Eighty-three covid-19 cases have been reported during the Indonesian National Games (PON-XX) being held in Papua as of yesterday afternoon, says Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

He said evaluation of the Games would improve public health protocols in future.

“The 83 cases are concentrated among the participants competing in several sports — judo, archery, roller skating, cricket and motocross — as well as originating from a number of provinces (Jakarta, East Java, Central Java and Bali)” Sadikin told an online media conference on community activity restrictions (PPKM).

According to the ministry’s observation, virus transmission occurred in the lodging as each room was occupied by four people and the PON participants often ate together, the minister said.

“It will be our evaluation to improve the implementation of health protocols in future events,” he said.

The implementation of the health protocols could still be improved by giving greater authority to the regional covid-19 handling task forces, he added.

Furthermore, he said that his ministry had noticed that seven infected athletes had returned to their provinces before the end of their five-day quarantine period.

One athlete returned to Tarakan City, North Kalimantan Province, two returned to Jambi Province, three to Sidoarjo District, East Java Province, and one to the Special Region of Yogyakarta Province, he said.

“The President [Joko Widodo] has urged the athletes to be quarantined at their hometowns,” Sadikin said.

Several standards had been set regarding the implementation of health protocols at the XX PON, including giving adequate authority to the task forces and maintaining distancing among participants at the hotels and hostels both while resting and eating, the minister said.

Other standards included conducting routine covid-19 PCR tests to identify infected participants faster and keeping isolation centers ready to quarantine patients immediately, he added.

• Asia Pacific Report notes that the Games were controversial because of repeated calls to postpone them given the public health risks from the covid-19 pandemic.

Desi Purnamawati and Uyu Liman are reporters with Antara News.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Local governments in Papua — such as the Yapen Islands and Puncak administrations — say they are continuing to promote the benefits of covid-19 vaccines to indigenous Papuans as hoaxes and distrust from local people towards the Indonesian government has increased low vaccination rates.

Head of Yapen Islands Health Agency, Karolus Taniwani, has appealed to the public to get vaccinated, showing himself and other Yapen Islands officials who have been vaccinated as evidence that the vaccine is safe.

“Those of us who have been vaccinated are in good health. I invite all people in the Yapen Islands Regency to take part in the covid-19 vaccination,” Taniwani told Jubi by phone.

Taniwani also recounted his own experience of getting vaccinated. He said he got sick following the vaccination but immediately saw the doctor in the hospital for examination.

It turned out the illness was caused by relapsing malaria. Amid the covid-19 pandemic, the Papuan people are still vulnerable to other diseases such as malaria, HIV, and hepatitis.

Coordinator of the Yapen Islands Covid-19 Task Force, Erny Renny Tania, said her party continued to educate the people about the covid-19 pandemic, as well as the importance of adhering to the health protocols.

They did this by traveling around markets and villages by car and spreading information through loudspeakers.

Vaccine ‘not poison’
Puncak Health Agency head Demus Wonda said that the covid-19 vaccine was not poison.

“Drugs [vaccine] imported from outside Papua are not meant to kill the people but to strengthen the people through the formation of antibodies,” he said.

Taniwani echoed Wonda, saying that if it was true the covid-19 was ‘poison’, he would have died. But the fact is, he did not die after being vaccinated.

Fear that the government’s covid-19 vaccination programme would kill the Papuan people is not surprising as years of oppression, discrimination, murder, and imprisonment inflicted by the state against the Papuans have created a prolonged trauma among the people.

Benny Giay, chairman of the Kemah Injili Church Sinode of Papua, said that for the past two years, covid-19 had been used by the Indonesian Military (TNI) and police as an excuse to disperse Papuan people’s protests against racism and the continuation of the Special Autonomy (Otsus) Law.

“Those people whom the Papuan people highly distrust should not be involved in overseeing the vaccination,” Giay said, as quoted by Project Multatuli.

The Papuans, Giay said, saw the involvement of the army and police as “bad intentions” and refused to be vaccinated.

Distrust towards state
Audryne Karma, a dentist and daughter of Papuan political figure Filep Karma, also told Project Multatuli that the distrust from the Papuan people toward the government’s health programme was not only over covid-19 vaccinations.

