1) RI`s FM summons British ambassador over
West Papua issue
2) MSG talks on West
Papua
3) Indonesia
protests to UK over Papua group
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1) RI`s FM
summons British ambassador over West Papua issue
Mon, May 6 2013 13:56
| 63 Views
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister
Marty Natalegawa here on Monday summons British Ambassador to Indonesia, Mark
Canning over the opening of Free West Papua office in Oxford, England, last
week.
"I was summoned to see His Excellency the Foreign Minister
Marty Natalegawa this morning. The Minister conveyed to me in clear terms the
strong concern of the Indonesian Government at the opening of a Free West Papua
office in Oxford," Ambassador Canning said in a written statement received
by ANTARA on Monday (May 6/2013).
During the Monday meeting the ambassador
explained to Marty that Britain recognized the sensitivity of this issue for
Indonesia. He also reiterated the position of British government over the issue
saying that Britain respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia and do not
support calls for Papuan independence.
"We regard Papua as being
part of Indonesia. That has always been our view, and this recent development,
which has nothing whatsoever to do with the British Government, does nothing to
change that," he said.
"We also support the effort of those, like
the Presidential Delivery Unit (UKP4), who are trying to address the problems
of Papua and hope to see it enjoy the same level of peace, stability and
prosperity as the other parts of this nation. I made these points to Papua
Governor Lukas Enembe when we met last week,".
We believe that the
Indonesian government is genuinely committed to addressing the problems in that
region and hope that the efforts will bear fruit" he added.
Earlier
Minister Marty Natalegawa stated Indonesia has filed protest to the British
government over the opening of Free West Papua office by Oxford city council in
England.
"Recent incident is not suitable to what the British government
has repeatedly stated in the past years about its respect towards Indonesia`s
sovereignty," said the minister. (*)
Editor: Heru
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2) MSG talks on
West Papua
Tevita Vuibau
Monday, May 06, 2013
MSG member countries
including Fiji will make a formal decision on the way forward in dealing with
the situation in West Papua when they meet at the MSG leaders summit in June.
This was the word from
the MSG Eminent Persons Group headed by former Fiji Minister for Foreign
Affairs Kaliopate Tavola.
West Papua has been
occupied by Indonesia for the past 50 years.
Human rights abuses
and countless crimes by members of their armed forces attracted regional and
international scorn.
The territory has also
been pursuing full membership of the MSG and has received widespread support.
Mr Tavola said the MSG
EPG had listened to the views expressed on the issue and noted that there was a
lot of support for the West Papua case.
"We do also note
that the West Papua case is problematic. There are a number of issues attached
to it, for instance there is an application which I understand has been lodged
with the chair of the MSG," Mr Tavola said.
"That will take
its own process and the leaders will make a determination on that when they
meet in June."
He explained that the
issue of West Papua was complex and the EPG was taking note of new
developments.
"We as a group
take note of what is happening on the ground. The application has been lodged
and it is likely that the leaders will make a determination in June that will
determine the way forward on how we manage the West Papua case."
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3) Indonesia protests to UK over Papua group
From:
AAP May 06, 2013 4:34PM
INDONESIA has summoned the British
ambassador in Jakarta to protest after a group supporting the independence of
the restive Papua region set up its headquarters in England, the envoy said.
Mark Canning said he was summoned on
Monday to see Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who "conveyed
to me in clear terms the strong concern of the Indonesian government at the
opening of a 'Free West Papua' office in Oxford".
The Free West Papua group last month
established the headquarters in the southern English city, and the opening
ceremony was attended by the city's mayor and a member of parliament.
"I explained to the minister
that we recognised the sensitivity of this issue for Indonesia," said
Canning in a statement.
"The position of (the) British
government on this matter is quite clear. We respect the territorial integrity
of Indonesia and do not support calls for Papuan independence. We regard Papua
as being part of Indonesia."
He stressed that the opening of the
office "has nothing whatsoever to do with the British government".
At the weekend, Natalegawa issued a
statement saying the office was "clearly incompatible and contrary to the
friendly relations that have existed between the two countries".
The issue of separatism in Indonesia
remains deeply sensitive, particularly after the bloody secession of East Timor
which gained its independence in 2002.
For decades, ethnic Papuans in the
mountainous and sparsely populated region have rejected the area's special
autonomy within Indonesia.
They have demanded a referendum on
self-determination for the region's estimated population of 3.6 million.
The vast area is split into two
provinces for administrative purposes, Papua and West Papua, but some - such as
the group which set up the office in Oxford - refer to the whole region as West
Papua.
Indonesia has strict treason laws
and courts have handed down stiff penalties from 20 years' jail to life for
people caught with separatist symbols such as the Papuan flag.
Around
130 people are currently imprisoned in Indonesia for peacefully promoting
separatism, most of them from Papua or the eastern Maluku islands, according to
Human Rights Watch.
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