was expecting vocal protests from timber interests, but the 
moves would have a dramatic impact and would work, he predicted.
Papua's ports would be patrolled and 1500 rangers were being trained to 
enforce the laws.
The Forest Minister in Jakarta was opposing the moves to withdraw logging 
licences, said Mr Suebu. Once Papua ensured the laws would stand up to legal 
challenge, they would be passed.
"In the end, we have to save our forests and manage it in a sustainable way 
and make money to eradicate poverty, that is the goal of this policy," he 
said.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/governors-take-action-to-save-rainforests/2007/12/07/1196813027025.html

Governors take action to save rainforests
Mark Forbes
December 8, 2007
Advertisement
VAST tracts of tropical rainforests will be protected under a declaration 
signed last night by the governor of Brazil's Amazonas state and his 
counterparts from the Indonesian provinces of Aceh, Papua and West Papua.
Dubbed the "green governors", they will impose moratoriums on logging across 
their provinces, home to much of the world's tropical forests.
With growing frustration at faltering negotiations in Bali to include 
programs to reduce deforestation in a post-Kyoto climate treaty, the 
governors have decided to take the lead.
Emissions from forestry account for about a fifth of the world's greenhouse 
gas emissions, the vast majority from Indonesia and the Amazon.
The Bali meeting is considering paying developing nations to protect their 
forests by creating a new market in carbon credits.
The governors have also joined with an innovative Australian company, Carbon 
Conservation, to create a voluntary carbon credit market to sell shares in 
the carbon saved by protecting their forests.
The governors' move came as environment groups blasted the lack of progress 
in forestry negotiations in Bali.
Greenpeace spokesman Marcelo Furtado said: "What we are seeing in the 
deforestation debate is a potential crime scene and when the ministers 
arrive next week they may find a dead body in the house."
Action in Bali was essential, or there risked being no forest left to save, 
Mr Furtado said.
He welcomed the governors' declaration. "They are acting because nations 
aren't. I hope it serves as a jump-start for national and international 
action."
Fauna and Flora International spokesman Frank Momberg said the declaration 
would protect a vast chunk of the world's forest, setting an international 
example to combat climate change. FFI was already developing pilot programs 
for the provinces so they could participate in international 
deforestation-reducing schemes.
The declaration states the governors will halt all logging, conserve forests 
and commit to reducing greenhouse emissions. It calls for international 
support for the initiative.
Aceh's Governor Irwandi Yusuf said he wanted to plant more trees in Aceh to 
keep it green. "The world needs the forests of Aceh," he said.
Governor Yusuf has been leading patrols against logging, cutting the trade 
by more than half. One thousand forest rangers have been recruited to 
enforce the ban and another 2000 should join them next year.
Carbon Conservation chief Dorjee Sun said the environment could not wait for 
international initiatives to save the world's "emerald necklace" of tropical 
forests covered by the moratorium.
Funds raised by the sale of carbon credits, supplemented by environmentally 
friendly investments around the forests, would generate income. It would 
also provide work for local communities that had been forced to depend on 
illegal logging, Mr Sun said.
"The only way to stop deforestation is to go on the offensive, with economic 
incentives," he said.
During the moratorium on logging, the provinces' forests will be mapped and 
assessed for their carbon finance value.
The trading mechanism Mr Sun proposes is based on the concept that 
developing countries should be compensated if they lower rates of 
deforestation and associated carbon emissions.
The carbon credit created could be purchased by companies and countries to 
compensate for their greenhouse gas emissions.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/climate/index.php?menu=stories&detail=148

