AWPA Newsletter April 2002

AWPA Newsletter No. 27 April 2002
______________________________________________________
Australia West Papua Association, Sydney
PO Box 65, Millers Point, NSW 2000

AWPA welcomes articles for the newsletter on any issue in relation to West Papua. The reports in the newsletter are from the various email conferences on West Papua. AWPA appreciates any donations of support to help in its campaign work. Past AWPA updates can be found at http://www.zulenet.com/AWPA/wpglue.html

Contents
Franciscans International and Dominicans for Justice and Peace demand an end to long-standing and ongoing human rights violations in Papua, Indonesia
Papuans Fear Trouble with Militant Group in Town
U.S. does not support separatism in Papua: Ambassador Boyce
Laskar Jihad members start to upset Papuans: Thaha
Military has not learnt lessons of E. Timor Analysis
Church leaders demand inquiry into killing of Papuan leader
Papuans hold talks on Muslim paramilitaries
Health officials respond to AIDS threat in Irian Jaya
'TNI's growing confidence' becomes apparent: Analyst
Indonesian Military May Threaten Political Unity, BP Gas Investment
East Timor won't back separatists

Franciscans International and Dominicans for Justice and Peace demand an end to long-standing and ongoing human rights violations in Papua, Indonesia Statement to the 58th Session of the Commission on Human Rights Item 9 –

Questions of Human Rights Violations in Any Part of the World Delivered by Fr. Theo van den Broek OFM

Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, 10 April 2002

Introduction
I speak on behalf of Franciscans International and Dominicans for Justice and Peace on the issue of long-standing and ongoing human rights violations in Papua. Papua, formerly called Irian Jaya, is the easternmost province of Indonesia. The indigenous Papuans are among the most marginalized and victimized people in Indonesia. As a Dutch-born, Indonesian missionary living and working in Papua for the past 27 years, I wish to give testimony on the situation of the Papuan people.

Concerns
Although there have been political changes in the last few years, human rights violations have actually increased in Papua. I draw your attention to two specific fields of concern:

1. The denial of freedom of statement of the Papuan people of their rightful demands and aspirations, including the right of self-determination, that have been voiced peacefully but are systematically met by the Indonesian authorities with violence, detention and torture,

2. The spreading of fear and intimidation caused by:
a. Covert actions by members of the security forces to paralyse the movement for freedom in Papua, including killings (such as the slaying of the Papuan leader, Theys Eluay) and the egregious accusation of“subversion” aimed at members of the Papuan Presidium Council;

b. Government-sanctioned stigmatisation of special groups of the population, while treating them as enemies of the State (as in the Abepura Case of 2000);

c. Inaction towards the increasing presence of Laskar Jihad in Papua.

d. Impunity for perpetrators of human rights violations, such as those committed in Abepura (2000) that constitute a “crime against humanity”.

Recommendations
Considering the aforementioned challenges we call on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to urge the Government of Indonesia to:

1. Fulfil its obligation to respect and protect human dignity by ceasing the use of violence in dealing with peacefully expressed demands and involve itself in an open dialogue with the Papuan people.

2. Deliver justice to the Papuan people by bringing the perpetrators of human rights violations committed against them and their representatives to trial in an open and transparent manner in line with international standards.

3. Invite the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous People to Papua with complete and unhindered access to individuals and communities and to fully co-operate with all the relevant thematic procedures of the Commission on Human Rights.
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Papuans Fear Trouble with Militant Group in Town

JAKARTA, Apr 15 (IPS) - The arrival of an Islamic militia group in Indonesia's restive province of West Papua is sowing fear among residents about sectarian conflict like that seen in other provinces before -- and community leaders want its members out sooner than later. Fearing violence similar to that seen previously in Sulawesi and Maluku, Papua religious communities, ranging from Christian churches to Muslim groups, are demanding that authorities put pressure on the Laskar Jihad group to leave. At the same however, rights activists say the group is not likely to leave the province, formerly known as Irian Jaya, that easily. The group is reported to have sent members from the nearby province of Maluku by ship to the regions of Sorong, Manokwari, Nabire and Fak Fak in West Papua.

Laskar Jihad was created at the end of 1999 by Muslim radicals in Java as a response to the massacre of 400 Muslims by Christians in North Maluku, the mired in communal conflict. Led by a 38-year-old religious teacher named Ja'far Umar Thahib, the group claims to have 10,000 members, of whom 2,000 have received military training. In an interview with the English-language daily 'The Jakarta Post' on Apr. 11, Laskar Jihad spokesman Ayip Syafruddin confirmed that members were in West Papua to expand the organization's wings and have set up six regency branches there. But, learning from the experience of Maluku, where the Muslim-Christian conflict was stoked by the Laskar Jihad that said it had gone for missionary work, local leaders and citizens are working to counter the group's moves.

The Laskar Jihad began to upset Papuans when it began distributing VCD cassettes depicting sectarian fighting in Maluku islands, says Muhammad Thaha al-Hamid, secretary general of the pro-independence Papua Presidium Council. Despite the group's claim that its activities related only to religion and charity, reports from the West Papuan capital of Jayapura show otherwise, says an official with a human rights group based in Jakarta. He says Laskar Jihad members have begun inflammatory preaching that pits Muslims and Christians, and distributing leaflets with the same message. "As far as we know, the group has taken part in Friday prayers at the mosques. The preaching goes like this, 'We (Muslim) are the majority of Indonesia. We must struggle for Muslims in Indonesia," he said. "Never in history have Christians and Muslims in West Papua fought each other. That's why both Christian and Muslim religious leaders there said outsiders like the Laskar Jihad must leave Papua," he added. Apart from Laskar Jihad trying to upset long-held religious harmony in West Papua, some also fear the introduction of a religious angle into demands for independence by some groups there - a factor that would serious security implications.

John Rumbiak, chairman of the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (ELSHAM), told a seminar in March that Christians are already being accused by security forces as being behind the separatist movement, which has been around for decades. "Now, the security forces have also made accusations that Christian groups are merely hiding behind the veil of human rights while they are actually waging a separatist movement," he pointed out. Calls to oppose ''Christian separatism'' are heard more and more often, he added. As a result, many fear that the seeds of conflict between Muslims and Christians have been planted deeply and could one day result in violence if provoked. Likewise, some see this all as being motivated by Jakarta. According to a report by the Geneva-based International Crisis Group (ICG), a Laskar Jihad leader said that its members were trained under the guidance of members of the Indonesian armed forces in their private capacities.

In early 2000, Laskar Jihad leader Ja'far had openly said that 3,000 members would leave Java for Maluku to carry out ''missionary activities'' for Maluku victims. Later reports said that the group had launched attacks against Christians with the support of military units. In July 2000, Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said, ''The dispatch of Laskar Jihad and any other forces has reached almost 10,000 people in the last three months and they have become the main reason for the ongoing ground conflict.'' A peace process is now underway in Maluku and the presence of the Laskar Jihad has decreased, but Christian leaders still see it as an obstacle in the peace process. Many are understandably worried about Laskar Jihad's presence in resource-rich West Papua, a former Dutch colony that has been in tension with the central government in Jakarta for decades.

