2)
Australia needs to raise human rights concerns with Indonesia
3)
Abbott’s visit: A new page of Indonesia-Australia relations
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http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/special-features/abbott-government-faces-diplomatic-dilemma-over-west-papuans/story-fnho52jj-1226727829554
1) Abbott Government faces diplomatic dilemma over West Papuans
THE Abbott Government is facing a diplomatic dilemma after it emerged on Thursday the six West Papuans who cruised across the Torres Strait to Australia are believed to be activists.
West Papuans from the Indonesian-run territory have been found to be refugees in Australia in the past with the case threatening to escalate and cause tension between Australia and Indonesia.
An Australian refugee activist said on Thursday the group of six had met with Australians aboard a ‘Freedom Flotilla’ weeks ago and they had since learned they faced persecution and were going to flee.
Ruben Blake said the group was fighting for West Papua to be free of Indonesian control and the two groups had met in waters just off PNG.
The West Papuans were in a dingy and took gifts from the Australians.
“Earlier this month we handed over sacred water and ashes to the people and they had been under intense surveillance,” Mr Blake said.
“The water was from Lake Eyre and the ash was from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.”
He said activists had been told the West Papuans who had taken part in the ceremony were facing increased scrutiny from Indonesia in Merauke, West Papua.
Six West Papuans were found on Boigu Island, an Australian territory in the Torres Strait, on Tuesday.
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has refused to comment on the case after he imposed a media blackout on the regular reporting of asylum boat arrivals.
His spokesman said any boat arrivals would be covered at the next weekly instalment of his Operation Sovereign Borders briefing.
“The Government provides details of SIEV arrivals as part of the OSB weekly briefing program. The next briefing will be held early next week,” he said.
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http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/australia-needs-to-raise-human-rights-concerns-with-indonesia/story-e6frg6n6-1226727918679
2) Australia needs to raise human rights concerns with Indonesia
Joel Magarey, Sarah Elks
From: The Australian
September 27, 2013
West Papuan activist Yacob Mandabayan is believed to be among a group that arrived in Australia on Monday night. Picture: Supplied. Source: Supplied
THE arrival on Australian soil of up to seven West Papuan independence activists on the eve of Tony Abbott's visit to Jakarta looms as another flashpoint in the relationship with Indonesia.
Five men, one woman and a child became the first asylum-seekers to cross the Torres Strait from Papua New Guinea since the Prime Minister launched Operation Sovereign Borders on Wednesday last week.
Last night human rights lawyers said the flight of the activists highlighted the need for Australia to raise human rights concerns with Indonesia.
Human Rights Law Centre spokesman Tom Clarke said: "With his first visit to Indonesia next week, Prime Minister Abbott has an opportunity to raise concerns about the serious human rights violations occurring a stone's throw away in Indonesia's Papua provinces."
A spokesman for Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said last night that Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had informed her counterpart Marty Natalegawa of the incident while they were in New York for the UN General Assembly.
"According to the information I have received, as illegal arrivals in Australia they will be dealt with by the same policy as other illegal arrivals," Teuku Faizasyah said.
Dr Faizasyah did not respond to a query about whether Indonesia would seek the return of the West Papuans.
West Papuan sources told The Australian the group eluded Indonesian police and military searches by travelling to Papua New Guinea by speedboat on Sunday, before crossing the Torres Strait on Monday night to Australia's Boigu Island, just 4km south of the PNG mainland.
A PNG villager from the impoverished Western Province delivered the family in his dinghy to the mangrove-lined Boigu Island, Australia's most northerly inhabited island, on Tuesday evening.
The group, some of whom have links with the Freedom Flotilla that travelled from Australia to near West Papuan waters, were taken to the local council chambers for the night.
Immigration and Customs officials from Thursday Island travelled to Boigu by helicopter on Wednesday morning and took the family into custody.
Under the Abbott government's Operation Sovereign Borders the group could be transferred to Nauru or Manus Island within the next 48 hours.
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison, who travelled to Port Moresby yesterday to meet PNG's Attorney-General Kerenga Kua, refused to comment, referring the matter to his weekly briefing.
The incident could have significant diplomatic repercussions for Australia's relationship with Indonesia, already under strain from the Coalition's policy to turn back asylum-seeker vessels.
