Ariddia
19-12-2007, 13:19
Indonesian state prosecutors seized Friday 60 copies of a book they say could divide Papua politically, while critics have accused them of robbing local people of their freedom of expression.
The 244-page book, titled Tenggelamnya Rumpun Melanesia, Pertarungan Politik di Papua Barat (The Sinking of the Melanesian Race: The Political Struggle in West Papua) was written by a local academic, Sendius Wonda.
"The book is misleading, it could spark unrest and divide the Papuan community," said Rudi Hartono, the intelligence chief at the provincial prosecutors' office.
The 60 copies of the book printed by local publishing house Deiyai were confiscated from a Gramedia bookstore in Jayapura.
"We will continue raiding bookstores in other places for the book," Rudi added.
Rudi said the management of Deiyai would be summoned to the prosecutors' office for questioning on Saturday.
The prosecutors said their legal basis for banning the book was a 2007 attorney general's circular about banning printed materials that could "mislead the public" and "disturb public order".
They said they would start looking for other copies of the book in towns throughout Papua next week, but stopped short of demanding people surrender their copies to the authorities.
Muridan S. Widodo, researcher with the Center for the Indonesian Political Institute of Sciences, described the sweep as a "threat to the freedom of expression".
"The book reflects the typical thoughts of Papuan activists about the 'culture of terror' in the territory," Muridan said.
He added that the author bemoaned the Papuan's loss of their long-standing struggle for economic and political leverage.
Papua, formerly called Irian Barat, or West Irian, has been in the international spotlight due to a simmering secession movement triggered by widely perceived injustices.
The military has been waging a low-level armed uprising.
Muridan said that instead of banning the book, the government should have countered the intellectual work with a book of its own.
"Then invite those who support Sendius Wonda's ideas to an open debate. This would have been better," he said.
He said the government should nurture the budding intellectual tradition in Papua rather than try to suppress it.
(link (http://www.matangitonga.to/article/papua_191207_1155_pf.shtml))
If you have no idea what this is about, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papua_(Indonesian_province)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Papua_Movement
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/5516/maptbdca0.jpg
The 244-page book, titled Tenggelamnya Rumpun Melanesia, Pertarungan Politik di Papua Barat (The Sinking of the Melanesian Race: The Political Struggle in West Papua) was written by a local academic, Sendius Wonda.
"The book is misleading, it could spark unrest and divide the Papuan community," said Rudi Hartono, the intelligence chief at the provincial prosecutors' office.
The 60 copies of the book printed by local publishing house Deiyai were confiscated from a Gramedia bookstore in Jayapura.
"We will continue raiding bookstores in other places for the book," Rudi added.
Rudi said the management of Deiyai would be summoned to the prosecutors' office for questioning on Saturday.
The prosecutors said their legal basis for banning the book was a 2007 attorney general's circular about banning printed materials that could "mislead the public" and "disturb public order".
They said they would start looking for other copies of the book in towns throughout Papua next week, but stopped short of demanding people surrender their copies to the authorities.
Muridan S. Widodo, researcher with the Center for the Indonesian Political Institute of Sciences, described the sweep as a "threat to the freedom of expression".
"The book reflects the typical thoughts of Papuan activists about the 'culture of terror' in the territory," Muridan said.
He added that the author bemoaned the Papuan's loss of their long-standing struggle for economic and political leverage.
Papua, formerly called Irian Barat, or West Irian, has been in the international spotlight due to a simmering secession movement triggered by widely perceived injustices.
The military has been waging a low-level armed uprising.
Muridan said that instead of banning the book, the government should have countered the intellectual work with a book of its own.
"Then invite those who support Sendius Wonda's ideas to an open debate. This would have been better," he said.
He said the government should nurture the budding intellectual tradition in Papua rather than try to suppress it.
(link (http://www.matangitonga.to/article/papua_191207_1155_pf.shtml))
If you have no idea what this is about, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papua_(Indonesian_province)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Papua_Movement
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/5516/maptbdca0.jpg