Rights activists say West Papua is known to have one of the worst areas in terms of human rights abuses in Indonesia, apart from Aceh and Maluku. They say most abuses have been blamed on Indonesian armed forces, since Jakarta formally annexed the province in 1969. West Papua's tensions with Jakarta also come from the presence of the military, the transmigration policy of the Suharto (news - web sites) government and the revenues that it brings to the central government without getting adequate benefits in return. An attempt by President Megawati Sukarnoputri to ease tensions by applying the special autonomy bill to West Papua in January -- which gave a bigger share of revenues to the province -- was rejected by both the local political body and the separatist group Free Papua Movement, known by its Indonesian acronym OPM. Tensions also grew with the mysterious murder of charismatic leader Theys Hiyo Elouy last year. Latest reports on the investigation say Theys' kidnapping and murder were carried out by seven military men from the Army's Special Forces, or Kopassus.

In an interview early this month with the Australian Broadcasting Corp, Papuan Pastor Martin Luther Wanma said that local Islamic leaders had assured him the Laskar Jihad are not a threat to Christians because they are there for missionary work. But he pointed out that the group had established headquarters in Manokwari and are publishing an inflammatory newspaper called 'Laskar Jihad Bulletin'. "In this newspaper, they promote and provoke the Muslim people here to rise against the Christian community. It's the reason why the Christian society or Christian community here and Papua people here reject Laskar Jihad," Pastor Wanma said. ''Before, they lived together and there is no problem, no problem, and they worked together, but now it's a new phenomena,'' he added. A human rights activist in Jayapura cites reports that the group has started combat training in a camp in Fak Fak in West Papua, but says there has been no response to residents' request for action from security officials. "It is very unclear what the meaning of the Laskar Jihad group is both for Indonesia and Papua. But for us they are a threat, and people are now very scared," he said.
(OneWorld.net /Mon Apr 15, 8:39 AM ET/ Prangtip Daorueng, Inter Press Service)
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U.S. does not support separatism in Papua: Ambassador Boyce

JAKARTA (JP): United States Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce asserted on Monday that his government does not support separatist activities in Indonesia's eastern province of Irian Jaya, a report said. Boyce renewed the U.S. stance that they will not support any separatism movements in Indonesia, including those in the province of Irian Jaya, Antara reported. Boyce visited Indonesia's easternmost province on Monday and held talks with Governor of Irian Jaya J.P. Salossa, Trikora Military Commander Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon and Irian Jaya Police chief Insp. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika in Jayapura, the capital of Irian Jaya. The envoy said that the purpose of the meeting was to obtain firsthand information about development and conditions in Irian Jaya. After the meeting with provincial authorities, Boyce held talks with provincial legislators on the same issues. Boyce is slated to hold meetings on Tuesday with American missionaries in Irian Jaya and also the rector and officials of Cendrawasih State University. Earlier, Boyce went to Mimika regency in Timika to witness the cultural festival of the Komoro tribe and visit a mining site at Tembagapura. He also visited the grave of Irian Jaya separatist leader Theys Hiyo Eluay. (edt) (The Jakarta Post.com 4/15/02)

Laskar Jihad members start to upset Papuans: Thaha

R.K. Nugroho and Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura/Yogyakarta
Separatist leaders have rejected the presence of the Java-based Laskar Jihad militant group in the troubled province of Papua, which they said had sparked disquiet among local people. At least 200 members of Laskar Jihad arrived in Jayapura six months ago from Jakarta and have since then been conducting religious activities in at least three regencies, Sorong, Fak Fak and Manokwari, areas which play host to Muslim migrants from other provinces. Ayip Syafruddin, spokesman for the militant group, said on Thursday that the arrival of its members was so as to expand "the organization's wings" in Papua. "They have set up six regency branches there including ones in Sorong, Jayapura and Manokwari," he told The Jakarta Post in Yogyakarta.

He said they were also engaged in propagating Islam and educational activities, and were publishing bulletins and a tabloid news sheet for Muslims in the province. But Muhammad Thaha Al Hamid, secretary general of the pro-independence Papua Presidium Council (PDP), told the Post that Laskar Jihad had started to upset Papuans, mostly Christians, as they were distributing VCD cassettes depicting sectarian fighting in the Maluku islands. Laskar Jihad has been blamed for further worsening the sectarian conflicts in Maluku and Poso regency in Central Sulawesi, conflicts which killed thousands of people and forced thousands of others to flee. Thaha warned that the presence of Laskar Jihad could damage the close relations between Muslims and Christians, who had been living together peacefully in the province. "It's 38 years since Papua became a part of the Indonesian Republic and there has never been a conflict between Muslims and Christians. Such a situation should be allowed to continue," he asserted. He said that Laskar Jihad's presence in Papua would only disadvantage the Muslim community itself as it could eventually spark hatred between Muslims and non-Muslims. Thaha refrained from calling on local security authorities to expel Laskar Jihad from the country's easternmost province.

Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika denied that Laskar Jihad had entered the province, but said: "Those coming into Papua are members of the Ahlis Sunnah Waljamaah group". Ahlis Sunnah Waljamaah is a militant Islamic group of which Laskar Jihad is a part. Its headquarters are in the tourist city of Yogyakarta. Pastika said their presence in Papua had officially been reported to the authorities in the regencies. He also denied reports that Laskar Jihad was conducting combat training in Papua.
(The Jakarta Post April 12/4/02) [Go to top ]

Military has not learnt lessons of E. Timor Analysis

By Marianne Kearney
STRAITS TIMES INDONESIA BUREAU

JAKARTA - Tomorrow, East Timor votes for its first president, taking its final steps towards independence. It is a process that many in the Indonesian elite would probably rather forget but, of course, cannot. Two years after an overwhelming majority voted for independence, many Indonesians maintain the fiction that a majority opposed it. This is part of a cynical attempt by the military to free itself of blame for human rights violations. The performance is primarily for domestic consumption. Beyond this, the military and much of the political elite have not admitted how and why East Timor chose to be independent of Indonesia. Although the military has blamed then-President B.J. Habibie for allowing a referendum, in fact, the only Cabinet member opposed to it in early 1999 was former foreign minister Ali Alatas. Recent evidence shows the military was confident it could easily 'persuade' the Timorese not to vote for autonomy.

According to Australian intelligence, when Indonesian military leader Zacky Anwar Makarim was told that almost 80 per cent of Timorese had voted for independence, he was incredulous. However, two years on, the Indonesian military has learnt little from the
Timor experience, say analysts. In Aceh, it still believes military operations will ensure that the troubled province remains part of Indonesia. As in Timor, it has failed to see a link between the failure of the military to punish those guilty of abuses, and support for independence or autonomy. There are progressive military figures, like the army deputy chief of staff, General Kiki Syanakri, who admits wiping out the rebel Free Aceh Movement (GAM) is impossible. He understands the importance of political negotiations. But there are also signs that the military still believes its own propaganda. And while there have been moves to introduce concepts of human rights into military and police training, observers say little has changed on the ground. Perhaps the biggest lesson learnt from Timor was that Jakarta should never underestimate the dissatisfaction of Indonesia's outer regions. Now, there is no way Jakarta will allow Aceh or West Papua to hold referenda. But the vote in Timor and the reaction of the people in Aceh and West Papua have made Jakarta realise it has to offer more than just rhetoric.