The last time Australia provided temporary protection to West Papuan refugees, in 2006, a row with Jakarta erupted.
A friend of the group has told The Australian the West Papuans knew they were likely to end up in offshore detention but were "desperate" to avoid torture or death in Indonesia. The Melbourne-based West Papuan, who asked not to be named, said he had spoken to two people believed to be part of the group - Antonio Mahuze and Yacob Mandabayan - shortly before they are understood to have left by boat for Queensland on Monday night.
"I said, 'Do you know the risk you are taking, given refugees have been sent to Manus Island or Nauru?' " the friend said. "They were telling me it's better to seek protection than be hunted and intimidated or to be tortured or die in an Indonesian prison."
ADDITIONAL REPORTING: LAUREN WILSON,
PETER ALFORD
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http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/09/26/abbott-s-visit-a-new-page-indonesia-australia-relations.html
3) Abbott’s visit: A new page of Indonesia-Australia relations
Hafid Abbas, Jakarta | Opinion | Thu, September 26 2013, 12:42 PM
The newly elected Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is expected to visit Indonesia on Sept. 30 — his first overseas trip since winning the Australian premiership on Sept. 7. This choice indicates an important partnership in the offing.
In the past, Australian foreign policy always bypassed Indonesia in favor of the West. Indonesia was not a geopolitical strategic priority, as it was labeled a risky nation for investment with no significant prospects for reciprocal socio-economic benefits.
Australia was likely strongly guided by its western identity romanticism, despite its geographical position next to Asia. Total Australian investment in Indonesia in 2010 was only US$214.2 million while the tiny country of Singapore invested $5.1 billion.
Australia seemingly remained ignorant of the archipelago’s remarkable democratic development and it’s perception of Indonesia will likely remain unchanged despite Indonesia’s great transformation. In the early stages of — from a centralized to a decentralized system, from an authoritarian regime to democracy — many international scholars predicted doom and gloom.
These predictions were based on negative gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 1998 of 13 to 14 percent. But Indonesia did not collapse. Instead, it showed remarkable resilience, bounced back and held a peaceful election in 2004, defying all odds. The World Bank noted: “No country in recent history, let alone one the size of Indonesia, has ever suffered such a dramatic reversal of fortune”.
Despite various socio-economic and political challenges affecting the country during the last decade and a half, Indonesia remains focused on the path to democracy.
Although witnessing inconsistency from the west, exemplified by former US president George W. Bush when he declared war on terrorism and addressed all nations of the world to choose their option “Are you with us, or against us?”, Indonesia maintains its choice of democratization.
The west expected Indonesia to return to its old system of “internal security acts” to be part of the global war against terror. Such counter-subversion laws are oppressive and are often used to remove freedom of expression.
This type of law is still implemented in Singapore, Malaysia and other neighboring countries. If it had been implemented, our road to democracy would have lead to the death of democracy.
In this new Indonesia, Abbott’s administration is now capitalizing on the opportunities this new page of Indonesia-Australia relations offers:
First, Indonesia is dynamic, with a population of at least 250 million people, a current economic growth rate of 6-7 percent and GDP totaling around $1.12 trillion (2011 data). Every year its middle-class society increases by at least 8 million, which means the middle class has reached 130 million — six times larger than Australia’s population.
Now is the time for Australian businesses to take advantage of the opportunities resulting from our vibrant nation.
Second, a good relationship between Australia and Indonesia is extremely important, not just for the two countries, but for the broader regional context. By 2015, ASEAN will move to a single community of nations (AEC). Australia and ASEAN relations could be an emerging economic, social and political power to balance the domination of China, India and Japan in Asia. This is the momentum to ensure much closer engagement with Indonesia and ASEAN for Australia to increase its roles in global arena.
Third, Indonesia is also a good partner for Australia to engage with Muslim countries. The annual ninth World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) conference will be held in London in October, the first time to be held outside Asia, is expected to be attended by more than 2,000 delegates from about 85 countries. Australia could engage much closer with this great economic forum for long term political, economic and social benefits.