Wednesday, December 12, 2007 11:46:39 AM
Respecting the rights of indigenous people
NUSA DUA, Bali (JP): Never before has the development and the environment 
discourse shifted so dramatically as in the last six months.
Global recognition of the human contributions to climate change is leading 
to unprecedented responses from citizens, governments, and private 
corporations.
An important question is will these responses be too little too late?  A 
more immediate and urgent question is who will be the winners and losers on 
the new climate change mitigation and adaptation playing field?
By many estimates, Indonesia is one of the world's leading emitters of 
carbon dioxide, the most prevalent of the global warming gases. This is due 
to the large amounts of carbon that are released into the atmosphere through 
peat and forestland logging and clearing for palm oil and pulp wood 
plantations.
As the host of the 13th UN Conference of Parties to the Framework Convention 
on Climate Change, Indonesia is under pressure to demonstrate a real 
commitment to addressing its land-based emissions of greenhouse gases.
The first and least complicated way for Indonesia to show leadership and 
significantly reduce land-based emissions is to take steps to protect peat 
forests from conversion to plantations. This will require a change in 
Indonesia's development strategy that currently allows plantation companies 
to convert forests to establish new plantations.
The second and more complicated approach to reducing land-based emissions is 
to significantly reduce deforestation.
Keeping in mind the millions of easy dollars that flow from logging 
operations and natural forest conversion to agriculture, it is clear that 
this cannot be accomplished without significant compensation to those who 
forgo the opportunity and perhaps their right to log and convert their 
forest areas. This is particularly difficult since it is not legally clear 
just who has the right to forego these opportunities.
Conventional wisdom (status quo) points directly to the central government, 
forest and agricultural industries and to a somewhat lesser extent, local 
governments as the stakeholders who will require compensation for the 
foregone opportunities. Should this prevail, once again we will see millions 
of rural Indonesians marginalized and under even greater threat of losing 
their land.
As the World Bank scrambles to take the lead in managing large multilateral 
funds aimed at addressing the climate crisis, and bilateral development 
assistance redefines priorities and programs to fit into new climate change 
mitigation and adaptation frameworks and the voluntary carbon market 
expands, a question that continues to be ignored is, will this impressive 
response improve or threaten the lives of local rural peoples?
The recently released UNDP report makes a convincing case of how without 
serious attention and commitment by the government of Indonesia, its poorest 
people will suffer most as the climate changes. The report highlights the 
large amount of investments that will be needed to assist the poor to adapt. 
What is missing in the presentation is discussion of the political 
commitment that is required to ensure that Indonesia's rural poor benefit 
rather than suffer from the financial flows for avoiding deforestation, and 
adapting to climate change, that will likely result from the post-Bali 
scenarios.
The provinces of Papua and West Papua are at this time the best example. 
They take the position that the land and natural resources of the province 
are under the ownership of Adat or indigenous communities.
Like most provinces in the "outer islands" the majority of the provincial 
territory is classified "forest area".  In the case of Papua and West Papua, 
the designated forest area is more than 95 percent of the land base. This 
classification, in accordance with the 1999 forest law, falls under the 
authority of the Ministry of Forestry to determine. The problem originates 
from what comes next.
According to the same law, "forest area" does not mean "state forest area". 
To be classified as a State Forest Area, a given forest must be determined 
to have no rights existing over the land. The law requires a well-defined 
process to be implemented by the Ministry of Forestry to determine whether 
or not any such rights exist in a particular forest area.
Currently, only 10 percent of the 120 million hectares of forest area has 
been fully gazetted as State Forest Area, leaving the status of the 
remaining 90 percent of forests undetermined.
An equally important provision of the forestry law allows for the existence 
of "private forests".
These are areas where land rights over the forest area exist. In the case of 
Papua, the provincial government clearly states that they view indigenous 
communities as having land rights over the territories that the Ministry of 
Forestry has classified as forest areas. As a result, local Papuan 
communities, by law should have a full say over anything and everything that 
is planned within their territories. This includes timber concessions, 
timber plantations, agribusiness such as palm oil estates, and any 
arrangements that are made to maintain forests through avoided deforestation 
mechanisms.
A post-Bali challenge for Indonesia will be to legally define and recognize 
the rights of the end users/beneficiaries, in this case referring to 
benefits flows derived from reduced emissions from degradation and 
deforestation (REDD).
Without a legally consistent and verifiable system of benefits flows, any 
kind of REDD scheme will fail. This will require the recognition of 
communities who have proprietary rights over the areas in question.
While the evolving legal and policy analysis continues to support the 
position of local peoples' rights over their natural resources, particularly 
land, the resistance from Jakarta remains formidable. This is where a 
significant change in government policy is required.  It is legally 
consistent and appropriate for the government to devolve responsibility for 
land titling to the Land Administration Agency (BPN) and the protection of 
forest functions (biodiversity, hydrology, production, etc) to the Ministry 
of Forestry.
As REDD funds begin to flow, the question of communal title becomes 
critical. This deals with the fundamental question of who are the final 
beneficiaries in the chain. Unless this question is dealt with, the risk of 
only causing greater conflict over land will increase.
Another question is whether, in the short term, the Indonesian government 
can manage a working administrative and judicial system that will validate 
the legal basis for communal title in areas where it matters most.
Only then can financial flows aimed at mitigating and adapting local land 
use in the context of carbon management be effective and socially just. (Avi 
Mahaningtyas and Chip Fay)

Avi Mahaningtyas is National Coordinator GEF SGP Indonesia and can be 
reached at avi at indo.net.id.  Chip Fay is Senior Policy Analyst with the 
Southeast Asia office of the World Agroforestry Center in Bogor, Indonesia 
and can be contacted at cfay at cgiar.org. The opinion expressed is personal.

http://www.enews20.com/news_Scientists_Discover_Two_New_Mammal_Species_in_Little_Piece_of_Eden_04639.html

Scientists Discover Two New Mammal Species in "Little Piece of Eden"
By Julia Bonelli
18:42, December 20th 200717 votes
Vote this article


The Conservation International announced on Monday that scientists have 
discovered two species of mammals believed to be new to science, in an 
expedition to Papua, an eastern province of Indonesia.

Along with Conservation International's scientists, the Indonesian Institute 
of Science made a new incursion in the Foja Mountains, the largest tropical 
forest in the Asia-Pacific without roads, in June, after another expedition 
in 2005 when they discovered several new species of plants and animals.

The region seems to be one of the few that are the home of dozens of new 
species, so that a December 2005 survey called for conservation efforts, as 
the area is imperiled of forest-clearing for agriculture.

"It's comforting to know that there is a place on earth so isolated that it 
remains the absolute realm of wild nature," said Conservation International 
vice president Bruce Beehler, who led the expedition.

"We were pleased to see that this little piece of Eden remains as pristine 
and enchanting as it was when we first visited."

The latest two mammals discovered, a Cercartetus pygmy possum, one of the 
smallest marsupials in the world, and a Mallomys giant rat, which is five 
times the size of a usual rat, seemed to lack any fear of humans, as the rat 
visited the scientists' camp a few times.

During the latest expedition, scientists were also able to record the mating 
rituals of several very rare birds for the first time, according to the 
statement.

