In
Remotest Indonesia, Unfinished Business
Fear, Distrust, Insurgency Simmer in Papua
Excerpts from Washington Post Foreign
Service
By Ellen
Nakashima
Sunday, June 25, 2006; Page A17
SILIBA, Indonesia -- Here, in the
chilly central highlands of Papua, Yumbologon Wandikbo
wears nothing but an orange-beaded choker and a covering
known as a penis gourd, a custom of his Dani tribe.
"When we get freedom," he said with a hint of
defiance, "I will put on clothes."
Wandikbo, a tall man with a lithe
stride and a touch of gray in his sideburns, paused on a
dirt path near about a dozen huts topped with shaggy
thatch domes. Snorting pigs rooted around muddy trails.
In a free Papua, he said on a crisp, gray afternoon, the
young people will go to school and then find jobs.
A simmering dispute over the status of
Papua, a region absorbed into Indonesia under
controversial circumstances a generation ago, continues
to fuel fear, distrust and a low-level insurgency in this
remote land of ruggedly beautiful mountains and vast
virgin forests on the western half of New Guinea island.
"I have never felt like I was part
of Indonesia," said Jelam Wandikbo, a former Dani
warrior, sitting cross-legged on the ground in a thatched
hut an hour's hike away. This clan elder, with five wives
and 17 children scattered across several villages, is a
former tribal chief of war and a hero for the enemy
tribesmen he killed in his youth. Now, he posts scouts
around his hamlet, but not to fight. "I will run to
the forest," he said, eyes bright, his body still
taut and square-shouldered, "when the government
troops come."
For Indonesia, which declared
independence 60 years ago, Papua is the last major piece
of unfinished business. East Timor, a former province,
claimed independence in a 1999 referendum, although
international troops were called in recently to halt
fighting between the police and armed forces. A three
decade-long separatist uprising in Aceh province ended
with a peace deal last year, given impetus by the
devastating Indian Ocean tsunami. Indonesia insists that
Papua is an integral part of the country, a position that
almost all foreign governments accept, even as some have
expressed concerns over charges that Indonesian security
forces have engaged in human rights violations.
The former Dutch colony, more than
2,000 miles east of Jakarta, has the world's largest gold
mine and second-largest copper mine, owned by
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, a U.S. mining giant.
But the villages here are among the least developed in
Indonesia. Papua has the country's highest poverty level
and the highest concentration of HIV/AIDS. One-third of
Papuan children do not attend school. Nine out of 10
villages do not have a health clinic, doctor or midwife.
(The Grand Valley of the Baliem is a vast and
magnificently tended garden. In it the Dani spend most of
their working lives, and from it they receive abundant
and diverse nourishment. The Dani have names for over
seventy different kinds of sweet potatoes, which are
cultivated in the valley. Certain ones are preferred for
breakfast, others for quick nourishment during work and
others still for more relaxed eating in the evening.
Other vegetables are ginger, taro, cucumber, carrot,
greens and yam. Banana is the only cultivated fruit. It
is grown exclusively in the village gardens, where it
grows tall and tree-like, shading the houses and breaking
the force of winds. Tobacco is grown and cured primarily
by the men, but is smoked by the women as well. Nearly
every adult Dani smokes. Dried tobacco leaves are kneaded
and matted down with the palm of the hand. Then the mass
is rolled up, twisted slightly. Subsequently the roll is
wrapped in banana bark and hung behind the fireplace for
a few days to cure further. It is made into cigarettes
wrapped in one of the various leaves, usually a spurge,
gathered in the forest and dried in presses. Since there
are no seasons in the Baliem, agriculture is a continuous
activity. The Dani are practically free from the kind of
anxiety associated with other less fortunately situated
farming cultures. Insufficient rain, floods or pests,
which for seasonal planters could easily mean starvation,
sometimes occur, but with considerable milder
consequences.
www.frankossen.com)
PRESS
RELEASE 23 FEBRUARY 2006
WORLD'S BIGGEST GOLDMINE SHUT
DOWN AS SOLDIERS GO ON THE RAMPAGE
'My
people urgently need the world's help' says
Papuan tribal leader.
The
Freeport Mine in West Papua - the biggest gold
and copper mine in the world - is today in a
state of chaos, as Indonesia soldiers reportedly
use tear gas and live rounds to attack protesting
tribal people. Reports from inside West Papua
suggest that at least one person may have been
killed.
Last
month, West Papua made the news when a 'lost
valley' containing numerous new species was
discovered. This week, its people are suffering
brutally - it needs to make the news again.
