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Showing posts with label Papua. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Papua. Show all posts

Indonesian Police Say Alleged Gang Rape of Teen 'Unforgivable'

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Jakarta Globe, March 03, 2011

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Indonesian police said on Thursday that four officers would be charged over the “unforgivable” gang rape of a 15-year-old girl in Papua province.

The officers, along with three civilians, allegedly took turns raping the girl in a house in Biak city in February, Papua provincial spokesman Wachyono told AFP.

“We have completed our investigations. Some of the suspects confessed to the rape, some didn’t,” he said.

“But we have spoken to witnesses and collected enough evidence to show they were guilty of rape and we’ll be taking the case to court.”

Local media reported that the men locked the teenager in a room and raped her repeatedly over a period of days. She was beaten if she resisted and lost consciousness as a result of the abuse.

“The officers committed a grave wrongdoing, a violation that is unforgivable and uncondonable and deserving of severe punishment. They have sullied the good name of the national police,” Wachyono said.

Police are also investigating the alleged rape of a Papuan women who was forced to give oral sex to officers while she was being held in custody in the Papuan provincial capital of Jayapura.

Three police officers are suspected of raping the married woman on multiple occasions between November and January, while she was being held for alleged gambling.

Local media reported that she had tried to kill herself during the ordeal.

“The victim’s family have lodged a police report so we’re starting criminal charges against the officers,” Wachyono said, adding that the suspects were being “made to stand in the sun” as punishment.

“At the moment, the officers are receiving disciplinary sanction. They are being detained for 21 days, made to stand in the sun and have had their promotions delayed,” he said.

Jayapura city police chief Imam Setiawan resigned on Tuesday over the case, a rare move by a senior officer in a police force that is notorious for corruption and torture of detainees.

Indonesian security forces are frequently accused of rights violations in Papua, which has seen a low-level insurgency by poorly-armed rebels since its incorporation into Indonesia in the 1960s.

Human rights activists and the United Nations say Indonesian police regularly torture and beat suspects in custody, while extortion is rife throughout the country’s prisons.

Agence France-Presse

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Housewives account for most HIV/AIDS cases in Papua: Govt

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The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 01/24/2011

Most of the people reporting HIV/AIDS infections in Papua last year were housewives, accounting for 164 individuals, the government says.

Most of these women had contracted HIV from their husbands, Jayapura AIDS Commission secretary Purnomo said Monday in Sentani as reported by kompas.com reported.

“Their husbands were unfaithful,” he said

Official records show there were 609 people living with HIV/AIDS in Papua last year, comprising 242 men and 367 women.

Up to 164 of the women were housewives, and 102 were sex workers. Of the total, 37 were civil servants, 67 were employees of private companies, 41 were high school and college students and 61 were farmers or blue collar or informal workers.

Twelve of the women were under four years old and 44 were between 15 and 19 years of age, while most (285 of them) were in their 20s; 198 were in their 30s and 55 were in their 40s.

Most HIV/AIDS cases were found in the Sentani district, 126 in East Sentani, 26 in Kauran, 20 in Nimboran and 25 in West Sentani.

Four children had contracted HIV from their mothers, seven from blood transfusions and the rest from sexual intercourse.

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Papua believed to be human traffickers` market : minister

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Antara News, Wednesday, January 5, 2011 

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Women`s Empowerment and Children`s Protection Minister Linda Amalia Sari said here Tuesday there were indications that Papua and West Papua were a human trafficking market.

"There are indications that Papua and West Papua have become a destination for victims of human trafficking ," said Linda who is also executive chairperson of the government`s Human Trafficking Handling and Prevention Task Force in an expose of her ministry`s work programs in 2011.

She said her ministry was making an effort to further investigate the indications and find out the truth. "We are going to folow up the clues on human trafficking victims in Papua," she added.

Based on preliminary data her ministry had received, Papua and West Papua were thriving markets for human traffickers.

"According to preliminary reports, many underage women from other parts of the country have been brought to Papua and West Papua to work as waitresses and possibly as commercial sex workers," she said.

She said she was planning to set up branches of the Human Trafficking Hand;ing and Prevention Task Force in all cities and districts in Papua and West Papua.

At present such Task Force branches already existed in 20 provinces and 70 districts across Indonesia.

"The Task Force`s function is to monitor, discuss problems and obstacles as well as to synergize implementation of prevention and management actions against human trafficking nationally," she said.

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Some 7,324 inmates receive Christmas remission

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Antara News, Saturday, December 25, 2010

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A total of 7,324 inmates throughout Indonesia received a Christmas remission this year, a prison spokesman said.

