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BP In West Papua – Slow Motion Genocide, High Speed Profit (New Matilda Special Report)

05 November 2018

Earlier this year, New Matilda sent British journalist Michael Gillard into West Papua, one of the most dangerous regions on earth for reporters. Michael’s goal was to hold to account a well known multinational operating beyond proper scrutiny in one of the world’s poorest regions. This is what he found.BP is profiting from a giant gas field in West Papua while the indigenous population face ‘slow motion genocide’ under Indonesian military occupation, an undercover investigation by New Matilda can reveal.https://newmatilda.com/2018/11/05/special-investigation-bp-west-papua-slow-...

Indonesia: Hentikan Impunitas dan Penangkapan Sewenang-wenang di Papua

24 June 2016

(London 24 Juni 2016) –Sebuah laporan terbaru oleh Papuans Behind Bars mengungkapkan bahwa telah terjadi peningkatan tindakan penangkapan sewenang-wenang untuk membungkam protes di Papua oleh Pemerintah Indonesia pada tahun 2015. Dalam peluncuran laporan yang dilakukan di Sekretariat Amnesty Internasional di London pada 24 Juni, organisasi HAM berbasis di London, TAPOL meminta pemerintah Indonesia untuk menjawab situasi impunitas yang terus berlanjut, kekerasan Negara dan meningkatnya tindakan penangkapan sewenang-wenang di Papua. “Pemerintah Indonesia harus menghentikan tindakan penangkapan...

Indonesia: End impunity and arbitrary arrests in West Papua

24 June 2016

(London 24 June 2016) –A new report by Papuans Behind Bars (PBB) exposes the Indonesian government’s increased use of arbitrary arrests to shut down protests in West Papua in 2015. At the launch of the report, held at the Amnesty International Secretariat in London on 24 June, UK-based NGO, TAPOL, urged the Indonesian government to answer for ongoing impunity, state violence and increased arbitrary arrests in West Papua.“The Indonesian government must end mass arrests at peaceful demonstrations as freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are in accordance with Indonesia’s obligations under...

Tapol wishes to pay deep tribute to Lord Avebury who died on 14 February 2016

15 February 2016

Tapol, the British-based campaign for human rights, peace and democracy in Indonesia, wishes to pay deep tribute to Lord Avebury who died on 14 February 2016.Lord Avebury was TAPOL's Honorary President, and one of Westminster's leading human rights campaigners. Amongst other things, he was a founder member of Parliamentarians for East Timor, which was a key part of the international solidarity movement for East Timor. At the time, East Timor was illegally occupied by Indonesia. Journalists and NGOs were prohibited from entering, and even churches had difficulty visiting. There were numerous...

Carmel and the Story of Tapol

02 December 2015

A film made in 2015 to document the life of Carmel Budiardjo, now aged 90, and how she came to be a prisoner in Indonesia from 1968 to 1971. On her release and return to London she set up TAPOL to campaign for the release of other political prisoners. 

TAPOL has campaigned on various human rights issues in Indonesia. These have included East Timor, Aceh and West Papua.  See the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3kdrMXXE0o

Review: "Momentum and the East Timor Independence Movement: The Origins of America's Debate on East Timor"

27 November 2015

Momentum and the East Timor Independence Movement: The origins of America's Debate on East Timor
By: Shane Gunderson (2015) The Indonesian military's occupation of East Timor led to years of terror. Dr Gunderson believes that his book “will fill the gap for East Timor history curriculum developers faced with deciding who ought to be included, excluded, recognized, and acknowledged in the national history.”  His aim is very ambitious and in some important aspects he does indeed ‘fill the gap.’ But there are a number of regrettable omissions. First of all, the US Government's role in the...

Time to Acknowledge the Truth About '1965'

03 November 2015

It was early in the morning of Oct. 1, 1965, that my family and I woke up to the deafening sound of army trucks driving up and down outside our house in Menteng, Jakarta. One of our close neighbors was Gen. Nasution, who had apparently been one of the targets of an attempt early that morning by a group of soldiers to overthrow the government of President Sukarno.At first, we had no idea that anything terrible had happened but, later that day, we were advised by a friend to leave our home for somewhere safer. A few days later, we returned home and soon afterwards a gang of youths forced their...

Rights groups Condemn Censorship of Discussions of 1965

30 October 2015

We strongly condemn intimidation and threats against those in Indonesia who are trying to shed light on one of the worst crimes of the 20th century. In the past week, Indonesian authorities have forced the destruction of a periodical focused on the massacres in Indonesia that began 50 years ago. Officials also threatened to forcibly close this year's Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali unless events on the massacres were cancelled. The festival organizers regrettably agreed.Beginning in 1965, with U.S. and British assistance and encouragement, hundreds of thousands of people were...

Fifty Years on: A Personal Story

01 October 2015

It was early in the morning of 1 October 1965, that my family and I woke up to the deafening sound of army trucks driving up and down outside our house in Menteng, Jakarta. One of our close neighbours was General Nasution who had apparently been one of the targets of an attempt early that morning by a group of soldiers to overthrow the government of President Sukarno. At first, we had no idea that anything terrible had happened but later that day, we were advised by a friend to leave our home for somewhere safer. A few days later, we returned home and soon afterwards, a gang of youths forced...