The Fojas, part of the Mamberamo Basin, was declared by the Indonesian 
government a wildlife sanctuary, while the forests in the region are 
endangered from large- scale depredation, the deforestation taking place at 
the world's fastest rate.

A third expedition will be conducted in late 2008 or 2009, as scientists 
expect to find additional unknown species of frogs, mammals, butterflies and 
plants.

http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=7409

West Papua: Jakarta Bans Book

2007-12-17

An academic book that charts the history of the West Papuan political 
struggle has been banned and seized by Indonesian authorities for fear that 
it may insight unrest, causing many opponents to argue that their right to 
free expression and opinion is being violated.

Below is an article published by Radio New Zealand International:

State prosecutors in Indonesia's Papua region have seized 60 copies of a 
book they say could divide the region.

But the Jakarta Post reports that critics have accused them of robbing local 
people of their freedom of expression.

The book, called The Sinking of the Melanesian Race: The Political Struggle 
in West Papua, was written by a local academic, Sendius Wonda.

The intelligence chief at the provincial prosecutor's office in Jayapura, 
Rudi Hartono, says the book is misleading and could spark division in the 
Papuan community.

The 60 copies were confiscated from a bookstore in Jayapura.

The prosecutors say their legal basis for banning the book is a 2007 
attorney general's circular about banning printed materials that could 
mislead the public and disturb public order.
Source
Radio New Zealand International

http://www.theindiancatholic.com/report.asp?nid=9822

December 21, 2007
Violations of Papua autonomy law distress interfaith leaders

JAYAPURA, Indonesia (UCAN) : Religious leaders in Papua have discussed 
violations of a six-year-old autonomy law for their province and sent 
recommendations to various levels of government to rectify the situation.

The worries of nearly 50 Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Muslim and Protestant 
representatives were articulated during a workshop on Developing Dialogues 
to Create A Peaceful Papua, held Dec. 3-7 in Sentani, capital of Jayapura 
district, 3,770 kilometers east of Jakarta.

After discussing violations of the law that gave Indonesia's easternmost 
province a degree of autonomy, the religious representatives prepared their 
recommendations for local and central government authorities.

Catholic Bishop Leo Laba Ladjar of Jayapura, a participant, read aloud the 
concerns and recommendations at the workshop's close. The text presented by 
the Franciscan prelate says: "We religious leaders in Papua have attentively 
watched developments in our society, particularly the social and political 
dynamics. As part of society, we have seen several practices that violate 
articles of Law Number 21/2001 on Special Autonomy for Papua province."

The law, ratified by then-president Megawati Soekarnoputri on Nov. 21, 2001, 
has 24 chapters and 79 articles that stipulates safeguard and empower native 
Papuans in the civil, cultural, political and social spheres. It also puts a 
focus on redressing inequality and injustice in the province.

According to the religious leaders, the law has been violated in development 
programs and land rights, and by the police. They said development programs 
in the province have split local ethnic groups and marginalized Papuan 
workers.

By dividing districts into territories, Bishop Ladjar explained, development 
efforts have reduced the people's share of ulayat (communal land) and this 
has triggered quarrels among local people.

The participants also charged that possession of ulayat rights has also been 
given to non-Papuans. For instance, they said, several district heads have 
allowed companies run by non-Papuans to use communal land for plantations.

The religious leaders stressed that, according to Article 76 of the law, 
development work should be based on socio-cultural unity, the availability 
of human resources and the local economic situation, and that Article 43 
obliges the government to recognize, respect, protect, promote and improve 
Papuan people's land rights, including ulayat rights.

They also said Papuans are uncomfortable with so many police stations and 
non-Papuan policemen in their midst. According to one Protestant pastor at 
the workshop, non-Papuans account for 70 percent of the police in Papua.

Participants said Papuans complain that the police do not understand their 
culture and cited Article 49, which says the national police chief who 
assigns non-Papuan police must take account of local culture, customs and 
laws.

The religious leaders concluded that local and central governments, 
legislative members and the Papuan Assembly (MRP, Indonesian acronym) have 
improperly implemented the law on special autonomy. MRP is a cultural body 
empowered to protect Papuan people's culture, customs and religion.

The recommendations of the religious leaders were sent on Dec. 10 to local 
and central governments, local and central legislative councils, and MRP. 
They demand a halt to development programs at town, district and provincial 
levels and insist that MRP must consider local culture properly before 
undertaking development programs.

The workshop participants also called on governments, legislative members 
and MRP to draft and then ratify a special regional regulation on the 
assignment of police, especially the commando force, and to reduce the 
number of police personnel and police stations in the province.

The religious leaders insisted that Papuans be assured a proper livelihood 
on their own land and be the "subject" of all development programs.

http://www.pr-inside.com/bush-administration-trains-members-of-r355442.htm

Bush Administration Trains Members of Indonesian Terrorist Groups; Abandons 
Human Rights for Indonesia to Train Its Worst Military and Police

2007-12-19 14:18:19 - Human rights advocates condemned the U.S. training of 
members of Kopassus, the notorious Indonesian Special Forces unit with a 
long record of human rights violations. The similarly-brutal Brimob, the 
para-military mobile police brigade, is receiving training as well.


