Papuan citizenship promised soon for West Papuan refugees

By Charles Yapumi in Vanimo

Congratulations and Appreciations from ULMWP POM and WPRRA
Congratulations and Appreciations from ULMWP POM and WPRRA

West Papuans who have been living in Papua New Guinea for many decades will be granted citizenship soon.

The PNG Immigration and Citizenship Authority will also embark on registering all West Papuan refugees who have crossed over from Indonesia to seek refugee status in Papua New Guinea.

“So far we have over 10,000 refugees from West Papua who have lived with us for a very long time, and we have commenced registration of them with the view to finally granting them legal status,” said Deputy Chief Migration officer for Refugee Division, Esther Gaegaming.

“We’re pleased to announce that for more than 1000 of them, their applications have been finalised and they will be going before the Citizenship Advisory Committee very soon for issuance of their citizenships.

“This Friday, a team from our office will commence registration in Vanimo, another one of the biggest refugee settlement areas for West Papuan refugees. We will follow onto Wewak after that and then to Lae.

“So by the end of this year, we hope to have over 85 percent of West Papuans registered.

– Partner –

“I am proud to say that PNG is fulfilling its obligations as a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention on the status of refugees. PNG now has a vibrant legal and procedural framework for the processing of refugee claims under the Migration Act and Regulations,”

Gaegaming said.

“We also have a system in place for the registration and naturalisation of refugees from West Papua who have lived in Papua New Guinea for decades.

“We also have a national refugee policy that is clear on refugee matters, including guidance on the resettlement of refugees in Papua New Guinea and most of all, we have a dedicated team in the PNG Immigration and Citizenship Authority that is set up especially to manage this,”

she said.

Charles Yapumi is a reporter for Loop PNG.

Papuan citizenship promised soon for West Papuan refugees was originally published on WPRRA.club

Papuan citizenship promised soon for West Papuan refugees

By Charles Yapumi in Vanimo

Congratulations and Appreciations from ULMWP POM and WPRRA
Congratulations and Appreciations from ULMWP POM and WPRRA

West Papuans who have been living in Papua New Guinea for many decades will be granted citizenship soon.

The PNG Immigration and Citizenship Authority will also embark on registering all West Papuan refugees who have crossed over from Indonesia to seek refugee status in Papua New Guinea.

“So far we have over 10,000 refugees from West Papua who have lived with us for a very long time, and we have commenced registration of them with the view to finally granting them legal status,” said Deputy Chief Migration officer for Refugee Division, Esther Gaegaming.

“We’re pleased to announce that for more than 1000 of them, their applications have been finalised and they will be going before the Citizenship Advisory Committee very soon for issuance of their citizenships.

“This Friday, a team from our office will commence registration in Vanimo, another one of the biggest refugee settlement areas for West Papuan refugees. We will follow onto Wewak after that and then to Lae.

“So by the end of this year, we hope to have over 85 percent of West Papuans registered.

– Partner –

“I am proud to say that PNG is fulfilling its obligations as a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention on the status of refugees. PNG now has a vibrant legal and procedural framework for the processing of refugee claims under the Migration Act and Regulations,”

Gaegaming said.

“We also have a system in place for the registration and naturalisation of refugees from West Papua who have lived in Papua New Guinea for decades.

“We also have a national refugee policy that is clear on refugee matters, including guidance on the resettlement of refugees in Papua New Guinea and most of all, we have a dedicated team in the PNG Immigration and Citizenship Authority that is set up especially to manage this,”

she said.

Charles Yapumi is a reporter for Loop PNG.

Puluhan Ribu Rakyat Papua Berpindah Jadi Warga Negara PNG

Pengungsi dari Papua di Kiunga Diocese, Papua Nugini, berdiri di depan rumah mereka pada sebuah foto yang dibuat pada tahun 2011. Pengungsi dipaksa membangun rumah mereka pada lahan-lahan yang tak bertuan, dimana lebih dari 90 persen lahan di Papua Nugini dimiliki oleh penduduk setempat (Foto: : Peter Balleis SJ/ JRS/Spotlight)
Pengungsi dari Papua di Kiunga Diocese, Papua Nugini, berdiri di depan rumah mereka pada sebuah foto yang dibuat pada tahun 2011. Pengungsi dipaksa membangun rumah mereka pada lahan-lahan yang tak bertuan, dimana lebih dari 90 persen lahan di Papua Nugini dimiliki oleh penduduk setempat (Foto: : Peter Balleis SJ/ JRS/Spotlight)

PORT MORESBY, SATUHARAPAN.COM – Setidaknya 10.000 rakyat Papua akan beralih menjadi warga negara Papua Nugini, setelah beberapa dekade berada di negara itu dengan status sebagai pengungsi.

