Monday, August 14, 2017

1) Human Rights Watch calls for more international scrutiny of West Papua



1) Human Rights Watch calls for more international scrutiny of West Papua

2) 48TH PIF LEADERS FORUM IN SAMOA, WEST PAPUA IS ON THE TABLE
3) 10 WORKERS OF FREEPORT DISMISSAL DIED OF REJECTION BY THE HOSPITAL

4) TRUCK MONCE WINNER OF PAPUA FILM FESTIVAL

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1) Human Rights Watch calls for more international scrutiny of West Papua
Human Rights Watch in Indonesia is calling for more international scrutiny of the country's Papuan provinces.
9:02 pm on 14 August 2017
The organisation's Jakarta based researcher, Andreas Harsono made the call following an announcement last week that no more than five Papuan political prisoners remained behind bars in Papua and West Papua, down from 37 in 2016.
Mr Harsono said while the release of political prisoners was a positive step, more needed to be done to address serious human rights abuses committed by Indonesian security forces in the Papuan regions.
He said a UN special rapporteur on Freedom of Expression should be allowed to visit West Papua.
"That is something that can help. And of course international journalists, international NGOs, international monitors, they can help. We are not there to meddle, to be involved in domestic politics in West Papua. We are there just to help both sides to get the truth," said Mr Harsono.
He said international media coverage was particularly needed given Indonesian journalists relied heavily on state information for their reporting and some had even been known to work as informants for security authorities.
He said Papuan journalists were doing some good work but they were afraid to talk about sensitive issues for fear of being assaulted or harassed.
But in a statement, the Indonesian government said it strongly condemned reports that it did not allow international media access to its Papuan regions.
It said following President Jokowi's declaration in 2015 that Indonesia would open West Papua to international media, it had received 32 requests for journalistic visits to Papua and only four had been declined.
It said similarly in 2016, only four out of 19 requests were declined because of administrative matters.
It said based on these facts it was highly irrelevant and irresponsible for any party to doubt that freedom of expression and freedom of the press existed in Indonesia.
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2) 48TH PIF LEADERS FORUM IN SAMOA, WEST PAPUA IS ON THE TABLE
Jayapura, Jubi – Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, chairwoman of the Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers, Meeting Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa, makes sure that West Papua will remain on the 48th PIF Leaders Forum this year in Samoa.
She said, as quoted by fijitimes.com, Sunday (August 13) that West Papua agenda will remain on the table. While there were concerns from the region of human rights abuses, it remained equally important that there was continued dialogue with Indonesia on the issue.
The 48th PIF Leaders Meeting will take place from 4-8 September 2017, in Apia, Samoa.

From its official site information, in order to prepare the 48th Forum Leaders Meeting, the Forum Officials Committee Meeting, the governing council of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, meet in Suva on 8 and 9 August preceded by the Smaller Island States Officials Meeting and the Pacific ACP Officials Meeting on 7 August, 2017, and a meeting of the Forum Foreign Ministers on 11 August 2017 in Suva.
On the 47th PIF Leaders Froum in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia September 8-10 2016, the forum communiqué on West Papua stated that, “Leaders recognized the political sensitivities of the issue of West Papua (Papua) and agreed the issue of alleged human rights violations in West Papua (Papua) should remain on their agenda. Leaders also agreed on the importance of an open and constructive dialogue with Indonesia on the issue.”(*)
Reporter           : Zely Ariane
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3) 10 WORKERS OF FREEPORT DISMISSAL DIED OF REJECTION BY THE HOSPITAL

Jayapura, Jubi – The labor disputes between employees and the world’s largest gold mining company, Freeport McMoran is getting fiercer. The company’s workers say Freeport has eliminated the future health of the workers and their children due to the layoffs some time ago.
ABC news has released that a global union came to Jakarta to lobby the Indonesian government to help workers resolve their disputes. There are about 4,000 workers who have been laid off by Freeport since last year.
Thousands of workers said they were laid off because they were involved in a strike because of the unpredictable situation in the company since it was at odds with Indonesian government over the extension of mine permit.
Freeport said that the workers were considered to have resigned because they violated their employment contracts.
Andrew Vickers of The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) Australia says education for working children, and health rights have been withdrawn by Freeport.
“We have seen cases of people being discharged from the hospital as a consequence, tragically we are told that 10 people have died after being rejected by the hospital due to a lack of healthcare coverage (from the company),” Vickers said.
“We also understand that without income guarantees, banks seized the mortgages. This is a very tragic situation that occurred in West Papua as a consequence of this labor dispute,” he continued.
Vickers said that this is a “terrible” offense against human rights and workers.
“In the case of PT Freeport, in the vicinity of Grasberg mine, West Papua, the company has so much power and so much control,” said Adam Lee of IndustriALL Global Union, who has also traveled to Jakarta.
“This situation can really affect the school so that the children of the workers cannot get education,” he added.
Unions have demanded access to the mine site to get better and clearer information about all impacts of what the company does. “Unfortunately, the company does not give permission to the union or the media to go up there,” explained Lee.
Freeport spokeswoman Riza Pratama told ABC that the worker was deemed to have resigned and the company was not obligated to continue paying them, including providing school fees for their children.(*)
Source: tabloidjubi.com
Editor: Zely Ariane
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4) TRUCK MONCE WINNER OF PAPUA FILM FESTIVAL

Biak, Jubi – Movie Truck Monce by director Immanuel Hindom comes out as champion in the 2017 Film Festival Papua (FFP).
Spokesman of the committee of the Film Festival of Papua, Harun Rumbarar, on Thursday (August 10) said the judging of FFP was conducted selectively by three juries including Alia Damaihati from the Yogyakarta Documentary Film Festival, Wem Fatubun from Dayak Voices, Yerri Borang, independent journalist.
“Truck Monce movie is a 23 minutes 48 seconds duration that took palce in Keerom Regency. It tells about a daily driver, who worked from 1995 to 2016 in a palm oil plantation. Monce, the driver’s name, was forced to lose his job. March 2016, Monce modify his Truck tarpaulins to help Papuan women (Mama-mama Papua) to transport vegetables to Yanamaa Abepura market and Hamadi market in Jayapura City,” said Harun Rumbarar.
FFP 2017 General Coordinator, Urbanus, informed the 2018 Papua Film Festival will be held in the cool city of Wamena, Jayawijaya regency. (*)

Source: Antara
Editor    : Zely Ariane
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