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6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia’s West Papua province

Jakarta – An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale struck the eastern Indonesian province of West Papua Friday evening, panicking residents, but there were no immediate reports of injury and damage, meteorologists said.

The quake took place at a depth of 23 kilometres, located about 13 kilometres south-east of Manokwari in West Papua province. It occurred at 6:15 pm Jakarta time (1115 GMT), the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said.

The BMG’s statement say the quake, the latest in a series of jolts to hit Indonesia in recent weeks, did not trigger a tsunami, and there were no immediate reports of injury or structural damage.

Reports from Manokwari said residents ran out of their homes in panic after the earthquake.

Indonesia sits in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a chain of fault lines and volcanoes noted for seismic activity.

On September 30, a magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck West Sumatra, killing more than 1,100 people and injuring hundreds of others.

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By koteka – October 23, 2009

Indonesian soldier wounded in attack at Freeport

Police say a gunman fired on an Indonesian military truck near a U.S.-owned gold mine in eastern Papua province, wounding a soldier.

Chief of Papua police Maj. Gen. Bagus Ekodanto said Thursday the truck was carrying food and supplies to troops deployed near the world’s largest gold mine, operated by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc of Phoenix, Arizona.

A string of attacks near the Grasberg mine since mid-July has left three dead and injured more than 20. The mine is a source of tension in the remote, impoverished region.

Police were searching for the latest attackers, who fled into the jungle Wednesday after shooting the soldier in the leg. His condition was unclear.

The shooting came a day after two mine workers were injured by gunfire nearby.

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By koteka – October 23, 2009

Places to Visit in West Papua

West Papua Tourism Map

West Papua Tourism Map

West Papua is a province of Indonesia on the western end of Papua island. It covers the Bird’s Head (or Doberai) Peninsula and surrounding islands. The province has a population of approximately 800,000, making it one of the least populous of all Indonesian provinces. The capital of West Papua is in Manokwari.

Getting there:

By plane : Batavia Air and Merpati Air serve daily flights to and from Manokwari via Makassar. The Airport is about 7 km from down town. The cab is available in the airport.

Tourism Events=]

Tifa dance, Tari Api (Fire Dance) and Tari Mayai Marowa (Dance to celebrate winning of a war) are the West Papua’s dances which can be seen in a cultural performance.

Places of Interest

Pasir Putih Beach

Pasir Putih Beach. A soft white sandy beach with clear water, beautiful scenery, and gentle breeze makes it a good place for recrea¬tion and swimming. Only 2 kilometers from Manokwari town, this beach can be reached by motorcycle, car, or public transport.

Amban Beach

Amban Beach. Facing the Pacific Ocean, ha¬ving a wave altitude of 2 meters most of the time, this beach is perfect for water skiing and wind surfing. Located five kilometers from Manokwari town, this beach can be accessible by motorcycle, car, or public transport.

Lake Kabori

Lake Kabori Stretching out with beautiful panorama, it is a wonderful place for fishing fresh water fish like goldfish, “mujair” (a kind of fresh water fish), and fresh water cat fish. Situated 20 kilometers from Manokwari town, this lake can be reached by motorcycle, car, or public transport.

Traditional House: Rumah Kaki Seribu

Traditional House: Rumah Kaki Seribu. This house is particularly built by the Arfak ethnic group. Rare and unique in design, this type of house has many pole to support it. It is for this reason that the house is called Rumah Kaki Seribu (House with one thousand feet). Its walls are made of tree barks; its roof is made of coarse grass. This house can still be found in remote places like Kebar and Anggi.

Meja Mountain And Japanese Monument=]

This mountain, looking like a table in the distance, is a preserved and protected area. Still a virgin forest, having enchanting and beautiful panorama, this area is good for hiking, and other similar sporting activities. A monument, called Monumen Jepang, has been erected on this mountain to commemorate the first arrival of the Japanese Army, divisions 221 and 222. Only two kilometers from Manokwari town, this place can accessed by motorcycle or on foot.

Maredred Waterfall

Maredred Waterfall. Located in Pasir Putih village with a beautiful natural panorama, this waterfall has various types of flora and fauna. It is a wonderful bathing place. It can be reached within ten minutes by boat from Fak-Fak town and by walking within two and a half hours following the river bank.