Otoritas Kependudukan dan Imigrasi Papua mengatakan akan mulai mendaftar semua pengungsi Papua yang telah menyeberang dari Indonesia dengan status pengungsi ke PNG.

“Sejauh ini kami memiliki lebih dari 10.000 pengungsi dari Papua yang telah tinggal bersama kami untuk waktu yang sangat lama, dan kami telah memulai pendaftaran mereka dengan harapan akhirnya memberikan mereka status hukum,” kata Wakil Kepala Migrasi untuk Divisi Pengungsi PNG, Esther Gaegaming, sebagaimana dilansir dari asiapacificreport.nz.

“Kami senang mengumumkan bahwa lebih dari 1000 dari mereka, telah menyelesaikan aplikasi dan mereka akan menghadap Komite Penasihat Kewarganegaraan segera untuk penerbitan kewarganegaraan mereka,” tambah dia lagi.

“Jumat ini, tim dari kantor kami akan memulai pendaftaran di Vanimo, salah satu dari daerah pemukiman pengungsi terbesar bagi pengungsi Papua. Kami akan pergi ke Wewak setelah itu dan kemudian ke Lae.”

“Jadi pada akhir tahun ini, kami berharap untuk lebih dari 85 persen dari pengungsi Papua sudah terdaftar,” kata dia.

“Saya bangga mengatakan bahwa PNG memenuhi kewajibannya sebagai penandatangan Konvensi 1951 PBB tentang status pengungsi. PNG sekarang memiliki kerangka hukum dan prosedural untuk memproses klaim pengungsi di bawah Undang-Undang dan Peraturan Migrasi,” kata Gaegaming.

“Kami juga memiliki sistem di tempat untuk pendaftaran dan naturalisasi pengungsi dari Papua yang telah tinggal di Papua Nugini selama beberapa dekade.”

“Kami juga memiliki kebijakan pengungsi nasional yang jelas dalam hal-hal pengungsi, termasuk pedoman tentang pemukiman kembali pengungsi di PNG. Dan yang terutama, kami memiliki tim yang dikhususkan menangani hal ini,” kata dia.

Editor : Eben E. Siadari

A decade on, asylum-seekers’ struggle for West Papua

EXCLUSIVE DEBORAH CASSRELS, JOURNALIST@cassrelsd

Under cover of darkness, 43 West Papuan asylum-seekers clambered aboard a dugout canoe at midnight. The cue to flee Indon­esian persecution in the province of West Papua in January 2006 was urgent.

They had been subjected to brutal repression at the hands of the Indonesian regime.

Reports of government-sanctioned murders, political assassinations, imprisonment and torture were common.

Yesterday, many refugees marked the anniversary of their life-changing escape with a canoe and kayak re-enactment on Melbourne’s Yarra River.

Mostly strangers in 2006, the tight-knit “family’’ — some of whom have married within their community, had children, separ­ated and achieved university degree­s since their odyssey — has nurtured an undying desire for self-determination.

Seven of the group tell The Australian in Melbourne of their journeys and the perilous four-day crossing that nearly cost them their lives and provoked a diplomatic crisis between Jakarta and Canberra. Lost in stormy seas, they exhausted food and water supplies, despairing as they prayed for deliverance.

On January 17, to their resound­ing relief, they spotted land but worried that they had inadvertent­ly strayed back to Indon­esian territory.

“We would have been killed,’’ says Adolf Moro, 32, father of a six-year-old son born in Australia, owner of a small business and an engineering and business student at RMIT.

As it transpired, they were drifting off Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula, oblivious to the fact that their arrival presaged a rift with Indonesia over concern that Australia was tacitly supporting Papuan independence.

Jakarta warned that bilateral co-operation to stop people-smuggling operations and counter­-terrorism were under apprais­al. Amid accusations of appeasement, then prime minister John Howard agreed to change immigration procedures to ensure future boat arrivals would be processed offshore.

