PAPUA -- UPDATE ON BANNED BOOK AND DETAINED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000478

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/ANP, DRL/AWH
NSC FOR E.PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PROP SCUL ID
SUBJECT: PAPUA -- UPDATE ON BANNED BOOK AND DETAINED
ACTIVIST

REF: A. JAKARTA 318

B. JAKARTA 26

JAKARTA 00000478 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Contacts remain angry over a decision by
Indonesian authorities to ban a book by a Papuan author.
Authorities have not arrested the author of the book, which
is strongly anti-Indonesian. The trial of Papuan human
rights lawyer Sabar Iwanggin for "inciting public hatred" is
proceeding slowly. The GOI is clearly taking the wrong tack
on these cases and is not winning any friends in Papua.
Mission continues to note its concern to the GOI. END
SUMMARY.

PAPUAN ANGST


2. (C) A decision by the GOI to ban a book continues to
spark concern in Papua. Although authorities have taken no
action against Sendius Wonda, the author of the banned
anti-Indonesian book, Papuans remain seized with the issue.
(Note: Authorities banned Wonda's book--"The Sinking of the
Melanesian Race: The Political Struggle in West
Papua"--because they alleged it could spark "public unrest."
See ref A.) Papuan academics and journalists have published
a number of commentaries which support Wonda's right to free
expression and which also urge that the ban be lifted,
including several in the Jayapura-based "Cendrawasih Pos,"
Papua's largest-circulation newspaper. So far, authorities
have not taken any action against these other writers.


3. (C) Some Papuans are looking for ways to push the
boundaries of what authorities will allow on this issue, as
Reverend Benny Giay--a well-known Protestant pastor in
Jayapura--explained to poloff on March 5. Giay and other
Papuan intellectuals have formed what they call "the Papuan
Writers' Association" as a direct response to the book ban.
According to Giay, the group is committed to "telling our own
story in our own words."


4. (C) Another member of the group, Jayapura theology
professor Dr. Neles Tebay, outlined the group's plans. He
conceded that Wonda's book lacked academic rigor and that
many of his most sensational allegations--such as the claim
that Indonesian officials had deliberately introduced
HIV/AIDS in Papua to decimate the indigenous population--were
totally unsubstantiated.


5. (C) Tebay claimed, however, that some of Wonda's
assertions, such as the demographic impact of non-Papuan
migration into the region, could be "rigorously proven."
Tebay said he and fellow Papuan writers planned to publish
another book which would repeat some of Wonda's claims, but
back them up with rigorous evidence. This book, he said,
would be represent "a test" of how far the authorities would
allow Papuan intellectuals to go.

TRIAL MOVES FORWARD


6. (C) The trial of Papuan human rights lawyer Sabar
Iwanggin on charges of "inciting public hatred" continues to
move forward in Jayapura. Authorities in Jayapura have
charged Iwanggin on the grounds that he sent SMS messages
that could foment violence between ethnic Papuans and
non-Papuans. His trial began on January 7 (Ref B).
Iwanggin's defense lawyer Aloysius Renwarin told poloff on
March 5 that the trial was proceeding slowly, but without
complications.


7. (C) Several witnesses have given testimony in court that
contradicted their earlier statements regarding the content
of messages they had allegedly received from Iwanggin. This,
according to Renwarin, had helped bolster the defense case
that Iwanggin was completely innocent of all charges. Key
witnesses from the cellular phone company Telkomsel have
failed to appear in court, despite having been summoned three
times.


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8. (C) Iwanggin's legal team reported that they have had
unrestricted access to their client, who remains in custody
in Jayapura. They also report that Iwanggin is being well
treated and receives regular visits from his family.

JAKARTA NOT MAKING FRIENDS


9. (C) Via its actions in both cases--the book ban and
Iwanggin--the Indonesian government is not making any friends
in Papua. Papuans are clearly bridling a bit at the
government's heavy-handedness. Thus, the GOI seems to be
provoking the sort of opposition it wants to squelch.
Mission continues to express its concerns to the GOI about
these cases and how the government is handling them.

HUME