Monday, April 4, 2011

Get on the Bus, Train Subway, Cab... Protest Indonesia with Amnesty International

Get on the Bus, Train Subway, Cab... Protest Indonesia with Amnesty International

This Friday, April 8, Amnesty International will bring people from throughout New England to New York City protest various human rights violating governments in their annual Get on the Bus for Human Rights.

ETAN will be participating. For more information and to register, go here - http://j.mp/g28Ho8
ETAN's National Coordinator will part of the panel briefing those attending beginning at 11 am at The Great Hall at the The Cooper Union, 7 E. 7th Street, New York, NY 10003. Participants will march from there to raise human rights issues with various governments, including Indonesia.

Join the action on Indonesia from 3:35 - 4:10 p.m. at 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (preferred rally location: 1st Ave & E 47th St) and will focus on seeking release of Filep Karma, advocate for the rights of Indonesia's Papuan population



Other countries highlighted are Chad, Sri Lanka and China - compete schedule is here - http://www.gotb.org/schedule-of-events.html

Get on the Bus for Human Rights (GOTB) is an annual day of human rights education and activism organized by Amnesty International USA Group 133 of Somerville, MA and a dedicated team of volunteer community organizers. It is now in its 16th year.


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This year there will also be a Get on the Bus to DC on April 15th, which will also focus on human rights in Indonesia (1:30 pm at the Embassy of Indonesia, 2020 Massachusetts Ave. NW near Dupont Circle), as well as Sri Lanka, Myanmar/Burma, Chad and Tibet   Check out their website!

West Papua Report April 2011: VP rejects dialogue, MSG, more

Full issue of April 2011 West Papua Report is here


Summary:

Indonesia's Vice President Boediono has begun implementation of a Presidential decree calling for the establishment of an inter-governmental agency to examine problems in West Papua. The initiative falls far short of widespread Papuan calls for a senior-level, internationally mediated dialogue between Indonesian officials and Papuans. A senior Papuan civil society leader has spoken out against this continued failure of Jakarta to engage in serious dialogue. Papuan church leaders have charged the Indonesian government with "genocide" in West Papua. The Melanesian Spearhead Group again failed to invite representatives from West Papua to its annual summit, instead inviting the Indonesian government to send observers. Indonesian officials violated the labor rights of Papuans by jailing nurses who called a peaceful, legal strike. A leading Papuan NGO chief has called for elimination of provisions in the Indonesian criminal code that violate Indonesia's obligations under international conventions to which it is party.