A trying two months in Manokwari

The latest major earthquake to hit Indonesia's West Papua region highlights the plight faced by people who struggle to cope with the compounded effects of man-made and natural disasters.

A series of powerful earthquakes struck Manokwari, West Papua, on Sunday, January 4th, killing four people and injuring dozens more. Hundreds of buildings were damaged, leaving countless people homeless. The runway of Manokwari's Rendai Airport was split in two while two prominent three-story hotels in the town centre, the Mutiara and Kalidingin, collapsed.

John M. Miller | December 4, 2008
Editor: John Feffer

Foreign Policy In Focus (www.fpif.org)

According to some pundits, U.S. re-engagement with the largely unreformed and unrepentant Indonesian military is the best way to promote reform and human rights. The Wall Street Journal Asia, for instance, called on President-elect Barack Obama "to stand down liberal senators and interest groups" for seeking conditions on military assistance to Indonesia. "Indonesia's military has certainly had human rights problems in the past," the editorial states, but urges the incoming administration to forget about them in the name of building an alliance on the "global war on terror."

Preparations underway for visit of Indonesian President

Report from Manokwari, received 28 November 2008

Translation courtesy of Tapol

1. At the beginning of October, the Indonesian Army located 2 companies of LINUD 733 troops from Ambon in Manokwari. They have been placed in position as security guards at several posts around the town.

Displaced West Papuan Refugees
PO Box 2016
Boroko
NCD
Papua New Guinea
Phone (675) 6562 677

13 October 2008

An urgent Appeal "Fear of Safety"

The information we have reached us unsuspected recently that, the Government of PNG and
Indonesia collaboration in secret plan arrangement to deport us (147) Displaced West
Papuan Refugees back to Indonesia. We are currently living under bad conditions,
situations and are facing life miserably for the past year, since eviction took place on
24th September 2007. And within that year, we have become victims of Five (5) evictions

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK

ABOUT 100 villagers in Western province are displaced and homeless after Indonesian soldiers raided their village and burnt houses, police in the province said yesterday. The raid was staged by a platoon-sized group of Indonesian soldiers, and police described it as an act of unprovoked aggression on PNG citizens living in Kwara village close to the PNG-Indonesian border last Tuesday.

SEE PHOTOS ATTACHED

Saturday 9 August 2008

Reports from Wamena this afternoon state that there has been a fatal shooting at an event to celebrate UN Indigenous Peoples Day. Reports say that rally event involves 20,000 local people.

The man who was shot is identified as Mr Opinus Tabuni, age 35. Mr Tabuni is said to have been shot in chest and killed after Indonesian security forces fired into the crowd at about 3.45 pm today.

WASHINGTON - August 6 - The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) today congratulated U.S. congressmembers for their letter to Indonesian president, Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urging him to work for the “immediate and unconditional” release of West Papuan political prisoners Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage.

PRESS RELEASE

West Papua National Coalition For Liberation

Port Moresby, 29 April 2008 — The leaders representing 29 West Papuan political and civil society organisations have formalized the establishment of the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation [WPNCL]. This coalition represents the 1.5 million West Papuan people from over 600 tribal communities on the western half of the island of New Guinea. (The landmass of West Papua is an area of 430,000 square kilometers, which is about the same size as France.)

An April 22nd, 2008 demonstration involving about 500 West Papuan people has been reported to have occurred in Abepura, Jayapura.

Large numbers of Brimob (Para-military police) and Military were visible in and around the Jayapura and also the rural districts of Deparpre, Dempta and Genyem this morning.

Police and Military reportedly stopped large groups of people who sought to attend the demonstration. These reports said that 300 people were stopped in Boroway outside Sentani, who were from Genyem, Yuk and Lereh Districts. Another group of 300 people from Kerom District were stopped by the army at the Tami River.