Jangan Asal Pilih Anggota MRP

JAYAPURA-Adanya desakan agar Majelis Rakyat Papua (MRP) sebagai simbol kultur orang asli Papua, dibubarkan karena dinilai tidak berfungsi dan kini masih jadi perbincangan publik, tanggapi mantan Ketua Komisi F yang membidangi Hukum dan HAM anggota DPRP Ir. Weynand Watory.

Menurutnya, jika tututan masyarakat beranggapan bahwa MRP tidak berfungsi dan diminta dibubarkan, lalulahirnya MRP adalah permintaan siapa? Dan kenapa diberikan lembaga tersebut? Hal ini perlu dipahami oleh masyarakat |Papua, utamanya  bagi yang minta MRP dibubarkan.

“Saya pikir lembaga ini hadir karena tuntutan dan aspirasi rakyat Papua, bukan datang sendiri lalu terbentuk, sehingga masyarakat harus pahami secara baik fungsi dan peranannya selama ini,” ujar salah satu anggota DPRP itu kepada Buntang Papua.di ruang kerjanya Kamis (5/11) kemarin.

 Dikatakan, bagaimana pun ia sangat tidak setuju untuk MRP dibubarkan.

 Kata dia, seharusnya rakyat Papua bangga dan berterima kasih kepada Pemerintah Pusat. Sebab, terbentuknya lembaga MRP hanya satu-satunya di Indonesia, dan lebih khusus terletak berada di Indonesia Timur yaitu Tanah Papua. MRP adalah jantung dan harga diri orang asli Papua sehingga tidak boleh dibubarkan.

 Ir. Weynand yang juga Tim Perumus Otonomi Khusus Papua itu mengatakan, MRP yang dilantik sejak pada 31 Oktober 2005, dimana Manteri Dalam Negeri sebagai denyut jantung dan harga diri roh Undang-undang Otsus berdasarkan No. 21 Tahun 2001 tentang Otsus Papua, ternyata orang beranggapan miring bahwa lembaga tersebut tidak proaktif  menperjuangkan aspirasi rakyat.

 Untuk menjawab hal itu,  MRP bukan dibubarkan, tetapi tahun mendatang pemilihan anggota baru dibenahi, dan mencoba mengusung yang bisa menyusun program yang menyentuh langsung pada rakyat dan penyebarannya. Selain itu juga perlu dilihat dari SDM-nya jangan asal main pilih yang pada  akhirnya tidak tahu peranannya. (ery)

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DPR-RI Dukung Pemekaran Papua

JAYAPURA—Meski pemerintah pusat sudah mengisyaratkan untuk sementara tidak menginjinkan pemekaran, namun bagi Papua soal pemekaran daerah masih memungkinkan terjadi.

Hal itu sebagaimana tersirat dari pernyataan Komisi II DPR-RI. Dimana KOmisi II ini menyatakan mendukung usulan pemekaran wilayan Papua dan Kalimantan, namun sebelumnya harus dilakukan revisi terhadap Undang-Undang Nomor 32 tahun 2008 tentang OTDA, serta Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 78 Tahun 2007 tentang Pemekaran Wilayah.

Ketua Panitia Kerja (Panja) Pemekaran Komisi II DPR-RI Ganjar Pranowo, seusai menemui Guberur Provinsi Papua, di Kantor Gubernur, Kamis (28/10) kemarin, mengatakan DPR RI sudah melalukan study Undang-Undang

Nomor 32 Tahun 2008, kesimpulannnya bahwa Papua dan Kalimantan merupakan wilayah yang masih memungkinkan untuk dilakukan pemekaran.

“Kita sudah membuka file-file undang-undang Otda, memang daerah yang layak dimekarkan itu hanya Papua dan Kalimantan, karena luas wilayahnya,” jelas Ganjar yang juga ketua Tim KOmisi II DPR RI ini.

Namun, lanjut Ganjar, keinginan memekarkan wilayah Papua ini masih terkendala dengan berbagai persyaratan, seperti jumlah penduduk yang masih sangat sedikit, kesiapan penduduk, pengelolaan Sumber Daya Alam

yang minim serta pertimbangan teknis lainnya.

“Namun pemakaran Papua Tidak serta merta, kita meminta diperhitungkan ulang, dari sisi criteria, kalau kemudian mau ditambah provinsi baru di Papua, apakah penduduknya sudah siap apa belum, pengelolaan sudah siap belum, kalau semua sudah siap ya silahkan-silahkan saja,” katanya.