Tubir Seram Island

Tubir Seram Island. Located in front of Fak-Fak town, this island has an amazing and beautiful natural scenery. It has a garden full of many colourful flowers and many types of plants. A monument, called “Perjuangan Merah Putih”, was erected there. A mini museum was also built there to keep artifact of historical values. It is accessible within five minutes from Fak-Fak town by boat.

Mermaid Cagement

Mermaid Cagement. This unique fish is traditionally raised in Webra village. This place can be assessed by various types of vehicles.

Pepera Monument

Pepera Monument. Erected in 1969, and located in the center of the town, this monument commemorates Indonesia’s struggle to have West Papua (the former name of Papua) back. It is located in the center of the town.

World War II Monument

World War II Monument. Built by the Dutch in 1948 in the center of the town, this mo¬nument commemorates the assassination of police officers and other government workers by Japanese Army.

Japanese Army Fortress

Japanese Army Fortress. Built in 1944/1945 and located at the center of Kokas town, this fortress was used as a defense and hi¬ding place for the Japanese Army during the Second World War. It can be reached within four hours by boat from Fak-Fak town.

Pre-historical Hand Palm Picture

Pre-historical Hand Palm Picture. Ancient reddish pictures of hand palm, weapon, and animals on the cliffs of the islands at an average altitude of 10-30 meters from sea level in front of Kokas town.

Sorong

Sorong is a coastal city and regency in Pa¬pua and has some beautiful islands.

Cape Of Cassuwary

Cape Of Cassuwary. It is a beautiful long and clean beach where there are kept plenty of exotic corals. It is also suitable for diving lovers. The distance from Sorong town is 3 km and can be reached by vehicles.

Crocodile Island

Crocodile Island. An island with slightly sloping beach, soft sand and pure water is very suitable for swimming and fishing. It is located 0.5 km across Sorong town and accessible by speed boat.

Kafiau Island

Kafiau Island. An island located in the middle of Dampir Waigeo Straits is very rich of sea biotics. Apart from its scenic nature, it has also an interesting and enchanting sea bottom that is very suitable for diving lo-vers. It is about 1.5 hours to reach by motor boat from Sorong town.

Matan Island

Matan Island. An island with various kinds of trees, soft sands and pure water is a place for bathing and fishing. It is accessile approximately 20 minutes from Sorong town by speed boat.

Klaijili Hot Spring

Klaijili Hot Spring. Here is a hot spring found in Makbon District that is used to cure skin diseases. It is situated 60 km from Sorong town and reachable by vehicles.

The Raja Ampat Islands And Coral Tria-ngle

The Raja Ampat Islands And Coral Tria-ngle. The Raja Ampat, or “Four Kings,” archipelago encompasses more than 9.8 million acres of land and sea off the northwestern tip of Indonesia’s West Papua Province. Located in the Coral Triangle, the heart of the world’s coral reef biodiversity, the seas around Raja Ampat possibly hold the richest variety of species in the world. Four large islands of Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, and Misool, plus hundreds of smaller islands area known as the Bird’s Head functional seascape, which also contains Cenderawasih Bay, the largest marine national park in Indonesia.
Located off the northwest tip of Bird’s Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea, Raja Ampat, or the Four Kings, is an archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands and encompasses more than 9.8 million acres (40,000 km²) of land and sea.
Raja Ampat are the richest in the world. The area’s massive coral colonies show that its reefs are resistant to threats like coral bleaching and disease – threats that now jeopardize the survival of corals around the world. In addition, Raja Ampat’s strong ocean currents sweep coral larvae across the Indian and Pacific Oceans to replenish other reef ecosystems. Raja Ampat’s coral diversity, resilience, and ability to replenish reefs make it a global priority for marine protection. Raja Ampat’s total number of confirmed corals to 537 species (a remarkable 96% of all scleratinia recorded from Indonesia are likely to occur in these islands), and 699 mollusks species, the variety of marine life is staggering. Some areas boast enormous schools of fish and regular sightings of sharks, such as wobbegongs. In Mansuar, it’s highly likely you’ll encounter large groups of manta rays and turtles. From the boat and often close to shore you may get the chance to done your snorkeling gear for some unforgettable interaction with resident pods of dolphins or even some passing whales.
On land, the survey found lush forests, rare plants, limestone outcroppings, and nesting beaches for thousands of sea turtles.