The Timor experience added urgency to implementing autonomy for both Aceh and West Papua. West Papua's autonomy law is reasonably far-reaching. It is less so in Aceh.
The Acehnese will be unable to elect politicians directly for five years. And the government's introduction of syariah law in Aceh, an acknowledgement of the province's character, is being met with suspicion and confusion. Few Acehnese know how the law will be implemented. Even fewer have been consulted about it. West Papua has a far more generous autonomy law, which involves traditional leaders in some government decision-making processes. But winning over Papuans, nearly all of whom support independence and who are ethnically, culturally and religiously different, could be harder. Even if Jakarta understands the need to give Papuans control over their regional administration, is the chaotic and inefficient central government capable of delivering on its promises?
(The Straits Times13/4/02) [ Go to top]

Church leaders demand inquiry into killing of Papuan leader

GENEVA, April 18 (AFP)
The World Council of Churches (WCC) has called for an independent inquiry to look into the killing of an independence leader in the Indonesian region of Irian Jaya. Martin Doolard, of the Geneva-based WCC, told the UN Human Rights Commission that most people in Irian Jaya viewed the death of Theys Eluay as a deliberate act of the state authorities to silence him. He urged the Commission, currently holding its annual six-week session, to use its influence on the Indonesian government to stop the repression of people in the region and not to suppress their demand to exercise their right to self-determination. "We also urge the Commission to call on the Indonesian government to establish a credible, legal, independent inquiry team that includes international human rights experts, to investigate the involvement of state institutions in the assassination of Theys Eluay and to bring the perpetrators to justice," Doolard said. Eluay was abducted on November 10 last year and his body was found the following day in his car at the bottom of a ravine. A police coroner concluded that he died of asphyxiation.

The WCC said Jakarta had failed to establish a legally constituted and credible inquiry team to carry out the investigation. Moreover, it said two inquiry commissions had both found the killing to be an ordinary crime. Inhabitants of Irian Jaya, known locally as Papua, have been demanding independence since the 1960s following Indonesia's takeover in 1963 on the heels of the departing Dutch colonisers. The WCC is made up of 342 churches in more than 100 countries across the world representing virtually all Chrisian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member of the organisation.

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Papuans hold talks on Muslim paramilitaries

JAKARTA, April 18 (AFP) - Religious leaders in Indonesia's Papua province have met regional authorities to discuss the entry of a militant Islamic militia into the mainly Christian province, an official said Thursday. "The governor held talks with leaders of the Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian faiths on Wednesday," said Henke (eds: one name), secretary to Papua Governor Jacobus Solossa. "They discussed the presence of the Laskar Jihad," he told AFP, declining to elaborate. Laskar Jihad was blamed for inflaming the deadly Muslim-Christian conflict in Maluku province after sending thousands of fighters there in May 2000. It also sent fighters to Poso in Central Sulawesi province to help Muslims in battles against Christians. Recent government-brokered peace pacts have ended both conflicts, which cost thousands of lives.

The militia's move into Muslim-dominated western districts of Papua was first alleged two years ago, but it is only in recent months that the group has acknowledged it is establishing bases there. A coalition of Papuan religious, tribal and community groups last month accused Laskar Jihad of trying to stir up religious conflict by circulating provocative newsletters and giving fiery sermons in Sorong and Fak Fak. They were also accused of telling worshippers in mosques that the nearly three-decades-old separatist movement in Papua was a Christian movement, and of training anti-independence militia units. At Wednesday's meeting the government and religious leaders agreed to monitor Laskar Jihad's activities in Papua, the state Antara news agency reported. "The secure conditions in Papua must be safeguarded, so there will be no conflict like those that have happened in (the Maluku capital) Ambon and Poso," Governor Solossa was quoted as saying.

He said inter-faith relations in Papua, where mainly Christian Melanesians make up the majority of the 2.1 million people, had always been harmonious. Solossa urged people not to be provoked by unnamed parties who "wished to disrupt Papua's peaceful condition." A Laskar Jihad spokesman, Ayip Syarifuddin, last month denied that his group had ever "issued statements or leaflets that can provoke hatred for certain religious groups." The group calls itself a humanitarian organisation. Police have arrested two of the paramilitary group's members in Fak Fak for carrying home-made firearms, Antara reported. Papua has been home to a low-level armed struggle for independence since Indonesian troops invaded on the heels of departing Dutch colonisers in 1963. The province was renamed Papua this year from Irian Jaya under an autonomy law and promised a much greater share of revenue from natural resources. (tapol/ Joyo Indonesian News)

Health officials respond to AIDS threat in Irian Jaya
Markus Mardius, The Jakarta Post, Timika

Some 14 of 168 HIV positive people in Mimika regency, Papua, have contracted the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), according to a local health official. Erens Meokbun, head of the sexually transmitted diseases section at the local health office, told The Jakarta Post most of those infected with AIDS were women who worked as prostitutes in a red-light district near a foreign mining company in Mimika. "All 14 of the AIDS patients are continuing to make visits to the public health center and a hospital in the regency," he said. Erens said that of 154 people in the regency that had tested positive for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), almost 80 percent showed symptoms of HIV, while the other 20 percent had syphilis or gonorrhea. He said half of those who were HIV positive were Papuans, many of them employed by the mining company.

The HIV/AIDS cases were detected thanks to the increasing number of local people visiting the public health center and hospital for medical checkups, Erens said. "Many people went in for checkups after the local health office launched an AIDS awareness campaign in villages, areas known for prostitution, the mining company and entertainment centers in the regency," he said, adding that many of those with AIDS had contracted the syndrome because of ignorance. Erens declined to blame the presence of the mining company for the HIV/AIDS cases, but said it had something to do with the presence of job seekers in the area and the sexual habits of Papuan men. He said his office would continue the AIDS awareness campaign to help prevent the syndrome from spreading. He said Mimika was ranked second behind Merauke for the number of HIV/AIDS cases in the province. The total number of people infected with HIV/AIDS nationwide is estimated at about 3,000. The spread of HIV/AIDS in the province has been partly blamed on the foreign fishermen operating in the area. (The Jakarta Post 18/4/02)

'TNI's growing confidence' becomes apparent: Analyst
The Indonesian Military (TNI) has regained its confidence and is gradually assuming a greater role in politics after four years of retreat, a political analyst warned on Sunday. Arief Budiman, a government critic who is now teaching at the University of Melbourne, said the growing confidence had become apparent due to the public's recognition of TNI's indispensable role in maintaining security and order, despite its blind allegiance to the New Order regime's alleged involvement in numerous human rights abuses in the past. "Since 1998 TNI has taken a low profile and stayed out of politics, but it has grown with confidence now that the civilian government remains weak and cannot dispense with the military's role," said Arief, a former student activist and lecturer at Satya Wacana University in Salatiga, Central Java.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri seemed to be more comfortable dealing directly with the TNI currently, than with Muslim parties or groups, or even with the former ruling Golkar Party, Arief added. The global war against terrorism waged by the United States had also helped TNI to regain ground, according to Arief. "The U.S. intention to resume military ties with Indonesia, regardless of the motives, has at least contributed to TNI's
self-confidence building to revive its political role," he said, as quoted by Antara. In a discussion in Jakarta last Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph Boyce, in response to a question on whether the U.S. was interested in resuming military ties with the TNI, answered with a robust, "yes". "But I am hopeful, and I believe, that the ongoing reforms in the TNI, particularly the current ad hoc tribunal process, a test of whether those who are accountable for the atrocities in East Timor in September 1999 will be held accountable, has tremendous promise for unlocking a more normal U.S. approach to its relations with the TNI," Boyce told a discussion on the war against terrorism.