Even before the pandemic, from Karma’s own experience at least, health programmes were, in the eyes of many Papuans, considered to carry a disguised mission to harm Papuans.

According to the head of Papua Health Agency, Roby Kayame, covid-19 vaccination in the province had only reached 190,723 people for first dosage, or 13.06 percent, and 12,911 people (5.58 percent) for the second dose. Most of them are non-Papuan people.

“The percentage of indigenous Papuans [who get vaccinated] is very small compared to non-Papuans in some places,” Kayame said.

Jayapura, Mimika, and Merauke are areas with high vaccination rates. On the other hand, vaccination rates are still low in the mountainous areas of Lapago and Meepago.

In the Saireri area, the vaccination rate in Biak Regency is much higher than Supiori, Yapen and Waropen. Vaccination rates in Boven, Mappi, and Asmat are considered high.

The Project Multatuli report also depicted the story of a mother of two in Wamena city, who was still in doubt about whether she would get the vaccine.

Fear over side effects
“Actually, I don’t really mind. But with a lot of information circulating, some say vaccines is good and others say it’s bad, with the side effects and all kinds of things,” she said.

“I have other disease, so this has also become my question. I prefer not to be vaccinated for fear that the side effects can be fatal,” she said.

She said she only obtained information about covid-19 and the vaccination programme through social media. The internet service in Wamena was very slow, making it difficult to find accurate information.

As for direct information, she only heard about the vaccination programme from the police car that going around the villages.

“Mostly, people are terrified by the effects of the vaccine,” she said.

“Indeed, from what I have seen, there has been no major dissemination about the various vaccines that have reached this small community.

“Which groups need vaccines? I don’t know myself. We have the right to know first, don’t we? So we can decide what to do.”

Her testimony shows that the low interest in vaccines is also due to the lack of information from government authorities.

Hengky Yeimo is a Tabloid Jubi reporter. Some information in this article is excerpted from an article written by Asrida Elisabeth for Project Multatuli.  The article is republished by Asia Pacific Report with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Asmat regency in Papua has decided to limit access to and from the area for 28 days, starting last Sunday, after eight people in the regency’s capital Agats tested positive for covid-19 on Saturday, reports The Jakarta Post.

Acting Asmat regent Triwarno Purnomo said the administration would only allow ships carrying staple supplies to enter Asmat during the restriction.

However, Pelni ships carrying passengers are prohibited from entering, while air transportation activities are only available for emergencies.

Besides access limitation, Asmat has also applied a curfew, with business activities now only allowed to run between 6 am and 6 pm local time, while previously they were allowed until 9 pm.

“We also halt educational and religious activities, while limiting office hours until 2 p.m. Moreover, only five people are allowed to be in each office site [on a daily basis],” said Triwarno.

Kompas.id reported on Sunday that the eight people had mild symptoms and were under self-isolation in their respective houses.

According to the Asmat covid-19 task force, the five infected people worked as healthcare workers at Agats Regional General Hospital (RSUD) and a community health center (Puskesmas). As a result, the RSUD had to temporarily shut down its outpatient care unit due to the transmission cases.

Previously a green zone
Previously, Asmat was a covid-19 green zone. An area is considered a green zone when it is no longer recording any cases.

With the latest development, Asmat, along with 20 other regencies and a city, are categorized as red zones.

According to the Asmat Health Agency, the regency only has 25 doctors that are stationed in 13 Puskesmas, out of a total 17 in the area. The regency has no pulmonologist.

“We’re pushing for strict implementation of COVID-19 health protocols in the hospitals and all Puskesmas in order to protect our healthcare workers, who are very limited in number,” said Purnomo.

Asmat Health Agency head Richard Mirino said having the virus spreading in the area was a risky situation for the regency due to its limited health facilities and healthcare workers as well as challenging geographic condition and its residents’ low awareness of living healthily.

Mirino referred to a measles outbreak in Asmat in 2018, which infected 670 children, 80 of whom died.

Papua covid-19 task force head Welliam Manderi said the provincial administration would issue a circular, ordering all parties to increase the implementation of health protocols at each regency and city’s gates.