While trying to guess their locati­on, the 43 noticed telltale crocodile warnings and signs depicti­ng Australia’s unofficial emblems: emus and kangaroos.

It was a moment of sublime joy. ‘‘We were in Australia! We were so excited,’’ says Marike Tebay, 28, from Papua’s central highlands. Huddled beneath a tree on the beach, Tebay was so ravenous she ate the ants crawling beside her. The eerie calm was short-lived: media soon hovered in helicopters, the navy and Australian Federal Police arrived. ‘They pointed a gun at us. I was petrified,’’ she says.

For three months they were on Christmas Island as Australian Immigration officials deemed their claims genuine, granting them temporary protection visas.

Now most — two returned to West Papua — call Australia home but would prefer to live in their homeland, if it gains independence.

A low-level separatist insurgency has been waged in the former­ Dutch colony since Indon­esia took control of the province in 1963.

West Papuan deaths resulting from Indonesian military and police violence are disputed, says Indonesian Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Har­sono, but estimates vary at between­ 100,00 and 500,00.

Carrying Australian citizenship and permanent protection visas, the Papuans are scattered across the country, with a large nucleus in Melbourne. Some have never returned to West Papua; others have sporadically, and those who do complain of being followed and intimidated.

Yet it’s still home. “I’m living in exile. We’re still struggling for West Papua’s freedom,” says Moro.

Echoing an overarching sentiment of the group, he aims to impar­t the skills learned in Australia and democratise the remote far-eastern island.

DEBORAH CASSRELS

JOURNALISTDeborah Cassrels has been a journalist for over 35 years. Based in Bali since 2009, she writes on terrorism, refugees, the Bali Nine drug smugglers among other issues for The Australian. She has written for The… Read more

A decade on, asylum-seekers’ struggle for West Papua was originally published on WPRRA.club

A decade on, asylum-seekers’ struggle for West Papua

EXCLUSIVE DEBORAH CASSRELS, JOURNALIST@cassrelsd

Under cover of darkness, 43 West Papuan asylum-seekers clambered aboard a dugout canoe at midnight. The cue to flee Indon­esian persecution in the province of West Papua in January 2006 was urgent.

They had been subjected to brutal repression at the hands of the Indonesian regime.

Reports of government-sanctioned murders, political assassinations, imprisonment and torture were common.

Yesterday, many refugees marked the anniversary of their life-changing escape with a canoe and kayak re-enactment on Melbourne’s Yarra River.

Mostly strangers in 2006, the tight-knit “family’’ — some of whom have married within their community, had children, separ­ated and achieved university degree­s since their odyssey — has nurtured an undying desire for self-determination.

Seven of the group tell The Australian in Melbourne of their journeys and the perilous four-day crossing that nearly cost them their lives and provoked a diplomatic crisis between Jakarta and Canberra. Lost in stormy seas, they exhausted food and water supplies, despairing as they prayed for deliverance.

On January 17, to their resound­ing relief, they spotted land but worried that they had inadvertent­ly strayed back to Indon­esian territory.

“We would have been killed,’’ says Adolf Moro, 32, father of a six-year-old son born in Australia, owner of a small business and an engineering and business student at RMIT.

As it transpired, they were drifting off Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula, oblivious to the fact that their arrival presaged a rift with Indonesia over concern that Australia was tacitly supporting Papuan independence.

Jakarta warned that bilateral co-operation to stop people-smuggling operations and counter­-terrorism were under apprais­al. Amid accusations of appeasement, then prime minister John Howard agreed to change immigration procedures to ensure future boat arrivals would be processed offshore.

While trying to guess their locati­on, the 43 noticed telltale crocodile warnings and signs depicti­ng Australia’s unofficial emblems: emus and kangaroos.

It was a moment of sublime joy. ‘‘We were in Australia! We were so excited,’’ says Marike Tebay, 28, from Papua’s central highlands. Huddled beneath a tree on the beach, Tebay was so ravenous she ate the ants crawling beside her. The eerie calm was short-lived: media soon hovered in helicopters, the navy and Australian Federal Police arrived. ‘They pointed a gun at us. I was petrified,’’ she says.