Ia juga mengatakan kalau saat ini DPR RI masih menunggu grand design pemekaran wilayah dari pemerintah, sehingga pemekaran wilayah yang diusulkan daerah itu harus dilakukan secara hati-hati.

“Pemekaran itu keniscyaan, tapi harus hati-hati, nah kahatian-hatian itulah yang perlu kita masukkan dalam revisi UU 32 Tahun 2008,” katanya.

Walapun Ganjar mengakui bahwa Papua masih layak dimekarkan namun hal DPR RI akan sangat berhati-hati soal usualan pemekaran di wilayah Papua, karena pengalaman bahwa Pemekaran wilayah hanya menguntungkan

elite birokrasi, sementara rakyat tetap dalam kemiskinan.

“Satu pertimbangan yang cukup rasional adalah circle birokrasi yakni jangan sampai anggaran yang besar itu masuk ke saku elite birokrasi, tidak sampai ke masyarakat, maka itu DPR RI akan sangat berhati-hati dengan usulan pemekaran,” katanya.

Menyoal sikap DPR RI yang terkesan pro-aktif mendorong pemekaran wilayah tanpa berkoordinasi dengan kepala daerah, langsung ditepisnya.

Ia mengatakan, DPR RI hanyalah lembaga representative, usulan pemekaran datang dari daerah.
“DPR-RI dalam fungsinya adalah fungsi reperesentatif, fungsi perwakilan, karena perwakilan maka kita hanya menunggu saja sebenarnya,” tandasnya. (hen/don)

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Joint written statement at the UN Commission on Human Rights’ 61st Session, Item 9

Document date:  9.03.2006

 Joint written statement at the UN Commission on Human Rights’ 61st Session, Item 9:
Question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the
world, 9 March, 2005
Introduction

Franciscans International, a non-governmental organization in General Consultative
Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), together with other
NGOs in Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, including Catholic Institute
for International Relations, Social Service Agency of the Protestant Church in
Germany, Dominicans for Justice and Peace, Forum Asia, Pax Christi International,
Pax Romana, and the World Council of Churches, in cooperation with the Central
Missionary Board Netherlands, Cordaid, Geneva for Human Rights, ICCO,
Justitia et Pax Netherlands, Kerkinactie, Office for Justice and Peace Jayapura,
Office for Justice and Peace Merauke, Office for Justice and Peace Sorong, and
United Evangelical Mission submit this written communication to the Commission
on Human Rights with regard to the human rights situation – in the areas of
both civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights – in the
Province of Papua, Indonesia. The content refers in particular to the last 12 months
(January 2004-January 2005).

Civil and political rights

We acknowledge the progress made by the government in facilitating the Papuan
people’s right to participate in government and in free elections. Three consecutive
elections, one round of parliamentary and two rounds of presidential elections
have been successfully held in free, fair and secure conditions.

We acknowledge also the fact that more Papuans have become legislators both at
the district and provincial levels. Nonetheless, we noted in Mimika, Jayawijaya,
Manokwari and Nabire, the tendency on the part of some candidates and political
parties to use any means at their disposal to push the Regional Election
Commission (Komisi Pemilihan Umum Daerah/KPUD) to secure their seats in the
district parliaments. Their lack of success does not exonerate their behaviour. This
situation has not only led to continuing political conflict in several districts but
has also prevented the district and provincial parliaments serving the people’s
interests.

In other areas, we are deeply concerned at reports from our partners of the ongoing
practice of torture, arbitrary arrest and detention and displacement reportedly
committed by the security apparatus in spite of the adoption by Indonesia
during the 60th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights of Resolutions
nos 39, 41, 55. The cases of extra-judicial killings reported in the villages of
Mariedi, Bintuni District where BP Tangguh Gas project is located, and in Mulia,
District of Puncak Jaya, also cause us deep concern. In Mariedi, five people were
shot dead by the police and two were injured and charged with treason and membership
of the Free Papua Movement (OPM). These people were in fact asking
for fair compensation for their land rights from the Djayanti timber company. In
Mulia, the situation remains unclear following the killing of a local priest, Elisa
Tabuni, by the security forces that caused displacement, fear and terror. The religious
leaders have repeatedly urged the Provincial Parliament (DPRD) to request
the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights (KOMNAS HAM) to
conduct a thorough investigation but to date, no action has been taken.