Manderi admitted that the number of confirmed cases on a daily basis was still higher than the number of recovered cases over the past month.

• As of Monday, Papua had recorded a total of 8239 confirmed covid-19 cases, 4438 recovered cases and 117 deaths, reports The Jakarta Post.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The dramatic daily increase of covid-19 coronavirus cases in West Papua poses a “great threat” to Papua New Guinea, says the country’s deputy emergency chief.

State of Emergency Deputy Controller and Acting Secretary for Health Dr Paison Dakulala said the Indonesian-ruled Papua region had seen an increase of 65 new covid-19 cases in the previous 24-hours, bringing the total to 686 confirmed cases.

Dr Dakulala said in a statement that the “alarming increase” means that PNG was still in the danger zone and people must not be complacent, reports NBC News.

READ MORE: Al jazeera coronavirus live updates – WHO launches new foundation for funding

He said with the increase in the number of cases in West Papua, the PNG government is revisiting its strategies along the western border with Indonesia.

Dr Dakulala said that to date there had been no deaths in the country and the health team and security forces were on the ground ensuring that covid-19 transmission would not take place.

At this stage, PNG had had only eight confirmed cases of covid-19, the last case was reported about a month ago.

All eight people have since recovered.

Rising total of infections
The Jakarta Post reports that the total number of infections nationwide in Indonesia  yesterday was 23,851.

Speaking at a press conference, the Ministry of Health’s Disease Control and Prevention Director-General, Achmad Yurianto, said that 55 more people had died of the disease, taking the death toll to 1473.

Meanwhile, the Free Papua Movement (OPM) has denied that it was involved in the shooting of two members of the Intan Jaya regency covid-19 task force, claiming that the two men were shot by security forces.

“We want to emphasise that the people who shot the two medical workers were TNI [Indonesian Military] and National Police personnel. They are the culprits,” OPM spokesperson Sebby Sanbom said in a statement quoted by tempo.co.

“Indonesia must take responsibility.”

The two medical workers – identified as Amalek Bagau, 30, and Eniko Somou, 39 – were reportedly shot while delivering medical supplies to a remote area in Intan Jaya regency at about 4.30 pm local time last Friday.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The regent of Mimika in Papua has urged President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to temporarily close a mine in the regency owned by gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia as the number of covid-19 coronavirus cases in the area continues to rise.

“Human lives are at stake here, so we hope the President will close Freeport for a while because covid-19 cases keep increasing there,” said Mimika Regent Eltinus Omaleng.

He said he would send a letter to the President about his appeal, reports The Jakarta Post quoting kompas.com.

READ MORE: The battle for West Papuan independence from Indonesia – Foreign Correspondent

Eltinus said that closing down the mine, located in Tembagapura district, was necessary to contain the spread of the disease because the work environment led to unavoidable crowding, even though Freeport Indonesia had enacted a social distancing policy.

“In Freeport, [the employees] sit together; they go into the mess halls together; they take the bus together; they take the trams together,” he said.

52 mine positive – 1 dead
The company reported last week that 52 of its employees had tested positive for covid-19, one of whom had died.

The Mimika regency had recorded 97 covid-19 cases and three deaths as at last Thursday – the highest in Papua – with 56 of the cases coming from the Tembagapura district alone.

Papua as a whole had recorded 277 confirmed cases as at Saturday, according to the government count.

Papua covid-19 Task Force spokesperson Silwanus Sumule told Antara News Agency that Freeport Indonesia had prepared isolation chambers for its employees. The facility consisted of 600 beds.

In 2018, Freeport Indonesia said it employed about 30,000 workers, with tens of thousands more working as contractors in the mines.

In Indonesia as a whole, 14,265 people were reported infected today with 991 deaths and the numbers were rising.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

By Clifford Faiparik in Port Moresby

Repatriation of about 120 Papua New Guinea citizens from the Papua province of Indonesia to West Sepik under the Indonesian special covid-19 state of emergency (SOE) will start next week, says PNG’s Covid-19 SOE Controller David Manning.

Manning said the PNG citizens included prisoners serving various terms in Indonesian prisons – mostly in the West Papua region of two provinces –  for alleged drug-smuggling and illegal entry.