Contact: John M. Miller (ETAN), (917) 690-4391
Ed McWilliams (WPAT), (703) 899-5285

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) and the West Papua 
Advocacy Team (WPAT) today strongly condemned U.S. training for the two 
units, saying that it undermines the little credibility the U.S. has left in 
promoting human rights and accountability in Indonesia. ETAN and WPAT urged 
Congress to intervene

to prevent such training and called on the administration to publicly pledge 
not to provide further assistance to the two units.

"The Bush administration promised Congress that it would 'carefully 
calibrate' any
security assistance to promote reform and human rights," said John M. 
Miller, National Coordinator of ETAN. "Getting in bed again with Kopassus 
and Brimob promotes the opposite. Clearly, the administration's moral gauges 
are in need of a major realignment."

"The Bush administration may see Kopassus and Brimob - the worst of the 
worst among Indonesia's security forces -- as allies against terrorism, but, 
to most, they act like terrorist groups, regularly targeting civilians for 
political ends," added Miller.

"Up until the present, Kopassus and Brimob have long histories of violating 
human rights throughout Indonesia, notably in West Papua, in East Timor and 
elsewhere," said Ed McWilliams of WPAT and former Political Counselor at the 
U.S. Embassy in Jakarta from 1996 to1999. "There can be no doubt that 
Kopassus and Brimob will portray the
training as an exoneration by the U.S. Their many victims will shake their 
heads in disbelief at the U.S. government claim that it is using security 
assistance to promote human rights." In the past, Congress has cut off 
military assistance for the Indonesian military specifically because of the 
kind of brutality that Kopassus -- identifiable by their red berets -- is 
known for.

"Assertions that the trainees were vetted for past human rights violations 
before receiving International Military and Education Training (IMET) or 
other training are pointless. They will bring the experience gained by such 
training back to their units. This can
only make them more efficient at their villainous activities," added 
McWilliams. He also noted that a 2005 Congressional study revealed that 
vetting for IMET programs was ineffective. The State Department continues to 
describe its defective vetting program as a "work in progress."

Background

The poor human rights records of both Kopassus and Brimob are 
well-documented by Amnesty International and other human rights 
organizations. This week in the Consolidated Appropriations bill, Congress 
again recognized the need to hold accountable those responsible for past 
human rights violations in Indonesia and East Timor, many of which involved 
Brimob and Kopassus. The bill also seeks to strengthen U.S. law to prevent 
training of units that have 'committed gross violations of human rights.-

A covert Kopassus operations manual, found in the ashes of East Timor after 
Indonesia withdrew in 1999, states that Kopassus personnel were to be 
prepared in the "tactic and technique" of "terror" and "kidnapping."

Dr. Damien Kingsbury, an Australian expert on the Indonesian military, has 
written that "Kopassus has murdered and tortured political activists, trade 
unionists and human rights workers. It has also trained, equipped and led 
militias in East Timor, West Papua and
Aceh, and Kopassus members trained the notorious Laskar Jihad Islamic 
militia, which stepped up conflict in the Ambon region, leaving up to 10,000 
dead. It was Kopassus that murdered Papuan independence leader Theys Eluay 
in 2001." Kopassus was also involved in the 1998 killing of students and the 
kidnapping of pro-democracy activists in Jakarta.

Major General Sunarko, the current commander of Kopassus, was stationed in 
East Timor in 1996 and 1997 and again in 1999, where he was Intelligence 
Assistant to the Kopassus Commander. Kopassus played a key role in 
organizing the militia in East Timor at that time.

Current Brimob Commander Police General Inspector Sylvanus Wenas was 
accused, along with others, of gross violations of human rights in an attack 
on a student hostel in Abepura, West Papua, in 2000. Several times this 
year, Brimob attacked the Kingmi Church in Jayapura, West Papua.

A report commissioned by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human 
Rights states that Brimob officers committed most of the violations of human 
rights by police in East Timor in 1999. Brimob was involved in massacres in 
Liquiça in April and at the Suai cathedral in September and an attack on the 
UN compound in early September.

In all cases, senior Kopassus and Brimob personnel have not been brought to 
justice.
Author:
John Miller
e-mail
Web: http://www.etan.org
Phone: 718-596-7668

http://www.survival-international.org/news/2754

Police arrest, torture and kill Papuan tribal people
17 December 2007
©Jeanne Herbert/Survival


Police in West Papua are killing, torturing and intimidating the province's 
tribal people with impunity. Police shot dead two Papuan women and injured 
another as they protested on 5 December near the British and American-owned 
Freeport mine.

Less than two weeks before the shootings, the UN special rapporteur on 
torture said he had found evidence of Papuan detainees being electrocuted, 
suffering systematic beatings and even being shot in the legs at close 
range. He said the police were the main culprits.

There are also increasing reports of 'mysterious' and 'accidental' killings, 
and abductions and assaults of young Papuan women by military and police 
forces.

None of the government officials the special rapporteur met in Indonesia 
could cite a single case in which a police officer had been found guilty and 
sentenced by a criminal court for abuse of a detainee, despite the practice 
being widespread and systematic.

Human rights defender and lawyer, Sabar Iwanggin, has been charged with 
'insulting the President' in a text message he forwarded to a friend. The 
message had already been circulated around thousands of Papuans. Sabar 
Iwanggin worked with the respected human rights organisation, Elsham West 
Papua. Elsham staff have been repeatedly intimidated and have received death 
threats.