Research Forest

Research Forest This forest with many types of plants is used by the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry of Cenderawasih University for research purposes. Situated seven kilometers from Manokwari town, it is accessible by motorcycle, car, or public transport.

Source HERE

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By koteka – October 22, 2009

Two injured in shooting incident near Freeport mine in Papua

Two people have been injured in another shooting incident at the Freeport gold and copper mine in Indonesia’s Papua province.

The Jakarta Post reports two employees of the US company were shot and wounded yesterday morning near the world’s largest gold mine.

Papua Police say the mine workers were hit when a busload of 60 employees came under fire in the restive Papua province.

It says the victims are in stable condition, with one shot in the thigh and arm, and the other hit in the hand and waist.

In the same area, an Australian, an Indonesian security guard, and a policeman died in ambushes earlier this year.

News Content © Radio New Zealand International
PO Box 123, Wellington, New Zealand

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By koteka – October 22, 2009

Australia bends over for the ‘Indonesia Solution’

by Damien Kingsbury

As we learned from foreign minister Stephen Smith last night, there is now an agreement between the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for Indonesia’s to accept asylum seekers bound for Australia. Move over John Howard’s “Pacific Solution”, and make way for Rudd’s “Indonesia Solution”.

Rudd will take considerable satisfaction from his visit, formally to mark Yudhoyono’s swearing in for a second term, producing what he will no doubt regard as a diplomatic coup.

Australia’s sometimes difficult relations with Indonesia are travelling fairly well at the moment, in large part due to Yudhoyono’s democratic reformist tendencies. That Rudd is also comfortable with regional leaders, and has taken an active interest in Indonesia since at least 1997, further assists the relationship.

Smith hesitated to put a dollar figure on Australia paying for this new arrangement, but there is little doubt that funds will be diverted from existing humanitarian projects to help support Indonesia holding the asylum seekers.

Smith indicated this when he discussed the range of humanitarian projects that Australia currently supports in Indonesia, identifying the government’s new Indonesia Solution as also based on humanitarian principles.

The second “price” issue for Australia will be what diplomatic concessions will have been granted in order to secure Indonesia’s co-operation. In this, there is little doubt that the Lombok Treaty will have been invoked, in particular that part that refers to non-interference in Indonesia’s internal affairs.

For this, read that Australia has been told to butt out of any lingering concerns about the continuing abysmal human rights situation in West Papua and not to accept any further West Papuan refugees. Oh, and the Australian government might want to reconsider its approach to the Australian Federal Police investigation into the 1975 Balibo murders while we’re at it.

Australia, always more than a little obsequious to Indonesia, has prostrated itself even further.

Given that this Indonesia Solution reflects Australia’s much-vaunted humanitarian concerns, as a third issue, one wonders why Smith has put so little effort into the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka, which is pushing so many people into boats.

Not only has the predominantly ethnic Sinhalese Sri Lankan government won the war against its Tamil separatists, it is keeping a quarter of a million Tamils in concentration camps, from which outside access is barred.

The reports that do filter out from the camps tell of regular extrajudicial murders, rape and torture. And then there is the expropriation of tens of thousands of Tamils from their homes. The Palk Straights with India, too, are heavily patrolled, so the Indian Ocean and Australia is the safer option.

In short, the “sailing season” combined with “push” pressures in Australia’s part of the world have led to an increase in asylum seekers getting into boats. Compared to the early 1980s, however, and certainly by current international standards, the number of asylum seekers remains small. This, then, is not an issue of border control or illegal immigration, which is far more taxed at Australia’s airports.

The fourth, domestic political issue, then, is that the motivating factor for this Indonesia Solution is not the government’s supposed humanitarian concerns, but the “dog-whistle politics” of racism in the immigration debate.

Australia’s politicians arguing about who is the toughest on immigration is simply code for who will sink to this lowest common denominator.

Labor promised a more humanitarian approach to asylum seekers. What we now have is just a shift of its geographic focus.

Associate Professor Damien Kingsbury is with the school of International and Political Studies at Deakin University.