“The repatriation of 123 Papua New Guinea citizens from Jayapura will happen on either Wednesday or Thursday next week,” he said.

READ MORE: Al Jazeera coronavirus live updates – WHO warns 190,000 could die in Africa

“The first lot of 39 Papua New Guinea citizens will be received at the border by PNG authorities from Vanimo.

“This group comprises 24 prisoners from Abepura jail in Jayapura who were serving various terms for illegal entry and 15 stranded PNG citizens with expired visas.”

Manning said that generally the situation across the country was quiet.

“But our recent focus on security is the 760km border between PNG and Indonesia,” he said.

240 confirmed cases
“And in Papua, there are 240 confirmed cases [of covid-19].

“The death toll remains at six and recoveries at 48.

“While the daily cases curve is flattening at 2.45 percent, we are taking all precautions at the border areas to ensure that this does not spread over into PNG.

“We have a strong presence of security forces in the northern and southern border provinces (Western and West Sepik) as well as the Gulf province.”

Meanwhile, Jayapura-based PNG Consul-General Geoffrey Wiri said West Sepik administrator Conrad Tilau had advised him to send the PNG citizens in batches of 30 and 40 due to their limited quarantine capacity.

“As I understand it, they have allocated a vacant property in West Tower area in Vanimo for quarantine and then the PNG citizens will be released after 14 days,” he said.

Wiri is also concerned that the PNG-Indonesian border has been shut since January 29.

‘Good bilateral relations’
“I need a copy of Manning’s emergency orders for me to inform the Papua provincial government authorities to open the gate since they are also under lockdown condition. But they are willing to open the gates because of our good bilateral relations.”

He said only the 24 Papua New Guinea prisoners jailed at Abepura Prison for illegal entry were being released.

“But not the remaining 74 prisoners serving various terms for drug-smuggling,” Wiri said.

“I understand that negotiations between PNG and Indonesian government for the repatriation for these convicted drug smugglers has not begun yet.”

Wiri said 66 prisoners were in the Doyo Baru narcotic prison in Papua province while seven were in the Bolangi narcotic prison in Sulawesi Province and one in a prison in Manokwari, West Papua province.

Clifford Faiparik is a reporter for The National newspaper.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

By Basten Gokkon of Mongabay

Local authorities and indigenous communities in Indonesia’s Papua region have imposed a  sweeping lockdown in an attempt to minimise the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The region, which comprises the provinces of West Papua and Papua, is the least developed in Indonesia, with scant public health facilities, poor road connectivity, and the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality in the country.

Faced with the challenge of containing a covid-19 outbreak in these circumstances, the provincial governments have temporarily restricted air and sea traffic into the region, with the exception of the freight traffic.

READ MORE: Surge in Papua covid-19 cases in Timika mining hub

In the Papuan hinterland, indigenous communities have blocked road access into their villages for outsiders.

There are fears that a covid-19 outbreak here, particularly among the more than 300 indigenous tribes, could have a disastrous impact. The first case of infection among indigenous people has already occurred in the Brazilian Amazon.

However, in spite of the lockdown efforts Pacific Media Watch reports that infections are already spreading with 205 cases and six deaths reported in Papua and 37 cases and one death recorded in West Papua province.

Health authorities have reported a surge in the mining hub of Timika with 51 cases – the highest of any regency in the West Papuan region.

The total for Indonesia was 10,118 cases and 792 deaths.

Vulnerable communities
In Papua province, where the travel restriction came into force on March 26, Governor Lukas Enembe said a full closure could be implemented for three indigenous territories in the province: Lapago, Meepago and Animha.

He said these communities were particularly “vulnerable” to infection.

In West Papua, authorities followed with their own travel restriction on March 30.

Activists have welcomed the measures to restrict arrivals from outside and to close off vulnerable areas, given the lack of adequate health care facilities in the region. The government has designated just five hospitals to treat covid-19 patients in the region — an area double the size of the United Kingdom and home to 4 million people.

Between them, the hospitals have access to a combined 60 ventilators, and have had to rely on the national government for supplies of personal protective equipment for health workers.

