Forkorus Yaboisembut (left) and three other defendants in the Jayapura District Court. Photo: HRW/AFP

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Pacific Media Watch

The Indonesian government should drop the politically motivated treason charges against five Papuan activists who have been convicted over a peaceful protest and order their release,  says a global human rights group.

Human Rights Watch branded the court judgment as “unjust convictions, while those responsible for the violence go unpunished”.

The District Court in Jayapura, the provincial capital of the West Papuan region, convicted the five men and sentenced them to three years in prison for statements made at a peaceful Papuan People’s Congress in October 2011. The demonstration was brutally suppressed by the authorities, leaving at least three people dead. Read more »

Militant arms burn in a RAMSI police blaze during a 21-day weapons amnesty in 2003. Photo: Brian HartIgan / RAMSI

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Melissa Low

When an Auckland policeman travelled on assignment to the Solomon Islands, he didn’t expect to meet his future wife.

Ian Anderson and his wife Paula are just two of the many New Zealanders who have served with the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

RAMSI involves 15 countries around the Pacific region which aim to rebuild the Solomon Islands through assisting the government with legal and economic advice plus police support. Read more »

Minister for Law and Human Rights Amir Syamsuddin speaking in Jayapura. Photo: Bintang Papua

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By a special correspondent in Jayapura

Demands that have been made by a number of Papuan groups for the unconditional release of West Papuan political prisoners who are now being held in prisons across the country have led to a response from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

However, they would not be granted complete release. The government is prepared to respond if prisoners request clemency or ask for their sentences to be reduced.

The Minister for Law and Human Rights, Amir Syamsuddin, said this when officiating at a ceremony  at the  Governor’s office in Jayapura on Monday. Read more »

Former Race Relations Commissioner Dr Rajen Prasad ... concerned over plans to scrap the office. Photo: Indian Weekender

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Thakur Ranjit Singh

The New Zealand government’s proposal to scrap the Office of Race Relations Commissioner is provoking opposition from minority groups and ethnic organisations.

Late last year, an amendment was introduced into Parliament to drop this office and the role is to be taken over by the Human Rights Commissioner.

Speaking on Radio Tarana on a talkback show, former Race Relations Commissioner and List Labour MP Dr Rajen Prasad said: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” – something that has been working well doesn’t need to be changed. Read more »

Protesters angry about the Indonesian government’s failure to revoke a mining permit burned down the Bima district head’s office in West Nusa Tenggara, Papua. Photo: Rinby / Antara

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Banjir Ambarita in Jayapura

Two district head candidates in Puncak Papua have been named suspects by the police in Indonesia-ruled West Papua for allegedly inciting a political feud that has killed at least 30 people.

Supporters of Elvis Tabuni, the speaker of the Puncak Papua Legislative Council, and Simon Alom, who led the transitional administration when the district was established, have engaged in clashes since July over an election dispute.

Thirteen people were killed in the first clash, while the others died in the sporadic outbreaks of violence that have followed. Read more »

The "president" of West Papua, Forkorus Yaboisembut, at Jayapura District Court. Photo: Jakarta Globe / Antara

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By a special West Papua Media correspondent in Jayapura

Extraordinary scenes occurred at Abepura prison in West Papua on Saturday night when heavily armed police stormed the cells of non-violent Papuan leaders currently on trial for treason.

The heavy handed security sweep was carried out between 9-10 pm and involved three truckloads of armed Dalmas anti-riot paramilitary police; two truckloads of Brimob police, and a detachment of fully armed prison anti-riot officers.

The cells of several West Papuan political prisoners were turned over in the sweep, and all prisoners possessions were removed, including pens, paper, files, books, letters, plates, drinking glasses, cutlery knives, guitars, and music tapes, including lawyer-client privileged communications and defence notes. Read more »

Novelist Charles Dickens ... his characters in the fog of English law exposed oppression. Image: PMC archive

Pacific Scoop:
Analysis – By Yohanes Sulaiman and Phillip Turnbull

Charles Dickens was born 200 years ago and remains one of the most famous English novelists, if for no other reason than that his books have never been out of print. No doubt this is so because his novels appeal to a wide audience.

He achieved this because his work adheres to a simple formula: The author describes an ordinary situation or ordinary people in an extraordinary way, so as to engage people’s imaginations and lead them to identifying, in their own lives, with that situation or that person.

We read Dickens and we know what he is talking about. His scenes and characters are familiar. Read more »

650 Kostrad troops from Battalion 142 being deployed from Palembang to Paniai in West Papua. Photo: West Papua Media

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Nethy Dharma Somba in Jayapura

The repeated shooting incidents in West Papua and the fact that none of the perpetrators has been caught have severely hampered development in the province, according to a local legislator who has called on the police and military to immediately solve the cases.

“The shootings in Papua, especially in Timika and Puncak Jaya, must be immediately stopped to create a conducive climate in the province, so as not to hamper development and create a positive condition to accelerate development,” said Papua Legislative Council speaker John Ibo at the opening of a plenary session in Jayapura.

The shootings, taking place since 2009 at the PT Freeport Indonesia (FI) mining concession area in Timika, Papua, have killed 15 people and injured at least 59 others. Read more »

West Papuan leader Forkorus Yoboisembut at the opening of the "treason" trial in Jayapura on Monday. Photo: SE Asia Times

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By a special correspondent in Jayapura

Five West Papuan leaders who campaigned for independence at a peaceful Papuan People’s Congress last October and have been charged with treason by Indonesian authorities have denied the accusations in a joint statement.

They have also rejected the legality of the treason trial or any similar proceedings.

The five include Forkorus Yaboisembut, who was declared “President of the Federal State of West Papua” at the rally on the outskirts of Jayapura on October 19, when Indonesian security forces opened fire on the crowd, killing up to six people.  Edison G. Waromi, named “Prime Minister” is also among the group. Read more »

The "president" of West Papua, Forkorus Yaboisembut, at Jayapura District Court yesterday. He and four other Papuan prio-independence activists have been charged with treason for raising an outlawed Papuan flag and declaring the region independent. Photo: Jakarta Globe / Antara

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By a special correspondent in Jayapura

An Indonesian court has indicted five Papuan activists for treason for raising an outlawed Papuan flag and declaring the region independent, reports Agence France-Presse.

The men, who led a peaceful pro-independence Papuan People’s Congress celebration attended by 5000 indigenous Papuans on October 19, face life in prison if found guilty.

“The defendants jointly tried to commit treason with the intention of allowing the country or part of the country to fall into the hands of the enemy,” Judge Jack L. Oktovianus at the Jayapura district court said. Read more »