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By koteka – October 21, 2009

Two shot in mine ambush

JAKARTA

GUNMEN have shot and wounded two employees of US company Freeport as their bus travelled along a road to the world’s largest gold mine in eastern Indonesia.

The two miners were hit yesterday when the security-escorted bus carrying 60 employees was attacked in restive West Papua province, police spokesman Agus Rianto said. The injured men were in stable condition after being taken to a hospital.

”A group of unidentified men ambushed Freeport’s bus,” said Mr Rianto.

”Police are still searching for the perpetrators who ran into the dense jungle.”

Freeport has been targeted in a string of shootings since mid-July that have left three dead.

On July 11, gunmen using military-issue weapons killed Freeport’s Australian project manager, 29-year-old Melbourne man Drew Grant.

AP

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By koteka – October 21, 2009

WEST PAPUA FROM THE EYES OF A CHILD (poem)

In the innocence of childhood
I saw  pictures

Yustinus Murib, murdered and paraded by the Indonesian Military on Wamena Highway

Yustinus Murib, murdered and paraded by the Indonesian Military on Wamena Highway

Of fathers and children
Much like me and my dad
Of women with bilums
Like grandma and mum
Why do they flee
When the land is theirs?

In the innocence of childhood
I saw  dark haired  strangers
In photos  all in green
Bearing tools of war
With a man just like
My uncle Jimmy
Laying dead at  their feet
Why did they shoot him dead
When the land is his?

In the innocence of  childhood
I listened to ‘Black Brothers’
And big men talk   about  the West
The  land and  it’s troubles
“They kill our people”
I heard them say
They should be free
If we are  free
Why aren’t they?

Now with the childhood past
I understand the pain
The   burning villages
A man shot on his land
I rage within at pictures
Of  those who are  killed
Women like my mum
And men like my dad
Boys like my brothers

Now with childhood past
I understand
Why they  fought  and died
I understand
Why men who looked
So much like uncle Jimmy
Fought the strangers
With  bows and arrows
He fought for his land
He fought for his family\

Source HERE

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By koteka – October 21, 2009

West Papua V – Echoes of the Stone Age

When Heinrich Harrer finally walked into ‘the stone age’ at Jae-Li-Me after a long period of effort and danger from both the extreme environment and some hostile villages he described it as one of the most striking moments of his travelling life.

Not only does it hold the scaffolding together, but rattan also starts the fire. Note the coil on the left side - a lead from this is pulled back and forth fast across a piece of dry wood to set dry leaves on fire.

Not only does it hold the scaffolding together, but rattan also starts the fire. Note the coil on the left side - a lead from this is pulled back and forth fast across a piece of dry wood to set dry leaves on fire.

In a region which has gone from cannibalism to Rolling Stones t-shirts and hundreds of missionary airstrips in a generation it was uncertain what we might find, if anything, once we got to the Jae river region.

In his book, Harrer describes one particular quarry site for stone axes, however the stone axe rock that makes this area so special is actually spread through the Jae valley from an altitude of 900m or more down the mountains to 200-300m in the river valley below. There are at least four villages in the stone axe area, mostly Vano people at higher elevations but Dubre are also present in the river valley.

Life is changing fast for these people, a grass airstrip relatively nearby has recently been extended and the goverment is funding construction of rather incongruous clusters of timber and tile ‘beach bungalow’ like houses to replace traditional huts amongst other projects. In this changing life, while the old knowledge remains, the production of stone axes is becoming a thing of the past, replaced of course by metal blades and other more modern innovations.

During our stay in the region we were fortunate to see how axe stone was quarried in a location near the Jae river as shown in the photostory below. Looking beyond the bermuda shorts now becoming common and the echoes of the famous photographs from Harrer’s first pioneering visit can still be seen. For how long these traditions remain in such a fast changing world and what will in the end replace them in this region at the limits of the modern world remains an open and difficult question.

This was the last post in our series on West Papua. We hope you have enjoyed them and also note that many interesting areas and peoples of Papua have not even entered into our posts – for example the diverse and magnificent birdlife, the rarely visited and beautiful high mountain forests, the famous art of the coastal Asmat region and of course Carstensz Pyramid – one of the ‘Seven Summits’.

