From cscheiner@igc.apc.org Thu Jan 22 23:28:33 1998
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 00:48:07 +0000
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From: Down to Earth dtecampaign@gn.apc.org


21/1/98 report in Indonesian from West Papua

Serious forest fires have damaged or destroyed thousands of hectares of forest around the village of Owea, Mimika, Irian Jaya (West Papua)/West Papua. The Bishop's office in Jayapura says this is the village where, in 1995 a number of civilians were killed by the military who were protecting the giant PT Freeport Indonesia mine.

According to sources in Timika and Tembagapura, the fires around Owea (which lies between the villages of Tsinga and Jilla - in the middle of the Lorentz National Park) were due to human intervention. It is strongly suspected that the fires which occurred in August-September 1997 were caused by military operations based at Jilla - some 90km east of Tembagapura. An alternative explanation is that one the the Amungme people from Jilla did not properly extinguish a campfire.

The local newspaper (Cendrawsih Pos 13/12/97) reports that around 70 per cent of the 'protective forest' in West Papua has been burnt (sic), including 29,157 hectares in the Lorentz and Wasur National Parks. Many animals, like the tree oppossum and porcupine, which the local people hunt for food have been killed and places where people sought food have been wiped out in the fires.

The loss of these forests is a disaster which is causing tension between villagers of Tsinga/Owea and those of Jilla - although they all belong to the Amungme tribe. The people of Tsinga and Owea are demanding compensation for their forests from the Jilla community. They asked for payment of two women, dozens of pigs and several hundred thousand rupiah by December 25th and threatened war if their demands were not met.

So far, Tsinga and Owea villagers have blocked the Jilla-Tembagapura road. A vicar from Jilla and some of his congregation path who attended a meeting in Jayapura are still trapped at Timika because they cannot get through and a senior churchan who was supposed to preach in Tsinga was not allowed in by the villagers because he comes from Jilla. Church officials have reported the situation to Mimika local government officials, including the local forestry department, and has asked them to provide funds to settle the problem.

However, the Amungme of Jilla are accusing the people of Owea and Tsinga (and the Waa and Arwanop) of being hypocrites. They say the Amungme of Owea and Tsinga allowed Freeport into their lands and, as a result, people have been killed and their rights violated. The Owea and Tsinga people should have supported LEMASA (the traditional organisation headed by Tom Beanal which is fighting to protect the Amungme's rights against Freeport and others in the region.) The Owea, Tsinga,Waa and Arwanop are also accused of hypocrisy since they have benefited from the I% Trust Fund established by Freeport. The Jilla people think the best thing to do is to sell the burnt land and give the money to those demanding compensation.

The church authorities in Mimika are concerned that if this problem is not resolved quickly, it could turn into a long conflict culminating in a war within the tribe. Some Amungme community leaders share their fears as war was waged over burnt forests several decades ago. In addition, the conflict could be used by other parties to divide the local people and control the community.

Liz Chidley (dtecampaign@gn.apc.org)