Wednesday, February 15, 2017

1) Election in Dogiyai, Papua, smooth despite concerns

2) TWO PEOPLES WAS KILLED IN WEST PAPUA BEFORE THE ELECTION

3) Minor incidents reported during regional head elections in Papua

4) Governor cites low voter turnout in Jayapura regional head election

5) PNG lucky to import rice from Indonesia: Consul

6) Press Freedom Investigation in Papua Highlights Challenges for Local Journalists

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1) Election in Dogiyai, Papua, smooth despite concerns
Nethy Dharma Somba The Jakarta Post
Dogiyai, Papua | Wed, February 15, 2017 | 04:50 pm


Residents of Abepura take part in a voting simulation at a polling station in Asano District of Jayapura, Papua, recently. (JP/Nethy Dharma Somba)
No security issues were reported in the Papuan regency of Dogiyai during voting hours on Wednesday, despite the area being considered prone to conflict.
“Based on observations we made on the ground as well as reports from every district, voting is running safely and orderly,” Adj. Sr. Comr. Semmy Ronny Thabaa, the chief of Nabire Police which also oversees Dogiyai, told The Jakarta Post in Monemani, Dogiyai, on Wednesday.
Residents in 11 regencies and cities in Papua as well as 90 other regions across Indonesia cast their votes in the country’s second-ever simultaneous regional elections on Wednesday.
There were concerns about security in Dogiyai after the candidacies of two candidate pairs, namely Apedius Mote-Freddi Annu and incumbent Herman Auwe-Stefanus Wakey, had been annulled by local election organizers.
The remaining four pairs in the race are Yacubos Dumapa-Oskar Makai, Anton Yowau-Yanuaris Tigi, Fransesco Tebay-Benediktus Kotouki and Markus Wayne-Angki Goo.
Police deployed 500 personnel to secure the election, including officers seconded from areas outside Papua.
The election in Dogiyai adopts the “noken system,” where tribal leaders lodge one vote to represent every member of their respective community and all the ballots are placed in a noken, a traditional Papuan woven bag.
As a result of this system, the voting process was completed in just a few hours.
There are 129,907 registered eligible voters in Dogiyai, called to cast votes at 292 polling stations. (bbs)

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2) TWO PEOPLES WAS KILLED IN WEST PAPUA BEFORE THE ELECTION

Jayapura, Jubi – Two peoples in Puncak Jaya, Papua, was killed after being shot by an unknown person. In addition, one victim is wounded after the incident.
The shooting took place in Kampung Papagaru, Irimuli District, Puncak Jaya, on Monday (02/13/2017). Those two people using a motorcycle, was passing and suddenly got shots.
Adi Ivory (25) was shot in the left wrist and stabbed in the neck wound. While the other victim, Nursalim (31), was shot in the back and chest twice.

Papua Police spokesman Sr. AM Kamal confirmed the incident.
Meanwhile, Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw previously acknowledged the situation in Puncak Jaya district heating related to the implementation of this simultaneous election. There were armed groups who also took part in the implementation of the elections in the region by providing support to the candidate.
“There is cold weather, but the political situation heats up. We’ve been anticipating,” said Waterpau in Jayapura.
Indonesian authorities have tightened security to ward off possible violence in restive Papua province by deploying more than 5,000 security personnel for local government polls.
Ten districts and one municipality in Papua will elect new leaders on Feb. 15.
Four of the 10 districts — Puncak Jaya, Lanny Jaya, Nduga and Tolikara — are on high alert following recent incident’s of violence.
A small-scale insurgency has plagued the province over the past few decades by groups unhappy with Indonesian rule.
On Sept. 24 last year, two soldiers and a civilian were injured in a shooting in Puncak Jaya district.
Papua has a total population of 3 million, 65 percent of whom are Protestant, 17 percent Catholic, 15 percent Muslim, while the remainder are mostly Hindus and Buddhists.
In neighboring West Papua a gubernatorial election will take place the same day. (*)

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http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/109427/minor-incidents-reported-during-regional-head-elections-in-papua

3) Minor incidents reported during regional head elections in Papua

8 hours ago | 593 Views

Jayapura (ANTARA News) - Several relatively minor incidents were reported during the regional head elections in Papua Province, but overall the elections ran smoothly and safely, an official said.
In Dogiyai District, a candidate hit Kamu Sub-district Head, because he was disappointed with the distribution of ballot papers, Hery Dosinaen, secretary of the Papua Administration, said here on Wednesday.
In Mappy, a car belonging to one of the candidates, carrying money and food, was seized by the local authorities for alleged money politics, he added.
In Nduga District, distribution of election logistics was delayed due to bad weather. Polling was also delayed n Nduga, a remote area that needed a helicopter to deliver the logistics.
The decision to delay or repeat the polling will be decided by the General Election Commission (KPU), and the Papua administration can only monitor its implementation, he stated.
Meanwhile, pilkada was held in 11 districts and cities across Papua Province, with the number of eligible voters reaching 1,445,976, and the number of candidates reaching 38 pairs.
Voting was held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time across 3,864 polling stations.
Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw stated that the situation in Indonesias easternmost province of Papua was safe and under control.
(Reported by Dhias Suwandi/Uu.F001/INE/KR-BSR/A014)



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4) Governor cites low voter turnout in Jayapura regional head election

9 hours ago | 615 Views

Jayapura (ANTARA News) - Voter turnout during the implementation of the mayoral election in Jayapura City was less than 60 percent, which is considered quite low, according to Governor of Papua Lukas Enembe.

