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Letter send by Australian academics to foreign affairs minister on fatal shootings in West Papua

Monday, 13 May, 2013

Senator The Honorary Bob Carr
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Senate
Parliament House
Canberra

RE: the deadly shooting in Papua, Indonesia

Dear Senator,

We, the concerned Australian academics and researchers, raise the issue of the recent deadly shooting in Sorong, Papua (Indonesia). The incident occurred on the night of 30 April 2013 when a joint patrol of the Indonesian police and army shot at a Papuan group who gathered to prepare the 50th anniversary of the transition of power from the UN Temporary Executive Administration (UNTEA) to Indonesia on 1 May 1963.

Two young men were killed on the spot: Mr Abner Malagawak (22) and Mr Thomas Blesia (22). Three others were seriously injured and now are being treated in the local hospital in critical conditions: Ms Salomina Klaibin (42) who sadly died in the hospital on 6 May 2013, Mr Herman Lokmen (18), and Mr Andreas Safisa (24).

This brutal action by the Indonesian security service to their own people not only sparked a domestic public reaction but has prompted the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights to make a public statement.[1] Since this incident is not novel, the latest deadly shooting by the Indonesian state authorities continues highlighting the longest unresolved conflict in our region.

It is our responsibility to protect civilians, particularly in our region, against any state brutality. West Papua is not far away from us. On the contrary, they are literally at our doorstep. Therefore, we appeal to you:

1. To request the Indonesian authorities to hold accountable all those who were involved in the abuse;

2. To publicly support President Yudhoyono's willingness for peace dialogue with Papuans as a way to find a peaceful solution for West Papua in the long term;

3. To raise with the Indonesian authorities the urgency to protect local journalists and human rights workers in monitoring and reporting the human rights conditions in Papua;

4. To support the appeal of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights to have unrestricted access for the UN human rights mechanisms, international human rights organisations, scholars and journalists, to visit Papua.

We thank you for your kind attention.

Signatories

Contact person:

Budi Hernawan,
OFM,
Postdoctoral Research Fellow,
Regulatory Institutions Network,
ANU.
Email: budi.hernawan@anu.edu.au,
Tel. 02-6125 7065

[1] See Pillay concerned about persistent violence and abuses in Papua (Indonesia) <http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13287&LangID=E>

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