The reform movement, which followed the fall of long-time ruler Soeharto in May 1998, turned the country's political system around to democracy, at the expense of TNI's long-standing sociopolitical role. The military seats in the House of Representatives will be
vacated after the 2004 elections, followed by its seats in the People's Consultative Assembly after 2009. The TNI has claimed to be carrying out internal reform, although it refused to withdraw its troops to barracks immediately. Arief said TNI displayed its past confidence when it appointed Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin as its spokesman. Sjafrie was the Jakarta Military Commander during the bloody riots and rapes in May 1998 here. Not a single civilian, TNI member or police officer has ever been tried for the May 1998 mass riots, which preceded Soeharto's downfall. Sjafrie was replaced by Maj. Gen. Djaja Suparman two months after the riots and had his career on hold until his appointment as TNI spokesman in February this year. Arief suggested that the general public remain vigilant of the possibility of TNI making a comeback.

"Demands for the TNI to play its role are increasingly becoming louder ... but it cannot play its role (political or social) as openly as it had done during the Soeharto era," Arief said. He also noted that the legal process, in connection with the alleged involvement of TNI members in the murder of Papuan proindependence leader Theys Hiyo Eluay last November, still needed to be closely monitored by the general public.
(The Jakarta Post.com 22/4/02)

Indonesian Military May Threaten Political Unity, BP Gas Investment
By TIMOTHY MAPES
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- The Indonesian military's controversial behavior in resource-rich Papua province could threaten the country's political unity and one of its biggest planned foreign investments. An independence movement has simmered for decades in Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, but it hasn't erupted into the open armed rebellion that has
affected Aceh province on the opposite end of the archipelago. President Megawati Sukarnoputri still has a chance to calm the situation and assuage popular demands for independence if she can convince Papuans that they can expect better treatment from Jakarta, say many Papuan community and religious leaders. But how Ms. Megawati deals with the armed forces in Papua, which lies on Indonesia's eastern frontier, will test her skill at holding this far-flung country together.

Western governments, while supporting Indonesia's territorial integrity, are carefully monitoring her efforts. U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph Boyce visited the province earlier this week, after a visit by a delegation of European ambassadors last month. But recent actions by the powerful military -- which operates largely autonomously in Papua, is deeply involved in local businesses such as logging, and has violently suppressed separatist groups in the past -- illustrate how difficult a challenge Ms. Megawati faces. A special commission's investigation into the November murder of Papuan independence leader Theys Eluay has implicated members of an elite military unit, known as Kopassus, in the killing, say officials familiar with the inquiry's findings. The soon-to-be-concluded investigation has produced forensic evidence, including fingerprints, and eyewitness accounts that already have led to the arrest of three Kopassus soldiers formerly based in Papua's capital, Jayapura, say military officials. Separately, the military in Papua is trying to intervene in one of Indonesia's biggest and most-promising investments: a $2 billion plan by British energy company BP PLC to develop a huge natural-gas project in the
territory.

Last month, Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon, the military commander for Papua, paid an unexpected visit to BP's base camp on Bintuni Bay, accompanied by about a dozen soldiers and their wives and girlfriends. The visitors strolled around the project site brandishing automatic weapons, witnesses say. Their presence "made us uncomfortable. It was at odds with how the camp is normally run," a BP official says. In a meeting, Gen. Simbolon told BP officials that the military has an obligation under Indonesia's constitution to protect national assets such as BP's project. Although BP hopes to prevent the military from assuming control of security for its venture, Gen. Simbolon made it clear that only a ruling by Ms. Megawati could deter the armed forces from taking charge of security, say BP officials who attended the meeting. The alleged military involvement in the Theys murder is the most sensitive political issue in Papua and Ms. Megawati's thorniest problem. Mr. Theys was the chairman of the Papuan Presidium, the leading advocate of a nonviolent struggle for independence for the territory. He was found strangled in November after he attended a party held by local military commanders. Witnesses told investigators they saw Mr. Theys's car forced to stop on his way home by another car that was later identified as belonging to Kopassus. Mr. Theys's car and body were found the next day in a ravine beyond four military checkpoints that usually prevent civilian cars from passing.

The findings pose a dilemma for Ms. Megawati, who has long maintained cordial ties with Indonesia's military -- an institution that she has praised as the guardian of the nation. Since coming to power in July, Ms. Megawati has tried to get Papuan residents to accept a future within Indonesia by offering the territory more revenue from its natural resources, and by pledging to allow wider scope for statement of Papua's culture. Ethnic Papuans, people of Melanesian descent indigenous to the island of New Guinea and neighboring islands, differ sharply in culture and religion from most other Indonesians whose ancestry lies in Asia. Papuans are largely Christian, while the vast majority of other Indonesians are Muslims. Unless Ms. Megawati can show that she is prepared not only to punish soldiers directly involved in Mr. Theys's murder, but also to prosecute officers found to have ordered the killing, community leaders in Papua say the president's promises of a new deal for the territory will ring hollow."We need to see that she is committed to this," says Karel Phil Erari, a Papua priest and human-rights campaigner who is a member of the special commission investigating Mr. Theys's murder. "The people want to know who told Kopassus to kill Theys, and why."

Tom Beanal, the most senior official in the Papuan Presidium after the death of Mr. Theys, says, "If the Indonesian government fails to answer these questions, we would think that Indonesia is not serious in solving the problems in Papua."Few military analysts expect Ms. Megawati will be able to deliver what the Papuans want, however. The Kopassus unit has a reputation for ruthlessness, and has long been deployed in some of Indonesia's hottest trouble spots, including Aceh and formerly Jakarta-controlled East Timor. Its members were accused of playing a key role in widespread violence against civilians after East Timor voted for independence in August 1999, behavior that prompted the U.S. government to curtail military ties with Indonesia . Although Indonesia is currently conducting trials of a few officers implicated in those atrocities, no senior commanders have been charged."Kopassus is a very powerful and independent unit," says Kusnanto Anggoro, a military expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, who says the unit has considerable autonomy even from Indonesia's military high command. "I'm not sure whether justice will ever be revealed in this case," he says. Indonesia's military commander, Adm. Widodo, has said the three Kopassus men suspected in the Theys murder will be punished severely if convicted.

While less likely to prompt immediate Papuan protests, the military's apparent effort to intervene in BP's gas project, ostensibly to protect it, poses a different kind of problem for Jakarta: It could put an important foreign investment at risk. Aware of the potential dangers of operating in Papua under military "protection," BP had hoped to avoid the problems encountered by companies such as ExxonMobil Corp. in Aceh and Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. in Papua. Both those ventures are guarded by large contingents of Indonesian soldiers who have often clashed with local residents, prompting allegations of human-rights abuses in Indonesia and abroad. Critics have portrayed the foreign companies as witting or unwitting accomplices to the alleged abuses. BP has hired military and security advisers to develop a "community-based security" program that it hopes will prevent its project from being caught in any future confrontation between soldiers and armed rebels -- a situation that prompted ExxonMobil to close its liquefied-natural-gas plant in Aceh for four months last year. In ExxonMobil's case, human-rights activists have argued that the company is morally responsible for the alleged torture and killings of civilians by troops based in or around the company's facilities -- charges that ExxonMobil rejects.