Survival is concerned for the safety of Sabar Iwanggin whilst he awaits 
trial, and for the safety of others who stand up for the rights of the 
tribal peoples of West Papua.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40548

ENVIRONMENT-INDONESIA: Rescued Pademelons Reach Home
By Kafil Yamin

MERAUKE, Papua, Indonesia, Dec 20 (IPS) - When Hendrik and Hesty flew into 
the local airport here earlier this month, they were given a ceremonial 
welcome with Papuan warriors in full battle regalia hopping about to the 
tune of traditional martial music.

The warriors fell into two rows as the director of Freeport environmental 
division Johnny Prewitt, head of conservation bureau of Indonesian forestry 
ministry Awrya Ibrahim and Danish (one name), chief of the Wasur National 
Park, and executive staff from the Cikananga Animal Rescue Centre (PPSC) in 
West Java emerged.

But the cynosure of all eyes was Hendrik and Hesty, rescued from the 
clutches of wildlife traders four years ago, and their extended family of 21 
Papuan dusky pademelon, being returned to their natural habitat on 
Indonesian Papua.

Pademelons, wallabies,and kangaroos are similar in body structure, and the 
names refer to marsupials of three different size groups. Besides their 
smaller size, pademelons are distinguished from wallabies by their shorter, 
thicker and sparsely- furred tails.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has placed pademelons in the 'vulnerable' 
list of animals that face a high risk of extinction in the medium-term, 
though no time period has been estimated.

The trade in rare and exotic animals from Papua and other areas of Indonesia 
is rampant due largely to poor law enforcement. Rapid deforestation and 
commercial development also threaten better known species such as the 
Sumatran tiger, elephant, rhino and orangutan.

During their rehabilitation period at the PPSC, the Hendriks joined several 
other pademelon similarly rescued from the underground animal trade. During 
their stay at the PPSC, Hesty delivered several joeys adding to the brood.

The PPSC workers knew that Hendrik, Hesty, their joeys and relatives must 
eventually return to Papua island where pademelons are endemic. Long and 
careful preparations were made for their return, though it was not easy 
because of a serious lack of funds for the operation. That was when the 
United States-based mining company Freeport offered a helping hand.

Pratita Puradyatmika, executive of the environmental division at Freeport 
told IPS: ''We are highly concerned with what the animals have been going 
through. We want to see them free in their own world. This is our commitment 
to the biodiversity of Papua.'' Papua island is split between Indonesian 
Papua and Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Kanguru Tanah, as the locals call dusky pademelon, are among the most hunted 
animals in the world thanks to their attractiveness and charm. Smaller in 
size compared with Australian kangaroos, they are easy to care for and 
breed. In the black market, an individual dusky pademelon fetches around 150 
US dollars.

Indonesia is widely known for its great biodiversity. It is estimated that 
around 300,000 animal species inhabit the country's many ecosystems. This is 
equal to 17 percent of worldwide fauna species. With 515 species, Indonesia 
has more mammalian types than any other nation. There are 1,539 bird species 
and 50 percent of the world's fish species can be found in its marine and 
freshwater systems.

Indonesia is also home to some of the world's most endangered species. The 
IUCN lists as endangered 147 mammals, 114 birds, 91 fish and 21 invertebrate 
species found in Indonesia.

Trade in wild animals is a serious threat to Indonesia's biodiversity. 
According to ProFauna, a non-government organisation (NGO) working on animal 
conservation, over 95 percent of animals sold in markets are taken directly 
from the wild, not from captive breeding stocks. More than 20 percent of the 
captured animals die even before they reach the market.

The total value of Indonesia's illegal animal trade is unknown, but animal 
activists say hundreds of creatures are sold each month despite protection 
under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

When the Hendrik family was finally transferred to Papua, they were first 
placed for four months in temporary quarantine in Narayo village under the 
tender care of Herman (one name), the village head.

Herman loved the pademelons and they loved him in return. Each time Herman 
showed up in the quarantine, they would surround him, not always for food 
but also for his caresses. And Hesty produced four more joeys.

Herman always knew that some day he would have to let them go. There were 
tears in his eyes when that day, Dec. 9, arrived. ''I know they would be 
happier in the wild, but it's not easy to see them go. I love them very 
much, and I am sure they love me too,'' Herman told IPS.

>From the airport, the Hendrik family was taken to the Wasur National Park. 
Here the 21-member family was greeted with an even bigger ceremony. There 
was singing and dancing by Papuan warriors and a speech by Merauke's 
administrator John Gluba Gebze. ''The lost (pademelons) have returned to 
their motherland of Merauke. We hope they can unite again with their 
brothers and sisters. We hope they will soon multiply.''

''They are a part of this habitat. They are part of our life. Their 
existence makes our lives beautiful and colorful,'' Gebze added with 
emotion.

The Hendriks, carried in six cages, were taken into the national park, and 
Gebze was given the task of opening the cage doors and giving the animals 
their freedom. A host of TV cameramen and photographers stood ready to 
capture the historical moment when the animals would bolt into the forest.

But they stayed put and had to be coaxed out of their cages. For a few 
moments they looked surprised, shocked and confused. Tears welled up in 
Herman's eyes. ''They are not yet ready to go into the wild,'' he said 
unhappily.

But the cages clanged shut and were removed from the park. Only time will 
tell if the Hendriks were able to survive their return to the wild or fell 
prey, once again, to animal traders.