(ANTARA News/Fanny Octavianus)
Currently, 127,082 people were being jailed in Indonesian prisons, and they consisted of 77,444 inmates and 49,638 detainees, Chandran Lestyono, a spokesman of the Justice and Human Rights Ministry`s Directorate General For Penitentiaries said here Saturday.

Director General For Penitentiaries Untung Sugianto was scheduled to symbolically present the remission in the Christmas celebration 2010 at Bulak Kapal prison, Bekasi, West Java, on Saturday at around 10 am local time.

The recipients of a remission included Schapelle Leigh Corby and Renae Lawrence, both Australian nationals sentenced to 20 years in jail for drug trafficking. They respectively get a remission of 1.5 months.

"We have proposed that Corby and Renae be given Christmas remission as they have met all the requirements, and in fact our proposal has been accepted," Siswanto, the head of Kerobokan jail in Bali said.

Four other foreign prisoners also got Christmas remissions in Bali this year.
At present, 30 foreign inmates and 19 foreign detainees are being jailed in Bali`s biggest prison.

In Papua Province, about 564 of the total of 939 inmates in the province enjoyed the remission in this year`s Christmas celebrations.


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564 inmates in Papua receive remission


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Jayawijaya region rich in medicinal plants

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Antara News, Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - Located at an altitude of 1,900 meters above sea level, Jayawijaya district in Papua province is rich in medicinal plants.

The plants have for thousands of years been known by the Dani tribe in Baliem Valley as effective cures for various kinds of disease.

A lecturer at Santo Thomas Aquinas Agricultural Science College (STIPER). Yunus Paelo, said here on Tuesday a lot of plants in the mountains of Jayawijaya district had medicinal properties that could be developed for the local people`s welfare.

"The Dani ethnic community`s knowledge about the medicinal plants is in line with cultural development in the realm of medication," Yunus said, adding that many of the medicinal plants were endemic and only grew in the Jayawijaya mountain region.

He said among the medicinal plants growing in the region were Rhododendron macgregoriae which is effective to fight bacteria , Myrmecodia aureospinosa that can cure cancer and other diseases, and Pandanus conoideus which is popularly known as red fruit.

About the red fruit, Yunus said each fruit contains 35.9 percent of oil with 79.9 percent of oleic acid, 19.6 percent of palmitoleat acid, and 0.48 percent of stearat acid.

According to him, there were more than 70 kinds of medicinal plants with 62 genera and 37 families in the district.

Most of them were being cultivated by the local people and the rest was still growing in the wild such as Mucuna pruriens for Parkinson;s disease, Solanum nigrum for digestive problems, Rhododendron macgregoriae to fight bacteria, and many more.

Yunus expressed hope that the medicinal plants in Jayawijaya could be conserved, developed, and introduced to the public at large at home and abroad.

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Red Cross Slams Lack of Aid for Wasior Survivors as Death Toll Hits 144

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Jakarta Globe, Banjir Ambarita & Dessy Sagita | October 10, 2010

Aid workers warn that survivors of the flash floods in Wasior, forced to
live in their ruined homes, face the risk of fresh flooding. (Reuters Photo)

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Jakarta. A week after flash floods devastated the town of Wasior in West Papua province, the death toll has reached 144, with another 161 people missing and feared dead.

More than 3,000 residents have been evacuated, but aid workers say the government has overlooked those left behind.

La Abidin, an official from the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), said on Sunday that survivors were forced to seek refuge in damaged homes and buildings because the government has focused more on recovering bodies.

He said the survivors risked death as long as they stayed in the ruined properties, which he warned could be swept away should more floods hit the area.

He also said they are vulnerable to infectious diseases.

“The government should set up proper evacuation camps immediately for these people because not only is it dangerous for them to stay in damaged buildings, but it also makes it difficult for rescuers to work properly,” Abidin said.

He added rescue efforts were suspended on Sunday due to heavy rains, which also hampered the recovery team’s work on Friday.

“We’re afraid there may be more floods because of these rains,” he said. “Nevertheless, the rescue team is standing by, and once the rain lets up, we’ll be back at work.”

Abidin said the priority for rescuers was to clear debris and mud from roads and rivers to allow aid shipments to come in.

DJ Sawaki, head of the Wasior disaster command post, on the other hand said that most areas which have been isolated from the town due to landslides and floods are now accessible.

He added most residents had already been evacuated to the neighboring towns of Manokwari and Nabire.

Meanwhile, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was expected to visit Wasior on Sunday, has postponed the trip to Wednesday at the earliest because he “did not want to get in the way of the evacuation efforts,” presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said.