On
Tuesday, paramilitary police used rubber bullets
to disperse local people who were scavenging on
the corporation's tips for waste gold. Since
their land was taken from them by Freeport, such
scavenging has been their only way of making a
living. A crowd of 500 people gathered to
protest, and blockaded the roads to the mine,
shutting down its operations.
Today
the mine remains closed - but reports from inside
West Papua suggest that up to 500 soldiers have
moved in to disperse protesters with tear gas and
live rounds.
Papuan
tribal leader Benny Wenda, who now lives in exile
in Britain, says that urgent action is needed
now, before the situation gets worse.
'The
Freeport Mining Company already has the blood of
my people on its hands', says Benny. 'The company
must take responsibility for all the deaths and
pain it has caused since 1967, and it must
withdraw from our land.'
To
interview Benny Wenda, or for further
information, contact Paul Kingsnorth, Press
Officer, Free West Papua Campaign. 07970 077552. paul@paulkngsnorth.net
Richard
Adkerson
Mr. Adkerson is
President and Chief Executive Officer of
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. He also
serves as Co-Chairman, President and Chief
Executive Officer of McMoRan Exploration Co.
(MMR).
1217 Burgundy
St., NOLA. Ph# 504-529-7508
AND....WELL YOU'D HAVE TO KNOW IT WOULDN'T
YOU?....
RIO TINTO
LONDON (Part owners of Freeport mine)
Rio Tinto plc
6 St James's Square
London
UK, SW1Y 4LD
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7930 2399
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7930 3249
|
The Indonesian government,
citing security concerns, requires foreign journalists
and researchers to obtain special permission to visit
Papua and has seldom granted it in recent years.
A
Crucial Vote
The village pastor, recalled that in
1969 a special vote was held to decide Papua's future.
The vote was sponsored by the United Nations, with U.S.
support. An aunt, now dead, told him the elders were
coerced into choosing to remain with Indonesia, he said.
Studies by academics in the Netherlands and in Britain,
as well as declassified U.S. documents, support her
contention.
Papua does not suffer from a lack of
teachers or schools, but from the unequal distribution of
resources, which flow to the cities at the expense of
remote areas such as the highlands, the World Bank said.
In an effort to redress long-standing
grievances, the government passed a law in 2001 giving
Papua, which is about the size of California, greater
revenue and decision-making power than other provinces.
The government also gives Papua more money per capita
than any other province except East Kalimantan.
In the towns and cities, members of the
educated Papuan elite have tried to work with the central
government to advance special autonomy, which includes
the creation of a people's assembly of ethnic Papuan
tribal, women and religious leaders. But the council has
little clout, and police keep close watch on the leaders
and political activists.
Security forces are battling a small,
separatist insurgency called the Free Papua Movement,
which has tried since the mid-1960s to gain momentum. But
it is scattered, ill-equipped and lacking a central
command, analysts said. Some activists allege that as
many as 100,000 Papuans have been killed since Indonesia
took control of Papua in 1963.Theys Eluay, a charismatic
leader who advocated separatism through peaceful means,
was murdered in November 2001. A military court in 2003
convicted seven soldiers. The longest sentence was 3 1/2
years. A year and a half ago, two men led a peaceful
ceremony to raise the Morning Star flag, the symbol of
Papuan independence. They are serving 10- and 15-year
prison sentences for rebellion.
Interview with Theys
Eluay: Theys spoke with TEMPO Interaktif
reporter, Philipus Parera.
www.tempo.co.id/harian/
wawancara/waw-theys-e.htmlRegarding your meeting with
Gus Dur some time ago
He still opposes our
hoisting of that flag. I am extremely
disappointed. He deceived the Papuan people
and the Papuan Presidium Council. He even
suggested that he understood the flags were a
cultural symbol. He never mentioned that to
us before. We are extremely disappointed with
that statement.
Did Gus Dur really
say that during the meeting?
Yes. Bu we disagree.
I told Mr. President that I reject those
words. That is the official Papuan flag, not
a cultural symbol.
Could you have
misunderstood the presidents statement?
He made the mistake.
That is the flag of the Papuan people. Gus
Dur knows that it is the Papuan flag, and he
never said that it was a cultural symbol. He
never used the word "culture"
before. Therefore, dont try to deceive
the Papuans. I cant accept that kind of
statement.
When you spoke with
Gus Dur about your feelings, how did he react?
He told me that many
sides had attacked him. Well, for us, that is
his business. But dont give it (the
flag) a stigma. Mr. Marsillam Simanjuntak has
called the Morning Star flag a separatist
flag. There is no separatist flag. The flag
is the official flag.