For three months they were on Christmas Island as Australian Immigration officials deemed their claims genuine, granting them temporary protection visas.

Now most — two returned to West Papua — call Australia home but would prefer to live in their homeland, if it gains independence.

A low-level separatist insurgency has been waged in the former­ Dutch colony since Indon­esia took control of the province in 1963.

West Papuan deaths resulting from Indonesian military and police violence are disputed, says Indonesian Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Har­sono, but estimates vary at between­ 100,00 and 500,00.

Carrying Australian citizenship and permanent protection visas, the Papuans are scattered across the country, with a large nucleus in Melbourne. Some have never returned to West Papua; others have sporadically, and those who do complain of being followed and intimidated.

Yet it’s still home. “I’m living in exile. We’re still struggling for West Papua’s freedom,” says Moro.

Echoing an overarching sentiment of the group, he aims to impar­t the skills learned in Australia and democratise the remote far-eastern island.

DEBORAH CASSRELS

JOURNALISTDeborah Cassrels has been a journalist for over 35 years. Based in Bali since 2009, she writes on terrorism, refugees, the Bali Nine drug smugglers among other issues for The Australian. She has written for The… Read more

West Papuan women left isolated and beset by violence under Indonesian rule

Rochelle Jones, The Guardian UK

When the Indonesian president Joko Widodo visits the White House later this month, human rights violations in West Papua should be firmly on the agenda

West Papuans have struggled for their freedom since they were annexed by Indonesia and robbed of their right to a fair referendum in 1969. While the independence struggle slowly gains more visibility due to a courageous network of civilian journalists on the ground, it is the stories and struggles of West Papuan women that are often silenced.

Under Indonesian rule, indigenous West Papuans are routinely subjected to violence and oppression. They have been disenfranchised, tortured, threatened and murdered, suffering multiple rights violations affecting their economy, land, culture, political participation, dignity and survival. Indeed, a 2013 Sydney University study called the situation “slow-motion genocide”, arguing that Indonesia has acted with intent in its strict control over the population – and with impunity over human rights violations such as the Biak massacre in 1998. The Asian Human Rights Commission has also described the situation as genocide.

President Joko Widodo recently announced lifting the decades-long restrictions on foreign media, but so far this appears to be little more than diplomatic lip service. Foreign journalists still require screening; they are not allowed to report on anything that “discredits” Indonesia, and are excluded from “forbidden areas”. The restrictions have meant that the rest of the world hasn’t paid attention to the situation for West Papuans – and women in particular have felt this isolation.

The introduction to the report read: “We have experienced rape and sexual abuse in detention, in the grasslands, while seeking refuge, no matter where we were when the army and police conducted operations in the name of security. Furthermore, in our own homes we repeatedly have been victims of violence. When we cry for help, they say, ‘That’s a family matter, take care of it in the family.’”The hope was that the broad pattern of violence against women could be exposed and addressed.

Unfortunately, little has changed for West Papuan women since the report was published in 2010. Ferry Marisan worked on the study and is the director of the Institute for the Study and Advocacy of Human Rights in West Papua. Marisan says that, though the report was distributed to parliamentarians and various state institutions – including the provincial government of Papua province, regency and municipal governments, police and the military – the government still fails to protect the rights of women, and violence continues.

The capture of data on violence against women in West Papua is inadequate. Organisations like Komnas Perempuan (the independent national commission on violence against women) attempt to document cases of gender-based violence across Indonesia. In 2011, for example, they documented 119,107 cases of violence against women. Their most recent “annual note”, from 2014, mentions multiple forms of violence suffered by indigenous women in Papua, resulting variously from armed conflicts between state security forces and armed civilian groups, conflicts over claims for natural resources, and discriminatory policies.

Legal and policy frameworks that deal specifically with violence against women do exist, starting with the Indonesian criminal code. Indonesia has also ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) in 1984.

However, while the framework is there, and the government has taken steps to improve women’s rights and protections, there is a lack of political will at all levels. Indonesia’s last periodic report to Cedaw, carried out in 2011, acknowledged a “lack of synergy and coordination among decision-makers”, adding: “This has led to a situation where many women’s rights issues remain unattended, both at the central, and much more so, at the regional levels. Many parties … have identified many discriminatory regional bylaws.”