BP is now scrambling to show Jakarta that its community-policing plan can ensure the security of the plant -- scheduled to be completed by 2006 -- without the need for a military base on or near the site. "We do not envisage a direct, on-the-ground military presence at the project," says a BP spokesman. A spokesman for Gen. Simbolon declined to comment on his recent visit to the BP site or on the military's view of security requirements in the area. But the military might be difficult for BP to resist, given its past record of protecting foreign investments in the territory. An official from an environmental organization that works extensively in Papua contends that the military has a history of creating its own "security threats" to justify the need to employ its services. "Right now, there is no security threat at all," he says. "But six months from now, you can be sure there will be." Write to Timothy Mapes at tim.mapes@awsj.com. (The Wall Street Journal 19/4/02)

AWPA Newsletter
No. 27 April 2002
______________________________________________________
Australia West Papua Association, Sydney
PO Box 65, Millers Point, NSW 2000

AWPA welcomes articles for the newsletter on any issue in relation to West Papua. The reports in the newsletter are from the various email conferences on West Papua. AWPA appreciates any donations of support to help in its campaign work. Past AWPA updates can be found at http://www.zulenet.com/AWPA/wpglue.html

Contents
Franciscans International and Dominicans for Justice and Peace demand an end to long-standing and ongoing human rights violations in Papua, Indonesia
Papuans Fear Trouble with Militant Group in Town
U.S. does not support separatism in Papua: Ambassador Boyce
Laskar Jihad members start to upset Papuans: Thaha
Military has not learnt lessons of E. Timor Analysis
Church leaders demand inquiry into killing of Papuan leader
Papuans hold talks on Muslim paramilitaries
Health officials respond to AIDS threat in Irian Jaya
'TNI's growing confidence' becomes apparent: Analyst
Indonesian Military May Threaten Political Unity, BP Gas Investment
East Timor won't back separatists

Congratulations to the two recently formed AWPAs. AWPA, ACT and AWPA, Central Highlands Victoria. A report from the Central Highlands group is below. We also encourage NGOs to support the campaign calling on Kofi Annan to review the UN's conduct in West Papua, during the Act of Free Choice". Details on the campaign can be found at http://westpapuaaction.buz.org/unreview
including,
Campaign Launch News and Pictures
news from other country campaigns
List of supporting organisations
Briefing document
Letter to Kofi Annan
Letter to NGOs and others requesting support for campaign
We encourage those organisations that write to also send a copy
of the letter PO Box 12524, A'Beckett St PO, Melbourne 8006 or email to AoFC@start.com.au

Australian West Papuan Association Central Highlands Victoria
The Central Highlands West Papuan Support Group was established in October, 2001 on the initiative of Bishop Hilton Dekin of Melbourne. We meet on the first Monday of each month and the plan we have outlined for 2002 is below.
FOCUS for 2002: Information and education opportunities to be provided for secondary and tertiary students and the general public by - a speaking tour to secondary and tertiary institutes throughout the region between March 4 8
media coverage
a public forum with guest speaker and panel (details to be arranged)
Proposed venue Mulkearns theatre ACU, Aquinas campus in April 2002
A dinner for key persons in the region (Details to be arranged)

Visit of Jacob Rumbiak and Louise Byrne March 4-8, 2002
In the week that Jacob and Louise were in Ballarat they visited six secondary schools and two universities, they also spent a day in Daylesford. During that time they spoke to just on one thousand students, 70 year 7, the remainder years 11 and 12, second and third year Social Science students at University of Ballarat, and a group of students in teaching and nursing courses at Australian Catholic University, Aquinas Campus. Jacob spoke at a meeting of the Ballarat Refugee Support Group, the Australian Catholic University Social Concerns and Education Committee, and both Louise and Jacob attended the Central Highlands branch of the Australian West Papuan Association meeting. They also spent time in Daylesford with students, and local members of the Central Highlands branch
of AWPA, they spoke to representatives of the local parish group from the Catholic church, a group that has pledged financial support to the West Papuan cause.

Jacob's personal story together with his enthusiasm for the cause of independence for West Papua and his commitment to and belief in a non-violent approach to the cause, all contribute to his effectiveness as a speaker. I was present at every presentation and in each instance those in the audience were attentive to and involved in the struggle of the West Papuan people. I have had a response from two of the colleges Jacob visited and both
reports refer to the on-going interest in the issue. There are clear signs that some students have been moved to make a commitment to inform themselves more of issues related to West Papua and the struggle for independence. It remains to be seen where this will go but it is for us to encourage the efforts. Some expressed interest in giving time to be involved in
activities for the cause. An added bonus of Jacob's visit was the time he spent with the East Timorese students who are all studying at a tertiary level. Jacob stayed at the house where five East Timorese are living, they were engaged into the early morning hours in conversation that was very important to the men who are studying in Ballarat and planning their return to East Timor.
Rita Hayes Chairperson AWPA Central Highlands Branch

Franciscans International and Dominicans for Justice and Peace demand an end to long-standing and ongoing human rights violations in Papua, Indonesia
Statement to the 58th Session of the Commission on Human Rights
Item 9 - Questions of Human Rights Violations in Any Part of the World
Delivered by Fr. Theo van den Broek OFM
Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, 10 April 2002

Introduction
I speak on behalf of Franciscans International and Dominicans for Justice and Peace on the issue of long-standing and ongoing human rights violations in Papua. Papua, formerly called Irian Jaya, is the easternmost province of Indonesia. The indigenous Papuans are among the most marginalized and victimized people in Indonesia. As a Dutch-born, Indonesian missionary living and working in Papua for the past 27 years, I wish to give testimony on the situation of the Papuan people.

Concerns
Although there have been political changes in the last few years, human rights violations have actually increased in Papua. I draw your attention to two specific fields of concern:

b. Government-sanctioned stigmatisation of special groups of the population, while treating them as enemies of the State (as in the Abepura Case of 2000);

c. Inaction towards the increasing presence of Laskar Jihad in Papua.

d. Impunity for perpetrators of human rights violations, such as those committed in Abepura (2000) that constitute a “crime against humanity”.

Recommendations
Considering the aforementioned challenges we call on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to urge the Government of Indonesia to:

Papuans Fear Trouble with Militant Group in Town
JAKARTA, Apr 15 (IPS) - The arrival of an Islamic militia group in Indonesia's restive province of West Papua is sowing fear among residents about sectarian conflict like that seen in other provinces before -- and community leaders want its members out sooner than later. Fearing violence similar to that seen previously in Sulawesi and Maluku, Papua religious communities, ranging from Christian churches to Muslim groups, are demanding that authorities put pressure on the Laskar Jihad group to leave. At the same however, rights activists say the group is not likely to leave the province, formerly known as Irian Jaya, that easily. The group is reported to have sent members from the nearby province of Maluku by ship to the regions of Sorong, Manokwari, Nabire and Fak Fak in West Papua.