Did Gus Dur say who
was pressuring him?
I dont need to
mention names. Youre supposed to know
the answer. But they definitely dont
come from other countries.
Why has the Papuan
struggle for independence become more difficult?
I dont think
its difficult. Gus Dur doesnt
control Papuan sovereignty. Our sovereignty
is in Gods hands. Therefore, were
certain of victory. Well keep fighting
without resorting to violence. But, if the
government uses force to remove the flags,
our human patience has limits.
We only ask the
Indonesian government not to pretend that
they dont understand our struggle.
Papua has never been Indonesian territory.
The Youth Pledge offers some proof. The Youth
Pledge mentions Jong Sumatera (Sumatra Youth)
and Jong Ambon (Ambon Youth), but the Papuans
had no representative in the Pledge. That is
Indonesian history, not Papuan. Dont
force us to accept the Red and White
(Indonesian) flag or accept the Sabang to
Merauke (a city in southeast Irian Jaya)
sovereign territory claim. It is a fraud that
we will never accept.
What are the opinions
of Papuans?
I was still in
Sorong (when the president made his remarks).
However, Im convinced that the people
shared my feelings. They were angry. The
people, like God, can get angry. The
president deceived us by first permitting the
hoisting of Morning Star flag, then banning
the activity. We support the President. But,
if he changes his mind like that, why should
we support him anymore? Weve always
supported him because we thought he
understood our problems.
Can you comment on
the Wamena problem?
I dont need to
talk about Wamena. Gus Dur already knows. The
impatience of the security forces caused the
problem.
According to you, how
should the unrest in Wamena be handled?
The police should
apologize to the people. They started it.
They knew all along that the Papuan people
have tribal wars and the like. Therefore, I
always say, "Dont play with fire
near gasoline." Thats what
happened in Wamena. The local people can go
to war over women. In this case the police
just arrive and shoot. The police must
apologize. They can attend a customary
ceremony. They can come before the
traditional institutions and request a peace
ceremony.
Have you conveyed
that suggestion to the government and local
security forces?
Why should we do
that? Theres an old saying, "the
land you step on has sky overhead." If
they dont know tradition, they are
wrong.
Are there any other
alternatives to a traditional settlement?
The Wamena case
should be settled legally. The Police Chief
must be dismissed and tried before a military
court. The government must allow the hoisting
of the Morning Star flags. One flag could be
raised in front of the local traditional
chief residences. Furthermore, flags should
also be permitted on the house of the Papuan
Presidium Council Chairman.
Didnt the
President already issue a ban?
Well meet the
Regional Administrative Assembly (Muspida)
again to discuss this matter. You should
remember, if the Papuan flags are removed,
the Wamena incident could reoccur in all
regencies. Removing the flags could incite
all Papuans to attack our non-Papuan
brothers. Dont let this happen. The
government should take care to avoid another
Wamena incident. After we return to Jayapura,
well request that the Assembly tell Mr.
President not to let the Wamena incident
reoccur throughout the province. I am ready
to take the lead.
Therefore, you still
favor raising the flags in certain places?
Yes. Thats the
best way for now. Furthermore, the government
should immediately review the history of the
Papuan flag. Thats the root of the
whole problem. Therefore, well meet Mr.
President once again.
What if he still
doesnt grant permission?
Well, I can assure
you, Papuan hands will not attempt to remove
the flags. If they (the security forces)
remove the flags by force, go ahead.
What about Gus
Durs suggestion to replace the Morning Star
flag with another symbol?
The Papuans will
never replace their flag. They only have one,
the Morning Star flag. Thats final. Let
me say it this way, if the Indonesians were
asked to change their flag from the Red and
White flag to another flag, could they do
that? Gus Dur should answer this question
first. If their flag can be changed, the
Papuan flag can also be changed. This flag is
a national flag, not an ordinary symbol.
But, do the Papuans
really need independence? What about the special
autonomy option?
One result of the
Papuan Congress was the governments
obligation to build and develop their people,
including the Papuans. But, the Papuans have
the right to continue their demands. Freedom
and autonomy are two different issues. If the
government grants us autonomy, go ahead.
Its their obligation. But, we will
never beg them for special autonomy.
Many people say,
after special autonomy is given to the Papuans
their calls for independence will lessen.
The aspiration will
never lessen. Never! Earlier, aspirations for
independence were crushed by the threat of
armed force. The people who openly supported
the Free Papuan Organization (OPM) were
captured and killed. The New Order government
was very brutal. We were powerless. Well,
Suharto has stepped down now and we have
openness. Weve been waiting for this
moment to come. Its not just a matter
of legal problems with Indonesia. We have
different skin and culture. Dont force
us to be like Indonesians. Thats why we
always support the continuation of Papuan
history.