In West Papua, special autonomy law No 21 (Otsus) was passed in 2001 as part of a plan to transfer political, economic and cultural authority to the Papuan people. However, the majority regard Otsus as a way of pouring an abundance of cash into the province that that will end up in the hands of corrupt local politicians, and as a mechanism to silence calls for independence.

Widodo pledged to champion human rights during his time in office but, more than 12 months into his term, little has changed. International pressure will be crucial in pushing for Indonesia to at least live up to its obligations under international law – or, at best, to support West Papua’s desire for self-determination and push for a referendum, as in East Timor in 1999.

As West Papuans remain under Indonesian rule, women’s rights will continue to be caught in the middle. Groups supporting self-determination recently came together in the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, a broad coalition looking to press their case within West Papua and internationally. For an end to the violence, and especially for the women of West Papua, independence must be taken seriously.

…

West Papuan women left isolated and beset by violence under Indonesian rule was originally published on WPRRA.club

West Papuan asylum seekers to be sent to camp on PNG-Indonesian border

Group of seven who were deported from Australia fear kidnapping by Indonesia if sent to remote border camp

Seven West Papuans who claimed asylum in Australia have been told they will be sent to a remote camp in Papua New Guinea on the border of Indonesia – the country they are fleeing from.

The group, including a woman and a 10-year-old child, landed on Boigu Island in the Torres Strait on 24 September and sought protection from Australia. But they were deported two days later and handed over to PNG immigration officials in the capital of Port Moresby, where they have been kept in a hotel room since.

One of the group, Yacob Mechrian Mandabayan, told Guardian Australia via phone from Port Moresby on Friday afternoon that the seven had been given two options by PNG immigration officials when they met with them late Thursday afternoon.

“Option number one is go back toIndonesia and option number two is [claim asylum] in Papua New Guinea. We refused the two options,” he said.

“Refugees like us in PNG cannot have a good life,” Mandabayan said.

“[The PNG government] has not given citizenship to other West Papuan activists before us when they came here. We have a 10-year-old kid here, he needs education.

“Also in PNG we can see a lot of Indonesian people. Indonesia can pay those people to kidnap us or do something to us, that’s why we feel unsafe in Papua New Guinea.”

After refusing the offer, the group were told they would be sent to a camp in Kiunga, in PNG’s Western province, where other West Papuan refugees reside, Mandabayan said.

“In Google maps, you can see that Kiunga is really close to the border [with Indonesia]. That’s why we’re afraid.”

Before fleeing West Papua, the group said they had received threats from the Indonesian military for taking part in a protest against the Indonesian occupation of the province.

Mandabayan told Guardian Australia at the time: “We’ve become refugees in our own country and we ask your help to expose our situation here. We need your help. Please.”

The group is now questioning the legality of their removal from Australia.

On 30 September, the immigration minister, Scott Morrison, told the media that the West Papuans had been removed under a 2003 memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Papua New Guinea.

But that MOU requires asylum seekers be in PNG for seven or more days before arriving in Australia. The seven West Papuans repeatedly told Australian immigration officials that they only spent two nights in PNG before arriving on Boigu Island.

Morrison later admitted the agreement had been relaxed. “There was a concession agreed between the two governments,” he said.

Mandabayan told Guardian Australia, “Why does [Australia] treat us like a criminal? We came as refugees to Australia, seeking asylum and protection in Australia; why do they treat us like a criminal? They dumped us here, and now the PNG government is doing the same thing.”

A spokesman for the Refugee Action Coalition, Ian Rintoul, said, “Scott Morrison has admitted that the government did not follow the 2003 MOU and returned them to PNG despite the fact they had not been in PNG for more than seven days as required by the MOU.

“It seems that the West Papuans have been unlawfully removed from Australia.”

“Scott Morrison flicked the West Papuans to PNG to keep them ‘out of sight and out of mind’ to avoid any embarrassment with Indonesia. Now, the PNG government is following Australia’s lead and flicking them to a remote camp,”

he said.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship

Access to citizenship could prove the best hope yet for thousands of West Papuan refugees living in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

“I want citizenship. I’ve been here 28 years and want to get on with my life,” said Donatus Karuri, a 57-year-old father of six, outside the shelter he shares with five other families at the Hohola refugee settlement. It is one of four settlements for West Papuan refugees in the capital Port Moresby.