“Most of the tribes have small populations, so they are vulnerable to extinction when faced with the covid-19 pandemic,” Rukka Sumbolinggi, the general secretary of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), said in a statement.

“Indigenous communities are unfamiliar with its spread and with the medication [needed] for patients.”

Local village initiatives
Many communities have taken the initiative to shut down road access to their villages.

Franky Samperante, the executive director of the Pusaka Foundation, which works with indigenous communities, said residents in Papua’s Boven Digoel and Maybrat districts had closed off their villages to people from other areas. He added that indigenous communities were also carrying out traditional rituals that they believed could deflect bad energy.

“These people have heard some information about the coronavirus and the horrors of covid-19, and they are worried about it,” he told Mongabay.

These lockdowns will be important in preventing outsiders from bringing the virus into indigenous communities, said Christian Ari, director of the NGO Perkumpulan Silva Papua Lestari (PSPL). Members of these communities have strong social relationships, so practicing physical distancing once an infection has been recorded will be difficult, he said.

“If the government hadn’t taken strong actions there could be many deaths of Papuans, with implications for the political dynamic in Papua,” Christian said. “Papuans could take the view that they were being intentionally murdered by the state.”

Ari added that his team also had to deal misinformation making the rounds in these communities.

“Some people believe that the virus only attacks officials who travel out of town and not them,” he said.

Plantation restrictions called for
Samperante called on authorities to also restrict the activities of plantation and mining companies operating in the vicinity of indigenous lands to mitigate the risk of infection by workers.

“The people can’t control these workers for development projects, and they are potential carriers of diseases that might infect the people in the villages,” he said.

Ari said the authorities should ensure the availability of food supplies for communities that had chosen to shut their villages off, including those accustomed to foraging in the forests.

He said food insecurity could compel members of these communities to leave their villages in search of food, thereby running the risk of encountering other people and possibly becoming infected.

But while activists see these restrictions as necessary, the national government in Jakarta has criticised the travel ban. The government insists only it has the power to impose such a measure, and to date has refused requests from other regions to impose lockdowns, citing dire economic impacts.

Ricky Ham Pagawak, the head of Papua province’s Central Mamberamo district, said the restrictions were legally valid and necessary to protect public health, and had been approved by local police and legislators.

“Whatever happens in Papua, Papuans are responsible, and the district heads, mayors and governors are responsible,” Pagawak said. “This is our people, our land, our country.”

Basten Gokkonis a Jakarta-based writer and contributor to Mongabay with an interest in wildlife conservation, renewable energy efforts, and indigenous peoples empowerment.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

By Gemma Holliani Cahya in Jakarta

When the first covid-19 coronavirus pandemic cases were detected in Indonesia, one doctor at least knew right away that Papua was not ready to handle the highly infectious disease.

“I know this might sound harsh for some people but this is the fact; if you don’t want to die, do not come to Papua,” says Silwanus Sumule, a doctor who works in the Papua capital of Jayapura. said in a recent phone interview with The Jakarta Post.

Dr Sumule is also the spokesperson for the Papua covid-19 response team and he talked to The Jakarta Post in a recent phone interview.

READ MORE: Remote parts of Pacific prepare for worst as coronavirus looms

There are only seven pulmonologists and 73 ventilators in around 45 hospitals in the Papua province in the region of West Papua, according to an official count.

Papua also has a very limited supply of hazmat suits and only around 10,000 rapid test kits, at least 60,000 short of what is needed, according to Dr Sumule.

“We are not ready but we have to be ready with whatever resources we have because the enemy is already here. […] Even in normal circumstances, we have very limited medical infrastructure and a shortage of workers,” he said.

Papua restricted entry into the nation’s easternmost region, closing down airports and seaports in an effort to stem the spread of covid-19 shortly after the province recorded its first two confirmed cases on March 22.

Cases increasing
However, the number of cases has continued to increase with the local government struggling to contain the disease partly because of the difficulties tracing new cases with the limited supply of test kits and personal protection equipment (PPE).

As of Sunday, Papua had recorded 141 confirmed cases and six deaths, according to the Health Ministry. All were imported cases brought by people who travelled back from Java and Sulawesi.

