OPM resistance in West Papua highlands - BBC2 Newsnight

By WPNews Jun 17, 2009, 17:31

FREE WEST PAPUA CAMPAIGN www.freewestpapua.org

11th June 2009

Mr Ambassador

When the BBC recently broadcast their special undercover report about West Papua, your embassy gave a statement stating that nobody is immune from prosecution for human rights abuses committed in West Papua. You also claimed that Indonesia is a ‘mature democracy’ that should not be 'judged on old yardsticks'.

The BBC tell us that despite their requests, they have still received no evidence from you to suggest that any members of the Indonesian security forces have been held accountable for human rights abuses committed in West Papua since the occupation began. We also understand that since the program, there have been renewed efforts by the Indonesian security forces to find General Goliath Tabuni and members of the OPM, resulting in the deaths of many Papuan women and children. These reports are currently being investigated by the UK Foreign Office.

Today, in this open letter (of which we are also sending a copy to the BBC, Channel 4 News, the UK Foreign Office, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International), we challenge you to show that your claims that “Indonesia is a mature democracy and should not be judged by old yardsticks” are true. If you fail to respond to this letter then it will be clear that you were lying to the BBC.

We challenge you to explain the following:

Why has there has been no follow-up regarding the shooting dead of tribal leader Opinus Tabuni, who died during an event to commemorate the anniversary of the United Nations indigenous people's day on 9 August 2008 in Wamena?

If Indonesia is a 'democracy' as you so claim (in which freedom of speech and expression should surely be a central facet), then why are people put in prison for 15 years for raising the West Papua flag?

Why are two Papuan men Sebby Sambom and Buchtar Tabuni currently on trial for peacefully supporting the launch of International Parliamentarians for West Papua? Surely if they have done wrong then you should also be seeking the extradition of British politicians who set this parliamentary group up including Andrew Smith, Lembik Opik and Lord Harries.

Why did prison officials refuse food and water to Sebby Sambom, Buchtar Tabuni and several other prisoners for over 3 days in January of this year? What action has been taken to hold the prison officers to account?

In light of the report from Human Rights Watch stating that torture and abuse are widespread at Abepura Prison in Jayapura, what steps are being taken to hold those prison officers to account? Which prison officers will be disciplined for abuse?

Why is the Amnesty International prisoner of conscience Yusak Pakage being held in a narcotics prison and being subject to inhumane levels of torture?

Why has your government expelled the International Committee for the Red Cross from West Papua, and at the same accelerated the build up of troops in the region everyday.

Why are cases of rape, torture, intimidation and killings not acted upon by your government? How can you ever expect the Papuan people to trust your regime after all the suffering you have borne upon us?

It is very much in your interests to make an official response to the questions laid forth in this letter, otherwise it will be clear that you lied to the BBC in your statement on Newsnight, and this will be exposed on future news programs that are currently planning exposes on the reality of life in West Papua and their determination of all Papuans to be free.

We all await your response.

Benny Wenda, West Papua Independence leader Leader of DeMMak and the Koteka Tribal Assembly.

With this film being now made available what kind of support is there available locally to deal with any response to it? That response may take the shape of a backlash from Indo authorities or many more reporters wanting to gain access to the region... the latter may well be welcome should international pressure be successfully raised...

Thanks for your question. First let me begin by stating, I am not the brave activist that obtained this footage.

And that this is not the first time this question has been asked too, so I hope you don't mind if I quote a couple of others in the response here. But first I would like to add some context to my reply.
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The News Report Film
First broadcast in England on HD TV, on: Thursday 12th March and then placed on their website: Friday, 13th March 2009: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/7941787.stm

Us - fPcN interCultural:
has been, in one form or another, for the last 20 years working on the West Papuan issue and for longer on worldwide indigenous tribal matters. We have very often had activist covertly operating and bring out the voices, of the oppressed. Because no official reporting is allowed. We have a long standing relationship with the OPM, right up to the highest level and written authority to speak on there behalf and act on their behalf internationally.
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It is clear any such revealing of identifies, can bring attention to those concerned and that can be a doubled edged sword.

In my experience, in West Papua, they, the OPM are fully aware of this, but they are determined to be heard and fully committed to taking the necessary risks, as their forefathers have, before them.

They are just not prepared to lay down and die and I for one fully support their right to be heard and freedom of expression. If there were not so many, involved denying their true realities, and if the media was not suppressed and banned, perhaps they wouldn't need to be so brave.

We fully support them, their human rights and commend the courageous actions of the activist, respect comrade.

Without such risk taking, many of us would not even know about the horrors inflicted on an innocent people.

So by placing a copy here, is not going to expose those in the film to any more danger, that is my belief. The danger is already present and has been for decades, which is why they are in hiding already.

an fPcN activist

I will close with a quote from Carmel of TAPOL
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 "I am very grateful to have seen your message regarding the BBC
 report. My own reaction on seeing the documentary and
 subsequently seeing the message from Remco was that you must
 surely have sought the permission of the people whose faces
 appeared in the documentary, and moreover that a documentary of
 that kind is very important to give much needed publicity to the
 West Papua's people about whom all too little is known around
 the world.""

 "And thank you for producing the documentary which must clearly
 have you yourself into great personal risks.""

 Carmel Budiardjo, TAPOL
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