Like most West Papuan refugees, he is unable to work legally and has only limited access to public services.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are more than 9,000 West Papuan refugees in PNG today, many of whom have been in the Pacific island nation for over three decades.

Others know no other home and can’t imagine living anywhere else.

“I was born here. This is the only country I know,” said Dan Hanasbey, 27, another refugee wanting citizenship.

Flight from Indonesia

Between 1984 and 1986, more than 11,000 West Papuans fled east into PNG from the western, Indonesian half of New Guinea Island to escape political turmoil and economic discontent; the area’s longstanding secessionist sentiments towards Jakarta continue to simmer today.

West Province, a former Dutch colony rich in natural resources, was later divided into two separate provinces – Papua and West Papua – however, indigenous West Papuans continue to refer to the entire Indonesian area as West Papua.

At the time the refugees arrived, the PNG government was not yet a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention. It granted the West Papuans prima facie refugee status shortly after accession to the convention in 1986 – but with seven reservations, including Article 34 on naturalization.

Of the close to 9,300 West Papuan refugees in PNG today, almost half live along the border areawith Indonesia.

Another 2,435 live in urban areas, while 2,290 live in East Awin, the only officially sanctioned area for West Papuan refugees to settle. There, regular assistance is available and access to 6,000 hectares of government land is provided – about 120km away from the Indonesian border. The site was established in an effort to resettle the refugees away from the border areas to avoid possible political problems with the Indonesian government.

Those who resettle in the area for six months are provided permissive residency permits (PRPs), which allow them certain rights, including the right to work and travel internally (excluding border areas), and gives them access to health and education services.

Few refugees, however, wish to resettle in East Awin, preferring instead to stay close to the border area and their land and families on the other side. Others frown upon its remote jungle location and inaccessibility.

Papua New GuineaIRIN Filmhttp://www.irinnews.org/film/Sunday, December 16, 2012Migration
Photo: David Swanson/IRIN
Like many West Papuan refugees, Donatus Karuri would like to stay

The government estimates only 40 percent of West Papuan refugees hold PRPs. As a result, most survive on subsistence farming – particularly in the border area. Those in urban settings live on private or government land, under constant risk of eviction, and often work illegally.

The cost of citizenship

Despite these challenges, many West Papuans – who share a similar Melanesian ancestry to Papua New Guineans – have integrated well in this nation of 7.3 million and would like to stay.

“Local integration with the opportunity to be granted PNG citizenship is the best solution for many West Papuan refugees under the current circumstances,” Walpurga Englbrecht, UNHCR country representative for PNG, told IRIN.

“The problem, however, is the application fee is too high.”

Under PNG law, any foreigner – including refugees – wishing to apply to citizenship and who has fulfilled eight years of residency must pay a 10,000 kina (US$5,000) application fee.

“We can’t afford that. It’s impossible,” Freddy Warome, 58, a West Papuan community leader, complained.

Under Article 34 of the Refugee Convention, signatory states should facilitate the assimilation and naturalization of refugees, and make every effort to expedite naturalization and reduce the costs as far as possible.

To date, the PNG government appears mindful of this responsibility, but it remains unclear when they might act upon it.

Speaking at a 2011 ministerial meeting to mark the 60th anniversary of the Refugee Convention, Moses Manwau, PNG’s former vice minister for foreign affairs and immigration, confirmed the government’s commitment to withdrawing its earlier reservations to the Convention, and to waiving all fees or introducing nominal fees for refugees seeking naturalization.

“We are determined to give refugees the kind of life, liberty, peace and prosperity they deserve so that they can hold their own against any other citizens in Papua New Guinea,” he said.

UNHCR believes there should be a path to citizenship for those who desire it, while those West Papuans lacking PRPs who would like to remain in the country should be provided PRPs without having to relocate to East Awin, Englbrecht said.

ds/rz

Source: http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship was originally published on WPRRA.club

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship was originally published on WPRRA.club

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship was originally published on WPRRA.club

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship was originally published on WPRRA.club

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship was originally published on WPRRA.club

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship was originally published on WPRRA.club

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship

Access to citizenship could prove the best hope yet for thousands of West Papuan refugees living in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

“I want citizenship. I’ve been here 28 years and want to get on with my life,” said Donatus Karuri, a 57-year-old father of six, outside the shelter he shares with five other families at the Hohola refugee settlement. It is one of four settlements for West Papuan refugees in the capital Port Moresby.