Julian was quoted by news portal Kompas.com as saying the president had made his decision after meeting with Sjamsul Maarif, the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The relief goods sent by the government arrived in Wasior on board the Navy warship KRI Kalakay on Saturday.

The six-ton consignment which was sent on Friday includes clothes, blankets, instant noodles, biscuits, canned fish, milk and rice.

“The aid had to be sent by sea because the Wasior airstrip is still not fully functional due to the disaster,” Lt. Col. Yayan Sugiana, the spokesman for the Navy’s Eastern Fleet Command, said on Saturday.

“The total aid the president donated was 30 tons, but the Kalakay could only take six.”

He added the rest had been stored in a Navy warehouse and would be taken to Wasior once the Kalakay had returned.

Meanwhile, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, the Health Ministry’s director general for disease control, said previously it was imperative to get all survivors out of Wasior because of the high risk of more flooding and an outbreak of infectious diseases there.

He also said there was very little clean water, while the electricity supply had been cut off.

Tjandra said the ministry had sent several aid shipments to the area, including baby food, body bags and antibiotics.

He added the ministry would disinfect as much of the area as possible to minimize the risk of a disease outbreak.

Agung Laksono, the coordinating minister for people’s welfare, and Salim Segaf Al Jufri, the social affairs minister, visited the area over the weekend and handed over Rp 2 billion in cash for the rescue and recovery effort.

Salim was reported by state news agency Antara as saying the government would also give Rp 4 million each to the families of those killed in the tragedy and would pay the medical costs for all survivors.

Agung also said they would ensure that the emergency response was being handled well.

“We are also concerned about the post-disaster response, such as rehabilitation and reconstruction,” he said, adding that they would check all public facilities such as schools and hospitals.

Additional reporting from Antara

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Wasior refugees flee disaster area

Wasior refugees still flowing to neighboring towns

Govt guarantees enough medical supplies for Wasior

Aid for Papuan Flood Victims Being Sent to Wrong Place, Red Cross Says


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144 soldiers contract HIV/AIDS in Papua

Posted by Aldie at 8:49 AM | 0 comments

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 08/12/2010 9:14 PM | National

As many as 144 soldiers of the Cendrawasih Military Command had been admitted to Jayapura’s Marthen Indey Hospital with HIV/AIDS between January and May this year, hospital management said Thursday.

Hospital director Yenny Purnama said four of the soldiers had died, while the rest were undergoing medical treatment at the hospital or had been transferred to the local branch office of the National AIDS Commission. 

She said that soldiers testing positive to HIV received regular drugs from the hospital and were performing regular duties.

“We don’t want them to be stigmatized as HIV/AIDS carriers,” Yenny said as quoted by Antara.

Statistically, Papua is among the provinces with highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS.  

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Papua political prisoner finally given surgery

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The Jakarta Post, Associated Press, Jakarta | Sat, 07/31/2010 8:55 PM

A high-profile prisoner sentenced to 15 years' jail for raising a banned flag in Indonesia's Papua province returned to prison Saturday after surgery for a potentially life-threatening prostate ailment that had been denied for nearly a year.

Felip Karma, 51, told The Associated Press that many other Papuan separatists held in the easternmost province also urgently need medical care. He reiterated allegations that many had been abused in prisons.

"Many prisoners in Papua have been brutally tortured," said Karma, who returned to the Abepura prison in the city of Jayapura on Saturday.

Candran Listiyono, spokesman for the Directorate General of Prisons in Jakarta, told AP last month he was not aware of any mistreatment of inmates and promised to investigate.

Abepura prison chief Liberti Sintinjak said no inmates have been tortured since he took over in May.

Karma's case - and those of several other high-profile prisoners of conscience in far-flung separatist-torn regions - was highlighted in a 40-page report released last month by New York-based Human Rights Watch.

Karma had been denied medical treatment for the prostate ailment for almost a year. He was granted permission to go to a hospital in the capital, Jakarta, arrived two weeks ago and underwent laser surgery.

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Indonesia deports two French journalists

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Antara News, Wednesday, May 26, 2010 03:11 WIB

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - The Jayapura immigration authorities said two French journalists would be deported to their country through Jakarta on Wednesday.

Head of the Jayapura immigration office Robert Silitonga said Baudoin Koeniag and Carol Helene Lorthiois of Mano Mano TV Arte would be deported because they violated their coverage permits.

The TV journalists were arrested while covering a rally in front of the Papuan legislative building on Tuesday afternoon, he said.

From their questioning, it was revealed that the only journalist who got the news coverage permit was only Baudoin Koeniag.

