This letter is from Benny Wenda, leader of the Free West Papua Campaign in the UK, to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. In the letter, Wenda describes how West Papua was invaded and annexed by Indonesia 45 years ago on May 1, 1963. He recounts the killings, rapes, and oppression of West Papuans by Indonesian forces since the invasion. Wenda asks why the British government has not condemned these human rights abuses in West Papua like they have in other countries. He criticizes statements by British ministers that downplay the situation in West Papua. Wenda calls on the UK to support West Papuan independence and requests a new referendum to be held under UN supervision.
Surat benny wenda kepada perdana mentri inggris gordon brown mp
1. Surat Benny Wenda Kepada Perdana Mentri Inggris Gordon Brown MP
By Free West Papua Campagin U.K
May 5, 2008, 14:36
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FREE WEST PAPUA CAMPAIGN
www.freewestpapua.org
P.O. Box 656, Oxford, OX3 3AP England, U.K.Tel: +44(0)7766 875009
office@freewestpapua.org
1 Mei 2008
Rt Hon. Gordon Brown MP,
PRIME MINISTER,
10, Downing Street,
LONDON SW1A 2AA
Bapak Perdana Menteri Yang Terhormat,
Saya berada disini di rumah mu di Downing Street hari ini dengan membawa salam dari rakyat
Papua Barat kepada anda dan rakyat Kerajaan Inggris Raya.
Hari ini adalah hari sangat sedih bagi rakyat saya, hari ini 45 tahun yang lalu, Indonesia menjajah
tanah air kami tercinta &65533; PAPUA BARAT.
Banyak tetesan air mata rakyat saya akan bercucuran hari ini. Itulah mengapa saya berada di sini.
Saya membawa bersama saya ke depan pintu rumah anda, tulang- belulang dari ribuan rakyat
Papua Barat yang dibunuh oleh Indonesia. Mereka mulai membunuh kami mulai sejak hari
pertama menyerbu tanah kami pada tanggal 1 Mei 1963 � dan mereka masih membunuh,
menganiaya, memperkosa, mengintimidasi dan memenjarakan kami sampai hari ini. Indonesia
tidak pernah peduli terhadap kami sebagai sesama manusia. Mereka hanya menginginkan emas,
tembaga, gas dan pohon-pohon kami.
Selama 45 tahun kami telah menangis untuk KEMERDEKAAN kami, tetapi tidak seorangpun
mendengarkan kami.
Tetapi hari ini kami bangsa Papua Barat juga memiliki PENGHARAPAN bahwa suatu hari kami
akan MERDEKA! Oleh karena itu saya mau mengucapkan TERIMA KASIH kepada seluruh
rakyat Kerajaan Inggris Raya yang pada saat ini memberikan dukungan sangat kuat, serta rasa
solidaritas, hormat dan cinta kasih terhadap rakyat saya. Bapak Perdana Menteri, ketika saya
melakukan perjalanan keliling negara anda, saya mendapatkan bahwa rakyat anda memiliki hati
yang sangat baik. Keadilan dan kejujuran adalah nilai-nilai yang sangat penting bagi rakyat
Inggris. Jadi ketika mereka mendengar apa yang Indonesia lakukan terhadap rakyat saya,
pertanyaan utama mereka adalah �Apa yang dapat saya lakukan untuk menolong anda?� Dari
Aberdeen sampai ke Exeter, Liverpool sampai ke Norwich, Aberstwyth sampai ke Guernsey
2. (Saya tidak dapat menyebutkan semua tempat-tempat yang telah kami kunjungi satu per satu), di
Amnesti Internasional, gereja-gereja, universitas-universitas, Trade Unions, partai-partai politik,
kelompok-kelompok pencinta lingkungan hidup dan di kampung kami sendiri di Oxford, kami
telah bertemu beberapa dari orang-orang terbaik di dunia. Anda harus merasa sangat bangga
menjadi pemimpin mereka.
Dan di parlemen Inggris, Papua Barat juga memiliki sahabat-sahabat sangat baik , khususnya
Andrew Smith dan Lord Harries. Kami rakyat Papua Barat selalu berdoa bagi mereka dan
berterima kasih kepada Tuhan karena mereka berbicara dengan sangat kuat dari hati mereka
yang dalam demi keadilan bagi rakyat saya. Disini di Inggris mereka bebas untuk mengatakan
bahwa pemerintah salah. Sekarang saya belajar apa arti demokrasi yang sesungguhnya.