Like most West Papuan refugees, he is unable to work legally and has only limited access to public services.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are more than 9,000 West Papuan refugees in PNG today, many of whom have been in the Pacific island nation for over three decades.

Others know no other home and can’t imagine living anywhere else.

“I was born here. This is the only country I know,” said Dan Hanasbey, 27, another refugee wanting citizenship.

Flight from Indonesia

Between 1984 and 1986, more than 11,000 West Papuans fled east into PNG from the western, Indonesian half of New Guinea Island to escape political turmoil and economic discontent; the area’s longstanding secessionist sentiments towards Jakarta continue to simmer today.

West Province, a former Dutch colony rich in natural resources, was later divided into two separate provinces – Papua and West Papua – however, indigenous West Papuans continue to refer to the entire Indonesian area as West Papua.

At the time the refugees arrived, the PNG government was not yet a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention. It granted the West Papuans prima facie refugee status shortly after accession to the convention in 1986 – but with seven reservations, including Article 34 on naturalization.

Of the close to 9,300 West Papuan refugees in PNG today, almost half live along the border areawith Indonesia.

Another 2,435 live in urban areas, while 2,290 live in East Awin, the only officially sanctioned area for West Papuan refugees to settle. There, regular assistance is available and access to 6,000 hectares of government land is provided – about 120km away from the Indonesian border. The site was established in an effort to resettle the refugees away from the border areas to avoid possible political problems with the Indonesian government.

Those who resettle in the area for six months are provided permissive residency permits (PRPs), which allow them certain rights, including the right to work and travel internally (excluding border areas), and gives them access to health and education services.

Few refugees, however, wish to resettle in East Awin, preferring instead to stay close to the border area and their land and families on the other side. Others frown upon its remote jungle location and inaccessibility.

Papua New GuineaIRIN Filmhttp://www.irinnews.org/film/Sunday, December 16, 2012Migration
Photo: David Swanson/IRIN
Like many West Papuan refugees, Donatus Karuri would like to stay

The government estimates only 40 percent of West Papuan refugees hold PRPs. As a result, most survive on subsistence farming – particularly in the border area. Those in urban settings live on private or government land, under constant risk of eviction, and often work illegally.

The cost of citizenship

Despite these challenges, many West Papuans – who share a similar Melanesian ancestry to Papua New Guineans – have integrated well in this nation of 7.3 million and would like to stay.

“Local integration with the opportunity to be granted PNG citizenship is the best solution for many West Papuan refugees under the current circumstances,” Walpurga Englbrecht, UNHCR country representative for PNG, told IRIN.

“The problem, however, is the application fee is too high.”

Under PNG law, any foreigner – including refugees – wishing to apply to citizenship and who has fulfilled eight years of residency must pay a 10,000 kina (US$5,000) application fee.

“We can’t afford that. It’s impossible,” Freddy Warome, 58, a West Papuan community leader, complained.

Under Article 34 of the Refugee Convention, signatory states should facilitate the assimilation and naturalization of refugees, and make every effort to expedite naturalization and reduce the costs as far as possible.

To date, the PNG government appears mindful of this responsibility, but it remains unclear when they might act upon it.

Speaking at a 2011 ministerial meeting to mark the 60th anniversary of the Refugee Convention, Moses Manwau, PNG’s former vice minister for foreign affairs and immigration, confirmed the government’s commitment to withdrawing its earlier reservations to the Convention, and to waiving all fees or introducing nominal fees for refugees seeking naturalization.

“We are determined to give refugees the kind of life, liberty, peace and prosperity they deserve so that they can hold their own against any other citizens in Papua New Guinea,” he said.

UNHCR believes there should be a path to citizenship for those who desire it, while those West Papuans lacking PRPs who would like to remain in the country should be provided PRPs without having to relocate to East Awin, Englbrecht said.

ds/rz

Source: http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship was originally published on WPRRA.club

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship was originally published on WPRRA.club

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship was originally published on WPRRA.club

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship was originally published on WPRRA.club

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship was originally published on WPRRA.club

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship

Access to citizenship could prove the best hope yet for thousands of West Papuan refugees living in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

“I want citizenship. I’ve been here 28 years and want to get on with my life,” said Donatus Karuri, a 57-year-old father of six, outside the shelter he shares with five other families at the Hohola refugee settlement. It is one of four settlements for West Papuan refugees in the capital Port Moresby.