Puncak Jaya exemplifies the gravity of the general situation. We must also emphasize
that the human rights situation in Western Wamena has not improved since
the large-scale military operation conducted two years ago.

In the last twelve months, the stigma of separatism is regularly imposed on individuals
or institutions that the security forces consider to be suspicious. The judicial
system has proved its inability to convene fair trials owing to the pervasive
influence of the security apparatus. This was illustrated by the trials of the suspects
of the Wamena case and the Bolakme case where the court tried and sentenced
the suspects to the fullest extent possible, despite weak evidence and irregularities
during the trial.

Human rights defenders in Papua are also under threat. The Institute for Human
Rights and Advocacy (ELSHAM), Aliansi Demokrasi Papua (ALDP), Triton
Foundation and the Office for Justice and Peace Sorong are among those who have
been criminalized or arbitrarily arrested and detained due to their work to protect
and promote human rights in different parts of Papua.

From the many reported human rights cases, to date it is only the Abepura case
of 2000 which has been brought to the Permanent Human Rights Court in
Makassar, having been pending for more than three years in the Attorney General’s
office. Whilst this is progress, it should be noted that the Attorney General
brought only two suspects to trial, whereas Komnas Ham had listed 25 suspects
in its investigation. Moreover, during the legal proceedings, the panel of judges
dismissed the victims’ claim for compensation arguing that such a claim is not
regulated by Law 26/2000 of the Human Rights Court. Therefore, despite
Indonesian support to CHR Resolution 2004/33, we are worried that this court
runs the risk of perpetuating what appears to be an unbreakable cycle of impunity
in Indonesia. We base our concerns upon the fact that ad hoc human rights tribunals
(Tanjung Priok and Timor Leste) eventually acquitted the key perpetrators.
Without strong political will on the part of the new government, the dossiers
of Wasior (13 June, 2001) and Wamena (4 April, 2003), the result of the Komnas
Ham investigation which has been submitted to the Attorney General for prosecution,
seem likely to meet a similar fate.

Economic, social and cultural rights

While we acknowledge the progress made by the new democratically-elected government
in establishing the branch office of Komnas Ham in Papua on 10 January
2005 and the Majelis Rakyat Papua, in fulfillment of the provisions of the Special
Autonomy Law for Papua (Government Regulation 54/2004), the following needs
also to be borne in mind.

Despite the Constitutional Court Decision No. 018/PUU-I/2003 of 11 November,
2004, the conflict of the division of the province continues to exist since the Court
annulled the legal basis of Western Irian Jaya but at the same time recognized
the existence of this particular province along with the Province of Papua. This
confusion around the implementation of the Special Autonomy Law remains unresolved
since the government regulation 54/2004 on the Papuan People’s Council
(Majelis Rakyat Papua/MRP) stipulates that the MRP, the provincial government
and the provincial parliament have to solve the problem in conjunction with the
central government. It does not appear that the central government wants to deal
with the problem.

In spite of the existence of the Special Autonomy Law, Papua remains ranked the
second lowest in the Indonesian Human Development Index of 2004. This is
despite its Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) being ranked the third
highest in Indonesia based upon income from the trading of our rich natural
resources. This situation is no different to the one Papua faced in 1999 prior to
the implementation of the Special Autonomy Law. Among 26 districts and two
municipalities in Papua, Jayawijaya ranks the lowest of all in terms of HDI index
in Papua as well as in the whole of Indonesia. Our partners report that the public
service sector in Jayawijaya is collapsing: specialist doctors have left the city;
public servants, teachers, and local parliamentarians have been on strike in protest
at unpaid wages; and even the business community held a protest to draw attention
to the unpaid debt of the district government. In spite of mass protests in
Wamena calling for justice and appropriate action to remedy the declining situation,
the government’s neglect has persisted.

Given the low rank of HDI, the 2004 UNDP report clearly identifies that available
income is not adequately invested in public services. Our partners are asking
for explanations for this severe neglect. The government admits that corruption is
a major problem in Indonesia and it is part of the new government’s commitment
to combat corruption. However, action undertaken to investigate such allegations
(for example, corruption at the provincial level of Papua, in the Provincial Parliament
of Papua and in the District office of Jayawijaya) is slow in coming.

In relation to the revenues generated from natural resources, we note that the rights
of indigenous peoples to benefit from the income secured are often violated. Conflict
between the indigenous peoples and the business sector is perpetuated by the nonexistence
of a legal framework to protect the indigenous people’s entitlements. In
practice, while the business sector appeals to state law, the indigenous peoples rely
on customary law. This mismatch frequently leads to human rights violations.
Examples are cases in Mariedi-Bintuni (2004) and Assue-Mappi (2004).
It is also common that the business development of these regions leads to the
encouragement of prostitution and growing cases of trafficking in human beings,
especially women and children. This in turn feeds the rapid spread of the HIV/AIDS
pandemic in Papua. A related social problem is the growth of alcoholism that in
turn significantly impacts on the number of cases of violence against women and
children, as well as declining standards of health in general. This situation remains
neglected by the government.

We believe this to be a corrosive and degenerative process that is gradually but
systematically destroying an entire people. There is an urgent need for the government
to put in place locally legal mechanisms, which can guarantee the economic,
social and cultural rights of Papuans. Signing and ratifying without delay
the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, would be a welcome
development in remedying this egregious situation. This would go some way to
beginning the implementation of the Special Autonomy Law 21 of 2001.

Promoting Peace

Our partners in Papua remain passionately committed to building Papua as “a
land of peace – free from violence, oppression and grief”. They acknowledge statements
made by the government and security apparatus stating their willingness
to participate in peace activities such as the commemoration day of 5 February.
They are calling upon State bodies systematically to address the social injustices
and human rights violations of both civil and political, as well as economic, social
and cultural rights.

As non-governmental organizations with partners in Papua, we call upon the
Commission on Human Rights:

1. To urge the Indonesian government to apply a rights-based approach to
development in implementing the Special Autonomy Law;
2. To urge the Indonesian government to protect and respect the rights of
indigenous peoples in Papua;
3. To grant necessary support to the Indonesian government to promote peace
and solve the conflict with recourse to the mechanisms provided by the
Special Autonomy Law;
4. To grant the necessary support to the Indonesian government to uphold
the rule of law, so as to combat both impunity and rampant corruption;
5. To urge the new democratically-elected government to sign and ratify all
key international human rights treaties, especially the two international
covenants on Economic, Social and Cultural rights and Civil and Political
rights;
6. To urge the Indonesian government to fully cooperate in the implementation
of the Special Procedures, by inviting and providing unrestricted
access to places, individuals and communities in Papua and all other parts
of Indonesia to the thematic mechanisms, in particular to those that have
repeatedly requested invitations, but have so far not received permission
to visit, including the Special Rapporteur on torture, Special Representative
of the Secretary General on human rights defenders, and Special Rapporteur
on violence against women, its causes and consequences.

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Lembaga Adat Bantah Terima Dana Besi Bekas

TIMIKA [PAPOS]- Lembaga Musyawarah Adat Suku Kamoro (Lemasko) di Mimika, Papua, membantah menerima dana pengelolaan besi bekas PT Freeport Indonesia.

“Kami sampaikan kepada seluruh masyarakat Kamoro bahwa isu itu tidak benar. Lemasko tidak pernah menerima uang dari PT Freeport maupun pengelola besi bekas,” kata Ketua Lemasko Laurentius Paterpauw di Timika, Rabu.

Ia mengatakan, pengelolaan besi bekas PT Freeport Indonesia ditangani oleh PT Putra Otomona pimpinan Georgerius Okoware selama tiga tahun terakhir dan hingga kini belum ada satu sen pun dari kegiatan itu yang disetor ke Lemasko.

Menurut Paterpauw, sesuai perjanjian dengan PT Freeport Indonesia, pengelolaan besi bekas kegiatan tambang dilakukan oleh Lembaga Musyawarah Adat Suku Amungme dan Lembaga Musyawarah Adat Suku Kamoro.

Sejak 2007 hingga akhir tahun ini, katanya, pengelolaan besi bekas menjadi jatah Lemasko dan perusahaan yang ditunjuk untuk melakukan hal itu yakni PT Putra Otomona.

Selama kurun waktu tiga tahun itu PT Putra Otomona akan mengelola 15 ribu ton besi bekas dimana hingga September 2010 telah dikapalkan sebanyak 8.001 ton besi bekas ke Jakarta. Dari aktivitas itu, katanya, pihak PT Putra Otomona seharusnya memberikan kontribusi ke Lemasko sebesar Rp5 miliar.”Kami sudah melakukan berbagai upaya persuasif dengan pihak PT Putra Otomona, namun hingga sekarang tidak ada tanggapan positif. Jika tidak ada tanggapan baik, Lemasko siap tempuh jalur hukum,” ancam Paterpauw.

Ia menambahkan, dana hasil pengelolaan besi bekas PT Freeport merupakan hak seluruh masyarakat suku Kamoro, bukan hanya dinikmati oleh sekelompok orang-orang tertentu.

Paterpauw menegaskan, sisa besi bekas sebanyak 5.000 ton akan dikelola sendiri oleh Lemasko untuk kepentingan seluruh masyarakat suku Kamoro yang bermukim di wilayah pesisir selatan Mimika mulai dari Potowayburu yang berbatasan dengan Kabupaten Kaimana hingga Otakwa yang berbatasan dengan Kabupaten Asmat.

Besi bekas tambang Freeport selama ini menjadi rebutan banyak pihak di Timika bahkan melibatkan para pejabat teras di Jakarta karena harganya yang cukup menggiurkan dari kisaran Rp1.200 per kilo gram.[bel/ant]

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US calls for Indonesia to improve attitude to West Papua

Updated September 27, 2010 20:37:24

The United States has publicly condemned Indonesia for its treatment of West Papuans. For the first time, the US Congress has held a hearing on the issue, during which it raised concerns about human rights abuses in the province. It also accused Indonesia of failing to grant West Papua the special autonomy it was promised 9 years ago. Helene Hofman spoke to the man who headed the hearing, American Samoa’s Congressman Eni Faleomavaega.

Presenter: Helene Hofman
Speaker: American Samoa’s Congressman, Eni Faleomavaega

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KNPB to continue to press for a referendum – plus comment

Bintang Papua, 30 September 2010

Jayapura: The spokesman  of the Komite Nasional Papua Barat – National Committee of West Papua, Mako Tabuni, speaking at a press conference, said that political dynamics were moving fast at present at a time when calls for a referendum are spreading throughout  Papua. In a democracy, this is an issue that must be accepted by the Indonesian state and the Indonesian people, together with the Papuan people.

The KNPB, as a national medium of the views of the Papuan people will continue to press for a referendum as the final solution to resolve the political status of West Papua, because this can resolve all the problems in Papua and it represents the best possible solution for the Papuan people. Without a referendum, the Papuan people’s problems will never be resolved.

He said that since Indonesia calls itself a democratic state based on the Pancasila, it can surely understand why the Papuan people are calling for a referendum. Many human rights abuses have been committed in the past and have persisted for 48 years, during which time the military forces have directly or indirectly caused great suffering for the Papuan people.

With the issue of a referendum having become so heated, the KNPB will continue to struggle for this demand.

With regard to the hearing held recently (in Washington)  which was attended by a number of Papuan leaders, including the chairman of DAP, Forkorus Yoboisembu, Herman Awom and others,  nothing has been forthcoming from the US suggesting that it does not support a referendum.

Mako Tabuni said that he is still awaiting reports about the activities of Papuans such as Nicolas Messet and Albert Yoku who were also present at the congressional hearing, nor has there been any official report regarding the results of the hearings. [Note: Verbatim reports of all the discussion have been widely circulated.]

Regarding telephone communications that have been reported by irresponsible elements that have been reported by the media in Jayapura to the effect that the issue of referendum has been rejected, these are quite untrue and provocative, because there has been no official announcement from the US Congress to the effect that a referendum is unacceptable.

Even if that were the case, the KNPB and the  Papuan people will continue to struggle for their political demand because this is their right, and it is a matter that cannot be determined by the Indonesian elite.

[Comment:  If the KNBP says that it is waiting for the decision of the US Congress in response to the call for a referendum, this reflects a misunderstanding of how the US congressional hearing mechanism works. The hearing was itself an unprecedented event, the first time that a US congressional body held a public discussion on the question of West Papua. The verbatim reports of the hearing, including all the testimonies and the discussions between the chairman of the Asia-Pacific sub-committee and members of the audience have been widely circulated, as well as the views of the US government. Everything is in the public domain. The US Congress itself cannot be expected to make a statement on an issue that was discussed by one of its sub-committees.

It now depends on organisations like the KNPB which support the call for a referendum in West Papua to translate these documents into Indonesian so that they become widely known in West Papua and Indonesia. By doing this, they can strengthen support for a referendum in Indonesia and internationally while at the same time revealing the strength of feeling about the issue to the Indonesian government. Arguably, the sudden decision of the SBY government to dispatch a large team of ministers to West Papua for the purposes of making an  'evaluation' is a sign that the government is beginning to understand the strength of feeling and support for the West Papuan people's demand.  TAPOL]

US Calls On Indonesia To Advance Papua Autonomy

By Shaun Tandon

WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (AFP) — The United States has called for Indonesia
to move forward on autonomy in its Papua region and insisted it would
not overlook human rights as it seeks broader relations with Jakarta.

Testifying in a first-ever congressional hearing on the long-simmering
conflict, senior US officials pledged to investigate abuse allegations
in Papua but said there was no evidence to back charges of genocide.

Indonesia in 2001 introduced autonomy in Papua — a vast, mineral-rich
province that shares an island with Papua New Guinea — but local
activists say that the law has half-hearted and not improved their
rights.

Joseph Yun, the US deputy assistant secretary of state tasked with
Southeast Asia, said that the United States opposed separatism in
Papua province and neighboring West Papua but supported a more
thorough autonomy.

“If the 2001 Special Autonomy Law can be fully implemented, we believe
that a lot of frustration currently felt by Papuans would decrease,”
Yun said.

“While Indonesia’s overall human rights situation has improved along
with the country’s rapid democratic development, we are concerned by
allegations of human rights violations in Papua and continuously
monitor the situation,” he said.

President Barack Obama’s administration has identified Indonesia as a
priority, believing its size, democratization and moderate brand of
Islam make it an ideal US partner.

In July, the United States resumed military ties with the elite
military unit Kopassus, which was involved in many of the darker
chapters of Indonesia’s past.

Indonesia took over Papua in 1969 and has faced a low-level
insurgency. Human Rights Watch says that Indonesian forces have
pursued indiscriminate sweeps on villages, sometimes killing
civilians, and imprisoned activists for peaceful expression.

The congressional hearing was called by Eni Faleomavaega, who
represents American Samoa and has long taken an interest in Papua. In
an unusual scene for staid Capitol Hill, the congressman invited
Papuans wearing feathered headgear to perform a traditional dance with
drums at the hearing’s onset.

Faleomavaega said he considered Jakarta to be waging “genocide”
against Papuans, who in contrast to most Indonesians are ethnically
Melanesian.

“It is indisputable fact that Indonesia has deliberately and
systematically committed crimes against humanity and has yet to be
held accountable,” he said.

Robert Scher, the deputy assistant secretary of defense in charge of
South and Southeast Asia, said that the United States takes
allegations of human rights violations in Papua “very seriously.”

“However, we have not yet seen any evidence to suggest that the
incidents under discussion are part of a deliberate or systematic
campaign” by Indonesia, Scher said.

Faleomavaega said that he did not blame Indonesian President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono over Papua and voiced support for a US relationship
with the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.

“I sincerely believe that President (Yudhoyono) really wants to reach
out and help the people of Papua. I also fully understand that he is
under constraints — a lot of pressure is coming from other sectors of
the Indonesian community,” he said.

Appearing before the panel, activist Octovianus Mote, president of the
Papua Resource Center, said that the autonomy package was toothless.

“The botton line issue is that civilian officials have failed to
establish meaningful and authoritative control over the unruly armed
forces, which continue to operate with impunity,” he said.

Security tight in West Papua province after protests

17 September 2010 Last updated at 10:16 GMT

By Karishma Vaswani BBC News, Jakarta

Manokwari is one of of Indonesia’s most remote and least developed provinces

Indonesian soldiers are guarding Manokwari, the capital of the country’s eastern province of West Papua, after angry residents protested against the killing of two people by police.

There has long been tension between the province’s indigenous Melanesians and the mainly Indonesian police force.

The restive province has waged a low-level war for independence for decades.

It is one of of Indonesia’s most remote and least developed provinces, despite being rich in natural resources.

A police spokesman in Manokwari told the BBC that the Indonesian army has been deployed to West Papua to help police control the tense situation in the city.

The spokesman said the protests against the police first broke out after a motorist fled the scene of a traffic accident on Wednesday.

High alert

Local residents saw the motorist run into the police station and assumed that he was receiving police protection.

According to the spokesman, the residents started pelting the officers with stones, and he said police had no choice but to fire in to the crowd. Two people died.

But reports from human rights activists in the area tell a different story.

They say that local residents gathered in front of the police station after the accident to urge the motorist to accept responsibility for his actions, and only turned violent after the police refused.

Indonesian police say that the situation is now back to normal, but there is still a high alert in place for the area and they are appealing for calm from Manokwari’s residents.

Human rights groups have long accused Indonesian police of abuses against the local Melanesian population in West Papua.