Ketika saya memberitahu rakyat saya di tanah air tentang dukungan yang sekarang kami miliki
di Inggirs, itu memberikan mereka kekuatan untuk terus berjuang.
Jadi sekarang saya mau memberitahu anda, Bapak Perdana Menteri, satu hal yang sedang
membingung kansaya. Saya mendengar anda berbicara sangat tegas di Televisi tentang Burma
dan Zimbabwe dan anda mengatakan dalam pidato anda bahwa �tidak ada ketidak adilan yang
akan berlangsung selama-lamanya� tetapi mengapa anda dan menteri-menteri anda tidak
mengatakan hal yang sama tentang apa yang terjadi di Papua Barat?
Menteri Luar Negeri anda, David Miliband mengatakan bahwa Indonesia sekarang adalah
sebuah negara demokrasi. Mungkin mereka memiliki demokrasi di Jakarta, tetapi rakyat kami
tidak bebas untuk berkampanye secara demokratis untuk penentuan nasib sendiri. Jika kami
rakyat Papua Barat dapat memiliki sebuah �Partai Papua Merdeka�, seperti partai Plaid
Cymru atau partai Scottish National anda, dan berbicara dengan bebas serta mengibarkan
bendera kemerdekaan kami tanpa dipenjarakan � itu baru namanya kami hidup dalam sebuah
demokrasi.
Mentri anda, Meg Munn mengatakan bahwa apa yang Indonesia lakukan di Papua Barat adalah
�sebuah model untuk dunia�. Apakah yang dia maksudkan adalah bahwa negara �negara lain
harus membunuh, memperkosa dan menganiaya seperti yang Indonesia lakukan? Dan Meg
Munn juga masih mengatakan bahwa kami rakyat Papua Barat �memilih untuk bergabung
dengan Indonesia pada Act of No Choice tahun 1969. Kami mau bertanya apakah sebuah
pemilihan umum di Inggris akan dinyatakan sah secara hukum bila tentara-tentara Inggris
mengelilingi ribuan orang dan memaksa merekan dibawah tekanan senjata untuk memilih partai
neo-Nazi British National?
Dan menteri anda, Lord Malloch-Brown mengatakan bahwa pelanggaran-pelanggaran hak-hak
asasi manusia yang diderita oleh rakyat saya �hanya relatif sedikit saja�.
Menteri-menteri anda selalu berusaha memberitahu dunia bahwa berbagai hal sekarang lebih
4. May 4, 2008, 23:07
MENOLAK PAPUA BERINTEGRASI KEDALAM NEGARA KESATUAN REPUBLIK
INDONESIA 1 MEI 1963 DAN MEMINTA SEGERA REVERENDUM ULANG PAPUA
Bangsa Papua mendiami di Tanah Papua serta Masyarakat bangsa papua barat hidup dari hasil
ciptaan Tuhan yang diberkati Tuhan sampai Tanggal 1 Desenber 1961 telah memproklamirkan
diri dari tangan Pemeintah Hidia belanda.
Meskipun demikian Pemerintah Amerika Serikat mengangkat dirinya sebagai polisi Dunia/ Alat
pengamanan Dunia, sehingga merasa bertanggung jawab untuk mengatur Dunia.
Karena Amerika serikat takut benua Australia dan Laut Pasifik dipengaruhi oleh Aliran
Komunisme Rusia/ RRC, maka Pemerintah Amerika Serikat memerintahkan Pemerintah
Belanda untuk menyerahkan Tanah dan Bangsa papua Barat pada Pemerintah Republik
Indonesia. Agar penyerahan Tanah dan Bangsa papua barat ini kelihatannya lebih beradab dan
lebih professional, maka Amerika Serikat memperalat PBB untuk membuat suatu Perjanjian.
Maka lahirlah NEWYORK AGREEMENT.
Berdasarkan Perjanjian newyork pemerintah belanda menyerahkan Tanah dan bangsa papua
kepada UNTEA pada tanggal 1 oktober 1962.
Setelah satu tahun tepat tanggal 1 MEI 1963 Tanah dan Bangsa Papua Barat diserahkan
sepenuhnya kepada Pemerintah Republik Indonesia.untuk dijajah, dibunuh, diperkosa dan
kemudian dimusnahkan rakyatnya dan dirampok Kekayaan Alamnya. Proses Penyerahan Tanah
dan Bangsa Papua Barat secara ILEGAL POLITIK INTERNASIONAL tanpa keterlibatan
Pemerintah bangsa papua Barat yang diproklamirkan pada tanggal 1 desember 1961 di port
Numbay/ Jayapura .
Hal jelas CACAT HUKUM INTERNASIONAL yang sengaja dilakukan oleh Pemerintah
Amerikat Serikat, Pemerintah Belanda , PBB, dan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia demi berpihak
kepada kepentingan PENGUASAAN DAN PERAMPASAN KEKAYAAN ALAM PAPUA
SAJA bukan berpihak kepada kepentingan Rakyat bangsa papua Barat.
Tujuan proses Penyerahan Tanah dan bangsa papua Barat ketangan Pemerintah Republik
Indonesia yang dilakukan oleh Pemerintah Amerika serikat, PBB, Pemerintah Belanda dan
Pemerintah Indonesia maka mulai Pemerintah Indonesia langsung menerapkan tindakan
kekerasan terhadap Rakyat bangsa papua Barat di mulai dari tanggal 1 mei 1963 diatas tanah
Papua dengan cara :
1.Memulai pelanggaran Hak Asasi Manusia atau mulai penumpahan Darah Tokoh-tokoh Politik
Papua, Masyarakat Bangsa Papua Barat yang tidak menerima Bendera Merah Putih, Masyarakat
yang tetap pro kepada Bangsa papua barat , Tokoh-tokoh Intwelektual, Mahasiswa, pelajar,
Tokoh-tokoh wanita papua,Masyarakat pedesaan, Tokoh-tokoh agama, Aktivis ELSM bahkan
Pegawai pemerintah RI juga ikut terbantai oleh TNI/ POLRI diseluruh Tanah Papua,
2.Mulai memberlakukan STATUS Daerah Operasi Militer/ DOM diseluruh tanah papua,
5. 3.Mulai membatasi / memenjarakan perkembangan politik Bangsa Papua barat dibawah kuasa
MILITERISASI PAPUA,
4.Mulai mencuri dan merampas Kekayaan alam papua secara ILEGAL dibawah TODONGAN
SENJATA,
5.Mulai menguasai Objek Vital ekonomi Rakyat Papua dibawah Intervensi TNI/ POLRI
diseluruh Tanah Papua,
6.Mulai membatasi dan membelokkan Kwalitas pendidikan yang bermutu dari 3 / tiga Yayasan
besar Papua kepada sekolah-sekolah Negeri dan sekolah Inpres diseluruh Tanah papua menjadi
Sentralisasi,
7.Mulai alihkan Obat-obat bantuan dari Badan kesehatan Dunia/ WHO dialihkan ke dokter-
dokter Praktek dengan biaya yang sangat mahal kepada Rakyat papua dianggap miskin untuk
hanya kepentingan uang saja, menyebabkan kematian orang papua sangat besar diseluruh tanah
papua,
8.Mulai menerapkan Program KELUARGA BERENCANA kepada masyarakat Papua secara
sistematis yang rapi sehingga angaka kelahiran orang papua lebih rendah dari pada angka
kematian orang papua lebih tinggi diseluruh tanah papua.
Berdasarkan Permasalahan diatas maka Kami Masyarakat Bangsa Papua Barat Kabupaten
Nabire MEMINTA TEGAS Kepada Pemerintah Amerika serikat, Periserikatan Bangsa-bangsa
(PBB), Pemerintah Belanda dan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia harus bertanggung Jawab atas
CACAT HUKUM INTERNASIONAL dengan sengaja dibuat terhadap Masyarakat Bangsa
Papua Barat. Untuk itu Kami Rakyat Bangsa Papua Barat menuntut dengan tegas kepada
Pemerintah Amerika serikat, PBB, Pemerintah Belanda , Pemerintah Republik Indonesia dan
Dunia Internasional segera bertanggung jawab penuh Proses REVERENDUM ULANG Kepada
Rakyat Bangsa Papua Barat dibawah Pengawasan Perserikatan Bangsa-bangsa( PBB).
Bangsa Papua Kabupaten Nabire Sedang mengadakan Jumpa Pess
Dan sedang membacakan pernyataan sikap Pada tanggal 1 Mei 1963 sebagai Hari Anekisasi
Papua Kedalan NKRI Secara Paksa,
Sedang Membacakan Pernyataan Sikap.
Poster yang terpampan di depan ruang yang mengadakan jumpa Pess
Penjelasan : Berkaitan dengan Jumpa pess ini kami undang seluruh Wartawan Yang ada di
Nabire Namun mereka tidak datang karena mereka dilarang
oleh Pihak Aparat TNI/POLRI .
Yang Mengadakan Jumpa Pess
8. Manokwari Student
Executive Council (Badan Eksekutif Mahasiswa, BEM).
Following the enactment of the Decree, eleven Papuans
were arrested in
Manokwari on 13 March for flying the kejora in protest
against the Decree.
More arrests were reported on 19 March when the police
took four people
into custody in Jayapura for raising flags and for
disturbing security.
According to a report in the Jayapura newspaper,
Cenderawasih Pos on 16
March, the regional police chief of Papua,
Inspector-General Max Donald,
said that the police would be taking action against
those who unfurled the
kejora flag in Manokwari and elsewhere.
The eleven persons arrested in Manokwari are:
Jack Wanggai, spokesperson of the West Papua National
Authority,
Frans Kareth, lecturer in economics,
Markus Solig Umpes,
Edy Ayorbaba,
Daniel Sakwatorey,
Marthinus Luther,
Noak AP
George Rasyard Ayorbaba,
Ariel Werimon,
Leonardus Decky Bame,
Silas Carlos Teves May, aged 16 years.
Yan Christian Warinussy, Executive Director of LP3BH,
the legal aid
organisation in Manokwari, announced on 14 March that
they have set up a
Team of Lawyers for Human Rights for the Papuan People
to defend the first
two persons named above who have been subjected to
intensive interrogation
by the police. In the case of Jack Wanggai, the
interrogation which was
accompanied by threats to kidnap members of his
9. family, focused on the
purposes of the WPNA and the reasons for organising
the demonstration on 13
March.
The four persons arrested by the police in Jayapura
are:
Zakarias Horota,
Elias Weah,
Ester Dolorus Tapnesa,
Abu Mari
They too have been charged with rebellion and with
disturbing security.
TAPOL strongly condemns these arrests and believes
that they represent a
grave infringement of the freedom of expression and
the right to engage in
peaceful protest.
TAPOL also condemns the enactment of presidential
decree PP77 which makes
it an offence to unfurl regional flags.
Carmel Budiardjo of TAPOL said: 'The enactment of PP77
which makes it an
offence to unfurl a flag can only trigger renewed
protest among Papuans.
This decree can further exacerbate the sense of
injustice that has swept
across West Papua since the beginning of the month.'
TAPOL calls for the lifting of charges of rebellion
that have been laid
against some of those arrested and calls for the
unconditional release of
all those now in police custody.
It also calls for the repeal of PP77 which is in
flagrant violation of the
right to engage in the peaceful action of raising a
regional flag.
END
11. Please e-mail/write to the Editor of the Guardian (see how below):
1) THANKING the Guardian for John Vidal's crucially important article (Shatterd illusions,
March 19) which will help bring WEST PAPUA out into the international spotlight. For most of
the 45 year long history of Indonesia's bloody occupation, the outside World has tragically
ignored the oppression of the indigenous West Papuan population by the Indonesian military, but
now, at long last, John Vidal's article shows that things are beginning to change.
2) ASKING the Guardian to REPORT REGULARLY on the continuing suffering of the West
Papuan people under Indonesian occupation and on the Papuans' peaceful struggle for self-
determination. (You may like to mention that last week, on March 13, Indonesian police arrested
nine people in Manokwari, West Papua, during a demonstration against a 2007 Indonesian law
banning the display of "separatist symbols", including the West Papuan Morning Star Flag. One
of the nine in custody is a 16-year-old boy. See yesterday's Human Rights Watch report "Free
Peaceful Protesters in Papua", also copied below).
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How do I send a letter to the Guardian?
You can email messages at letters@guardian.co.uk,
fax letters to 0207 837 4530,
or post them to: The Editor, The Guardian, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER.
We do not publish letters where only an email address is supplied; please include a full postal
address and a reference to the relevant article. If you do not want your email address published,
please say so. We may edit letters.
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THANK YOU! This is a really important chance to show The Guardian (and the international
media as a whole) that you care about what's happening now in West Papua.
Papua Merdeka!
Free West Papua!
Richard
Richard Samuelson
Free West Papua Campaign, Oxford, UK.
www.freewestpapua.org
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BP WEST PAPUA: Shattered illusions
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/19/fossilfuels.indonesia
12. When BP set out to build a £3.5bn natural gas plant in remote West Papua, local villagers hoped
for a bright future. But all is not well.
John Vidal
The Guardian,
Wednesday March 19 2008
Recently, with hundreds of Indonesian troops just out of sight in scenes of intense security,
Prince Andrew, the government's official business envoy, dropped in on Bintuni Bay, one of
Indonesia's mots remote corners. The plan was to inspect BP's new £3.5bn natural gas plant.
What the Duke of York probably did not know was that he had walked straight into a row
between the giant oil company and local villagers.
The British firm had promised its new neighbours, who live on the edge of the pristine Papuan
rainforest, better homes, long-term jobs and full environmental protection when it started several
years ago to build its giant plant to extract 14 trillion cubic metres of gas. But with the gas about
to flow, village leaders have now complained bitterly that the company has reneged on its
agreements.
In a long letter sent to the Guardian and in telephone conversations, Papuan leaders requesting
anonymity have complained that the company has blocked off their fishing grounds, attracted a
flood of migrants to the villages, provided very few jobs for local people and is now siding with
the Indonesian authorities against native Papuans who are engaged in a long struggle for
independence.
"Everything we feared when BP came to the area has come true," claims one community leader.
"People are not allowed to catch any fish or shrimps in the exclusive zone established by BP.
More and more migrants are coming because of the plant. There is very high inflation because
there is lots of money around. The number of local people from Bintuni Bay who work in the
project is very low. Local Papuans are never recruited as full-time members of staff."
BP has been desperately keen to avoid the experiences that it, Shell and other oil companies,
have had in Africa and Latin America, where oil and gas extraction has left a trail of pollution,
human rights abuses and distressed people with no share in the wealth extracted from their land.
The company pledged from the start to set new social and environmental standards, and to be a
model of corporate social responsibility. It hired some of the best development NGOs to offer
advice.
Papuan leaders say they were initially impressed when BP completely rebuilt one fishing village,
poured money into the nearby communities, and employed leading environment, human rights
and health groups to advise them on how to avoid conflict and bring prosperity to the villages.
But as the project has come closer to opening, people have flooded into the area. "Conflicts
between local communities and migrants have begun," says the leader. "The migrants [from all
over Indonesia] have come here to look for jobs, and are staying. There are about 1,500 in the
village of Babo and 1,200 in Bintuni. They are the majority now in all the villages," he says.
13. The Tangguh gas field, believed to be eventually worth more than £100bn to BP and the
Indonesian government, is one of the largest in the world. Known as a "super giant", it is
contracted to provide gas for China, Mexico and the US, and should last 30 years.
But the Papuan leaders, who have long been pressing for independence from Indonesia, say they
fear that BP is taking sides with the Indonesian government, as they are bypassed from all the
lasting benefits. According to documents seen by the Guardian, less than £30m was budgeted for
the Tangguh social programme over six years, including money for resettlement and security;
nearly £15m was earmarked for "consultants" and administration. The nine most affected
villages in the area are being given £15,000 a year for five years, and others in the area £5,500 a
year.
"BP has built 100 houses for 100 heads of families. All looks wonderful," another village leader
says. "But the people actually suffer mentally from their new settlement. Their access to the sea
is limited because of the company's exclusion zone, and they cannot expand their gardens. They
do not have enough [space] to expand their families."
Criticism of BP's employment policy was levelled at the company last year and the Tangguh
Independent Advisory Panel, chaired by Lord [David] Hannay, to monitor the project,
encouraged BP to employ more Papuans and to educate the local population about the
"demobilisation" process when the construction work is complete.
Although nearly 6,000 people have been employed in constructing the plant, fewer than 500 will
be employed by the company after the building is complete later this year. Of these, only around
50 are expected to be Papuan.
"People's dependency on BP is very high. There will be problems when the work ends. There
will be economic and psychological degradation," say Papuan leaders in their letter to the
Guardian.
"We predicted that BP and Indonesia would not care about the very survival of the Papuans on
their land and their nation. We expected that BP and Indonesia would continuously destroy our
forests and our trees and pollute the rivers and seas," they says. "And we feared that BP and
Indonesia would bring misfortune for the Papuans by employing skilled workers from outside
West Papua, claiming that we Papuans are not 'skilled workers'. I have to tell you that our worst
predictions and fears have come true."
BP denies that it is causing environmental damage, or that it is favouring non-Papuans. The
company said it is bound by strict guidelines about how many Papuans should be employed. A
spokesman says: "We think about 30% of the construction workforce is Papuan. The intention is
that there will be long-term employment for Papuans. We are prioritising the most affected
villages," says a BP spokesman.
But he also concedes that Papua is large and that it has been difficult to identify who is an
original inhabitant of these villages. On the fishing situation, he points out that BP has provided
outboard motors to some people so they can travel further to fishing grounds. "We believe we
14. have set new standards for the BP group. There has been a lot of progress but there is no
complacency," he says.
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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, 19 March 2008
“Raising a flag at a demonstration is a non-violent act, but in Indonesia it can land you in prison.
If Indonesia wants recognition as a rights-respecting nation, it should stop imprisoning people for
acts of peaceful expression.”
“Crucial Indonesian legal reforms on free expression have no bearing on events in Papua.
Unfortunately, once again there is a different set of rules for Papua and other areas with
separatist sympathies than for the rest of Indonesia.”
“Committing to the human rights treaties Indonesia recently ratified means more than signing on
the dotted line. It means stop punishing people for peaceful acts of expression.”
Elaine Pearson, Deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
19 March 2008
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH report (see below):
Indonesia: Free Peaceful Protesters in Papua Activists Face Charges for Non-violent Expression
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/03/19/indone18314_txt.htm
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Indonesia: Free Peaceful Protesters in Papua.
Activists Face Charges for Non-violent Expression.
(London, March 19, 2008) – The Indonesian government should order the immediate release of
nine Papua activists arrested for displaying the Papuan Morning Star flag, Human Rights Watch
said today. All charges against them should be dropped.
On March 13, police arrested nine people in Manokwari, West Papua, during a demonstration
against a 2007 law banning the display of separatist symbols, including the Morning Star Flag.
One of the nine in custody is reported to be a 16-year-old boy. Indonesia’s arrest and detention of
peaceful activists violates the internationally recognized rights to freedom of expression and
assembly.
“Raising a flag at a demonstration is a non-violent act, but in Indonesia it can land you in
prison,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “If Indonesia wants
recognition as a rights-respecting nation, it should stop imprisoning people for acts of peaceful
17. you emphasised that:
"a final settlement ... should be based on the will of the people of Kosovo" and that
"a settlement had to be 'acceptable to the people of Kosovo' ", based on
"the aspirations of the vast majority of Kosovo’s population"
And in your earlier statement on Kosovo (19/12/07) you said:
"We do not challenge the importance of the principle of territorial integrity but, as is well-
established, it can be qualified by the exercise of the right to self-determination."
http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&
c=Page&cid=1173562367279&a=KArticle&aid=1196174571082
We at the Free West Papua Campaign (UK) would be very grateful if you could explain to us
and to the people of West Papua why the British Government rejects Serbia's claim to territorial
integrity and supports the Kosovar's right to self-determination, which has never been legally
recognised by the international community, whilst at the same time the British Government
supports Indonesia's claim to territorial integrity and currently rejects the West Papuans' right to
self-determination, which has been recognised by the international community?
In the case of Kosovo, the British Government has rightly highlighted the oppression of the
Kosovars by the Serbs as an important factor leading to its support for the Kosovar's right to self-
determination. We would like to know why the British Government is currently choosing to
ignore the brutal oppression of the West Papuans by Indonesia, now and throughout the 45 years
of the Indonesian occupation, and to deny the West Papuans' internationally recognised right to
self-determination -- which all objective commentators agree has never been legally exercised.
We look forward to receiving your reply.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Samuelson
Co-Director, Free West Papua Campaign, Oxford, UK.
www.freewestpapua.org
INFO PAPUA : United Nations Review
18. INFO PAPUA : United Nations Review
Understanding the Papuans’ call for referendum
The Indigenous Papuans have begun calling for referendum to decide the future political status
of Papua province. The call was raised by the Papuan youth. I do think that the same call will be
raised in days and months to come.
There are two major factors that trigger the Papuans to call for refendum.
Mar 20, 2008, 22:41
INFO PAPUA : United Nations Review
Understanding the Papuans’ call for referendum
By Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua
Mar 20, 2008, 22:41
Email this article
Printer friendly page
The Indigenous Papuans have begun calling for referendum to decide the future political status
of Papua province. The call was raised by the Papuan youth. I do think that the same call will be
raised in days and months to come.
There are two major factors that trigger the Papuans to call for refendum.
Firstly, the call for referendum is raised due to the government’s failure in implementing
properly and consistently the Law no.21/2001 on the Special Autonomy for Papua Province.
The Papuans know that their problems have already been accomodated in the Papuan autonomy
law. Therefore they have been calling upon the government to address their grievances through
an effecitve implementation of the law.
However, they see that the government has no moral commitment to put the law into practice. It
has even no willingness to enforce the law consistently.
Instead, the government has deliberately produced some policies conflicting against the Papuan
autonomy law, after having deliberately postponed for four years to issue the government
regulation on the formation of the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP).
One example is that the central government establishes a new province of West Papua, although
by violating the Papuan autonomy law, and imposes upon the Papuans to accept the existence o f
the Province .
The government under the leadership of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has not issued all
necessary government regulations (peraturan Pemerintah), except one on the formation of the
MRP, and therefore some articles of the autonomy law can’t be executed in Papua.
19. Instead, President Yudhoyono has decided to issue new controversial government regulation to
accomodate the presence of the West Papua Province.
The regulation on West Papua will make the autonomy law more difficult to be implemented.
How can the autonomy law for Papua Province be implemented also in other province?
The House of Representative, on its part, has not considered the implementation of the autonomy
law as a solution to address the Papuans’ grievances.Therefore the house never encourges the
government to produce necessary government regulations and to do monitoring the Papuan
provincial government’s role in implementing the law.
Ignoring the necessity of implementing the autonomy law, the House agreed to form some four
new provinces in Papua, namely West Papua, South West Papua, Central Papua, and South
Papua.
The Papuan provincial government also never produces the special implementing regulations
(Peraturan Daerah Khusus/Perdasus) and provicial regulations (Peraturan daerah
Provinsi/Perdasi) which are necessary for implementing properly the autonomy law.
The present governor has even not yet approved the special implementing regulation (Perdasus)
on how to spend properly the autonomy fund. As a result, the use of autonomy funds is
completedy up to the individual governor and the regents and it can’t be monitored by the people
for not having legally approved criteria. Therefore, much of autonomy fund are allegedly
misused by the government officials.
The Provincial legislative council (DPRP) still needs to be encouraged to prioritize the
implementation of the autonomy law.
So in the eyes of the Papuans, the central government, the House of Representative, the Papuan
provincial government and legislative council, all of them fail to implement the autonomy law.
As a result, the Indigenous Papuans’ prosperity is not improved yet. In February of this year,
Papuan governor Barnabas Suebu announced that some 80 percents of the total population in
Papua province were identified living under poverty line.
It means that the implementation of the law for seven years has never brought about any change
in terms of the living standart of the Papuans.
The Papuans have repeatedly called for a comprehesive evaluation on the implementation of the
autonomy law by involving the all Papuans in the whole process of the evaluation. The
evaluation is meant to jointly identify the obstacles to the enforcement of the law and seek the
solutions to remove the obstacles so that the law can be executed properly.
The government never responds to the call for evaluation, however. It means that the government
wants to keep repeating the errors it has been committing for seven years.