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MSG chair denies claims of lack of commitment

Posted by Unknown | Friday, May 27, 2016 | Posted in , , , , , ,

Manasseh Sogavare Photo: RNZI
The chairman of the Melanesian Spearhead Group has denied a media suggestion that he is not committed to the upcoming special leaders' summit.
Manasseh Sogavare, who is also Solomon Islands' prime minister, has singled out the Pacific Islands News Association for an item claiming he would not be attending the upcoming MSG summit.
The suggestion by PINA's item that leaders were not giving serious attention to the MSG summit has been strongly rejected by Mr Sogavare.
The MSG summit, which was originally scheduled for Port Vila at the start of the month, was postponed at the last minute.
This has been attributed from various parties to either a brief period of instability in Solomon Islands politics or the busy schedule for leaders of MSG full members: Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia's FLNKS Kanaks movement.
In the last week or so the summit was re-scheduled for this weekend in Papua New Guinea's capital by PNG prime minister Peter O'Neill.
However the MSG chairman is unable to be in Port Moresby at this time as the Solomons parliament is still in session.
Furthermore, Mr O'Neill is in Japan to attend the G7 summit in PNG's capacity as an outreach country.
Mr Sogavare's office proposed that the MSG summit be held from the 29th of May to the 1st of June.
However, Mr O'Neill reportedly told the MSG Chair that these dates would be unsuitable for PNG due to commitments next week as host of an African, Caribbean and Pacific group summit in Port Moresby around the same time.
The office of the MSG Chair said it would be consulting with leaders on new dates and venue for the special leaders' summit.
However the schedule changes, and uncertainty around the date of the summit, have added to perceptions of disharmony within the MSG.
It remains unclear why the summit venue was shifted from Vanuatu to PNG.
However there has been clear discord over two issues expected to be addressed at the upcoming summit.
One is the MSG chair's well-publicised frustration over Indonesia's response to the MSG's deep concerns about West Papua, a sentiment which other MSG members have echoed.
The other issue is the premature announcement of Fiji diplomat Amena Yauvoli as the new Director General of the MSG, something which PNG and Vanuatu took exception to.
However Mr Sogavare said there was no question as to his and other leaders' commitment to attending the MSG Summit as there were important agendas to be discussed.
These include the motion by Vanuatu for the granting of full MSG membership to the United Liberation Movement of West Papua.

Sumber : http://www.radionz.co.nz/


Asian human rights group condemns ‘illegal arrests’ of Papuans

Posted by Unknown | Tuesday, May 24, 2016 | Posted in , , , , , , , ,

West Papuan protesters with the Morning Star flag ... call for release of 15 arrested at Mimika, Papua. Image: West Papua Media
The Asian Human Rights Commission has condemned the forced dispersal of peaceful Papuan protesters and their illegal arrest in Kampung Bhintuka-SP13 field in Mimika, Timika district, this week.
“We have been informed that 12 protesters were taken into police custody in Kuala Kencana for further investigation and questioning,” the AHRC said in a statement.
“Prior to the protest, the indigenous Papuans had informed the police of their intention to call for an end to rampant human rights violations in Papua.
“Despite this, the police suddenly forcibly dispersed the demonstration, with the claim that one of the protesters called for a referendum in his speech for indigenous Papuans who suffer from rampant violations conducted by the Indonesian security forces.”
The AHRC said it had also learned that the police had warned and intimidated local religious leaders to avoid political activities and speaking about human rights violations and referendums in churches.
“Over the last year, countless cases of forced dissolution of protesters in Papua and West Papua province have been observed. In all of these cases, the police have not taken the responsibility to examine whether or not the use of excessive force was lawful.”
At the same time, civilians did not have effective complaint mechanisms to challenge the police’s use of excessive force and abuse of power, said the AHRC.
Protection obligation
“As state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights with the promulgation of National Law No. 11 of 2005, the Indonesian government is obliged to ensure that the right to freedom of opinion and assembly is protected, as noted in Article 21 of the Covenant:
“The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.”
The government should take the forced dissolution of protests and police excessive use of force seriously, particularly as a National Commission on Human Rights report states that the highest number of human rights violations in Indonesia, including Papua, are conducted by the police, said AHRC.
“Besides the failure of police reform, the government is also failing to evaluate its policy upon Papua and West Papua, despite the protection of indigenous Papuans being a priority of President Joko Widodo’s administration.”
The AHRC noted with concern that the law enforcement agencies and criminal justice system in Papua and West Papua provinces had themselves become part of the problem.
“As a result of the judicial mechanism failing to fulfill the right to justice for indigenous Papuans, Papuan people do not see that their rights are fulfilled and respected in the manner of Indonesian citizens by the government,” said AHRC.
“Rather, the presence of state security forces in the region has led to routine violence and the restriction of their freedom of opinion, assembly and thought.
‘Release all detainees’
“The government of Indonesia should therefore take immediate action to release all detained protesters who took part in peaceful demonstrations, and guarantee that any future peaceful protest is protected by the law and similar violations will not recur.
“The government should further evaluate the presence of the Indonesian security forces in Papua and West Papua province, particularly as the proportion of the forces is not equal to that of the local indigenous Papuans, and far from protection, their presence has only resulted in rampant human rights violations against the Papuans.
“Lastly, the government should be more consistent in implementing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and show its seriousness by enforcing the law based upon fair trial principles.”

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