http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesia-admits-its-soldiers-appear-in-papuan-torture-video-20101022-16xsk.html
Indonesia admits its soldiers appear in Papuan torture video Tom Allard HERALD CORRESPONDENT October 23, 2010 JAKARTA: Indonesia has admitted that its soldiers were behind the torture of a Papuan man depicted in a disturbing video that emerged this week. The swift admission of culpability in the abuses, which involved the man being repeatedly poked with a fiery stick in his genitalia as he screamed in agony, was the result of a preliminary investigation, the Security Affairs Minister, Djoko Suyanto, said yesterday. ''Based on our preliminary report, we found that soldiers on the ground overreacted in handling those people who had been arrested,'' Mr Suyanto told reporters. ''What they did was unprofessional.'' The video, posted on the YouTube website but obtained independently and exclusively revealed on Monday by the Herald, sparked a storm of criticism abroad and in Indonesia. It was taken by an Indonesian soldier, his hand steady as the abuses were carried out. Metadata from the video indicated that it was taken on May 30. The victims were speaking in the Papuan dialect of Lani, common in Puncak Jaya regency of Papua. In the video, the man, since identified as Tunaliwor Kiwo, also has a gun pointed in his face and is told he will be shot, while another terrified Papuan man nearby, believed to be Telangga Gire, has a knife placed at his throat and is told it will be cut. The soldiers are searching for a cache of weapons. Reports from Papua say Mr Gire is in hiding, while Mr Kiwo has not been seen since the video was taken. The video was discussed at a gathering of ministers yesterday convened by the President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Mr Suyanto said the soldiers would be punished ''according to military regulations''. ''It has attracted public and world attention. We'll settle it properly,'' he said. But Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said Indonesia's military justice system had a poor record in meting out appropriate sentences to security personnel who have committed abuses. ''All those responsible for what appears to be a horrific crime need to be brought to justice, and the public needs to see that justice is done,'' he said. ''It's hard to tell what's more shocking about the video - the horrific abuses depicted or the perpetrators' apparent confidence that their actions are acceptable.'' The scandal over the torture video comes after several months of disturbing reports trickling in from Puncak Jaya, an inaccessible Highland region of Papua where villages are scattered among soaring mountains of more than 4000 metres. It is here, in the shadow of the world's only tropical glacier, that the most dogged of the rag-tag units of the Free Papua Movement. They are poorly trained and equipped farmers in the main, but expert in using the terrain and hiding among a supportive local population, staging sporadic attacks on security posts, stealing weapons and, occasionally, shooting and killing soldiers and police. In a security crackdown this year thousands of military and police have been dispatched to the area, and activists have been reporting a catalogue of human rights abuses, including the razing of entire villages, the arbitrary burning of churches, brutal interrogations and extrajudicial killings. Until the video emerged this week, the reports had been unverified due to the difficulty of travelling to the area, which is off-limits to foreign reports and logistically difficult for local media. This scandal also comes as the US President, Barack Obama, prepares to visit Indonesia next month and just months after the US agreed gradually to lift its longstanding ban on co-operation with Kopassus, the Indonesian special forces unit, which has a record of brutality. While the country's emergence as a vibrant democracy has led to a vast improvement in its human rights record, the video has rekindled concerns that old habits remain in the security services. It has also refocused attention on the running sore that is Papua, the resource-rich region with a distinctive Melanesian population who remain one of the country's poorest and retain separatist sentiment. Papua has enjoyed ''special autonomy'' since 2001, with substantially increased funding from the central government at about $1 billion a year. A new body, the Papuan People's Council, or Majelis Rakyat Papua, was established, a quasi-legislature to represent the indigenous population. But the funding has been squandered by corrupt officials and there has been little improvement in the welfare of indigenous Papuans. Dr Yudhoyono has spoken of ''constructive communications'' with Papuans and an ''audit'' of special autonomy, and there is talk of the Vice-President, Boediono, leading a new push for peace in the province. One thing is certain: the current strategy isn't working for anyone [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! 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