What do you mean?
For example, Papua
has been free since December 1, 1961. We had
the Morning Star flag and Hai Tanaku Papua as
our anthem. We also had the name Papua. At
that time we were still not part of the
Indonesian Republic. We reject the opinion
that weve always been part of the
Indonesian Republic.
Suddenly, we were
taken over by Bung Karno (Indonesian first
president) with his Trikora (Peoples
Three Commands). Indonesia never honored our
sovereign rights. In the first point of the
Trikora statement, Bung Karno ordered the
dissolution of the Papuan "puppet"
nation created by the Dutch. Implicitly, the
statement acknowledged a nation called Papua.
Why has this history never been brought to
the fore?
But, why did the
Dutch surrender Papua to Indonesia at the United
Nations?
As Ive stated
before, our rights have never been
acknowledged. They (the Indonesians) made
that decision abroad without consulting the
Papuans. They changed the name to West Irian.
The Indonesian government took this matter to
the United Nations. In 1962, there was a
debate in the UN between Indonesian and the
Dutch government. Unfortunately, the Papuans
were never involved in the talks. Thats
so odd. Why were other nations deciding
Papuan problems? Indonesia and the
Netherlands violated Papuan human rights. The
UN, particularly the US, was also involved.
The US had interests here.
The United Nations
Secretary-General, U Than, requested Bung
Karno to organize the Asian-African
Conference. The Secretary-General needed
Soekarnos support to maintain his post.
Soekarno asked for a return favor. Indonesia
would get West Irian. The US then urged the
Dutch to surrender West Irian to Indonesia
through the UN. The Dutch had no right to
give Papua to Indonesia. We were already
independent. How come the Dutch and Indonesia
spoke for Papua? For these reasons, the
congress delegated the Papuan Presidium
Council to organize dialogues and lobbying
nationally and internationally.
Where have you
lobbied internationally?
Weve have
already begun lobbying. Some time ago, we
attended the meeting at the UN together with
the Nauru and Vanuatu delegations (two
Pacific Islands nations). The presidents of
those two countries spoke about the Papuan
problem before the UN. One hundred and sixty
national leaders attended that UN meeting.
Are there efforts to
talk with the Dutch?
There will be in
November. We want to ask them why they
didnt declare Papua free in 1961 during
the meeting with Indonesia at the UN session.
Why has the Dutch government remained quiet
all these years? They were historical
witnesses.
We will also meet
the US government. We want to ask on what
basis they created the New York agreement. It
was a US concept. They feared that a
communist movement would enter the Pacific.
Secondly, the US government coveted Papuan
riches. They established the Freeport Mine
Company, didnt they? We have heard
rumors of a travel ban on all members of the
Papuan Presidium Council. Well, if those
rumors are true, no problem. We wont
oppose it.
The government
intends to divide Papua into three
provinces
Not three, 100 is
OK. More important, really, is the return of
the peoples rights. After that, we can
arrange our own rules. Now, they say Papua
still lacks human resources. I want to ask
them something. When Indonesia obtained its
independence, did it have abundant human
resources?
According to rumors,
the government once offered you a certain
position
.
They did. But,
its not the basic problem. Yes rumors
have mentioned that I was offered a certain
position. However, I dont want to talk
about that problem. Thats normal for an
Indonesian citizen. However, if I accepted
the offer, I would have betrayed the
struggle.
Did Gus Dur ever
offer you anything?
He told me a couple
of times that I would make a good governor.
But, I told him that I am too uneducated to
take that job. I never dreamed of that job.
He then said, "I dont need a
clever man to be Papuan Governor. A clever
man might deceive the people. People love Mr.
(Pak) Theys. So, you suit the governor
position." I told him, "Mr.
President, thank you very much for your
offer. Its such an honor. But, I
cant accept it."
He asked me three
times. I thought it was a joke. He once asked
me if I would like to become a Regional
Peoples Consultative Assembly member.
Before that, Akbar Tanjung nominated me as a
member of the House of Representatives (DPR).
At that time, they were called the Golkar
Party. But, I still had the old Golkar card.
If I accepted their offer, it wont be
appropriate.
The House of
Representatives opposes Papuan independence. They
even oppose Gus Durs idea to change the
name "Irian Jaya" to
"Papua"
Which House of
Representatives? We have nothing to do with
the House of Representatives. The Papuans
look to the Papuan Presidium Council, not the
House members. Were a nation, period.
