Indonesia jails Polish tourist who met Papuan activists
May 2, 2019
A Polish tourist has been sentenced to five years prison in Indonesia for treason after meeting with Papuan independence supporters
JAKARTA, Indonesia — A Polish tourist who was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison in Indonesia for treason after meeting with Papuan independence supporters has denied any wrongdoing and said he was the victim of a show trial.
Jakub Skrzypski was arrested in Wamena in the easternmost Papua region in August and accused of plotting against the Indonesian state. He said he will appeal the verdict.
One of his lawyers, Latifah Anum Siregar, said Papuan student Simon Magal, who met Skrzypski and communicated with him on Facebook, was sentenced by the same court Thursday to four years in prison.
The case has highlighted Indonesia's sensitivity about the volatile Papua region, where the indigenous Melanesian people oppose Indonesian rule and an insurgency has simmered for decades. The government restricts foreign journalists from reporting in its Papua and West Papua provinces.
Friends of Skrzypski, who lived in Switzerland, have said he's an avid traveler with a fascination for other cultures who unwittingly got embroiled in Indonesian politics.
In a handwritten note sent to The Associated Press before the sentencing, Skrzypski said his arrest and prosecution was "a purely political case, a trial staged for propaganda reasons."
Police initially accused him of trying to organize an arms deal but it became clear that Skryzpski, who worked in a factory near Lausanne, did not have means to do that. The accusation did not become part of the case against him.
The Papuan independence cause has recently received renewed international attention and diplomatic support from sympathetic Pacific island nations. Indonesia says its sovereignty over Papua is non-negotiable and internationally recognized. The police and military have intensified a crackdown on peaceful activists following a spike in attacks by independence fighters, including a December attack that killed 19 Indonesians.
In January, the exiled leader of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, Benny Wenda, presented a petition signed by 1.8 million Papuans to the U.N. Human Rights chief calling for a referendum on Papuan self-determination. Lawyers, meanwhile, have launched a challenge to the constitutionality of Indonesia's incorporation of Papua into its territory in 1969 in the country's highest court.
Skrzypski said it was unjust that his trial had taken place in remote Wamena, making it difficult for his lawyers to represent him adequately.
He compared his case to two French journalists who were arrested in Wamena in 2014 after entering the region on tourist visas to report on independence fighters. Their trial took place in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, and they were sentenced to 2 1/2 months in prison.
Polish Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ewa Suwara said Poland's consul in Indonesia has been in touch with Skrzypski regularly and that every effort is being made to help him. She said Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz has raised the case with his Indonesian counterpart.
Skrzypski, who had traveled to Indonesia previously, said he has friends in the country who sympathize with him but are afraid to show their support.
"They don't dare to voice it, to speak up. They are afraid of troubles that they think the police and prosecutors may cause them. Same applies to my potential witnesses," he said.
More News
Indonesia targets free public schooling amid funding concerns
Indonesia is pursuing plans to make public schools free at all levels, stretching from kindergarten to university, but mounting pressure on the state budget could hinder the government from pulling off the massive undertaking, analysts have said. President Prabowo Subianto summoned his ministers last week to discuss a plan to “accelerate the implementation of free education in public schools”, according to a statement released by cabinet secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya on September 23. “Free...
DeepSeek and Huawei Target a Key Source of Nvidia’s A.I. Dominance
In China’s push for self-reliance in artificial intelligence, DeepSeek and Huawei have teamed up to develop software tools for advanced chips.
Turkish Confectioner Hands Out Doughnuts to Honor the Dead
In Turkey, people who have recently lost loved ones hire doughnut makers to hand out fried dough balls, known as lokma, to honor the dead and spread their blessings.
Southeast Asia faces ‘sleeper’ food crisis from Hormuz fertiliser bottleneck
A hunger crisis could creep up on Southeast Asia if the region does not guard against export restrictions amid a fertiliser shortfall, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Secretary General John Denton has warned. On the sidelines of the Future of Trade Forum in Singapore on Wednesday, Denton urged the city state, as the next Asean chair, to prioritise the “sleeper issue” for the region. He argued that the real story centred on food, despite the Strait of Hormuz gridlock being widely seen as...
Seoul residents up in arms over school for North Korean defectors
Residents of a district in the South Korean capital of Seoul are up in arms over plans to build a permanent school for North Korean defectors in their neighbourhood. The dispute escalated to the point where the school’s principal dropped to her knees to beg protesters to “embrace the children”, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported. Yeomyung School, which educates middle and high school students who fled North Korea or are children of North Korean defectors, has been unable to afford its own...
Can India curb childhood obesity by banning junk food near schools?
Shivanjali Singh has worked hard to raise two healthy, athletic children in India, but worries about their ability to resist the lure of junk food constantly surrounding them. Her children, aged 14 and 10, are national-level skaters and have grown up on home-cooked food and drinks such as coconut water rather than fizzy drinks and crisps. Yet Singh, who lives in Noida in the National Capital Region, sees sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks everywhere from school surroundings to sports...
Behind closed doors, a fatal beating exposes Malaysia’s parallel boarding school rules
The death of a 14-year-old student at a Malaysian boarding school has renewed scrutiny over student safety, raising questions over whether reforms introduced after the high-profile death of Zara Qairina Mahathir last year have changed what happens behind dormitory doors. Police in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, have detained two 16-year-old students as they investigate the death of Muhammad Idlan Fareeq Shahril. They said Idlan was caught vaping by a hostel warden on September 23. Two days later,...
Singapore jails man for slapping preschooler at bus stop over rude gesture
A man became angry after a four-year-old boy pointed his middle finger at him while he was picking up his son from preschool in Singapore. He pursued the boy to a nearby bus stop that was crowded with other young kids, grabbed the boy by the arm and slapped him hard on both cheeks. The boy, who was his son’s schoolmate, suffered bruises on his face and ringing in his ear, on top of emotional trauma that lingered for months and required his parents to change his preschool. The aggressor, Muhammad...
Malaysia Begins Repatriation of Migrants to War-Torn Myanmar Despite Critics’ Warnings
Malaysia says it is repatriating undocumented migrants from Myanmar who want to return. Critics say it is putting their lives at risk.
Philippines urged to adopt Malaysia’s lasting tourism strategy
Philippine senators have urged the Department of Tourism to stick with a single marketing campaign to build long-term international recognition, pointing to long-running successes such as Malaysia’s “Truly Asia” tagline. Newly appointed Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay was asked about her plans for the current slogan, “Love the Philippines”, during a departmental budget hearing on Monday, the Philippine Star reported. Senate finance subcommittee chairman Erwin Tulfo suggested keeping the...
Mainland Chinese, Hong Kong stocks face bumpy fourth quarter as risks mount: analysts
Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong stocks may face a challenging fourth quarter as investors contend with underwhelming stimulus measures from Beijing, tighter financial conditions in the US and a shift in the narrative around the artificial intelligence trade, according to analysts. The two markets were likely to consolidate throughout the rest of the year to digest the negatives before settling on a clearer direction, according to brokerages including Zheshang Securities and CCB International. CCB...
US social media users urge Koreans to unmask Cornell sexual assault suspect Winston Lee
The sprawling online hunt for information about Winston Lee, a Korean student who is among seven defendants in a Cornell University sexual assault lawsuit, is increasingly crossing borders, with English-speaking social media users calling on their Korean counterparts to help uncover more information about him. As the “Cornell 7” case continues to draw intense attention across the United States, Lee has become the subject of a parallel search focused on his Korean identity and background....