The Jakarta Post, February 07, 2003
Campaigns for Papua: Myriad concerns, issues
Neles Tebay, The Jakarta Post, Pontifical University of Urbaniana, Rome
It is important to launch a diplomatic approach to the governments of the foreign
countries for defending the territorial integrity of Indonesia, including Papua.
However, the Indonesian government should not underestimate the Papua campaign
launched by either national or international organizations in foreign countries.
Before facing the challenge raised by the organizations, the government needs to be
informed of their concern and campaign regarding Papua.
The total number of the organizations is gradually increasing every year in many
countries. Their campaign for Papua is picking up momentum with annual meetings
now being held.
These organizations have different concerns regarding Papua. Some of them clearly
support the exercise of the right to self-determination in Papua.
Some others are more concerned with human rights issues. For them, human rights
regardless of religion, race, culture, and political aspiration, should be respected by
all. And the government is determined to defend and promote human rights.
So when human rights are violated in Papua, even with the reason of maintaining the
territorial integrity of Indonesia or to crack down on a separatist movement, they will
raise their voice of protest. They will condemn perpetrators, and lobby their own
government to put more pressure on Jakarta. This is not identical with supporting
advocators of independence for Papua.
Some other organizations are more interested in peace. They want to see all people,
including the Papuans, live in peace. Therefore anything potentially threatening peace
is rejected strongly.
They also search the root causes of the Papua case and urge the Indonesian
government to settle them peacefully. They know that true peace not only means the
absence of conflict and war, and that it can reached only by peaceful dialog with
respect for human rights. Many of them do not really care if Papua becomes an
independent state or remains under Indonesian rule. As long as there is no lasting
peace, then they raise their voice for the sake of peace in Papua.
Some organizations are more interested in environmental issues. So if there is
environmental destruction in Papua, they will not keep silent.
Each organization has its own network with other organizations either within their own
countries or in other countries.
Consequently, the news about violations in Papua is distributed quickly through
Internet. By so doing many more organizations come to know about the Papua case.
It is not surprising, then, if many more organizations are getting involved for the sake
of peace, justice and human dignity in Papua.
Despite their different concerns, they are united in one conviction that human rights
violation is not an internal affair of a particular country and cannot be justified for any
political interest.
They also study the link between human rights violations, peace, environmental
destruction, human life and dignity.
The joint statement issued at the third International Solidarity meeting on West Papua
held in London, in October 2002, manifests the accommodation of the different
concerns.
The meeting in which more than 20 organizations from 15 countries participated,
confirmed their "full support for the exercise of self-determination by the people of
West Papua, a right belonging to all peoples in the world."
They also called on the Indonesian government "to enter into a process of peaceful
dialog with the West Papua leadership, including the Papuan Presidium Council, and
mediated by a third neutral party."
The meeting called on the international community and the Indonesian government "to
support the proposal of the Papuans to declare West Papua a Zone of Peace."
For the sake of peace, the organizations urged "the Indonesian Government to
withdraw the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) and Mobile Police Force (Brimob) from
the territory of West Papua."
They called on all member states of the United Nations "to request UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan to review the UN's conduct in relation to the discredited
"Act of Free Choice" in 1968-1969, which was part of a fraudulent attempt to
legitimize West Papua's take-over by Indonesia."
They were "deeply concerned at the further deterioration of the human rights situation
in West Papua. Leading human rights activists have received death threats following
their efforts to investigate the killing in August 2002 of three employees of the Freeport
mining company, and their discovery of evidence which suggests members of the
Indonesian army were involved."
The meeting stressed "the urgent need for UN human rights monitors to visit West
Papua and called for an independent team of experts to investigate the assassination
last November of Theys Eluay, the chairman of the Papuan Presidium Council."
They called on the international community "to press the Indonesian government to
prevent the violation of the human rights of West Papuans, including their economic,
social and cultural rights, by transnational companies including Freeport McMoran,
Rio Tinto and BP and by the Indonesian system of granting logging concessions on
indigenous customary lands."
Many more organizations will join and unite efforts to campaign for Papua, when they
know that the human rights violations in the past are not addressed, that human
dignity is disrespected, and that people in Papua are not experiencing lasting peace,
and that environmental destruction continues.
In the fourth International Solidarity meeting for West Papua in 2003 that will be held
in a Pacific country, they will evaluate their work and determine a new campaign
agenda for West Papua.
The Indonesian government cannot do much to stop such campaigns for Papua
unless their recommendations are addressed.
It is also true that these organizations do not represent their respective governments.
However, it does not mean that they cannot influence their governments.
One thing is sure that due to their campaign, many more people and organizations,
perhaps the governments too, in foreign countries are and will be getting to know
about the Papua conflict.
It is a challenge for the Indonesian government to peacefully solve the Papua conflict
by addressing the real problems and its root causes through a genuine dialog with the
Papuans, while avoiding violence in Papua.
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