PAPUA MEE NEWS DO FOR ALL

Why did two senior members of  of the Committee of Foreign Affairs on West Papua
Congress of the United States sent a concern letter regarding condition  in West Papua to the United Nations?

Donald M. Payne and Eni F.H. Faleomavaega signed a letter that can be interpreted in at least three ways.

1. The letter was intentionally to improve the condition in Papua and
   especially to help Papuan people. From the perspective of human
   security, the letter has a specific aim to reduce the level human
   rights violation by security aparatus and the OPM (Free Papua
   Organization). Furthermore, the letter also tried to push freedom for
   foreigner to visit Papua. In some extent, the idea to give more
   international access and visit to Papua will increase transparency.
   However, Indonesian government seems not ready to handle any accident
   caused by the OPM, for example the killing of two American Journalist
   by the OPM several years ago hurt Indonesia-US relation.
2. The letter was a political agenda to maintain conflict in Papua
   between the OPM  and Indonesia Military. I believe most people in the
   world will agree with the idea to defend human rights in Papua. But the
   letter was even move so far to include propaganda about the failure of
   Special Autonomy. The political aspect of maintaining conflict in Papua
   is so high because it didn’t offer any solution.
3. The letter was a propaganda to take international attention to the
   idea of separatism. I don’t understand why? Maybe for the shake of
   Freeport Mc Moran because whenever the conflict getting hot, Freeport
   will escape from violation of environment management and Company Social
   Responsiblity. Maybe the writer of the letter was not Donald Payne or
   Eni Faleomavaega, who knows? What I heard from Eni office, he was not
   the one who write the letter. The main reason why Eni signed the letter
   was simply because of his dissapointment of his short visit to Papua in
   January 2008.

Copy of the letter as follow:

——————————————————————————————

Letter to UN by two senior members of the Committee of Foreign Affairs on West Papua
CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WASHlNGTON, DC 20515

February 14, 2008

The Honorable Ban Ki-Moon
Secretary-General, United Nations
799 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017

Dear Mr. Secretary-General:

We are writing to express our deep and growing concern regarding
rising reports of human rights violations in West Papua. These reports
come against a backdrop of decades of abuse by Indonesian security
forces targeting the Papuan people.

The upsurge in violence has come on the heels of the June 5 -12,
2007 visit to West Papua by Special Representative of the
Secretary-General, Ms. Hina Jilani. These threats and harassment appear
to be specifically focused on Papuans who met with Special
Representative Jilani. In her report to you, Ms. Jilani noted
“harassment and intimidation” of human rights defenders. Moreover, as
noted by Ms. Jilani, security forces in West Papua enjoy impunity from
prosecution for human rights abuse and corruption. Juan Mendez, UN
Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, described, in 2006, West
Papua as being among those countries whose populations were ‘at risk of
extinction’.

We are also concerned about the tight restrictions placed upon
journalists, human rights activists and diplomats trying to obtain
access to West Papua. As you know, nongovernmental organizations, the
media and foreign officials can act as witnesses to and bulwarks
against human rights abuses as well as agents of change. So, the
failure of these individuals to gain unobstructed access to the country
hinders Papuans’ stories of human rights abuse, quashing of civil
liberties and inability to express their right to self-determination
from coming to the fore.

On June 24, 2004, twenty US Senators urged former Secretary-General
Kofi Annan and the General Assembly to appoint a United Nations Special
Representative to Indonesia to monitor and report on the situation in
West Papua. The letter also urged that the Special Representative also
“make recommendations regarding steps the UN Security Council and
General Assembly might undertake to end the troubling and deadly
conflicts” there. Events in West Papua have reached such a dangerous
level that it is important for the UN Security Council to take action.
The deteriorating human rights conditions in West Papua have led
directly to a significant flow of Papuans across international borders,
notably to Papua New Guinea and Australia. Papuans have also sought and
received political asylum in the United States and in Europe. It is
critical that the UN Security Council address the security concerns
posed by human rights abuse in West Papua.

United Nations involvement in West Papua extends back to 1962. The
UN was charged with helping implement the 1962 “New York Agreement”
which guaranteed Papuans the right to participate in an “act of
self-determination” to decide whether they wish to remain or sever ties
with Indonesia. A referendum that clearly presented this choice never
took place. In fact, thirty-seven Members of the US Congress wrote a
letter, in 2006, to Mr. Annan requesting that the UN review its action
accepting the “Act of Free Choice.”

We are also concerned that notwithstanding assurances by Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that his administration would
address long standing Papuan grievances and implement Law No. 21/2001
on Special Autonomy, security and other Indonesian central government
officials in West Papua have failed to carry out reforms.

Understandably, Papuan officials, civil society leaders and Papuans
overwhelmingly have rejected the failed Special Autonomy policy of the
central government. They have instead rightly called for an
internationally mediated dialogue between Papuan officials and civil
society and senior Indonesian government officials to discuss such
concerns as the demilitarization of West Papua, Papuan
self-determination and transmigration of Javanese into Papua.

We welcome the recent adoption of the United Nations’ Declaration on
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which calls for the elimination of
human rights violations and for combating discrimination and
marginalization against indigenous peoples. In that spirit, we urge
that the Security Council appoint a senior official with responsibility
to pursue the creation of a senior level dialogue between the
government of President Yudhoyono and Papuan government and civil
society leaders to be mediated by a UN Security Council representative.

Sincerely,

Donald M. Payne
Member of Congress

Eni F.H. Faleomavaega
Member of Congress