(END/2007)

http://www.christiannewstoday.com/christian_News_Report_167.html

Papua (Indonesia): Genocide by Demographics

by Elizabeth Kendal

AUSTRALIA (ANS) -- If present demographic trends continue, West Papua 
(formerly Irian Jaya) will be majority Indonesian (mostly Javanese) Muslim 
by 2011, and the indigenous Melanesian predominantly Protestant Christian 
Papuans will be a dwindling 15 percent minority by 2030. This was recently 
forecast in a conference at the University of Sydney (NSW, Australia) by 
Political Scientist Dr Jim Elmslie of the West Papua Project, which is based 
at the University of Sydney Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPACS).

Dr Elmslie also notes however that this forecast may prove unduly optimistic 
as it does not take into account the escalating HIV-AIDS infection rate 
amongst the Papuans or their declining population growth rate. In other 
words, the annihilation of the Papuans may be even more imminent than the 
demographic trends suggest. (Note: The Indonesian military introduced AIDS 
into the Papuan population by bringing in AIDS-infected Javanese prostitutes 
which they establish in Papuan villages and frequently use as currency.)

The issue of the decline in the Papuan population growth rate warrants 
further investigation and will possibly be the subject of a WEA RLC News & 
Analysis posting early in 2008. Several sources attest that Indonesia is 
targeting UN-funded family planning programs at the Papuan population, 
particularly in sensitive areas such as around the Freeport mine and in 
other areas slated for clearing and development.

According to Dr Elmslie, highland Papuans who allegedly have gonorrhoea are 
being treated in UN-funded family planning clinics -- but not for 
gonorrhoea. They are being injected instead with long-term contraceptive 
drugs. As Dr Elmslie notes, this goes some way to explaining why the 1.67 
percent population growth rate for Melanesian Papuans in West Papua is so 
much lower in than over the 2.6 percent population growth rate for 
Melanesian Papuans over the border in Papua New Guinea (PNG). (Meanwhile, 
the growth rate for the non-Papuan population in West Papua is 10.5 
percent.)

In the highlands of Papua, where maternal and family health services and 
pharmacies are virtually non-existent, it is tragic that the UN would focus 
its efforts on controlling and limiting rather than serving and treasuring 
humanity. And of course, it is not difficult to imagine how such a program 
could be exploited.

Meanwhile, the issue of the genocide of the predominantly Christian Papuans 
must become an issue of urgency for the Church. The governments of the USA, 
Britain and Australia, as well as other nations and bodies such as the UN, 
have geo-political and economic interests that pull them towards a 
preference for the status quo, regardless of consequences. By their action 
and inaction they are complicit and find the truth and immorality 
surrounding the betrayal and genocide of a Christian people a most 
inconvenient truth indeed. The Church must act by making Papua a prayer 
priority and such an advocacy priority that the Papuans (like the South 
Sudanese and Iraq's Assyrians) become a domestic political issue that cannot 
be ignored. Indonesia must respect Papua's Special Autonomy status, and 
aggressive colonisation, militarisation and Islamisation must end.

As Dr Elmslie notes in his paper, the Genocide Convention of 1951 defines 
genocide as that which is "committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in 
part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group" (Article II), and 
those interested in maintaining the status quo will focus on the word 
"intent" in order to argue that if intent cannot be proved then genocide 
cannot be claimed.

The issue of intent however has no bearing on the reality or outcome. As Dr 
Elmslie argues, semantics about whether or not there is "intent" should not 
stop the international community from recognising that an immense tragedy is 
unfolding in Papua, gross human rights abuses are occurring and the Papuans 
are being annihilated.

The most decisive statement to date on the subject of genocide in West Papua 
has come from the Allard K Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic Yale 
Law School, which in 2005 published a paper entitled "Indonesian Human 
Rights Abuses in West Papua: Application of the Law of Genocide to the 
History of Indonesian Control."

Quoting from page 72: "Although no single act or set of acts can be said to 
have constituted genocide, per se, and although the required intent cannot 
be as readily inferred as it was in the cases of the Holocaust or the 
Rwandan genocide, there can be little doubt that the Indonesian government 
has engaged in a systematic pattern of acts that has resulted in harm to --  
and indeed the destruction of -- a substantial part of the indigenous 
population of West Papua.

"The inevitability of this result was readily obvious, and the government 
has taken no active measures to contravene. According to current 
understanding of the Genocide Convention, including its interpretation in 
the jurisprudence of the ad hoc international criminal tribunals, such a 
pattern of actions and inactions -- of acts and omissions --supports the 
conclusion that the Indonesian government has acted with the necessary 
intent to find that it has perpetrated genocide against the people of West 
Papua."

PAPUA: GENOCIDE BY DEMOGRAPHICS

The West Papua Project, based at the University of Sydney (NSW, Australia) 
Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPACS), "seeks to promote peaceful 
dialogue between the people of West Papua and Indonesia, and to promote 
conflict resolution as a viable alternative to the current and escalating 
conflict."

On 9-10 August, Indonesian Solidarity in association with the West Papua 
Project (CPACS) organised a conference entitled "West Papua 2007: Paths to 
Justice and Prosperity". The papers presented at that conference are 
available on the West Papua Project website (link 2) under the heading "West 
Papua Conference".

All those who are concerned about the future of the predominantly Protestant 
Christian West Papuans would be interested in these papers.