“So, please don’t come here, do not give us more new imported cases. Let us deal with what we have right now,” Dr Sumule said.

In stark contrast, the neighboring province of West Papua has recorded just 16 cases and one death.

However, Dr Sumule said the lower number of recorded infections in West Papua could also be a reflection of a lack of tracing and testing.

West Papua, according to Dr Sumule, did not even have a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test machine, leaving it heavily dependent on Jakarta to process both rapid and PCR tests.

Papua, on the other hand, has one machine in Jayapura.

Hospitals in cities
Another issue is that all major hospitals in Papua are located in big cities. With its challenging geographical terrain and lack of healthcare facilities, there are serious concerns over how people in the highlands can mitigate the outbreak once the virus reaches them.

Some cases have been found in several of Papua’s remote regions, including one confirmed case in Central Mamberamo regency in the Pegunungan Tengah mountain range and one in Wamena, a city in the Baliem Valley.

“That means the virus has advanced to several areas in the highlands, but we will not give up that easy. We will try to focus on tracing contacts of these cases. We have recorded 130 contacts of the case in Mamberamo,” Dr Sumule said. “If the virus infected more people in the remote highlands, it would be a serious problem for us.”

Around four weeks ago, Freddy Edowai, 32, a civil servant working in Deiyai regency, also located in the Pegunungan Tengah region, traveled some 130 km to Nabire to visit his wife and child.

He could not return to Deiyai because the Nabire administration had enforced a lockdown and closed the roads connecting the regencies. Deiyai and other remote regencies in Papua, such as Paniai, Intan Jaya and Dogiyai, have also carried out similar measures.

“I think closing the roads is our best option to prevent the virus from spreading to rural areas,” Edowai said. “People can help authorities by staying at home.”

Having grown up in Deiyai, he said the regency had long struggled with access to clean water and basic health care.

Confirmed cases
In Nabire, meanwhile, three confirmed cases have been recorded and authorities are conducting rapid tests on dozens of people under surveillance (ODP).

“We are really working with limited resources. The hazmat suits we have are only enough for the next couple of days,” Frans Sayori, the spokesperson for the Nabire covid-19 response team, said recently.

Nabire Regional General Hospital is now a referral hospital for covid-19 that covers at least four other regencies in remote mountain areas.

A number of medical workers have decided to spend their own money to purchase boots, goggles and even raincoats to protect themselves.

“My fellow medical workers asked me to conduct tests on them because they are at higher risk as they are in close contact with confirmed patients and ODPs, but we do not have enough rapid test kits. I have to use them for the ODPs first,” Sayori said.

The restrictions on entry into the province have hindered aid distribution in Nabire.

“Some individuals and organisations have told us that they wanted to send help to us, like hazmat suits, but it was hard to reach us,” Frans said. “It is understandable to lock down the area. But I hope there will be solutions for aid distribution. Please help us so it can arrive in Nabire.”

Mimlka cases
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases in Mimika regency has gradually surpassed the number recorded in Jayapura city and Jayapura regency, two areas that were hit the hardest at the beginning of the outbreak.

As of Sunday, 41 cases and three deaths had been recorded in Mimika, followed by Jayapura city with 39 cases and three deaths and Jayapura regency with 29 cases and one death, according to the Papua covid-19 response team.

The provincial death toll, however, differed from the Health Ministry’s count.

John Giyai, 41, a resident of Mimika’s capital Timika, has stayed at home for a month and not seen his family in Asmat, Papua. He has tried his best to maintain personal hygiene and avoid contracting the disease while in self-isolation.

“If I get infected, I think my chances of surviving are very thin because our health facilities are not ready for this,” Giyai said.

“Authorities said we have to clean up with clean water, but I know there are many people [in Timika] who do not have access to clean water,” he said. “They told us to wear masks, but masks disappeared in early March in Timika.”

A lack of information from the local government has left people unaware of the threat posed by covid-19, with Giyai saying he had noticed that some of his neighbors were continuing to hang out in groups.

Papua among most vulnerable
While every region in Indonesia has said it was not ready for the pandemic, Papua is among the most vulnerable provinces.

