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.

West Papua Report Match 2011 - land grab, rights violations, paths to self-determination

Read the March West Papua Report here

Summary:

Newly obtained video footage reveals Indonesian security forces, including U.S. and Australian-backed Detachment 88 personnel, brutality in operations in West Papua's Central Highlands. Indonesian NGOs and prominent Papuans have faulted President Yudhoyono's newly announced approach to dialogue with Papuans with criticism of Jakarta's failure to end human rights violations and impunity by security forces as a basis for dialogue. Papuans criticized Jakarta's selection of a limited range of Papuans as dialogue partners and have urged a role for international mediators. A prominent West African leader has announced support for West Papua's self-determination. The chair of the Papuan Peoples Council (DAP) denounced the Indonesian government's policy of transmigration. The Asian Legal Resource Center has appealed to the UN Human Rights Council to address continued security force abuse of human rights in West Papua. A Papuan political prisoner who is gong blind as a result of an attack by a prison warder needs urgent care. A report from within West Papua details land grabs by the Indonesian military and "developers" which have targeted Papuans in the Sorong area.  Hamish McDonald considers Papuans' struggle for self-determination in the light of recent similar successful examples within the international community.

Help wanted in analyzing proposed environmental law

UPDATE: La'o Hamutuk's analysis of the law can be found here 


La'o Hamutuk is seeking help in analyzing and proposing improvements to Timor-Leste's draft environmental law. On their blog they write:

In late January, Timor-Leste's Secretary of State for Environment circulated a Portuguese-language draft of a basic Environmental Law (also PDF) for limited public consultation.... The Secretary accepted La'o Hamutuk's request to extend the comment period until the end of February. 

La'o Hamutuk has done a preliminary computer-assisted translation of the draft law into English (also PDF), and we are asking people and organizations to make your own submissions or to email us with ideas, suggested changes or other analysis which will help us write ours.

The law has many good aspects, including recognition of the precautionary principle, "polluter pays," the importance of greenhouse gas emissions, public consultation,tara bandu, and community involvement. But it also contains significant loopholes and gaps -- and leaves most specifics for subsequent decree-laws.

La'o Hamutuk plans update its webpage on the law as its receive comments, analysis or new information. 

US Embassy in Dili admits mistake about worker's rights

The General Workers Union of Timor-Leste tells ETAN that they met with the US Embassy in Dili on 3 February 2011 and successfully settled the dispute about the unfair dismissal of Mario Baretto and their subsequent claim that their national staff cannot join a union. ETAN had written the embassy about the dispute.

From the union: 

The Embassy advised that they had mistakenly stated their policy and affirmed their staff’s right to join a union:

The US Embassy seeks to be a model employer and respects workers and the role of unions in representing workers. The Administration has been a strong international supporter of labour rights and we want to maintain an open relationship with the unions and labor rights advocates here in Timor-Leste.

The Embassy also confirmed that they seek to be fully compliant with local labour laws and resolved Mr Baretto’s dismissal consistent with the Labour Code of Timor-Leste.

The General Workers Union of Timor-Leste and the Trade Union Confederation of Timor-Leste would like to thank all those individuals and organisations that supported Mr Baretto and Timorese workers by writing to the Ambassador.

Please direct any media enquiries to:

Almerio Vila Nova
General Secretary
General Workers Union
+670 724 8482