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INDONESIA-PAPUA-UNREST
Indonesia starts restoring internet access in unrest-hit Papua
JAKARTA, Sept 5, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Indonesia has started restoring internet
access in restive Papua, which has been gripped by two weeks of mass protests
sparked by anger over racism and fresh calls for self-rule.
A low-level insurgency against Indonesian control has simmered for decades
in Papua, the country’s easternmost territory, and Jakarta has responded to
the recent deadly riots by flooding the region with thousands of extra
security personnel.
It also blocked internet access to quell the unrest, and on Wednesday
charged a high-profile rights lawyer over spreading online videos about
deadly riots in the territory.
The government said the block was intended to stop what it described as a
flood of hoaxes and provocative comments about Papuans that were stoking
unrest.
Late Wednesday, the government said it had started lifting the blockade —
slammed by media and free speech advocates — in some 29 of 42 districts
across the mountainous, jungle-covered region.
“The security situation in some areas is recovering and the spread of fake
news and provocative, hateful commentary related to Papua is also declining,”
the communications ministry said.
“The government will keep monitoring developments in areas where data
services are still blocked.”
On Wednesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said
she was “disturbed” by the violence in Papua.
“I encourage the authorities to engage in dialogue with the people of
Papua… on their aspirations and concerns, as well as to restore internet
services and refrain from any excessive use of force,” she said in a
statement.
Indonesia took control of the former Dutch colony in the 1960s after an
independence vote widely seen as being rigged.
Jakarta has refused to discuss fresh calls for an independence vote.
The majority of Papuans are Christian and ethnic Melanesian with few
cultural ties to the rest of Muslim-majority Indonesia.
– Firestorm of protests –
On Wednesday, authorities charged Veronica Koman, a lawyer and Papuan
rights activist, for alleged incitement over a video she shared of the mid-
August arrest and teargassing of dozens of Papuan students, who were also
racially abused.
A firestorm of protests broke across Papua and other parts of the
Southeast Asian archipelago after the arrests in Indonesia’s second-biggest
city Surabaya.
Koman could face six years in jail if convicted.
“These charges are clearly intended to deter others from speaking out
against human rights violations related to Papua,” Amnesty International
said.
Dozens have been arrested for taking part in protests and the government
banned demonstrations that could lead to what it called “anarchist acts”.
Indonesia has also said it is restricting foreigner travel to Papua after
four Australians were deported this week for taking part in demonstrations.
There have been conflicting reports about casualties.
Officially, five civilians and a soldier have been killed, while 15 local
people and two police have been injured since the unrest broke out.
But activists say there have been more civilian deaths, amid unconfirmed
reports that security forces gunned down six protesters in the remote
district of Deiyai last week. The government has denied those claims.
The internet blockade has made it difficult to independently verify
information.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1254 hrs