It appears that several residents of Jayapura were not aware of the mechanism of the regional head election, or Pilkada, with only one pair of mayoral and deputy mayoral candidates, the governor stated here, Wednesday.

"I think the General Election Commission (KPU) has not done its best in disseminating information on pilkada, either due to the lack of time or since the city is facing too many problems," he added.

He also cited the fact that only one pair had taken part in the pilkada in Jayapura City, which might have discouraged several residents from exercising their right to vote.

Hery Dosinanen, secretary of the Papua provincial administration, seconded the governors view, saying that the KPU has failed in managing the pilkadas voter lists, as quite a few Jayapura residents did not receive an invitation to vote.

In Jayapura City, Benhur Tommy Mano and Rustan Saruh contested the local election as candidates for the mayor and deputy mayor posts.

Meanwhile, pilkada was held in 11 districts and cities across Papua Province, with the number of eligible voters reaching 1,445,976, and the number of candidates reaching 38 pairs.

Voting was held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time across 3,864 polling stations. 

Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw stated that the situation in Indonesias easternmost province of Papua was safe and under control.

Such a situation is expected to continue until the processes of ballot counting and the declaration of winners are completed, Waterpauw noted.

The 11 regions in Papua where pilkada was held include Jayapura District, Sarmi, Nduga, Tolikara, Intan Jaya, Lany Jaya, Dogiai, Puncak Jaya, Yapen Island, and Jayapura City.
(Uu.F001/INE/KR-BSR/B003)



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http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/109423/png-lucky-to-import-rice-from-indonesia-consul

5) PNG lucky to import rice from Indonesia: Consul

11 hours ago | 1.029 Views

Merauke, Papua (ANTARA News) - Papua New Guineas (PNG) Consul General to Indonesia, Geifrey Wiri, said his country was very lucky to import rice produced by the Indonesian farmers in Merauke, Papua province.

"Indonesian rice is very cheap compared to the rice produced by other countries," Wiri said here on Tuesday.

According to him, PNG imports rice from Thailand and Vietnam.

"The launch of Indonesian rice export to PNG is quite surprising to me, because this is the first time we import rice from Indonesia," he stated.

Wiri added that the Indonesian rice export plan will be submitted to the government of Papua New Guinea.

Wiri and two other PNG officials attended the launch of the Indonesian rice export by Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman in Merauke on Monday (Feb 13).

Earlier, at the launch of the rice export, the minister invited the PNG government to import rice from Merauke.

The minister advised Merauke district administration to not only launch the export but also continue to increase rice exports to other countries.

He added that the central government will continue to provide supports for agricultural infrastructure in Papua, especially in Merauke.(*)

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6) Press Freedom Investigation in Papua Highlights Challenges for Local Journalists
by Tara Nissl — February 15, 2017
Eight journalists from eight Indonesian media outlets traveled to West Papua last week to investigate media freedom and the safety of journalists in the region, after an international delegation called on Indonesia to address press freedom violations in 2015.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) launched the investigation on January 30 in Jayapura, Merauke and Timika, where the Media Freedom Committee-Indonesia followed local journalists from Papuan news organisations for five days.
WAN-IFRA’s Asian Regional Manager Eko Maryadi said: “We expect the program to send eight reporters from Jakarta, from non-Papuans to do reporting, that they can understand the issues, difficulties, and problems faced by journalists in Papua.”
The Committee reported eight key findings:
  • Government officials and security personnel are discriminatory towards OAPs (“original Papua persons”)
  • Journalists are stigmatised as pro-independence or pro-Homeland, leading to intimidation and fragmentation among the journalist community
  • Environmental damage through development programs are underreported due to heavy restrictions on the press
  • Strengthening journalism in Papua relies on an improved code of ethics, understanding of the journalist profession, use of technology and a business model that maintains the independence of the press
  • Journalists need to actively change the media perspective of Papua
  • 11 out of 16 foreign journalists who recently gained access to Papua were monitored by intelligence officials
  • Sexual harassment of female journalists in Papua is underreported
  • The quality of public services and competition depends on equitable access to communication infrastructure and information technology
More detailed reports were documented on the Committee’s blog, featuring daily updates and interviews with journalists from Tabloid Jubi, Papua Salam, Mongabay.co.id and many more.
Journalists from the Papua South Post shared stories about police and government intimidation, including two publication bans in 2007 and 2008, being threatened with criminal law, and a prohibition on reporting on President Joko Widodo’s Merauke investment program.
A journalist in Timika recalled a terrifying experience of being held at knifepoint and then stabbed. Another pointed to the difficulties faced by female journalists and the prevalence of sexual harassment.
The investigation marks one month before Indonesia will host the World Press Freedom Day in Jakarta on March 3, an honourable hosting position that the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) criticised Indonesia for holding due to ongoing restrictions and violations in Papua.
In July 2016, PFF Chair Titi Gabi urged Jakarta to “ensure that there is open access to West Papua for foreign media, and an end to abuses against local media.”
Whether any changes will be made in the near future is questionable. Just recently, Suara Papua’s website was blocked for SARA and publishing “negative” content, despite the government insisting that it does not censor journalistic websites.
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