Travel in Papua is not like travel in a more developed place, it’s a cliche, but you really must expect the unexpected to an extent, retain a very flexible frame of mind, don’t expect the standards you might in Bali or somewhere similar and try and keep a couple of contingency plans ready. We found having a satellite phone to be very useful in remoter areas.

We travelled with the following:

Dr. Weiglein Expeditionen GmbH, the most established land operator for Papua, especially if you are interested in mountains and tribes of Papua!

Symbiosis Expedition Planning and Sorido Bay Resort (see previous posts) for the underwater section.

We did not have time for specialist bird watching (and you can actually see a lot if you just ask at Sorido Bay Resort) however if you are interested in the birding the two agents we discussed possibilities with were: Like Wijaya at PapuaExpeditions.com and Shita Prativi at PapuaBirdClub.com.

We hope that next time you feel the need for adventure you’ll consider Papua!

N.B. We are disappearing behind the Great Firewall for a few weeks now. We hope to be back again early November for a few days before heading into the depths of Africa…watch out!

SOURCE HERE


Not only does it hold the scaffolding together, but rattan also starts the fire. Note the coil on the left side - a lead from this is pulled back and forth fast across a piece of dry wood to set dry leaves on fire.
Not only does it hold the scaffolding together, but rattan also starts the fire. Note the coil on the left side - a lead from this is pulled back and forth fast across a piece of dry wood to set dry leaves on fire.
The burning leaves are taken to the top of the scaffolding where a fire has been laid on top of a bed of flat stones to insulate the heat from the wooden scaffold below.
The burning leaves are taken to the top of the scaffolding where a fire has been laid on top of a bed of flat stones to insulate the heat from the wooden scaffold below.

The fire is the built up with larger pieces of wood from the surrounding jungle and riverbanks.
The fire is the built up with larger pieces of wood from the surrounding jungle and riverbanks.
The fire is set as close as possible to the rockface as the aim is to heat the rockface so much it cracks and pieces fall off.
The fire is set as close as possible to the rockface as the aim is to heat the rockface so much it cracks and pieces fall off.

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By koteka – October 20, 2009

Colonization of West Papua Indonesia

Colonization of West Papua Indonesia. No data
Sources Human Rights Watch
Link to web-site http://grida.no/publications/vg/forest/
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Designer		 Philippe Rekacewicz assisted by Cecile Marin, Agnes Stienne, Guilio Frigieri, Riccardo Pravettoni, Laura Margueritte and Marion Lecoquierre.
Appears in Vital Forest Graphics
Published 2009
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By koteka – October 20, 2009

Indonesian Freeport Workers Fired Upon

JAKARTA–Two Indonesians working for Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. were injured on Tuesday morning when a bus carrying 60 employees to one of the world’s largest gold mines came under fire from unknown assailants early Tuesday, a company spokesman said.

It was the latest in a string of similar sniper attacks that have hit convoys of workers and security forces guarding a road that runs to the giant Grasberg mine, which is located in the remote mountains of Indonesia’s easternmost Papua province.

Mindo Pangaribuan, a spokesman for the Indonesian unit of Phoenix-based Freeport, said both men were in a stable condition after suffering gun wounds.

Three people – including an Australian – have been killed in attacks on the mine since this summer and other workers and security personnel have been injured. The police arrested a number of alleged Papuan separatists after those attacks but have since said they have yet to conclude their investigations into the attacks. Mr. Pangaribuan declined to comment on the likely source of the violence, citing the ongoing police investigations.

Papuan separatists have been waging a low-level insurgency since Indonesia took over the province from the Netherlands in 1969. The Grasberg mine has, in the past, been a focus of separatist violence.

Some commentators say they believe the shootings may have their roots in disagreements between the army and police over fees paid to protect the mine. Freeport, in U.S. filings, said it paid $8 million in 2008 to Indonesian security forces to defend the mine, mainly for items like housing, food and schooling.

Since the mine began operations in the early 1970s, Indonesia’s army was responsible for security. But in 2004, under efforts to professionalize the army as a national defense force, the responsibility for organizing Freeport’s security was handed to the police. Still, the army plays an ongoing role in the security operations around the mine, Mr. Pangaribuan said.

Write to Tom Wright at tom.wright@wsj.com

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By koteka – October 20, 2009