Like most West Papuan refugees, he is unable to work legally and has only limited access to public services.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are more than 9,000 West Papuan refugees in PNG today, many of whom have been in the Pacific island nation for over three decades.

Others know no other home and can’t imagine living anywhere else.

“I was born here. This is the only country I know,” said Dan Hanasbey, 27, another refugee wanting citizenship.

Flight from Indonesia

Between 1984 and 1986, more than 11,000 West Papuans fled east into PNG from the western, Indonesian half of New Guinea Island to escape political turmoil and economic discontent; the area’s longstanding secessionist sentiments towards Jakarta continue to simmer today.

West Province, a former Dutch colony rich in natural resources, was later divided into two separate provinces – Papua and West Papua – however, indigenous West Papuans continue to refer to the entire Indonesian area as West Papua.

At the time the refugees arrived, the PNG government was not yet a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention. It granted the West Papuans prima facie refugee status shortly after accession to the convention in 1986 – but with seven reservations, including Article 34 on naturalization.

Of the close to 9,300 West Papuan refugees in PNG today, almost half live along the border areawith Indonesia.

Another 2,435 live in urban areas, while 2,290 live in East Awin, the only officially sanctioned area for West Papuan refugees to settle. There, regular assistance is available and access to 6,000 hectares of government land is provided – about 120km away from the Indonesian border. The site was established in an effort to resettle the refugees away from the border areas to avoid possible political problems with the Indonesian government.

Those who resettle in the area for six months are provided permissive residency permits (PRPs), which allow them certain rights, including the right to work and travel internally (excluding border areas), and gives them access to health and education services.

Few refugees, however, wish to resettle in East Awin, preferring instead to stay close to the border area and their land and families on the other side. Others frown upon its remote jungle location and inaccessibility.

Papua New GuineaIRIN Filmhttp://www.irinnews.org/film/Sunday, December 16, 2012Migration
Photo: David Swanson/IRIN
Like many West Papuan refugees, Donatus Karuri would like to stay

The government estimates only 40 percent of West Papuan refugees hold PRPs. As a result, most survive on subsistence farming – particularly in the border area. Those in urban settings live on private or government land, under constant risk of eviction, and often work illegally.

The cost of citizenship

Despite these challenges, many West Papuans – who share a similar Melanesian ancestry to Papua New Guineans – have integrated well in this nation of 7.3 million and would like to stay.

“Local integration with the opportunity to be granted PNG citizenship is the best solution for many West Papuan refugees under the current circumstances,” Walpurga Englbrecht, UNHCR country representative for PNG, told IRIN.

“The problem, however, is the application fee is too high.”

Under PNG law, any foreigner – including refugees – wishing to apply to citizenship and who has fulfilled eight years of residency must pay a 10,000 kina (US$5,000) application fee.

“We can’t afford that. It’s impossible,” Freddy Warome, 58, a West Papuan community leader, complained.

Under Article 34 of the Refugee Convention, signatory states should facilitate the assimilation and naturalization of refugees, and make every effort to expedite naturalization and reduce the costs as far as possible.

To date, the PNG government appears mindful of this responsibility, but it remains unclear when they might act upon it.

Speaking at a 2011 ministerial meeting to mark the 60th anniversary of the Refugee Convention, Moses Manwau, PNG’s former vice minister for foreign affairs and immigration, confirmed the government’s commitment to withdrawing its earlier reservations to the Convention, and to waiving all fees or introducing nominal fees for refugees seeking naturalization.

“We are determined to give refugees the kind of life, liberty, peace and prosperity they deserve so that they can hold their own against any other citizens in Papua New Guinea,” he said.

UNHCR believes there should be a path to citizenship for those who desire it, while those West Papuans lacking PRPs who would like to remain in the country should be provided PRPs without having to relocate to East Awin, Englbrecht said.

ds/rz

Source: http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/

West Papuan refugees hope for citizenship was originally published on WPRRA.club

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