Rights abuses rife in Irian: Report<\/p>\n
By Neles Tebay<\/p>\n
JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Security authorities continued to
\ncommit human rights violations in Irian Jaya in the past year as
\npopular resentment against the central government unfolded in the
\nwake of an upsurge in separatist activities, a rights group and
\nchurches say.<\/p>\n
The local Catholic diocese, the Christian Evangelical Church,
\nIndonesian Bible Camp Church and Institute for Human Rights
\nStudies and Advocacy (IHRSTAD) urged the government on Saturday
\nto set up an independent international team to investigate rights
\nabuses, dating back to last year's fatal shooting in Biak.<\/p>\n
Police and the National Commission on Human Rights reported a
\nman, Ruben Uroboy, 29, was killed in the incident when security
\ntroops opened fire to disperse hundreds of indigenous Irianese
\nwho were hoisting a West Papua Morning Star flag.<\/p>\n
On Friday, a civilian, Daud Edward Waromi, 25, died after he
\nwas shot in the head at Jayapura Port. Three suspects, who are
\nmembers of the Military Police in Sorong, 1,000 kilometers west
\nof here, have been detained at the local Military Police
\nHeadquarters.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the churches and IHRSTAD unveiled new findings in
\nthe Biak case. They claimed that at least eight people died and
\n37 were hurt, with four of them left physically disabled by their
\ninjuries.<\/p>\n
Their joint investigation team also linked the shooting to
\nthe subsequent recovery of 32 bodies from the sea off Biak. Signs
\nof torture were found on the bodies, the team said. One of the
\nbodies was clad in a high school student internal organization
\n(OSIS) uniform and another in attire of the Golkar Party.<\/p>\n
The local military said the bodies were victims of a tsunami
\nin Aitape in Papua New Guinea who drifted the hundreds of miles
\nto Biak.<\/p>\n
IHRSTAD executive director Yohanes Bonay insisted the military
\nexplanation was nonsense.<\/p>\n
"We all know that the tsunami occurred on July 17, 1998, eight
\ndays after the bodies were found. Besides, do Papua New Guineans
\nwear Golkar or Indonesian student group T-shirts?"<\/p>\n
The rights group and churches identified the fatalities as
\nRuben, Fransiskus Delton Gawe, 29, Wilhelminus Rumpaisum, 65,
\nPaulus Mamoribo, 20, and Niko Smass, 24. The other three
\nfatalities were reported by a witness at the local Navy hospital,
\nbut he could not identify them, Bonay said.<\/p>\n
The four organizations also reported that arrests were made of
\nlocals without proper legal procedures.<\/p>\n
Rev. Herman Awom, deputy chairman of the Christian Evangelical
\nChurch Synode, said the findings were unveiled because the
\ngovernment never publicly announced the results of its probe into
\nthe case and any legal measures taken against the shooters.<\/p>\n
Awom said an independent team, involving Amnesty
\nInternational, Human Rights Watch and the governments of
\nIndonesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea, should be formed to
\ninvestigate human rights violations in the country's easternmost
\nprovince due to conflicting versions of reports.<\/p>\n
The list of fatalities also included Steven Suripaty, a
\nstudent who was shot to death on the campus of state Cendrawasih
\nUniversity during a proindependence rally on July 3 last year; a
\nsenior high school student, Roby Young, 19, who was killed by an
\nArmy Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) member following a
\ndispute on June 7, 1999, in Genyem, 100 kilometers west of here;
\nand two people who died of gunshot wounds in unrest which
\nfollowed harsh measures used against locals who hoisted a West
\nPapua flag on July 5, 1999, in Sorong.<\/p>\n
Robby's killer, Pvt. Hadi Prajitno, was sentenced to five
\nyears in jail and dismissed from military service on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Bonay said more Irianese would raise separatist flags to
\nexpress their disappointment with the central government and
\ntheir powerlessness to cope with suffering and the resolution of
\ntheir grievances.<\/p>\n
"The move reflects the people's protest against the
\ngovernment, which they said has never heeded their aspirations."<\/p>\n
Natural resources-rich Irian Jaya has contributed billions of
\ndollars from mining exploration to the country's coffers in the
\npast three decades, but the province's people are rated among the
\npoorest.<\/p>\n
The rights group and churches recommended that the government
\ninitiate dialogs to listen to complaints, difficulties and the
\nhopes of the Irianese instead of relying on repressive measures.<\/p>\n
"Such an approach is the best and most humane way to root the
\nproblems in the province," Bonay said.<\/p>\n
In the conclusion of their joint statement, the institutions
\nurged the government to stop the use of violence, release
\npolitical prisoners linked to the separatist movement and lift
\nthe province's status as a politically volatile territory.<\/p>",
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