The following is an excerpt from Dr Jim Elmslie's paper, "West Papua: 
Genocide, Demographic Change, the Issue of 'Intent', and the 
Australia-Indonesia Security Treaty".

EXCERPT: DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION IN WEST PAPUA
By Dr Jim Elmslie

Over the last 43 years in West Papua there have been many killings; 
disappearances; land expropriations and repressive Indonesian government 
policies that have severely affected the demographics of the province. . .

In 1971 there were 887,000 'Irian born' (Papuan) people in West Papua and 
36,000 'non-Irian born' (Asian Indonesians), out of a total population of 
923,000. This meant that, even after eight years of Indonesian control, 
Papuans comprised 96% of the population in 1971.

http://www.mvariety.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=4142&format=html

Tuesday December 18, 2007

3,000 illegal immigrants entered Papua New Guinea

PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) - More than 3,000 people entered Papua New Guinea 
illegally through the Daru and Vanimo border ports which are not properly 
managed by government agencies, reports Post Courier.

This was the biggest problem that the country faces unless strong laws and 
tough measures are taken to stop all these illegal aliens coming into the 
country through these border posts.

This warning was from Stephen Raphael, who led an investigation team into 
Immigration and Foreign Affairs to Daru and then Vanimo last week.  With him 
were the deputy secretaries of Foreign Affairs, Justice and Attorney, Labor, 
National Intelligence Organization and Police.

A successful check at the border of Vanimo last week resulted in three 
people, two Indonesians and one Filipino (named) being caught and locked up 
at Vanimo jail for illegally entering PNG through the border and conducting 
business with a foreign logging company operating in that area.

Among this group was a woman who claimed she was the chef/cook but on her 
papers she was an insurance broker back in Indonesia.

Further, the team caught red-handed a Vietnamese in Daru who was granted 
refugee status by Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare but is now running a 
fishing business despite running around with papers showing his refugee 
status.

Raphael said the 3,000 is just an estimate of the number of illegal people, 
and that there could be more than that.

"One of the biggest problems we are facing is the fact that our borders are 
not being looked after well," Raphael said. "The Government will now have to 
address this issue.  "These people that we caught in Vanimo are now locked 
up in the Vanimo cells and will wait for their sentences."

http://www.torresnews.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=702&Itemid=1

PNG PM looks at easing border restrictions
Monday, 31 December 2007
PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has asked the Indonesian government to 
allow Papuans to travel freely between the Papua New Guinea and Indonesian 
borders, according to Pacific Magazine.

The veteran politician made the request during a meeting with Indonesian 
President Susilo Yudhoyono at the recent climate change conference in Bali, 
Indonesia.

"I made a special request for the Indonesian government to allow people of 
Papua province, Indonesia to travel freely between our two borders. The 
president noted the request and agreed to raise the matter with the 
appropriate ministry of Indonesia," he said.

The matter could be on the agenda again for both leaders when Yudhoyono 
makes his first state visit to PNG in June next year in light of growing 
concerns by authorities on both sides of the border the arrangement is 
abused by crooks.

A Joint Border Committee Agreement governs the two countries' border 
activities but security agencies have indicated that illegally organized 
smuggling and other illicit activities have increased along the 870 km land 
border.

Officials from the Sandaun provincial government on the PNG side of the 
border have picked out the 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. time slot as the most vulnerable 
period on the border as it is when the Wutung border post is unmanned by PNG 
police and customs.

The security lapse has already created problems for local authorities with 
the arrests of foreigners for illegally entering PNG.

Activities along the maritime border such as illegal fishing have also 
increased and culminated with the death of an Indonesian fisherman and the 
injuring of three others in August last year after they were fired upon by 
PNG security forces.

Sir Michael's plea ironically coincides with reports of Torres Strait Island 
residents being up in arms over Papua New Guineans overstaying their visitor 
permits.

The islanders are concerned that the Papua New Guineans, mainly from PNG's 
Western province, are overcrowding their hospital and other public 
amenities.


Villagers in PNG's Western province visit their relatives in the Torres 
Strait using a pass similar to that issued to those crossing the 
PNG-Indonesian border.

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2132030.htm

UN calls on PNG to resettle refugees
Last Updated 04/01/2008, 18:00:54

The United Nation's refugee agency has urged Papua New Guinea to resettle 
100 refugees from the Indonesian province of Papua, now living in the 
country.

Police in the capital, Port Moresby, have threatened to evict over 100 
refugees, who have been living at the Boroko police station since October.

They were moved to the police station because of fears of retaliation after 
two of the refugees allegedly killed a senior magistrate.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman in Australia says the PNG 
government should take responsibility in resettling them.

''We appreciate the temporary accommodation provided by the police," she 
says

"But we also recognise that this is not a long term solution. And we urge 
the government of Papua New Guinea to find a clear solution and we stand 
ready to assist.".

PNG hosts a total of nearly 3,000 refugees from Papua.

http://www.fkmcpr.nl/?page=7265

Turning Papua into land of peace
source: Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua, updated: 2008-01-03 08:17:17

Papua Province has been the only Indonesian province still rebellious 
against the Jakarta-based central government.

However, all elements of civilian society in Papua, including the police, 
led by the leaders of all religions (Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, 
Hinduism, and Buddhism), have committed to work together for peace under the 
motto: "Papua, the Land of Peace".

The interfaith campaign for peace is based on and guided by an awareness and 
respect for diversity, justice, solidarity, harmony, and the general 
welfare.

