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Perceptions on Papuans in UK

(West Papua Free, 28 February 2009)

It is worth to read articles from the Independent, telegraph and dailymail about how people in UK perceive Papuans. Both sides, BBC broadcaster Michael Buerk and some people who disapprove with Buerk’s are right is some parts but mislead on the other parts. I will highlight some examples as follows:

1. Buerk said that ‘If you say innate humanity, the only really primitive societies to survive into the modern age are tribes in the remote parts of New Guinea and whenever they come across a stranger they kill them.’  In my opinion, Buerk’s statement is wrong in most part of Indonesian West Papua and Papua New Guinea. However, he is right when he refers to the Free Papua Organization who love to kill for terrorizing any visitors.

Indonesia-Australia

(Free West Papua) A short note from Sidney 23 Feb 2009.

Australian  government is going the wrong way about improving relations with Indonesia if it continues to ignore the Aborigines (Indigenous Australians) while talking about West Papua issue. The genocide of Aborigines is a bad history that Indonesia should avoid in West Papua.

If Australia really wants to improve the relationship with Indonesia, we should be actually talking and discussing the issues of Aborigines genocide and the human rights situation in West Papua simultaneously. By ignoring it, it’s only putting it on the backburner and one day will explode and probably destroy the good image of Australian people in the world.

A threat from UK Metropolitan Police: A Murder Plan of Free Speech

Indonesian military dislike this Blog for being honest to tell the truth about West Papua, Papuan Separatists hate this Blog because it discloses the hidden agenda of separatist leader personal interest. Now, surprisingly UK Metropolitan Police threat the freedom of speech of Free West Papua Blog. The Serious Crime Investigative Unit is now investigate my blog, wow I am flattered.

It seem that I don’t have the place to live freely even in the internet. I never enjoyed neither Indonesian nor British taxpayer money. All by myself, freeing my expression by the help of wordpress. I’ve read carefully the term of service, so I know how to use my rights to speak out my personal opinion in accordance to worpdress rules. Luckily blogger are protected by Freedom of Speech.

45% Indonesian population threatened by malaria

(Free West Papua) a correspondence from Jakarta send an email about an alert of Malaria endemic, including in the peaceful land of Papua. Here is the news:

Feb 16 2009 – As Indonesia now has numerous malaria endemic regions, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said about 45 per cent of its population is at risk of contracting the disease, Antara news agency reported Monday.

“424 of Indonesia’s 495 districts and cities are malaria endemic regions,” she said at a hearing with the House of Representatives (DPR)’s Commission IX dealing with health affairs.

The Pacific Ring of Fire

When it comes to natural disaster, I think all Indonesian should work together supporting and helping our brother and sister  whenever a natural disaster occur. We can not ignore the impact of natural disaster by only screaming for our own interest outside Indonesian Embassy abroad. Begging for independence from the Dutch, US and UK is something irresponsible when our brother and sister need help. We know that our capacity in helping ourself is very low, and we need help from our ethnic brother from Molluca, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, Bali, Kalimantan, Java and Sumatera, we are one brotherhood of Indonesia.

Yesterday, 10 February 2009, a series of moderate earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.6, 5.4, 5.2 and 5.0 struck Indonesia, with no report of damage or casualties, meteorology agency said.

UN Rights Meeting

What is the use of sending a big delegation to UN Rights Meeting in Geneva next March? For Papuan it is a real good gesture from Indonesian government to include representatives from Papua.

Here is the related news from Jakarta Globe:

Supersized Delegation Attending UN Rights Meet

It’s not a matter of who has been invited to attend the United Nations Human Rights Council Assembly in Geneva from March 2 to 27, but who hasn’t.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that as well as its own delegation, it had asked for representation from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs; the Coordinating Ministry for People’s Welfare; the Attorney General’s Office; the Ministry of Home Affairs; the National Police; the Indonesian Armed Forces; the Ministry of Social Affairs; the Ministry of Religious Affairs; the Constitutional Court; and the Judicial Commission.

Human rights lawyer cleared in Indonesia

Good News from West Papua delivered worldwide by Amnesty International:

29 January 2009

A prominent human rights lawyer in Indonesia has been cleared of charges relating to a text message he is alleged to have sent to his friends and family contacts. Iwanggin Sabar Olif, a member of the Papuan organization ELSHAM (Lembaga Studi dan Advokasi Hak Asasi Manusia, Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy), had faced up to six years in prison.

The text message asked people to be careful because Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had ordered a deadly program together with the army aimed at “eradicating” (membasmikan) the Papuan population through food poisoning and other violent actions. However, Iwanggin Sabar Olif always denied having written or sent this message, or even having received it.

West Papua: A challenge for Democratic Indonesia

February 08, 2009 Free West Papua

Many lobby groups challenged the Australian Rudd government over its approach to human rights situation in West Papua.  AWPA, all together with some political opportunist like Paula Makabory and  Joe  Collins, have written to the Autralian Government either the Prime Minister Rudd or Foreign minister Stephen Smith asking for evidence that the government is taking real action to make the Indonesian military accountable.

My comment on the 5 Australian in Papua

What a bad luck for William Hendry Scott Bloxam (pilot), Vera Scott Bloxam (co pilot), Hubert Hofer, Karen Burke and Ket Rowald Mortimer (passengers). According to the news, those people violate flight approval,  security clearence and immigration. I believe that we must respect national law and international law for public safety and our own safety. The case of flight approval is very serious because it relates to the safety of people and flight traffict, so it should not happen again in the future, a hard punishment can be applied in accordance to the violation. Usually the law on this kind of violation will be related to a very large amount of fine and several years ban of flying licence.

President Yudhoyono presents community empowerment funds to West Papua

Manokwari (ANTARA News) – During his first-ever working visit in West Papua, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is to present Rp154.72 billion in financial aid under the National Self-reliant Community Empowerment Program (PNPM) to the province on Thursday.

The assistance was to be handed to West Papua Governor Abraham Artururi when the president visits Mansinam island in Manokwari district.

The president was expected to arrive at Manokwari`s Rendani airport from Sorong at 9:30 am local time and inspect a command post of the Earthquake Disaster Management Coordination Unit (Satkorlak) at the Manokwari district head`s office.

West Papua gets Rp 1.1t in autonomy funds

Nethy Dharma Somba, THE JAKARTA POST, JAYAPURA

The Province of West Papua received Rp 1.1 trillion (US$100 million) in special autonomy funds in the 2009 budget.

Since its initial disbursement in 2002, the special autonomy fund,–the implementation of its special autonomy status based on Law No. 21/2001– was managed by the province of Papua. West Papua, however, officially separated from Papua to establish a new province in March 2006 by electing its own governor through a peaceful regional election.

Immoral threat to Free West Papua

I would say a childish threat from someone who call himself  Mr. Jeremy Beadle to Free West Papua Blog is immoral (link :  Mr. Jeremy Beadle comment in article entitled Honesty is always the best policy).

As a poor ordinary person, I covered nothing but the truth from environmental issue, natural disaster, human rights abuses, political repression, political opportunist, freedom movement, pro – independence, pro-integration,  and it was sometimes hard to tell the difference between them.  As I covered political process, I found myself drawn, because I saw the impact that it had on people’s lives – from the Indonesian security policy and from the separatism perspectives. While most journalists become cynical about politics, I had the opposite experience – I found myself inspired by the good people I met from both papuan leaders in West Papua and Papua provinces. I also try to contact Papuan independence leaders, including foreign provocateurs such as Mr, Richard Samuelson from UK and Joe Collins from Australia, but none of them are willing to have an open online discussion.