Laskar Jihad was created at the end of 1999 by Muslim radicals in Java as a response to the massacre of 400 Muslims by Christians in North Maluku, the mired in communal conflict. Led by a 38-year-old religious teacher named Ja'far Umar Thahib, the group claims to
have 10,000 members, of whom 2,000 have received military training. In an interview with the English-language daily 'The Jakarta Post' on Apr. 11, Laskar Jihad spokesman Ayip Syafruddin confirmed that members were in West Papua to expand the organization's wings and have set up six regency branches there. But, learning from the experience of Maluku, where the Muslim-Christian conflict was stoked by the Laskar Jihad that said it had gone for missionary work, local leaders and citizens are working to counter the group's moves.

The Laskar Jihad began to upset Papuans when it began distributing VCD cassettes depicting sectarian fighting in Maluku islands, says Muhammad Thaha al-Hamid, secretary general of the pro-independence Papua Presidium Council. Despite the group's claim that its activities related only to religion and charity, reports from the West Papuan capital of
Jayapura show otherwise, says an official with a human rights group based in Jakarta. He says Laskar Jihad members have begun inflammatory preaching that pits Muslims and Christians, and distributing leaflets with the same message. "As far as we know, the group has taken part in Friday prayers at the mosques. The preaching goes like this, 'We
(Muslim) are the majority of Indonesia. We must struggle for Muslims in Indonesia," he said. "Never in history have Christians and Muslims in West Papua fought each other. That's why both Christian and Muslim religious leaders there said outsiders like the Laskar Jihad must leave Papua," he added. Apart from Laskar Jihad trying to upset long-held religious harmony in West Papua, some also fear the introduction of a religious angle into demands for independence by some groups there - a factor that would serious security implications.

John Rumbiak, chairman of the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (ELSHAM), told a seminar in March that Christians are already being accused by security forces as being behind the separatist movement, which has been around for decades. "Now, the security forces have also made accusations that Christian groups are merely hiding behind the veil of human rights while they are actually waging a separatist movement," he pointed out. Calls to oppose ''Christian separatism'' are heard more and more often, he added. As a result, many fear that the seeds of conflict between Muslims and Christians have been planted deeply and could one day result in violence if provoked. Likewise, some see this all as being motivated by Jakarta. According to a report by the Geneva-based International Crisis Group (ICG), a Laskar Jihad leader said that its members were
trained under the guidance of members of the Indonesian armed forces in their private capacities.

In early 2000, Laskar Jihad leader Ja'far had openly said that 3,000 members would leave Java for Maluku to carry out ''missionary activities'' for Maluku victims. Later reports said
that the group had launched attacks against Christians with the support of military units. In July 2000, Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said, ''The dispatch of Laskar Jihad and any other forces has reached almost 10,000 people in the last three months and they have become the main reason for the ongoing ground conflict.'' A peace process is now underway in Maluku and the presence of the Laskar Jihad has decreased, but Christian leaders still see it as an obstacle in the peace process. Many are understandably worried about Laskar Jihad's presence in resource-rich West Papua, a former Dutch colony that has been in tension with the central government in Jakarta for decades.

Rights activists say West Papua is known to have one of the worst areas in terms of human rights abuses in Indonesia, apart from Aceh and Maluku. They say most abuses have been blamed on Indonesian armed forces, since Jakarta formally annexed the province in 1969. West Papua's tensions with Jakarta also come from the presence of the military, the transmigration policy of the Suharto (news - web sites) government and the revenues that it brings to the central government without getting adequate benefits in return. An attempt by President Megawati Sukarnoputri to ease tensions by applying the special autonomy bill to West Papua in January -- which gave a bigger share of revenues to the province -- was
rejected by both the local political body and the separatist group Free Papua Movement, known by its Indonesian acronym OPM. Tensions also grew with the mysterious murder of charismatic leader Theys Hiyo Elouy last year. Latest reports on the investigation say Theys' kidnapping and murder were carried out by seven military men from the Army's Special Forces, or Kopassus.

In an interview early this month with the Australian Broadcasting Corp, Papuan Pastor Martin Luther Wanma said that local Islamic leaders had assured him the Laskar Jihad are not a threat to Christians because they are there for missionary work. But he pointed out that the group had established headquarters in Manokwari and are publishing an inflammatory newspaper called 'Laskar Jihad Bulletin'. "In this newspaper, they promote and provoke the Muslim people here to rise against the Christian community. It's the reason why the Christian society or Christian community here and Papua people here reject Laskar Jihad," Pastor Wanma said. ''Before, they lived together and there is no problem, no problem, and they worked together, but now it's a new phenomena,'' he added. A human rights activist in Jayapura cites reports that the group has started combat training in a camp in Fak Fak in West Papua, but says there has been no response to residents' request for
action from security officials. "It is very unclear what the meaning of the Laskar Jihad group is both for Indonesia and Papua. But for us they are a threat, and people are now very scared," he said.
(OneWorld.net /Mon Apr 15, 8:39 AM ET/ Prangtip Daorueng, Inter Press Service)

U.S. does not support separatism in Papua: Ambassador Boyce
JAKARTA (JP): United States Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce asserted on Monday that his government does not support separatist activities in Indonesia's eastern province of Irian Jaya, a report said. Boyce renewed the U.S. stance that they will not support any separatism movements in Indonesia, including those in the province of Irian Jaya, Antara reported. Boyce visited Indonesia's easternmost province on Monday and held
talks with Governor of Irian Jaya J.P. Salossa, Trikora Military Commander Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon and Irian Jaya Police chief Insp. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika in Jayapura, the capital of Irian Jaya. The envoy said that the purpose of the meeting was to obtain firsthand information about development and conditions in Irian Jaya. After the meeting with provincial authorities, Boyce held talks with provincial legislators on the same issues. Boyce is slated to hold meetings on Tuesday with American missionaries in Irian Jaya and also the rector and officials of Cendrawasih State University. Earlier, Boyce went to Mimika regency in Timika to witness the cultural festival of the Komoro tribe and visit a mining site at Tembagapura. He also visited the grave of Irian Jaya separatist leader Theys Hiyo Eluay. (edt) (The Jakarta Post.com 4/15/02)

Laskar Jihad members start to upset Papuans: Thaha
R.K. Nugroho and Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura/Yogyakarta
Separatist leaders have rejected the presence of the Java-based Laskar Jihad militant group in the troubled province of Papua, which they said had sparked disquiet among local people. At least 200 members of Laskar Jihad arrived in Jayapura six months ago from
Jakarta and have since then been conducting religious activities in at least three regencies, Sorong, Fak Fak and Manokwari, areas which play host to Muslim migrants from other provinces. Ayip Syafruddin, spokesman for the militant group, said on Thursday that the
arrival of its members was so as to expand "the organization's wings" in Papua. "They have set up six regency branches there including ones in Sorong, Jayapura and Manokwari," he told The Jakarta Post in Yogyakarta.

Military has not learnt lessons of E. Timor Analysis
By Marianne Kearney
STRAITS TIMES INDONESIA BUREAU

JAKARTA - Tomorrow, East Timor votes for its first president, taking its final steps towards independence. It is a process that many in the Indonesian elite would probably rather forget but, of course, cannot. Two years after an overwhelming majority voted for independence, many Indonesians maintain the fiction that a majority opposed it. This is part of a cynical attempt by the military to free itself of blame for human rights violations. The performance is primarily for domestic consumption. Beyond this, the military and much of the political elite have not admitted how and why East Timor chose to be independent of Indonesia. Although the military has blamed then-President B.J. Habibie for allowing a referendum, in fact, the only Cabinet member opposed to it in early 1999 was
former foreign minister Ali Alatas. Recent evidence shows the military was confident it could easily 'persuade' the Timorese not to vote for autonomy.

