Towards a new Papua

(II no.67 July-September 2001)

Religion?

Congratulations on your very good issue on West Papua. I very much disagree, however, on the question of religion. No less than three articles (by Benny Giay, Annie Feith and Nico Schulte Nordholt), explain how Christianity helps Papuans restore their dignity, and so on. But this is only one aspect of the story.

To describe West Papuans as Christians is at the very least an oversimplification. They are described as 'First People' in another part of the issue: just like all First Peoples, they have their own native religions that predate the arrival of Christian missionaries. In particular, there is no mention of the millenarian aspect of their beliefs, except just in passing in Benny Giay's article.

Moreover, the impact of Christian missionaries on the West Papuans is by far not as glowing as your articles may give the impression. There is no mention of the actual complicity of several churches, Catholic as well as Protestant, with the TNI up to the end of the eighties, when they 'lent' their planes to transport the military in exchange for the right to carry on their missionary activities. The role of the churches has been much more ambiguous in West Papua than in East Timor.

Bruno Kahn (kahn@math.jussieu.fr), Paris, France, 20 July 2001.

Action in Europe

I felt rather unhappy when it became evident that an important part of the action network had been skipped. I don't understand why I skipped Tapol (www.gn.apc.org/ tapol, based in UK). Similarly the West Papua Action Network, Wespan (http://westpapuaaction.buz.org, in Ireland). It was an omission to skip both.

In friendship: peace!

Feije Duim (F.Duim@sowkerken.n), Netherlands, 9 August 2001.

(The editor was similarly asleep - apologies. One was mentioned in the insert, and both in Mike Cookson's Papua on the Net. Ed.)

Politics of gender

(II no.66, April-June 2001)

The last issue of Inside Indonesia has proved so popular with my Indonesianist friends that they have literally queued up to borrow it! I was particularly interested in the articles on the new conservatives, about the Bugis, and also about Wisanggeni. So, thank you for a great effort.

Catherine Mills (millsca5@iinet.net.au), Perth, Australia, 1 June 2001

Internet

Excellent journal as it covers various topics (especially human rights issues in which I am specialised) concerning Indonesia. I am even more delighted having found it on the internet as it is generally difficult to obtain on the web well-written and argued articles on Indonesia in English language. Great job!

Noelle N R Quenivet (nnrque@essex.ac.uk), UK, 25 July 2001

Fireside chat about AIDS

(II no.63 July-September 2000)

Ingrid (Hering) - we are reading about your great work! Keep it up! We have taken in three kids and will have 17 more next month. See our websites. We anticipate caring for many children in the future orphaned by AIDS, and the need to reach our teenage kids about safer sex.

Jim Tendean-Luce (jimluce@yahoo.com), President, Orphans International America, New York, USA (www.geocities.com/orphansinternational/index.html), 5 June 2001