The permit was issued by the tourism and cultural ministry in Jakarta on April 20, 2010, to cover such areas as Aceh, Jakarta, Bali, Gorontalo, and Sorong (Papua), he said.

Jayapura, the capital of Papuan Province, was not on the list, he said adding that the news reporting permit was given to them to make a documentary film on future Indonesia.

Carol Helene Lorthiois herself entered Indonesia by using a tourism visa. The French nationals would be flown for Jakarta by Garuda Indonesia and later deported, Silitonga said.

Besides being deported, the two French journalists would also be blacklisted, he said.

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In Papua Prisons, Abuse Routine for Political Inmates

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Jakarta Globe, Radot Gurning & M Irham, May 21, 2010

‘When I fell sick they didn’t take me to hospital straight away. They don’t care about us,’ Cosmos Yual said.

Papua. Indonesia is often hailed as the country with the greatest freedom of speech in Asia. But while antigovernment protests are a weekly and colorful norm in Jakarta, it’s a different story in the country’s far eastern tip of Papua.

Free access for foreign journalists is restricted, antigovernment protests are silenced by heavy-handed police and political dissenters are being abused behind bars.

Ferdinand Pakage is one such prisoner, serving his sentence in the Abepura penitentiary in Jayapura. He is blind in his right eye, which he said happened after one of the guards hit him there.

“Two years ago I was hit with a set of keys and I went blind in one eye. Now I get terrible headaches that I have never experienced before and I can only see out of my left eye,” he said.

Pakage is serving 15 years in jail for a murder he says he never committed. He was arrested during antigovernment protests in Abepura. Pakage is now losing his memory and staggers when he walks or stands up.

Despite demands for a full investigation from US-based watchdog Human Rights Watch, the guard, Herbert Toam, accused of carrying out the beating, still works at the prison. And while the prison doctor has recommended Pakage be treated in Jakarta, he has not been allowed to travel.

Cosmos Yual also needs medical attention. He lay shivering on a mat on the floor of his cell in the Doyo prison with just a thin piece of material covering his body.

“I’m in the second stage of tropical malaria. The doctor has just been to see me for the first time since I feel ill,” he said.

Yual said he had been shivering for the last four days. His face was pale, his eyes yellow and he still had a high fever. There was a foul smell his room, apparently emanating from the toilet just one step away from where he lay. He shares his 5-by-7-meter room with six other inmates.

“When I fell sick they didn’t take me to the hospital straight away. They shouldn’t have left me but they did. They don’t care about us,” he said.

While Yual described his treatment, the prison warden and two guards stood watch.

From his occasional glances at the warden it was clear Yual was choosing his words carefully.

“We don’t want violence here. We just want fair treatment. If they [prison guards] have personal problems, they shouldn’t take it out on us,” he said.

Yual was arrested while protesting against the US-owned Freeport mine in Papua, which has been a frequent source of unrest in the province. He was charged with assault and provocation and is now serving six years in prison.

Political dissent is not taken lightly in Papua; those who dare to raise the Morning Star independence flag face up to 20 years in prison.

That’s what happened to Filep Karma. He is serving 15 years at Abepura and has been put on par with Burmese human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi by Amnesty International because he has consistently employed non-violence to promote his cause.

He has been suffering from a bladder infection, but the only help he received was being told by prison officers to lift his legs to ease the pain. He has been waiting for almost a year to be treated in Jakarta, but recommendations for the treatment from the prison’s doctor have so far gone ignored.

The head warden of the Abepura prison, Antonius Ayorbaba, said he didn’t have the funds to send political prisoners to Jakarta for health care.

When these allegations of abuse and neglect reached government officials in Jakarta, however, the reaction was one of shock and denial.

Ridha Saleh, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights, (Komnas HAM), said he was furious.

“I will immediately request information from the head of the Abepura and Doyo prisons and demand they give us full access,” he said.

Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar also said he was shocked by the claims.

“We have not received any reports about any of this,” he said. “In which part of Papua did this happen? Thank you for the information; I will check and recheck it.”

But the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) indicated the neglect and abuse of political prisoners was no accident.

Syamsul Alam investigates violence in Papuan prisons for the group.

“Why hasn’t the government taken any effective steps to fulfil the health rights of prisoners? If they don’t give them the permission to have health treatments and leave them to suffer, then I strongly suspect it is intentional,” he said.

Following a KBR68H radio interview with Patrialis, Antonius was transferred to another prison in what the government said was a routine move.

Meanwhile, the ban against protesting remains in place in Papua.

This article was first broadcast on “Asia Calling,” a regional current affairs program produced by Indonesia’s independent radio news agency KBR68H

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