HIV/AIDS

West Papua Report - January 2010

Submitted by rains on Sun, 01/10/2010 - 13:23

Summary
The police killing of renowned pro-independence leader Kelly Kwalik is reminiscent of the Kopassus murder of Papuan leader Theys Eluay and has prompted calls for an investigation of police conduct. The death of former President Abdurrahman Wahid, whose Presidency was brought to an end by an undemocratic show of force by the military, is widely mourned, especially in West Papua. A formal rendering of the history of Indonesia's annexation of West Papua published by the U. S. State Department is significantly flawed. A Papuan forestry official has warned that Indonesian decentralization/autonomy policies threaten West Papua's forests. A senior Papuan official condemns the Indonesian Government's failure to protect the rights of Papuan women who fall victim to development schemers and their Indonesian military enforcers. West Papua is the epicenter of an HIV/AIDS crisis.

Contents
* Extra-judical Killing of Papuan Patriot Kelly Kwalik
* Former President Abdurahman Wahid, A Friend of Papuans, Couped by The Military, Dies
* U. S. State Department Distorts West Papua's History
* Jakarta's "Autonomy" Policies for West Papua Jeopardizes Papuan Forests
* The Indonesian Government Fails to Protect Papuan Women's Rights
* West Papua Suffers Highest Rate of HIV/AIDS

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West Papua Report - November 2009

Submitted by rains on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 10:57

Summary
*The Indonesian Military (TNI) missed a legislatively imposed deadline to surrender to the civilian government its vast legal and illegal business empire, which includes sometimes rogue business operations in West Papua. Continued attacks on the U. S. gold mining firm Freeport McMoran raises questions about the efficacy of Indonesian security forces and the justice of arrests of Papuans months ago for the attacks. Papuans are pursuing a lawsuit against Freeport McMoran for environmental destruction and human rights violations. Papuan democratic activists face arrest and death threats. President Yudhoyono's new cabinet includes one Papuan and a General with a troubled record in West Papua. Violence targeting Papuans continues in the Central Highlands. HIV/AIDS is epidemic among Papuans due in large measure to the failure of the Indonesian Government to provide adequate health services to Papuans. TAPOL's Carmel Budiardjo published a thoughtful essay that among other issues looks at prospect for a dialogue between the Indonesian Central Government and Papuans.

Contents
* TNI Misses Deadline to Divest Its Business Empire Much of Which Is in West Papua
* Continuing Attacks at Freeport Point to Injustice of July Arrests
* Local Papuans Proceed with Lawsuit against Freeport McMoran
* Papuan Democratic Activists Continue to Face Pressure
* President Yudhoyono's New Cabinet Includes Papuan and a General with Troubling Past in West Papua
* More Violence in The Papuan Central Highlands
* HIV/AIDS Reach "Generalized Epidemic" Stage Among Papuans Bereft Of Government Health Services
* Carmel Budiardjo on "West Papuan Issues and The Prospects for Dialogue"

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