Papua Press Agency

Kompas 12 January 2009

Plans for 708 West Papuans to return home from Papua New Guinea have been postponed because of a lack of funds to cover the expense of the journey.

According to Sujatmiko, a representative of the Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs, there are altogether about 25,000West Papuans currently living in PNG spread out in ten provinces and they have been there for between 5 and 25 years. Many of them say they left home out of fear of the conflict involving the OPM or because of conflict with migrants (from Indonesia) or for economic reasons. Many of them were border-crossers who had walked across the border because the authorities are not able to control the 700 kms-long border.

Sujatmiko said that they had not been able to enjoy better living conditions, and had in fact become even poorer in PNG.

There have also been reports of the return home from Australia of 43 Papuans. Five of them have been assisted in their return while the other 38 are waiting to return.

LIPI discussion points to marginalisation of the Papuans At a discussion in Jakarta addressed by Muridan Widjojo from the Indonesian Academy of Sciences, LIPI, it was pointed out that a great deal needs to be done by the Indonesian authorities in West Papua to improve conditions there. This included ending the marginalisation of the indigenous people, promoting development activities and dealing with human rights violations, as well as understanding the Papuan people’s
belief in their right to independence. Development meant improving the education facilities, the health facilities and paying attention to the very low level of welfare among the Papuans.

Muridan suggested that the Indonesian government should encourage the National Human Rights Commission to publish a White Paper on the state of human rights, and there should also be a dialogue between the Papuans and the Indonesian authorities.

Another speaker, Yoel Rohrohmana, a Papuan, said that much of the development work going on in Papua failed to do anything about the basic living conditions of the people, in particular their social, economic and security conditions. As a result, the Papuan people were getting even more left behind, which was highly regrettable because the economic and social-cultural potentials of the Papua people were very high

Kompas 12 January 2009

Plans for 708 West Papuans to return home from Papua New Guinea have been postponed because of a lack of funds to cover the expense of the journey.

According to Sujatmiko, a representative of the Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs, there are altogether about 25,000West Papuans currently living in PNG spread out in ten provinces and they have been there for between 5 and 25 years. Many of them say they left home out of fear of the conflict involving the OPM or because of conflict with migrants (from Indonesia) or for economic reasons. Many of them were border-crossers who had walked across the border because the authorities are not able to control the 700 kms-long border.

Sujatmiko said that they had not been able to enjoy better living conditions, and had in fact become even poorer in PNG.

There have also been reports of the return home from Australia of 43 Papuans. Five of them have been assisted in their return while the other 38 are waiting to return.

LIPI discussion points to marginalisation of the Papuans
At a discussion in Jakarta addressed by Muridan Widjojo from the Indonesian Academy of Sciences, LIPI, it was pointed out that a great deal needs to be done by the Indonesian authorities in West Papua to improve conditions there. This included ending the marginalisation of the indigenous people, promoting development activities and dealing with human rights violations, as well as understanding the Papuan people’s belief in their right to independence. Development meant improving the education facilities, the health facilities and paying attention to the very low level of welfare among the Papuans.

Muridan suggested that the Indonesian government should encourage the National Human Rights Commission to publish a White Paper on the state of human rights, and there should also be a dialogue between the Papuans and the Indonesian authorities.

Another speaker, Yoel Rohrohmana, a Papuan, said that much of the development work going on in Papua failed to do anything about the basic living conditions of the people, in particular their social, economic and security conditions. As a result, the Papuan people were getting even more left behind, which was highly regrettable because the economic and social-cultural potentials of the Papua people were very high

Displaced West Papuan Refugee
PO Box 2016
Boroko
NCD
PNG
Phone (675) 6562 677

13 October 2008

Re An urgent Appeal “Fear of Safety”

The information we have reached us unsuspected recently that, the Government of PNG
and Indonesia collaboration in secret plan arrangement to deport us (147) Displaced West Papuan Refugees back to Indonesia. We are currently living under bad conditions, situations and are facing life miserably for the past year, since eviction took place on 24th September 2007. And within that year, we have become victims of Five (5) evictions ever in our lives. Now we have built tents in the rain water drain and are sleeping on the soil with pieces of card board at Rainbow Estate, Meltrust Inc. 9NGO) residential area.

At the same time, UNHCR Regional Representative in Canberra, Mr Richard Towel made
his clear comment through ABC Radio during an interview with Steve Marshall on the
3rd October 2008. In his interview , he rejected our request to resettle in a third
country because of his involvement in the same secret arrangement plan
collaboration. For so long , there is a secret silent war by UNHCR Act towards Black
Refugees of West Papua in PNG and especially us today , whom have become victims of
landless and stateless people.

The above mentioned subject , could you please kindly contact the pressure groups
like International Communities , Humanitarian Organisationa and other international
Organisations Agencies around the world and persuade them to give pressure to both
the UNHCR in Canberra and Port Moresby to do possible things to protect the
suffering of women, children and men of this group to be resettled to a third
country according to the International Guide line of Refugee Procedure. And also
contact the Amnesty International to visit our camp at Meltrust Inc. (NGO), Rainbow
Estate , Gerehu, Port Moresby, and PNG or if possible they could give us Amnesty
Card to protect us from being deported.

And the other request is for legal assistance . If you can find someone to protect
us and then, they can give pressure to UNHCR Canberra and Port Moresby to do the
right thing to resettle us to third country according to the international Law of
Procedures of the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol relating to the statuis of
refugees. So UNHCR cannot tell lies or deny its own obligations to protect the
rights of refugees as Humasn Beings . We are victims of five (5) times evictions ,
stateless and landless people in the pass year and these is an ill-treatment act by
UNHCR and the Government of PNG.

Lastly, for your information that our cases of filling the Family Registration Forms
to be included in the International Quote Program given by UNHCR , Port Moresby.

Thank you for your co-operation , I greatly appreciated.

Regards

Nixon Kafiar