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Caritas in West Papua SKP network Several negative effects of palm oil plantations position represents a departure from the security- Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has been The SKP network is actively engaged in land have been observed. This includes deforestation, oriented approach in the past. At the same time, supporting the Sekretariat Keadilan Perdamaian rights, environmental justice, and protection of loss of wildlife habitat, land and water pollution, much work is required to ensure that Papuan (SKP) network in West Papua since 2004. The human rights. They have spoken out against violent and malnutrition within indigenous Papuan communities have their voices heard, and can SKP network comprises the Justice and Peace acts on Papuans and human rights abuses on communities due to loss of plants and animals participate in democratic processes that lead to secretariats of the five Catholic dioceses in the peaceful protestors. that they have relied on for food and medicinal improved realities on the ground. two Papuan provinces of Indonesia. This support The network advocates for a peaceful dialogue to purposes for generations. Key in this process is dialogue. The Indonesia has ranged from providing English language tackle West Papua’s problems, and provides a voice What is the position of the church in the face of Bishops Conference has taken a strong stand on and human rights training for staff, to assisting for the voiceless – documenting and speaking out this destruction? Conscious of their responsibilities West Papua. In November 2011, they called for all with strategic coordination within the network to about the consequences when communities lose for justice, peace and the integrity of creation, parties to renounce violence and for the Indonesian increase their ability to act as effective advocates their land and forests. The SKP offices in Jayapura the Indonesian Bishops Conference has actively government to actively engage in dialogue with the and human rights defenders in Papua. and Merauke have produced award winning videos promoted attention on environmental, human and Papuan people. Caritas has built up a meaningful partnership, on the human and environmental impacts, some of economic concerns. During my visit I attended a I was fortunate to meet with a long time facilitated by working with people like Theo van which can be seen at www.papuanvoices.net. conference organised by the Indonesian Bishops campaigner for dialogue and peace, Papuan den Broek, who has lived and worked for more One of the areas where the Franciscan Office of called ‘Revitalising Support for an Ecology that priest Fr. Neles Tebay of Jayapura. Fr. Neles than 35 years in Papua. Caritas supports Theo’s Justice and Peace in Jayapura (SKPKC Jayapura) Benefits Everyone’. This conference brought founded the Papua Peace Network (PPN), which work of mentoring and providing assistance to the works is the Keerom Regency, the hinterland of together public and private sectors, civil society and is campaigning for dialogue with the government, SKP network, and to the Papua Peace Network the capital Jayapura which borders Papua New different religious groups, to recognise and address asking them to acknowledge the complexities of that calls for dialogue as the way to solve Papua’s Guinea in the north. During my visit I travelled to the urgency of tackling these problems together. Papua and devise an inclusive, comprehensive problems. Having a locally-based contact Keerom to see the effects of large-scale palm oil While at the conference, forest fires raged in solution. person has been vital to provide solidarity and a plantations. Sumatra – part of the annual, illegal, slash-and- Fr. Tebay summarised the many concerns meaningful partnership, and keep us abreast of Parts of Keerom have been under plantation for burn process to clear land for plantations. The fires indigenous Papuans have today. First among these developments on the ground. 30 years, one of the longest times in the province. created a diplomatic furore as an intense smoke is the fact that they have become a minority in their There were none of the stories of prosperity haze descended on Singapore, 250 kilometres to own ancestral land and, on current trends, will promised by palm oil companies in evidence in the north. I felt it was poignant that the discomfort form only 17 per cent of the total population by this community. Many families were coerced into of Singaporean residents brought attention from 2030. This dramatic demographic change is mainly signing without proper informed consent. No time the governments of both Indonesian and Singapore being caused by large-scale migration of people limits were specified in the contracts. within a single day, while locals had been fighting from other parts of Indonesia into Papua, attracted As a result, 30 years later, ancestral lands remain for years against the burning of their forests. by the prospect of economic development. This controlled by the companies, and families have migration is pushing indigenous communities more no choice but to labour in plantations for the to the margins. equivalent of around $100 per family per month. Factors such as economic marginalisation, discrimination, and a lack of education, skills or opportunities prevents Papuans from participating fully in the new economy being constructed by migrant businesses, and the mining, forestry, and plantation sectors. There is currently no gain for Theo van den Broek speaking to a stallholder at the Mamamama Marketplace for indigenous Papuan women in them from an economy supplanting their traditional Jayapura. Photo: Nick Borthwick/Caritas. systems. The heavy presence of the military and their Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has also supported involvement in what would usually be civil grassroots Papuan organisation YASANTO since policing responsibilities means that human rights 2005. Working with women’s groups in Merauke, violations continue. ‘The official government YASANTO has enabled them to turn traditional Staff fromfrom Caritas AotearoaAotearoa New Zealand and Caritas TongaTonga position is that Indonesia’s West Papua policy activities such as kitchen gardening, fishing and attending a Caritas Asia-Oceania conference in Singapore has moved from being security-focussed to being embroidery into small sources of family income. experienced the Sumatran smoke haze personally – here they prosperity-focussed. But as human rights violations We are currently going through a final evaluation are with masks to protect themselves. Noely Akib from Keerom makes sago, the staple food, from continue – Papuans are forced to ask – “Prosperity with YASANTO to give them more focus and one of the last sago palms left to her family after other land A mission for dialogue and peace for whom?”,’ says Fr. Tebay. clarity about their future, and an understanding of was taken for oil palm plantations. Noely says a small palm The government of Indonesia has voiced its Papuans also struggle with access to good quality where they have been most effective over the past harvested at the right time provides enough sago for a family commitment to a Papua that is peaceful, prosperous schooling and healthcare, and die more readily five years. of four for 3-5 months. Photo: Nick Borthwick/Caritas. and just. It is true that the government’s present from easily treatable and preventable diseases compared to other parts of the country. network aims to create an understanding of the Through the Papua Peace Network, Fr. Neles is complexity of the situation, and through dialogue, promoting grassroots dialogue so that the fears develop indicators that can be measured and and concerns of all communities and sectors in tracked to show real progress toward peace and Papua can be expressed and discussed openly. The prosperity, at grassroots community level in Papua. Our commitment to West Papua As we look ahead, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is considering the most effective ways to continue our support and solidarity towards indigenous communities in Papua. We will provide ongoing solidarity support to the Papua Peace Network’s efforts toward dialogue, through exchange visits or assisting with English language training. Such solidarity support includes ISSN: 2230-6617 (print) ISSN: 2230-6625 (online) ISSUE 31 raising awareness on West Papua in New Zealand. We will continue supporting the SKP network through such initiatives as social analysis workshops within parishes, or more staff in SKP offices. While staffing resources are limited, they are doing an Standing with West Papua amazing job working towards building their beautiful home Papua, into a true land of peace. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has supported development programmes and advocacy for peace and justice in West Papua for more than a decade. News on West Papua is often diffi cult to obtain. However, Caritas Programmes Offi cer Nick Borthwick journeyed there recently to visit our partners and reports back. West Papua lies 250 kilometres north of Australia, forming the western half of the island of New Guinea (the eastern half being the independent nation of Papua New Guinea). Emerging from 350 years of Dutch colonisation, West Papua became part of Indonesia in 1969 in the disputed ‘Act of Free Choice’. Instead of organising a referendum based on the promised ‘one man, one vote’ system agreed by the international community, Indonesian authorities hand-picked 1,022 West Papuans who signed over control of the region to Indonesia. This troubled history sowed the seeds of problems continuing today, and which have become the background for a heavy military presence, human rights abuses, and severe restrictions on public gatherings. No foreign journalists or independent human rights workers are allowed in the area. Indigenous Papuans have become a minority in their own land, through government transmigration and resettling schemes that provide land and other incentives for Indonesians from elsewhere to migrate to Papua. Indigenous Papuan communities have experienced further alienation from traditional lands by the operations of palm oil enterprises, mining companies including Freeport, gas Br.

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