At 32.8 percent, it has one of the highest rates of stunting in the country, according to the 2018 Basic Health Research (Riskesdas), an indication of micronutrient deficiencies and insufficient hygiene.

Statistics Indonesia data from 2019 also showed that Papua had the highest poverty rate in Indonesia at 27.53 percent.

The covid-19 disease emerged in Papua not long after a deadly outbreak of communal violence occurred late last year, which observers said could worsen the handling of the outbreak.

A recent report by the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) found there was still tension and that many native Papuans portrayed the virus as being brought in by non-native migrants and the military, adding to the hostilities and suspicions. I

PAC recommended that the government “support the provincial government in its [COVID-19] lockdown efforts, while ensuring unimpeded delivery of humanitarian supplies”.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

OPINION: Mackenzie Smith reviews two months living in Indonesia as a journalist.

In Indonesia, I expected to broaden my understanding and realisation of Asia and its importance to New Zealand. And in a way I did. But more than anything, the experience reinforced for me why engaging with and respecting the Pacific is paramount for New Zealand.

My first week at AFP news agency’s Jakarta bureau coincided, tragically, with the deaths of as many as 100 people, mostly toddlers, in Papua from a measles outbreak.

The crisis, sparked by poor conditions and increasing local reliance on imported foods, represented “decades of neglect” by Indonesia following its annexation of the region.

READ MORE: West Papua protest during Jokowi’s visit to NZ

AFP committed significant resources to covering this, including sending a team of reporters to a remote Papuan village. Along with assistance from us folks that manned the fort in Jakarta, they produced what I believe was the definitive coverage of that health crisis.

It was genuinely humbling to be a part of. Papua, after all, has faced decades of neglect from the international media too, New Zealand included.

-Partners-

While RNZ Pacific does a fantastic job, it is not enough and, as pointed out by some, it is too partisan at times.

Diversity is needed when we cover events of international significance. Yet Papua is of particular and unique significance to New Zealand.

Siding with colonial past?
Having played a key role in the decolonisation of the Pacific, if we cannot continue this, including by acknowledging Papua as a Pacific and Melanesian nation, then surely we are siding with our colonial past (and present).

New Zealand’s foreign policy is changing dramatically, and not just under the direction of a new government in place.

As recent speeches by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have indicated, policy shifts towards the Pacific are motivated at least partly by the increasing sway Asia has there.

And although veiled references to China were highlighted by analysts, its long arm is not the only one in play in the Pacific.

There is a need now to be more savvy than ever towards Asia, if only for the sake of the Pacific. And for all the importance of politics in setting the pace of national dialogue, journalists too play a significant role.

The New Zealand media’s restraint, for example, in covering revelations of China’s political influence activities from Anne-Marie Brady has been remarkable. Just look at Australia, they are going nuts over there.

The media certainly prodded officials during the government’s recent Pacific tour over China’s growing influence there but it was a long way from the “roads to nowhere” white elephant rhetoric coming from across the ditch.

Hope for Asia-Pacific voices
There is hope for how we cover the Asia-Pacific and for the voices we give air to.

So it feels like a good time to arrive back as an “Asia-savvy” journalist – savviness being a term I share the Asia New Zealand Foundation’s fondness for – but an even better time to be a Pacific-savvy journalist.

While both regions demand our attention, one neighbours us and one we sit in. How the two interact will define New Zealand’s foreign policy mandate for the foreseeable future.

There was no happy resolution to Papua’s health crisis; it merely petered out, media coverage in its final days giving way to the detainment of a rather foolhardy journalist who had set out to cover it, rather than the real issues at hand.

And, as observers told AFP, the deaths are doomed to be repeated unless drastic action is taken.

The day before Indonesia declared the crisis over, in an unrelated incident a 61-year-old woman was shot dead by military police in Papua.

As the Foundation’s Pip McLachlan has pointed out, “we need to talk about Asia”. But we also need to talk about the Pacific.

Mackenzie Smith spent six weeks working in Jakarta on the Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesia Studies Journalism Professional Practicum. His participation was funded by the Asia New Zealand Foundation’s media programme. Views expressed are personal to the author.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz