Paras Indonesia, 03, 29 2006 @ 05:03 am
Papua Visa Spat: 'Let The Storm Blow Out'
Posted by: Roy Tupai
Australia's decision to grant temporary visas to 42 boat people from Indonesia's
Papua province sparked predictably angry reactions in Jakarta, with many nationalist
politicians demanding that bilateral ties be severed because they feel the Australian
government tacitly supports Papuan separatism.
While obscenities daubed on the outer walls of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta
were quickly painted over, it will take much longer to mend the latest rift in the
sporadically see-sawing relationship between the two nations.
Indonesia last week abruptly recalled its ambassador to Australia, in a move that
some observers viewed as an excessively emotional reaction that will only prolong the
diplomatic rift and do nothing to improve the situation in troubled Papua.
This week Indonesian government officials delaying the signing of a multi-million
agreement on Australian assistance to combat bird flu, while military officials have
apparently decided to snub a memorial service for nine Australians killed last year
while on an assistance mission to earthquake victims on Nias island.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard has said he understands Indonesia's reaction
and reiterated that his country does not support Papua's separatist movement.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer emphasized the visa decision was in
line with international and Australian law and that Canberra still recognizes
Indonesia's sovereignty over Papua. He also called on critical Indonesian legislators to
consider the friendship and cooperation forged by Australia's assistance to Indonesia
over recent years.
Australian opposition politicians, such as Greens senators Bob Brown and Kerry
Nettle and Democrats senator Natasha Stott Despoja, have been somewhat less
diplomatic in responding to the matter.
Brown, who supports Papuan self-determination, said the Indonesian government's
reaction to the visa issue showed complete disdain for international law. He said
about 1,000 students remain in hiding in Papua after five members of the state
security forces were killed in a clash with protesters earlier this month. "It's time that
this government had the gumption to take the matter of the right of the West Papuans
to an act of self determination to the United Nations," Brown was quoted as saying by
the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"The Howard government was prepared to take part in the Bush invasion of Iraq for
liberty and democracy. But when it comes to our neighbors, turns its back on liberty
and democracy. The West Papuans have a right to self determination, as do the East
Timorese, and [Foreign Affairs Minister] Alexander Downer should be standing up for
that right," he added.
As for the 32-year-old Nettle, she has angered Indonesia by meeting with Papuan
separatists and calling for greater international scrutiny of the situation in Papua. She
has since been placed on a blacklist and banned from visiting Papua.
Stott Despoja has called for the temporary visas for the 42 Papuans to be made
permanent and urged Australia to do more to end the violence in Papua.
Following are various statements made by Howard, Downer, Nettle and Stott Despoja
on the Papua visa issue. Via the politicians' respective websites.
PRIME MINISTER JOHN HOWARD
26 March 2006
INTERVIEW, LANGHAM HOTEL, MELBOURNE
JOURNALIST: Sir, can I take you to Indonesia?
PRIME MINISTER: You can.
JOURNALIST: On the issue of that, is that a major concern to the Government or is it
being overplayed?
PRIME MINISTER: It is a difficult issue but it will not break relations between
Australia and Indonesia. It will not disturb the close friendship that has been
developed between the Governments of the two countries, between the Indonesian
President and me. I understand why the Indonesians have reacted. We do not support
for a moment the West Papuan independence claim. To those who are urging us to
do so, I say, we will not. We will continue to recognise Jakarta's sovereignty over
West Papua, that's been our position all along. Obviously, the immigration laws of this
country have to be implemented and when President Yudhoyono and I spoke about
five weeks ago, not last Thursday as some press reports suggested yesterday, we
spoke about five weeks ago, he rang me to talk about this issue and he made the
statements that have been attributed to him, and I said to him on that occasion, and
Mr Downer has repeated this, that those 43 people would be dealt with in accordance
with the processes of Australian law. Now that is what has happened. Not an easy
issue, but the trust and goodwill that has been established between our two countries,
and between our two governments over the past few years, difficult though this issue
is, we will not be undermined by this issue.
JOURNALIST: Will you speak to the President again on this issue?
PRIME MINISTER: I don't have a plan to do so because I don't think it is necessary. I
understand his reaction and I believe he understands our Government's position.
JOURNALIST: Do you think it will have any impact on negotiations for prison
transfers?
PRIME MINISTER: No I don't believe it will.
JOURNALIST: Mr Howard there are newspaper reports that more West Papuans are
planning to come to Australia now following last week's decision, now what is the
Government planning to do about that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I don't have any independent verification of that. We will
continue to do everything we have done in the past to prevent unauthorised arrivals in
this country. I want to make it very clear to anybody who may think that as a result of
this decision we have altered our attitude towards illegal, unauthorised arrivals. I want
to make it very clear we have not, and anybody who thinks that that decision is some
kind of green light for people to resume unauthorised arrivals in this country will be
very sadly mistaken. I want to make that very clear.
JOURNALIST: Will it have any affect on the security package being organised
between the two countries?
PRIME MINISTER: I don't believe it will have any impact on that at all
------------------------------------------------------------
FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER ALEXANDER DOWNER
27 March 2006
Transcript
Interview - Sky News
DAVID SPEERS: Minister, a couple of other issues just quickly. Indonesia - the
decision by Australia to grant temporary asylum to these Indonesians from West
Papua - we've seen Indonesia recall its' ambassador, but also today, hundreds
protesting outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. Have you held any further talks
with your counterpart, Hassan Wirajuda since you spoke to him the other day?
DOWNER: No I haven't - obviously our ambassador there in Jakarta has been talking
with Indonesia - I don't think he's spoken to the Foreign Minister - but he's been
talking with Indonesians officials through all of this and we clearly monitor it fairly
closely. But look the point here is that we have our laws and these people were
accepted on temporary protection visa's consistent with our law, through a decision
made by the Department of Immigration officers, at arms length if you like, from
Minister's and the Prime Minister…
SPEERS: .. but it's still an Australian Government decision isn't it - that's how it's
being treated in the media?
DOWNER: True - you're quite right - the Department of Immigration is part of the
Australian Government. But look, it's consistent with our obligations under
International Law and under our own domestic law, and there's simply nothing we can
do about it, and we hope that the Indonesians continue to understand the enormous
mutual benefit that we get from our joint cooperation in a range of areas. We can
understand that there's anger and concern in Indonesia about it - we expected there to
be protests of one kind or another.
SPEERS: Did you expect the Ambassador to be recalled though?
DOWNER: Well not specifically, but I expected that they would take some measures,
and look, we understand that, we understand what they've done and I think the main
thing for us as Australians is to be calm about it and just let things - hopefully we can
let the storm blow out.
SPEERS: Of course there are some MP's in Indonesia pushing for an even tougher
response - suggesting that any talk of a prisoner exchange deal for Schapelle Corby
and the Bali 9 should now be put on hold. Do you think it will affect those talks?
DOWNER: I think it's too early to say - I think there's obviously a bit of passion there
from some of the usual members of parliament - they're the usual suspects I suppose.
They're people who are often very critical of Australia - I think they should reflect on a
different point those people - they should reflect on the enormous help that Australian
gives Indonesia in counter-terrorism and assisting people as a result of the tsunami -
the friendship we extend to Indonesia around the world - helping the world to
understand better the great triumph of democracy and pluralism in Indonesia. We
work very hard on those things and Australia is a great asset for Indonesia - is a great
friend of Indonesia's, and I think a more sober reflection will remind those people in the
parliament and some people in the Indonesian media and elsewhere -and activists
elsewhere - that there is great benefit for Indonesia in a good relationship with
Australia - it's not just a one way street.
------------------------------------------------------------
FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER ALEXANDER DOWNER
24 March 2006
Transcript
Doorstop Interview - Woodside, Adelaide, SA.
DOWNER: … The second thing I want to say something about is Indonesia - I spoke
yesterday with the Indonesian Foreign Minister about the decision by the Department
of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs - who granted protection visas for 42 Papuans
who landed in Australia a few weeks ago. I explained to the Foreign Minister, as I
have done on a previous occasion in February, that this is something beyond the
Government's control. It's a decision that's made in accordance with Australian law.
I don't know what reaction there will be from Indonesia but the fact is we have no
alternative but to apply the laws of our land and to fulfill our international obligations
under the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention. So, I hope that the Foreign
Minister and the Indonesians will be understanding, but you'll obviously get at this
time an expression of various views from Indonesia and I think it's a free and robust
society - people will say whatever they want and you will get different comments
coming out of Jakarta about it. But nevertheless, this is a decision that's made in
Australia and in accordance with our laws, these are our laws, this is the way our
laws work in this country and successful relations with countries involve mutual
understanding and respect. The agreements we have between Indonesia and Australia
are in both of our interests and I think the Indonesians recognise that. So, they're
obviously disappointed and there will no doubt be some expressions of
disappointment from the Indonesians.
REPORTER: … (inaudible) formal protest about this in retaliation (inaudible)?
DOWNER: Well look I think there will certainly be protests of one kind or another from
Indonesia. I would expect that. I've been anticipating that for quite a few weeks and so
I wouldn't be surprised if there were different types of protests. But as far as
cooperation with Indonesia is concerned - look, it's very close, it's been very effective
in recent years. Not always, but certainly in recent years. The thing is that this
cooperation is in both of our interests, it's in Australia's interests and in Indonesia's
interests and so I think, you know, they'll be some protests and objections from
various people no doubt to this decision, but I think the close cooperation will
continue.
REPORTER: How do you think it will affect the relationship to Indonesia?
DOWNER: Well look, I think they'll be some protests from Indonesia but I think things
will settle down after a short period of time and I think - I don't want to get into
foreshadowing what their protests might say but I would expect there to be a number
of protests. We've already had a member of the Indonesian Parliament who's a fairly
well known critic of Australia making fairly unsurprising remarks and we accept that -
it's a free society.
REPORTER: (Inaudible) .. to Australia for the political conditions under the Australian
(inaudible)?
DOWNER: Well, I can't say that I've seen their applications or the decisions by the
Department of Immigration so that's really a matter for the Department of Immigration.
I'm not sure if even the Minister has - she may have done. Not sure.
REPORTER: Have you talked to your Indonesian counterpart about the …
DOWNER: Well, he was very calm about it - I suspect he wasn't altogether surprised
- bearing in mind that I was up in Jakartta last month and we had a long discussion
about it then. We had breakfast together and I went through this issue in a great deal
of detail - I explained to him how our law works, what the restrictions on the
Government are - I think it's fair to say the Indonesian Government would rather we
had just sent all 43 back to Indonesia. And I explained that the Australian Government
can't just make a decision like that. This is a matter that's determined through
delegated authority through the Department of Immigration and I did point out to him
that even if the Department of Immigration rejected all the applications - and I had no
idea then what the Department would do - then they could appeal to the Refugee
Review Tribunal, they could appeal to the Federal Court, they could ultimately appeal
to the High Court and this could take years. I explained to them they could get
temporary protection visas, they're for a maximum of three years and after two and a
half years, I think, subject to a review. It could go one way or the other.
------------------------------------------------------------
FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER ALEXANDER DOWNER
24 March 2006
Transcript
Interview - ABC AM
GILLIAN BRADFORD: Well Alexander Downer, you have informed your Indonesian
counterpart - how did he take the news?
DOWNER: Well he was very polite about it - this has got to be seen like everything in
a bit of a context - I had been up in Jakarta last month and I spent a good deal of time
with Hassan Wirajuda - the Foreign Minister - going through this issue and explaining
to him what the processes were. In particular, explaining to him that this is an arms
length process - this isn't a decision that's made by the Australian government, but
through a process which is set in Australian law and that we don't have flexibility to
deal with it beyond what is in our law. And look, I think the take out I would have is
that the Indonesian Government perhaps weren't terribly surprised but they are, I'm
sure, not very pleased about it.
BRADFORD: Would you expect, like some members of Indonesia's Parliament have
called for, that there will be any sort of retaliation against Australia?
DOWNER: Well I hope not, because bilateral cooperation is in our mutual interest -
it's in Indonesia's interest as much as it's in Australia's interest - it's not a question of
one of us just doing the other a favour. It's joint issues to deal with - from illegal people
movements through to fishing problems between us on our maritime borders, through
to counter-terrorism cooperation and so on. These are things that benefit both our
countries so I can't see any point in retaliation which would be self-defeating and in
any case there's simply nothing we can do about it - we're just constrained by the
laws of our land.
BRADFORD: You say you hope not, but it is a diplomatic slight to the Indonesians -
the President personally asked John Howard to return the asylum seekers.
DOWNER: Well look, I've spoken to the President fairly recently and, as I've already
explained, I had a long discussion with the Foreign Minister about this issue. I hope
they understand where we're coming from - we're certainly not in any way changing
our position on the recognition of West Papua as part of the Republic of Indonesia.
We retain that view very strongly that West Papua must remain as part of Indonesia.
But these people have come here, they've made claims - I haven't seen their claims
myself, but they've made claims and immigration officials, consistent with our law
have assessed those claims and made their decisions and we have to live with those
decisions - that's the law of the land..
BRADFORD: … do you think that there are human rights abuses going on in West
Papua?
DOWNER: Well I mean, it's an issue we've discussed on a number of occasions with
the Indonesians - certainly historically there have been and they're very well aware of
that and I think what I'd say of the Indonesians is that with President Yudhoyono, he's
making a very substantial effort to try to ensure that not only human rights norms are
being upheld in West Papua, but that there can be an appropriate political settlement
there - consistent with the sort of settlement that he's been able to negotiate in Aceh.
------------------------------------------------------------
Nettle blacklisting confirmed: Senator condemns Indonesian heavy handed
approach
Kerry Nettle, Australian Greens Senator for NSW
27th Mar 06
Last night in Jakata the Indonesian Defence Minister confirmed that Senator Kerry
Nettle has been blacklisted from travel to Indonesia warning that "If she enters here,
she will be expelled and sent home".
The confirmation of the blacklisting comes after the Indonesian House of
Representatives debated the issue last Friday. Jakata Antara reported that the
speaker of the House said,
"..a visit to Papua by Nettle would disadvantage the integration of the Unitary State of
the Indonesian Republic (NKRI) because Nettle's political stance favoured Papua's
separation from Indonesia.
A visit to Papua would could be dangerous and complicate the situation in the
province given that Australia had just granted temporary visas to 42 Papua people
seeking asylum in the neighbouring country, Speaker of the House of Representatives
Agung Laksono said."
Senator Nettle today criticised her blacklisting describing it as 'heavy handed, and
counter-productive.'
"The Indonesian government are wrong if they think that they can hide the problems of
West Papua from the world by blacklisting interested parliamentarians," Senator
Nettle said.
"A move like this simply strengthens my determination to help bring peace to the
province of West Papua and justice for the West Papuan people.
"I am convening a meeting of Parliamentarians for West Papua in Parliament House
today to continue to build understanding of the situation amongst my parliamentary
colleagues.
"The Greens support the right to self-determination for all peoples including the right of
the West Papuans to determine their own future whatever that may be."
------------------------------------------------------------
Government should ignore Indonesian protest
Kerry Nettle
24th Mar 06
Indonesia's criticism of Australia granting asylum to West Papuan refugees should
not influence the government's responsibility to stand up for human rights, Senator
Nettle said today.
"The anger expressed by the Indonesian government at the decision is
acknowledgement of their failure to respect human rights in West Papua and resolve
the conflict peacefully," Senator Nettle said.
"The government should not use the decision to grant asylum as an excuse to let
Indonesia off the hook on its violation of human rights in West Papua. They should not
sign on to a new security treaty.
"The Greens hope that the recognition of the refugees' claim will be a first step in
Australia playing a positive role in West Papua."
------------------------------------------------------------
West Papuans deserve permanent protection
Kerry Nettle
23rd Mar 06
Greens Senator Kerry Nettle has welcomed the award of protection visas to the West
Papuan refugees who have been on Christmas Island, but questioned the temporary
status of the visas.
"The situation in West Papua is clearly very dangerous for those who assert their right
to self-determination, so the decision to grant protection visas is a good one," Senator
Nettle said.
"There is no reason why these refugees cannot be granted full protection and as a
result full rights to live and work in the Australian community,
"I look forward to meeting again the West Papuans when they are settled on the
mainland.
"I hope this decision indicates a acknowledgement by the Australian government that
the situation in West Papua is a human rights nightmare.
"I shall be asking the government about the foreign policy implications of the decision
with regards to the ongoing human rights abuses in West Papua.
"Its illogical for the Australian Government to continue to support the conditions which
lead to the oppression of West Papuans in their country whilst also acknowledging
this oppression with these protection visas.
"The decision made today allows these refugees to live in the community whilst their
claim for asylum is monitored which should have been the case from the moment they
landed on Australian soil.
------------------------------------------------------------
Indonesian Defence Minister's call for a ban on Senator Nettle
counterproductive
Kerry Nettle
22nd Mar 06
Greens Senator Kerry Nettle today called on the Indonesian Defence Minister to
retract the accusation made by his office that she is 'indirectly linked' to violent
protests in the province of West Papua.
"The accusation is ridiculous, and should be withdrawn," Senator Nettle said.
"Neither I nor my office has had any involvement in violent activities in West Papua. I
continue to be concerned about human rights abuses in West Papua at the hands of
the Indonesian military and the Defence Minister's recent comments heighten my
concern.
"If the Defence Minister is proud of the actions of the Indonesian military in West
Papua then he would welcome international scrutiny. I would be happy to meet with
him and exchange views on the situation in West Papua.
"The presence of international parliamentarians in West Papua would have a calming
effect on the tense situation, not an inflammatory one as asserted by the Indonesian
Defence Minister.
"I hope that cooler heads than the Defence Minister's prevail and that international
politicians are invited to visit West Papua.
"In light of the comments of the Indonesian Defence Minister I have written to the
Indonesian Ambassador today in the hope that we can meet to discuss the issue of
West Papua and continue to explore the possibility of a visit to the province.
"The Greens hope for a peaceful resolution to the problems in West Papua that sees
the West Papuan people decide what is best for their future."
------------------------------------------------------------
Permanent visas needed for West Papuans
Senator Natasha Stott Despoja
Australian Democrats spokesperson for Foreign Affairs
23 March 2006
The Australian Democrats today welcomed the Government's decision to award visas
to 42 of the 43 West Papuan asylum seekers detained on Christmas Island, but said
these visas must be made permanent.
"The arrival of these West Papuan asylum seekers in Australia, including West
Papuan activists, was a stark reminder of the ongoing bloodshed in that region,"
Democrats' Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Senator Natasha Stott Despoja said.
"Grave human rights abuses have taken place against the West Papuan people over a
number of decades, at the hands of the Indonesian military.
"I am heartened the Australian Government has stood up to Indonesia on this issue,
despite the Indonesian Government's claims of harm to the bilateral relationship if
Australia was to grant these visas, but Australia must now do more to end the
violence in West Papua.
"Next week, the Democrats will move a motion in the Senate acknowledging the
Government's decision to offer visas to the West Papuans, and calling on the
Government to do more to end the ongoing human rights abuses in West Papua.
"The Australian Democrats will continue to pressure the Government to convert these
temporary visas to permanent visas, to offer these West Papuan refugees stability
and the chance of a new life in Australia," Senator Stott Despoja said.
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