Page 12 - IB JAN 2017

The Regio

The Region
Indonesia fails media test in West Papua

The

clock A soldier keeps watch over

a religious gathering at
ticks Manokwari, West Papua
Photo: Invictus

JUST five months before Indonesia is set
to host UNESCO’s 2017 celebration of
World Press Freedom Day, its government
still has not met a regional human rights
watchdog’s demands to address press
freedom violations in the country’s restive
West Papua province.
Upon the announcement in July that
UNESCO would mark May 3, 2017 with a
conference in Jakarta, the Pacific Freedom
Forum (PFF) set that date as a deadline
for Indonesia’s government to “ensure
that there is open access to West Papua
for foreign media, and an end to abuses
against local media”.
However, the government has rejected
that demand. In July, the Minister Coun- nah Papua News, say they are forced into Local and foreign journalists have long
sellor at Indonesia’s embassy in New Zea- self-censorship out of fear of persecution. claimed to be the targets of repression for
land, Wanton Saragih, argued that great “My friend [who is a journalist] died covering pro-independence views in West
strides forward in terms of press freedom in 2010,” Wayar said. “He covered ille- Papua and IPI has noted the deaths of two
in West Papua have been made under the gal logging on the border of Papua New journalists in the region this decade.
current administration, including a lift on Guinea and West Papua, and they killed Indonesia’s stance on criticism of its
the ban against foreign journalists. him. Sometimes I’m scared about [the record in the region has been evasive. In
Last year, all foreign journalists’ visa work] that I do.” September at the U.N. General Assembly,
applications to West Papua were report- six Pacific island nations expressed sup-
edly approved, including a request by Human rights violations port for an investigation of human rights
Radio New Zealand International reporter West Papua has been the scene of con- abuses in West Papua by an independent
Johnny Blades. But in an interview with flict since 1963, when Indonesia gained commission.
the International Press Institute (IPI), control of the region on the western half Jakarta responded by asserting Indo-
he described a burdensome application of the island of New Guinea following nesia’s national sovereignty and the U.N.
process that required approval from 12 a vote that pro-independence activists principle of non-interference. One month
different state agencies, including the dismiss as illegitimate. Since then, activ- later, Indonesian Defence Minister Ryam-
military. ists maintain, Indonesian forces have izard Ryacudu asked Australian Foreign
Meanwhile, West Papuan journalists killed more than 500,000 West Papuans Minister Julie Bishop to warn the Solomon
such as Aprila Wayar, who works for and tortured, intimidated and illegally Islands against interfering in Indonesia’s
online news outlets Tabloid Jubi and Ta- detained many more. domestic affairs.

12 Islands Business, January 2017