Lima Puluh Tahun Berlalu, Para Korban ’65 Masih Menunggu Kebenaran, Keadilan, dan Reparasi

23 September 2015

Pada 30 September 2015, Indonesia akan menandai peringatan ke-50 tahun peristiwa pelanggaran masif hak asasi manusia (HAM) 1965, sebuah noda hitam dalam sejarah negeri ini. Amnesty International dan TAPOL yakin bahwa ini adalah saatnya pemerintah Indonesia untuk menghadapi masa lalu ini dan mengambil langkah-langkah yang telah lama tertunda yang dibutuhkan untuk menyediakan para korban ’65 akses terhadap kebenaran, keadilan, dan reparasi.Setelah sebuah kudeta yang gagal di September 1965, militer Indonesia mulai melakukan sebuah serangan yang sistematik terhadap para anggota Partai Komunis...

Carmel in 50 years Anniversary of 1965 Massacre in London

23 September 2015

Carmel Budiardjo speaks about October 1st 1965 in Jakarta on the occasion of "Remembering the Forgotten" event organised by TAPOL and Amnesty International on September 23rd 2015; the 50th anniversary of 1965.See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k99-GZL5fkg

Fifty Years On, Victims of ’65 Still Waiting for Truth, Justice and Reparation

23 September 2015

On 30 September 2015, Indonesia will mark the 50th anniversary of the 1965 mass human rights violations, a dark stain in the country’s history. Amnesty International and TAPOL believe it is time for the Indonesian government to face the past and take the long overdue measures required to provide victims of ‘65 with access to truth, justice and reparation.Following a failed coup in September 1965, the Indonesian military launched a systematic attack against members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and suspected sympathizers. Human rights organizations have documented a range of human...

Film Screening & Talk: Look of Silence

23 July 2015

We invite you to the screening of "The Look of Silence" in ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts), The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH on Sunday, July 26, 2015 at 4.30 pm.It will be followed with a discussion of “The Power of Memory" by Soe Tjen Marching (Bhinneka Nusantara).The Look of Silence is Joshua Oppenheimer’s powerful companion piece to the Oscar-nominated The Act of Killing, which was screened at the ICA for 52 weeks. Through Oppenheimer’s work filming perpetrators of the 1965 Indonesian genocide, a family of survivors discover how their son was murdered and the identity of the men who killed...

Demands of Global Day of Action on Access to Papua remain unfulfilled

29 May 2015

A month ago today, on 29 April 2015, TAPOL organised a demonstration outside the Indonesian Embassy in London, where dozens of demonstrations gathered to demand open access to Papua for international journalists, humanitarian agencies and human rights organisations. The demonstration sparked similar rallies in more than 20 cities across the world, including Jayapura, Wamena, Manokwari, Berlin, New York, Los Angeles, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Sydney and Honiara, amongst others. In what is now known as the “Global Day of Action on Access to West Papua,” hundreds of protestors gathered in front of...

Areki Wanimbo is first Papuan treason suspect to be acquitted in 14 years

08 May 2015

Today, Papuan political detainee Areki Wanimbo was acquitted of conspiracy to commit treason and released from prison, after spending over nine months in detention in West Papua, Indonesia. Mr Wanimbo, an indigenous tribal leader and local teacher was arrested in Wamena in the Central Highlands of West Papua, alongside two French journalists who had travelled to the resource-rich region to investigate one of the world’s longest-running conflicts.Mr Wanimbo was arrested on 6 August 2014 when the journalists he was meeting attracted the attention of intelligence agents. Due to the de-facto ban...

Papuan journalist arrested as world calls for Papua press freedom

08 May 2015

According to a report received from Majalah Selengkah, a Papuan independent news site, their journalist Yohanes Kuayo was arrested in Nabire just one day after global protests around the world called on Indonesia to respect media freedoms in Papua and open the region for foreign journalists, humanitarian NGOs and human rights observers. The full report from Majalah Selengkah is published below.Chronology of the arrest of Majalah Selengkah journalist Yohanes Kuayo by Papua regional police taskforce team and Nabire Police Station Special Team, while Yohanes was covering events at Nabire General...

Indonesia’s Brimob police execute eight

29 April 2015

TAPOL would like to express deep sorrow at the reprehensible execution of eight people in Indonesia at 00:00 on 29 April 2015. Eight prisoners were executed by a police mobile brigades (Brimob) firing squad at Nusakambangan Prison, Java for alleged drug-related offences. Rodrigo Gularte (Brazil), Okwudili Oyatanaze (Nigeria), Raheem Agbaje Salami (Nigeria), Sylvester Obiekwe (Nigeria), Martin Anderson (Ghana), Zainal Abidin (Indonesia), Andrew Chan (Australia), and Myuran Sukumaran (Australia) are now dead, leaving behind grieving relatives as well as deep rifts in Indonesia’s diplomatic...

London demonstrators lead global protest against Indonesian media blackout in West Papua

29 April 2015

Global Day of Action for Access to West Papua unites protestors across 20 citiesDozens of demonstrators dressed in black gathered outside the Indonesian Embassy in London today to lead the global protest against West Papua's 50-year long isolation. The demonstration was organised by TAPOL and Survival International, supported by Amnesty UK and the Free West Papua Campaign. The rally was one of 22 protests around the world calling for free and open access to Indonesia’s most secretive region. Since West Papua’s annexation in 1963, Indonesia has imposed a media blackout on the contested,...

The Eyes of the Papuans: A video advocacy process

23 April 2015

Thirty years later, I have still not forgotten. It happened in the south of the Indonesian province of West Papua, a journey of two days from the “big city” of Merauke. Life in the small village of Yodom centered around trips to and from the ubiquitous, generous forest, provider of every need. The arrival of a South Korean lumber company brutally intruded on the traditional way of life. Workers started to fell trees. Word had it that a plantation of palm oil trees was to take their place.While the helpless population watched the destruction of part of their source of food, the children in the...