If they dont understand Papuan history,
they should shut their mouths. Many
Indonesian people still dont own
sandals. What do the House members do for
those people? I tell you, Papua is the
"rice plate" of Indonesia.
Dont forget that. Dont be afraid,
well still give donations to Indonesia
after we obtain our independence. We
dont have many people and dont
want to be greedy. We want acknowledgement
and understanding.
What will you do if
the struggle fails?
Well
definitely succeed. This is Gods Path.
All Papuans are praying.
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President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
recently announced that he would issue a decree to ensure
that the $1.4 billion in special autonomy money that
Jakarta sends to Papua is spent wisely, on poverty
relief, health and education.
(Further
notes from www.frankossen.com
Among the Dani, men are creators while women are the
producers. Men conceive and originate; women listen and
follow. By western standards, there is a vast inequality
between the sexes, especially after childhood. Though
industry was evident, in both the male and female worlds,
men pre-emptied all the drama and excitement, while women
are limited to a routine of drudgery. It would be a
mistake to assume that the Dani men do no useful or
routine work. Their hands combine the attributes of
strength and dexterity necessary for the difficult work
of making a new garden, of dredging an old irrigation
canal, of weaving a bracelet from fern fibers or of
knitting long, ceremonial bands from bark string. Large
and powerful men with well deserved reputations as
warriors would sit for hours rolling beaten bark into
string on their thighs, making skirts from Orchid fibers
for their wives. The mens heavy work is eminently
practical. They are the house carpenters, garden makers,
ditch diggers and woodcutters. Such labours seemed to
proceed in individual spurts. Typically a man might spend
an arduous week clearing a ditch in a garden from which
he would later harvest a crop. Then for a week or more he
might do no heavier task than gathering leaves in the
hills for wrapping his small cigarettes.
The
technology of the Dani is one of the simplest on the
world. The tools are made of stone and bone, wood and
bamboo. The raw materials are those of the local
environment: wood, grasses and vines. A few of the more
exotic materials, such as seashells, furs, feathers and
the finest woods, reach the Grand Valley along the native
trade routes. Metals, and even pottery, were unknown to
the Dani, and only for some twenty years has iron begun
to be important in Dani technology. But despite their
primitive tools, the houses and gardens of the Dani are
complex and sophisticated.
No
phenomenon, either real or imagined, is of greater
significance to Dani life than their believe in ghosts.
The logic of their existence rests on the premise that
all happenings are the result of both human and ghostly
instrumentality. Like magnetism or gravity, ghostliness
is not itself visible except through its manifestations.
When a person falls while walking on a muddy path, he
will often say that a ghost made him slip, and though he
might also say that he saw the ghost, he would not claim
that he saw how it had made him fall. The presence of
ghosts is as real to every Dani as the company of his
family and friends. They are powerful, though not
omnipotent in the sense that the living must passively
accept their domination. The Dani do not separate
themselves from ghosts through fear or ignorant
superstition. Still ghosts have certain advantages, which
means that in maintaining good relations with them, one
must employ magic as well as practicality. Without in any
sense being awed by the imagined power of the ghosts, the
Dani sprinkle much of their behaviour with ritual or
magic acts. Within the logic they have developed to
explain such things, the Dani understand that the ghosts
are greedier than they ought to be, and they themselves
are too often willing to neglect their magical duties and
obligations. How else could they explain the repeated
occurrence of sickness, bad weather and, most frequent of
all, a sort of spiritual disease?
The
Dani also have their mythological justification of the
fact of death, with a story in which they recount the
race between a bird and a snake. It tells of a contest,
which decided weather men would be like birds and die, or
be like snakes which shed their skins and have eternal
life. The bird won, and from that time all men, like
birds, must die.
The Dani, as most Papuans, consider
pigs the most important living creatures besides people.
Pigs mean, above all else, wealth and social importance.
To own a large herd is the most desirable of all goals.
Only the possession of several wives is as important and
usually a man who has many pigs will have more than one
wife, for it is pigs which provide men with the economic
and social leverage, that enables him to attract and hold
together a polygamous household. (Approximately half of
the adult men are polygamous.) Whereas the ownership and
use of pigs are almost exclusively a male prerogative,
their care falls most heavily upon women and children. A
man, it would seem, is as must interested in having wives
and children to look after his pigs, as he is in having
the animals, in order to effort wives and children.
Domestic pig meat is the major source of Dani protein,
and pig exchange and feasting form the core of every Dani
ceremony. )
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