Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Church maintains call for human rights mission to West Papua

byMark Bowling
8 December 2021
Reading Time: 3 mins read
AA
West Papua

Horror: In recent years there are dozens of allegations of military and police intimidation, beatings and torture, kidnapping and murder in Indonesia's easternmost provinces.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

THERE is a renewed Church call for the Australian Government to pressure Indonesia to allow a United Nations human rights mission to West Papua.

The call comes from Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, seven years after the killing by Indonesian soldiers of four teenage boys in the Paniai district of the West Papua highlands

The Commission’s executive officer, Peter Arndt, said Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo agreed to a UN request from a human rights mission in February 2018 , but it was yet to happen.

“The UN mission needs to go ahead without further delay,” Mr Arndt, who has carried out his own fact finding missions to West Papua, said.

Call for UN mission: Catholic social justice advocate Peter Arndt who has written about the plight of indigenous West Papuans. Photo: Mark Bowling

“The Australian Government has expressed its support for the UN mission both in correspondence to our Commission and in answers to questions at recent estimates hearings in the Senate.

“We hope the prime minister and the foreign minister will continue to pressure the Indonesian Government so that an independent investigation into the Paniai massacre and many other human rights violations in West Papua can happen.”

The human rights advocacy group TAPOL says that on December 8, 2014 members of the Indonesian military from Special Battalion 753 Team shot live rounds into a crowd, killing four teenagers and wounding 17 others. 

According to UK-based TAPOL, people from the village of Eneratoli, Paniai Regency, Papua Province, were gathered together on a football field to protest against an incident from the previous night, where members of Special Battalion 753 had beaten and tortured 14-year-old Yulianus Yeimo and several of his friends.

“On the night of 7 December 2014, Yulianus Yeimo and three of his friends in Ipakiye Village openly criticised a military officer for driving his motorcycle through the village in the dark of night, without the using his headlights,” TAPOL said.

“The officer then went and gathered other military members and returned to the location to violently beat the youth.”

Related Stories

Australia urged to support West Papua at Pacific Islands Forum

Violence reaching new levels in West Papua

At least 20 people killed as government forces crack down in West Papua

Mr Arndt has met with the families of the boys killed in Paniai during fact finding missions to West Papua.

He says the families “have waited far too long for justice”.

“Many other victims’ families and survivors have waited too long for justice too,” Mr Arndt said.

West Papua
Ongoing struggle: For decades pro-independence demonstrators in West Papua have resisted Indonesian military intervention.

During 2021, Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission has engaged with MPs and Senators to maintain Australian support for the UN mission and to build pressure on the Indonesian Government.

“We are encouraged to see good support for action on West Papua among MPs and Senators from the Government, the Opposition and from the cross benches,” Mr. Arndt said.

“A number of questions on West Papua were asked at Senate Estimates hearings this year.

“A motion on West Papua was also put on the House of Representatives notice paper by Government MP, George Christensen, and Tasmanian Independent MP, Andrew Wilkie in November and we hope this will be debated in the House when it returns in February 2022.

“Our Commission continues to keep in touch with Catholic priests and leaders from other churches in West Papua and also with victims’ families.

“They have waited far too long for justice and we will continue to offer them our support and solidarity.”

ShareTweet
Previous Post

Deadly Java volcano spews smoke and ash

Next Post

Vatican Christmas stamps painted by homeless artist who turned away from life of alcoholism

Mark Bowling

Mark is the joint winner of the Australian Variety Club 2000 Heart Award for his radio news reporting in East Timor, and has also won a Walkley award, Australia’s most-respected journalism award. Mark is the author of ‘Running Amok’ that chronicles his time as a foreign correspondent juggling news deadlines and the demands of being a husband and father. Mark is married with four children.

Related Posts

West Papua

Australia urged to support West Papua at Pacific Islands Forum

3 August 2021
Violence reaching new levels in West Papua
World

Violence reaching new levels in West Papua

5 May 2021
News

At least 20 people killed as government forces crack down in West Papua

27 September 2019 - Updated on 1 April 2021
Next Post
Vatican Christmas stamps painted by homeless artist who turned away from life of alcoholism

Vatican Christmas stamps painted by homeless artist who turned away from life of alcoholism

God is the roadmap for men of family and faith to diaconate

God is the roadmap for men of family and faith to diaconate

Perfect Christmas: Low-income families are at risk of significant debt by using "buy now pay later" apps.

‘Buy now pay later’ apps a costly temptation for families at Christmas

Popular News

  • Sunnybank’s ninth Multicultural Mass unites 16 languages in prayer

    Sunnybank’s ninth Multicultural Mass unites 16 languages in prayer

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Archbishop Coleridge unveils new cross at Banyo church

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Marymount College claims historic girls’ rugby league Confraternity title

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Australian Plenary Council aims to avert Church ‘moment of crisis’

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Fr El Louie Jimenez ordained

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

Future First Nations teachers honoured with Rome scholarship
Education

Future First Nations teachers honoured with Rome scholarship

by Hannah Kennelly
2 July 2022
0

YOUNG Aboriginal and South Sea Islanders education students, Jedda Ellison and Hayden Kubler have been awarded the...

Marymount College claims historic girls’ rugby league Confraternity title

Marymount College claims historic girls’ rugby league Confraternity title

2 July 2022
Sunnybank’s ninth Multicultural Mass unites 16 languages in prayer

Sunnybank’s ninth Multicultural Mass unites 16 languages in prayer

1 July 2022
Evarist D’Souza

Archbishop Coleridge unveils new cross at Banyo church

1 July 2022
Netball Superstar: St John Fisher student Jayden Molo.

St John Fisher College student selected for the Australian Netball U17 Squad

1 July 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping