Blog van Remco

Jail for email exposes the law's heavy hand

The Australian - June 6, 2009

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta -- A Jakarta housewife
facing six years' jail simply for writing an angry
email to friends has become a cause celebre for
opponents of Indonesia's retrogade defamation laws,
its opaque criminal prosecution system and its poor
level of medical care.

Death match between people, animals in Sumatra's
declining forests

Jakarta Globe - March 3, 2009

Anita Rachman -- In the heart of Sumatra, amid the
forests, farmlands and rural villages, a disturbing
turf war is raging between humans and animals for
dwindling space and natural resources.

The dispute has exposed the ugly side of human
nature -- illegal logging, land clearance, poaching
and corruption -- but has also brought out the

Islamic students oppose Valentines Day, condemn widespread use of condoms

Tempo Interactive - February 13, 2009

Yogyakarta – Around 50 students from the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM) campus' Proselytizing Institutions Goodwill Forum held an action on February 13 opposing the celebration of Valentines Day claiming that it tarnishes the sanctity of love.

Indonesian porn law dispute driven to court

Jakarta Globe - February 22, 2009

Camelia Pasandaran – The Constitutional Court is scheduled to hear the first legal challenge to the controversial Pornography Law today, after several Christian, student and ethnic minority organizations from North Sulawesi Province filed for a judicial review.

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-014-2009

<http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/support.php?ua=uac-014-2009%20>

16 February 2009
------------------------------------------------------
INDONESIA: Torture and maltreatment of political prisoners in Papua

Franciscans International Report On Current Situation in West Papua

Franciscans International ( www.franciscansinternational.org) offers a current " Factsheet" regarding recent developments in trends in West Papua.

<!--break-->

Incidents like this marginalise ethnic minority groups continuously. It's an example of the militarisation of  Puncak Jaya district, Papua where we (NGO Medecins du Monde) are working.   

========

Health and human security in West Papua

Susan J Rees, Remco van de Pas, Derrick Silove and Moses Kareth

MJA 2008; 189 (11/12): 641-643

Abstract:

Recent publications have highlighted the impact of human rights violations, poverty and extraction of natural resources on the health status of the indigenous people of West Papua. However, the Australian medical literature has so far remained silent on this issue.

Last week I returned from the highlands region of Paniai, where an ongoing cholera epidemic has been active since April 2008. Médecins du Monde (MdM) monitored from a distance, and realized in July that despite response from health authorities and other NGO’s still new cases were seen. Most of these cases are reported from a swampy area known as the Kaamu valley. However, cases spilled over to the lakes region of Paniai and Tigi. With some involvement from our part, local partner NGO PRIMARI found the necessary funds to start a health program that reduces transmission of the cholera bacteria and provides health resources on a longer term. I have spent one week with them in the field, to provide epidemiologic analysis and technical guidance how to continue the program.

Papua is een gebied met een enorme natuurlijke rijkdom en aanzienlijke economische groei. Desondanks leeft meer dan 80% van de bevolking onder de armoede grens. In dit gebied met decentralizatie en opsplitsing van services gaat veel geld verloren
naar lokale bestuurders die ‘projecten’ wegzetten via ondernemers en makelaars.
Deze blog vertelt over de ongemakkelijke public – private partnership in Papua.