According to Australian intelligence, when Indonesian military leader Zacky Anwar Makarim was told that almost 80 per cent of Timorese had voted for independence, he was incredulous. However, two years on, the Indonesian military has learnt little from the
Timor experience, say analysts. In Aceh, it still believes military operations will ensure that the troubled province remains part of Indonesia. As in Timor, it has failed to see a link between the failure of the military to punish those guilty of abuses, and support for independence or autonomy. There are progressive military figures, like the army deputy chief of staff, General Kiki Syanakri, who admits wiping out the rebel Free Aceh Movement (GAM) is impossible. He understands the importance of political negotiations. But there are also signs that the military still believes its own propaganda. And while there have been moves to introduce concepts of human rights into military and police training, observers say little has changed on the ground. Perhaps the biggest lesson learnt from Timor was that Jakarta should never underestimate the dissatisfaction of Indonesia's outer regions. Now, there is no way Jakarta will allow Aceh or West Papua to hold referenda.
But the vote in Timor and the reaction of the people in Aceh and West Papua
have made Jakarta realise it has to offer more than just rhetoric.

Church leaders demand inquiry into killing of Papuan leader
GENEVA, April 18 (AFP)
The World Council of Churches (WCC) has called for an independent inquiry to look into the killing of an independence leader in the Indonesian region of Irian Jaya. Martin Doolard, of the Geneva-based WCC, told the UN Human Rights Commission that most people in Irian Jaya viewed the death of Theys Eluay as a deliberate act of the state authorities to silence him. He urged the Commission, currently holding its annual six-week
session, to use its influence on the Indonesian government to stop the repression of people in the region and not to suppress their demand to exercise their right to self-determination.
"We also urge the Commission to call on the Indonesian government to establish a credible, legal, independent inquiry team that includes international human rights experts, to investigate the involvement of state institutions in the assassination of Theys Eluay and to bring the perpetrators to justice," Doolard said. Eluay was abducted on November 10 last year and his body was found the following day in his car at the bottom of a ravine. A police coroner concluded that he died of asphyxiation.

The WCC said Jakarta had failed to establish a legally constituted and credible inquiry team to carry out the investigation. Moreover, it said two inquiry commissions had both found the
killing to be an ordinary crime. Inhabitants of Irian Jaya, known locally as Papua, have been
demanding independence since the 1960s following Indonesia's takeover in 1963 on the heels of the departing Dutch colonisers. The WCC is made up of 342 churches in more than 100 countries across the world representing virtually all Chrisian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member of the organisation.

Papuans hold talks on Muslim paramilitaries
JAKARTA, April 18 (AFP) - Religious leaders in Indonesia's Papua province have met regional authorities to discuss the entry of a militant Islamic militia into the mainly Christian province, an official said Thursday. "The governor held talks with leaders of the Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian faiths on Wednesday," said Henke (eds: one name), secretary to Papua Governor Jacobus Solossa. "They discussed the presence of the Laskar Jihad," he told AFP, declining to elaborate. Laskar Jihad was blamed for inflaming the deadly Muslim-Christian conflict in Maluku province after sending thousands of fighters there in May 2000. It also sent fighters to Poso in Central Sulawesi province to help Muslims in battles against Christians. Recent government-brokered peace pacts have ended both conflicts, which cost thousands of lives.

Health officials respond to AIDS threat in Irian Jaya
Markus Mardius, The Jakarta Post, Timika

Some 14 of 168 HIV positive people in Mimika regency, Papua, have contracted the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), according to a local health official. Erens Meokbun, head of the sexually transmitted diseases section at the local health office, told The Jakarta Post most of those infected with AIDS were women who worked as prostitutes in a red-light district near a foreign mining company in Mimika. "All 14 of the AIDS patients are continuing to make visits to the public health center and a hospital in the regency," he said. Erens said that of 154 people in the regency that had tested positive for
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), almost 80 percent showed symptoms of HIV, while the other 20 percent had syphilis or gonorrhea. He said half of those who were HIV positive were Papuans, many of them employed by the mining company.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri seemed to be more comfortable dealing directly with the TNI currently, than with Muslim parties or groups, or even with the former ruling Golkar Party, Arief added. The global war against terrorism waged by the United States had
also helped TNI to regain ground, according to Arief. "The U.S. intention to resume military ties with Indonesia, regardless of the motives, has at least contributed to TNI's
self-confidence building to revive its political role," he said, as quoted by Antara. In a discussion in Jakarta last Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph Boyce, in response to a question on whether the U.S. was interested in resuming military ties with the TNI, answered with a robust, "yes". "But I am hopeful, and I believe, that the ongoing reforms in the TNI, particularly the current ad hoc tribunal process, a test of whether those who are accountable for the atrocities in East Timor in September 1999 will be held accountable, has tremendous promise for unlocking a more normal U.S. approach to its relations with the TNI," Boyce told a discussion on the war against terrorism.

The reform movement, which followed the fall of long-time ruler Soeharto in May 1998, turned the country's political system around to democracy, at the expense of TNI's long-standing sociopolitical role. The military seats in the House of Representatives will be
vacated after the 2004 elections, followed by its seats in the People's Consultative Assembly after 2009. The TNI has claimed to be carrying out internal reform, although it refused to withdraw its troops to barracks immediately. Arief said TNI displayed its past confidence when it appointed Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin as its spokesman. Sjafrie was the
Jakarta Military Commander during the bloody riots and rapes in May 1998 here. Not a single civilian, TNI member or police officer has ever been tried for the May 1998 mass riots, which preceded Soeharto's downfall. Sjafrie was replaced by Maj. Gen. Djaja Suparman two months after the riots and had his career on hold until his appointment as TNI spokesman in February this year. Arief suggested that the general public remain vigilant of the possibility of TNI making a comeback.

Indonesian Military May Threaten Political Unity, BP Gas Investment
By TIMOTHY MAPES
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Western governments, while supporting Indonesia's territorial integrity, are carefully monitoring her efforts. U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph Boyce visited the province earlier this week, after a visit by a delegation of European ambassadors last month. But recent actions by the powerful military -- which operates largely autonomously in Papua, is deeply involved in local businesses such as logging, and has violently suppressed separatist groups in the past -- illustrate how difficult a challenge Ms. Megawati faces. A special commission's investigation into the November murder of Papuan independence leader Theys Eluay has implicated members of an elite military unit, known as Kopassus, in the killing, say officials familiar with the inquiry's findings. The soon-to-be-concluded investigation has produced forensic evidence, including fingerprints, and eyewitness accounts that already have led to the arrest of three Kopassus soldiers formerly based in
Papua's capital, Jayapura, say military officials. Separately, the military in Papua is trying to intervene in one of Indonesia's biggest and most-promising investments: a $2 billion plan by British energy company BP PLC to develop a huge natural-gas project in the
territory.

Last month, Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon, the military commander for Papua, paid an unexpected visit to BP's base camp on Bintuni Bay, accompanied by about a dozen soldiers and their wives and girlfriends. The visitors strolled around the project site brandishing automatic weapons, witnesses say. Their presence "made us uncomfortable. It was at odds with how the camp is normally run," a BP official says. In a meeting, Gen. Simbolon told BP officials that the military has an obligation under Indonesia's constitution to protect national assets such as BP's project. Although BP hopes to prevent the military from assuming control of security for its venture, Gen. Simbolon made it clear that only a ruling
by Ms. Megawati could deter the armed forces from taking charge of security, say BP officials who attended the meeting. The alleged military involvement in the Theys murder is the most sensitive political issue in Papua and Ms. Megawati's thorniest problem. Mr. Theys was the chairman of the Papuan Presidium, the leading advocate of a nonviolent struggle for independence for the territory. He was found strangled in November after he attended a party held by local military commanders. Witnesses told investigators they saw Mr. Theys's car forced to stop on his way home by another car that was later identified as belonging to Kopassus. Mr. Theys's car and body were found the next day in a ravine beyond four military checkpoints that usually prevent civilian cars from passing.

The findings pose a dilemma for Ms. Megawati, who has long maintained cordial ties with Indonesia's military -- an institution that she has praised as the guardian of the nation. Since coming to power in July, Ms. Megawati has tried to get Papuan residents to accept a future within Indonesia by offering the territory more revenue from its natural resources, and by pledging to allow wider scope for statement of Papua's culture. Ethnic Papuans, people of Melanesian descent indigenous to the island of New Guinea and neighboring islands, differ
sharply in culture and religion from most other Indonesians whose ancestry lies in Asia. Papuans are largely Christian, while the vast majority of other Indonesians are Muslims. Unless Ms. Megawati can show that she is prepared not only to punish soldiers directly involved in Mr. Theys's murder, but also to prosecute officers found to have ordered the killing, community leaders in Papua say the president's promises of a new deal for the territory will ring hollow."We need to see that she is committed to this," says Karel Phil Erari, a Papua priest and human-rights campaigner who is a member of the special
commission investigating Mr. Theys's murder. "The people want to know who told Kopassus to kill Theys, and why."

Tom Beanal, the most senior official in the Papuan Presidium after the death of Mr. Theys, says, "If the Indonesian government fails to answer these questions, we would think that Indonesia is not serious in solving the problems in Papua."Few military analysts expect Ms. Megawati will be able to deliver what the Papuans want, however. The Kopassus unit has a reputation for ruthlessness, and has long been deployed in some of Indonesia's hottest trouble spots, including Aceh and formerly Jakarta-controlled East Timor. Its members were
accused of playing a key role in widespread violence against civilians after East Timor voted for independence in August 1999, behavior that prompted the U.S. government to curtail military ties with Indonesia . Although Indonesia is currently conducting trials of a few officers implicated in those atrocities, no senior commanders have been charged."Kopassus is a very powerful and independent unit," says Kusnanto Anggoro, a military expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, who says the unit has considerable autonomy even from Indonesia's military high command. "I'm not sure whether justice will ever be revealed in this case," he says. Indonesia's military commander, Adm. Widodo, has said the three Kopassus men suspected in the Theys murder will be punished severely if convicted.

While less likely to prompt immediate Papuan protests, the military's apparent effort to intervene in BP's gas project, ostensibly to protect it, poses a different kind of problem for Jakarta: It could put an important foreign investment at risk. Aware of the potential dangers of operating in Papua under military "protection," BP had hoped to avoid the problems encountered by companies such as ExxonMobil Corp. in Aceh and Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. in Papua. Both those ventures are guarded by large contingents of Indonesian soldiers who have often clashed with local residents, prompting allegations
of human-rights abuses in Indonesia and abroad. Critics have portrayed the foreign companies as witting or unwitting accomplices to the alleged abuses. BP has hired military and security advisers to develop a "community-based security" program that it hopes will prevent its project from being caught in any future confrontation between soldiers and armed rebels -- a situation that prompted ExxonMobil to close its liquefied-natural-gas plant in Aceh for four months last year. In ExxonMobil's case, human-rights activists have
argued that the company is morally responsible for the alleged torture and killings of civilians by troops based in or around the company's facilities -- charges that ExxonMobil rejects.

BP is now scrambling to show Jakarta that its community-policing plan can ensure the security of the plant -- scheduled to be completed by 2006 -- without the need for a military base on or near the site. "We do not envisage a direct, on-the-ground military presence at the project," says a BP spokesman. A spokesman for Gen. Simbolon declined to comment on his recent visit to the BP site or on the military's view of security requirements in the area. But the military might be difficult for BP to resist, given its past record
of protecting foreign investments in the territory. An official from an environmental organization that works extensively in Papua contends that the military has a history of creating its own "security threats" to justify the need to employ its services. "Right now, there is no security threat at all," he says. "But six months from now, you can be sure there will be." Write to Timothy Mapes at tim.mapes@awsj.com. (The Wall Street Journal 19/4/02)

East Timor won't back separatists
By Mark Baker
East Timorese Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta has ruled out any backing for separatist movements within Indonesia once the country achieves its independence next month. Mr Ramos Horta said freedom fighters in regions including West Papua and Aceh could expect no support or sanctuary from Timorese leaders, who fought for 24 years to win their own struggle against Jakarta's rule. "We can assure our Indonesian neighbours, brothers and sisters, that East Timor is not going to be a haven for anyone in Indonesia who wishes to dismember the Republic of Indonesia," he said. "Our first obligation is our national borders, our national interest, our national security and we have to respect our neighbour. Indonesia is facing enormous challenges within and without and East Timor will be the last piece of real estate in the world that would be offered to anyone to aggravate the situation in Indonesia."

Mr Ramos Horta told journalists during a visit to Singapore that despite the personal sentiments that East Timorese might have, they had to recognise that Indonesia would not tolerate any activities across its border that challenged Jakarta's sovereignty. "There will be no rational-thinking government person in East Timor that would offer a base of support for any group in Indonesia that wishes to secede from Indonesia," he said. He argued that there was no direct comparison between East Timor's fight against Indonesia's 1975 invasion and the claims of separatist groups within Indonesia. Throughout the struggle of the East Timorese, the foundation of their argument for independence was that Indonesia as the successor state of the Dutch East Indies never had a legitimate claim to the former Portuguese colony of East Timor."East Timor was therefore separate from any other claims within the Indonesian Republic. In the 24 years of our struggle . . . we never once said that we support self-determination equally for Aceh or Irian Jaya (Papua)."

Mr Ramos Horta said he was optimistic that Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri would attend the independence celebrations in Dili on May 20, despite opposition within sections of the Indonesian bureaucracy. "She would be honoured by our people and she would show herself to be a stateswoman, and she probably would be the star of the event," he said. Mr Ramos Horta also said East Timor would resist strongly opposition from
within the Association of South-East Asian Nations to the new nation's early admission to the regional grouping.He confirmed that Burma was lobbying against the granting to East Timor of even observer status with ASEAN because of the long-standing support of the
Timorese resistance for the Burmese democracy movement and its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Other ASEAN members are arguing for delayed membership because of the poor state of the Timorese economy. (The Age 26/4/02)