Human rights violations continue in Irian Jaya

Human rights violations continue in Irian Jaya

By Yohanis G. Bonay

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): The Universal Declaration of Human
Rights which is now 50 years old is addressed to all nations to
remind them that power is needed only as long as it guarantees
the safety of man.

As a member of the UN, Indonesia is morally bound by the
declaration. Therefore, the Indonesian nation is also obliged to
respect and endeavor to promote the implementation of basic human
rights on a universalist basis.

Each person living in Indonesia must feel free to express him
or herself and be free from the oppression and extortion of all
forms of power.

This freedom is each person's basic right while the exercise
of power is a basic obligation of the state which must guarantee
the protection of its citizens' rights from all forms of
violation either by other citizens or by state officials.

Irian Jaya, Indonesia's easternmost province, is the only one
whose history of integration has been based on the spirit of the
declaration.

The conflict between the Netherlands and Indonesia over New
Guinea's political status ended with the signing of the New York
agreement in 1962 in which both countries agreed to transfer
sovereignty over political status to the Irian Jaya people
through a plebiscite in accordance with international practice.

Irian Jaya came under the United Nations Temporary Executive
Authority (UNTEA). In order to realize the self-determination
principle, the Indonesian government and UNTEA as required in
article XXI of the New York agreement would guarantee the rights
of the Irian Jaya people including the right of freedom of
expression, freedom of movement, and the right to assemble and to
convene.

Here the spirit of the UN Universal Declaration of Human
Rights is clearly recognized. It was based on this spirit that
the process of self-determination brought the Irian Jaya people
into the Republic of Indonesia over nearly 35 years ago.

The experience of the Irian Jaya people in national life
during these 35 years has led them to understand the meaning of
the struggle to maintain human values in an independent state.
This experience has taught them that there is a denial of the UN
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is seen in the
government's policies and their application before and after the
implementation of the people's self-determination (Pepera).

In that period the Irian people have seen injustice, cheating
and engineering at a high level. They also saw the principle of
One Man One Vote replaced by a system in which there were 1,025
people chosen by the Indonesian government. Human rights
violations in Manokwari in 1965, in Paniai in 1969 and in Biak in
1970 left the Irian people powerless.

This very powerlessness of the Irian people in the process
disappointed Ortizanz the UN delegate in the UNTEA period in West
Irian when he said: "I must state my disappointment at the
implementation of article XXI (1962) on the right of freedom of
speech, freedom of movement and freedom to deliberate. Although I
tried hard, these matters were not fully implemented. The system
of administration carried out at the time was one that was very
strict on the population."

After the integration of Irian Jaya into the Republic of
Indonesia, development policies were oriented toward economic
growth. In line with this the government used the security
approach to safeguard stability. The impact of the policy led to
human rights violations in Irian Jaya.

In 1977 social upheavals broke out in Wamena, Agimuga and
Timika. Human rights violations reoccurred in Sarmi in 1986 and
then in PT Freeport Indonesia's operational territory as reported
by the Jayapura diocese in 1995. Attendant human rights
violations happened in Jila, Bela, Alama and Mapanduma as
reported by three churches in the Timika region.

Apart from deaths, injuries to and disappearance of persons,
there were violations of women. A woman from Irian Jaya's
northern coast said she and her fiancee were stripped naked and
forced at gunpoint to copulate in public. They were then
photographed together while naked.

In Jila a woman said she was raped while firearms were
directed at her. Her brother reported the case to the station
commander and was tortured until he fainted.

In Timika in 1994 a woman and her friend were tortured and put
in a detention room full of human excrement for one month and two
days.

In the current reform era human rights conditions have yet to
improve. This year Stepen Suripati, a student of Cendrawasih
State University, was gunned down in front of his campus and
Karolina Onim was shot in front of the STT campus. Another
shooting took place in Biak, resulting in heavy injuries and some
deaths. Some bodies are still missing.

The above cases describe the general situation in Irian Jaya
since 1962.

The spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which
was behind the integration of Irian, and the development policies
have not been able to place the Irian people on a par with other
peoples of Indonesia, because there is no mechanism built by the
state to control the effectiveness of its implementation.

For the purpose there must be continual efforts to promote
harmony. A condition must be created that appreciates and
respects to a higher degree the essence of humanity for each
without regard to social status, race, religion or gender. This
appreciation is voiced not only in words but is realized through
concerns expressed in concrete steps.

The writer is executive director of the Foundation of the
Institute for Human Rights Studies and Advocacy in Irian Jaya.