These are the shared underlying values of the concept of "Papua, the Land of 
Peace". They are also criteria for evaluating development policy. Thus all 
development activities should be aimed at establishing Papua as the Land of 
Peace.

To comment on prospective developments in Papau for peace in 2008, I would 
like to use a study done by Papuan religious leaders at the interfaith 
workshop, "Papua, the Land of Peace", taking place during the first week of 
December, 2007, in Jayapura.

They mapped potential conflicts in 2008 and proposed recommendations for 
conflict-prevention policy in the western half of the island of New Guinea.

The religious leaders recognized a lack of good will -- whether in Jakarta 
or Papua -- with regard to the consistent implementation of the 2001 Papua 
special autonomy law.

The absence of good will, on the part of the central government, has been 
manifested, for example, through the issuance of two presidential 
instructions, namely on the creation of the new province of West Irian Jaya 
in January 2003 and the acceleration of development in Papua and West Irian 
Jaya Provinces in May 2007.

By issuing these instructions, the government was deliberately violating the 
autonomy law. Instead of pushing the government to be consistent in 
implementing the autonomy law, the House of Representatives never raised any 
objection to the instructions.

This means that both the government and the House have no willingness to 
implement the autonomy law in Papua.

The Papuan provincial government and legislative council (DPRP) have not 
demonstrated their ability to implement the autonomy law. These state bodies 
have not issued the necessary special implementing regulations (perdasus) 
and the provincial regulations (perdasi), and without these, the autonomy 
law can't be implemented properly.

As a result, as recognized by the religious leaders, the level of the 
people's welfare has not improved. The quality level of education and health 
care services in Papua remains very low. Some 82 percent of all households 
in Papua's rural areas still live below the poverty line. The spread of 
HIV-AIDS continues to threaten the very existence of the indigenous Papuans.

The potential for horizontal conflict among civilians -- who are united to a 
greater or lesser degree by differences of religion, sect, tribe, and 
village -- lies in Papuans' realization that the autonomy law has been 
another government's empty promise and the possibility that the meaning of 
Indonesian rule will questioned. It also lies in establishment of new 
provinces and regencies with support from the central government and House.

The government's policy of establishing new military stations and deploying 
ever-more combat troops throughout Papua, in the eyes of the religious 
leaders, has also been a source of restlessness among civilians in Papua.

The newly deployed troops know nothing about local cultures, and tend to 
misunderstand the local population and apply a militaristic approach in 
dealing with the indigenous people.

The troops use "separatism" as an excuse to silence Papuans who criticize 
arrogance and actions that make people restless in their own land.

The massive exploitation of natural resources by legal and illegal logging 
and fishing companies will continue in 2008. There are also allegations of 
military involvement in these businesses, and also in bootleg alcohol.

The destruction of millions of hectares of Papuan rain forest for oil palm 
plantations will be another source of conflict in Papua.

The ideological differentiation between the government and the Papuans 
continues to be a hindrance for peace and development in 2008.

The difference has been used to justify the use by security forces of 
violent tactics against civilians and wrongfully stigmatize them as Free 
Papua Movement (OPM) members.

Despite repeated denial by the military, religious leaders suspect that the 
OPM issue is deliberately stirred up by the labeling carried out by the 
security forces.

There are even allegations that separatist groups receive assistance from 
security forces to create chaos and provoke conflict among civilians.

This ideological difference, if not settled properly, could trigger vertical 
conflict in 2008.

All the above-mentioned potential conflicts should be settled peacefully 
through a joint conflict-prevention process involving the government and the 
Papuans.

Learning from the vertical and horizontal conflicts caused by the issuance 
of the 2003 and 2007 instructions, the central government should stop 
issuing instructions that conflict with the autonomy law.

Instead, the government should put in place the legal framework this law 
mandates.

A comprehensive evaluation enjoying backing from both the government and 
native Papuans on the implementation of the autonomy law is considered an 
urgent need that must be addressed in 2008 so Papuans can exercise their 
role as agents of development in Papua.

Instead of creating new provinces or regencies in Papua, the government 
should prioritize the implementation of the autonomy law.

As part of conflict-prevention policies, religious leaders have called for 
the government to reduce the number of military stations and troops, of 
which there are many throughout Papua.

The Papuan provincial government and the DPRP are encouraged by a special 
implementing regulation (perdasus) on the deployment of non-organic troops, 
more particularly the Army's Special troops (Kopassus), and the 
effectiveness of the role of the police in civilian life.

In order to address the ideological differences, the religious leaders call 
upon the government and the indigenous Papuans to engage in a peaceful 
dialogue, facilitated by a neutral third party.

The perpetrators of illegal logging, corruption and human rights should be 
brought to the court of justice to prevent further conflict.

Despite suitable proposals for a conflict-prevention policy, the prospect of 
peace and development in Papua, in my opinion, depends very much on the 
government's response to two questions.

Firstly, is the government willing to engage in a comprehensive evaluation 
of the implementation of the Papuan autonomy law that involves indigenous 
Papuans in the process?

Secondly, is the Indonesian government willing to engage in a genuine 
dialogue with the representatives of those Papuans who are considered 
separatists?

The proposed evaluation and dialogue will determine the progress of Papua's 
development and peace in 2008.

The writer is a lecturer at the Fajar Timur School of Philosophy and 
Theology in Abepura, Papua.