Fourth, Indonesia is also a good partner for Australia to engage with the 114 non-aligned movement (NAM) member countries. Founders of the NAM were Sukarno of Indonesia, Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia and Jawaharlal Nehru of India, all of whom committed themselves to comprehensive solutions on how to break away from dependence on any superpower. They voiced NAM neutrality and denounced all forms of colonialism across Asia and Africa.
In the course of its long history over five decades, however, NAM experienced hard times, which likely caused them to change their orientation to non-controversial issues, such as: population, environment, HIV/AIDS, environment, smuggling, drugs and non-documented migrants. Australia could pick one strategic issue such as illegal migrants, for example, to find its comprehensive solutions.
Finally, Abbott’s visit to Indonesia will contribute to the economy, politics, society and security of the both nations.
The writer, a commissioner at the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), is a UNESCO consultant for the Asia-Pacific Region.
In the past, Australian foreign policy always bypassed Indonesia in favor of the West. Indonesia was not a geopolitical strategic priority, as it was labeled a risky nation for investment with no significant prospects for reciprocal socio-economic benefits.
Australia was likely strongly guided by its western identity romanticism, despite its geographical position next to Asia. Total Australian investment in Indonesia in 2010 was only US$214.2 million while the tiny country of Singapore invested $5.1 billion.
Australia seemingly remained ignorant of the archipelago’s remarkable democratic development and it’s perception of Indonesia will likely remain unchanged despite Indonesia’s great transformation. In the early stages of — from a centralized to a decentralized system, from an authoritarian regime to democracy — many international scholars predicted doom and gloom.
These predictions were based on negative gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 1998 of 13 to 14 percent. But Indonesia did not collapse. Instead, it showed remarkable resilience, bounced back and held a peaceful election in 2004, defying all odds. The World Bank noted: “No country in recent history, let alone one the size of Indonesia, has ever suffered such a dramatic reversal of fortune”.
Despite various socio-economic and political challenges affecting the country during the last decade and a half, Indonesia remains focused on the path to democracy.
Although witnessing inconsistency from the west, exemplified by former US president George W. Bush when he declared war on terrorism and addressed all nations of the world to choose their option “Are you with us, or against us?”, Indonesia maintains its choice of democratization.
The west expected Indonesia to return to its old system of “internal security acts” to be part of the global war against terror. Such counter-subversion laws are oppressive and are often used to remove freedom of expression.
This type of law is still implemented in Singapore, Malaysia and other neighboring countries. If it had been implemented, our road to democracy would have lead to the death of democracy.
In this new Indonesia, Abbott’s administration is now capitalizing on the opportunities this new page of Indonesia-Australia relations offers:
First, Indonesia is dynamic, with a population of at least 250 million people, a current economic growth rate of 6-7 percent and GDP totaling around $1.12 trillion (2011 data). Every year its middle-class society increases by at least 8 million, which means the middle class has reached 130 million — six times larger than Australia’s population.
Now is the time for Australian businesses to take advantage of the opportunities resulting from our vibrant nation.
Second, a good relationship between Australia and Indonesia is extremely important, not just for the two countries, but for the broader regional context. By 2015, ASEAN will move to a single community of nations (AEC). Australia and ASEAN relations could be an emerging economic, social and political power to balance the domination of China, India and Japan in Asia. This is the momentum to ensure much closer engagement with Indonesia and ASEAN for Australia to increase its roles in global arena.
Third, Indonesia is also a good partner for Australia to engage with Muslim countries. The annual ninth World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) conference will be held in London in October, the first time to be held outside Asia, is expected to be attended by more than 2,000 delegates from about 85 countries. Australia could engage much closer with this great economic forum for long term political, economic and social benefits.
Fourth, Indonesia is also a good partner for Australia to engage with the 114 non-aligned movement (NAM) member countries. Founders of the NAM were Sukarno of Indonesia, Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia and Jawaharlal Nehru of India, all of whom committed themselves to comprehensive solutions on how to break away from dependence on any superpower. They voiced NAM neutrality and denounced all forms of colonialism across Asia and Africa.
In the course of its long history over five decades, however, NAM experienced hard times, which likely caused them to change their orientation to non-controversial issues, such as: population, environment, HIV/AIDS, environment, smuggling, drugs and non-documented migrants. Australia could pick one strategic issue such as illegal migrants, for example, to find its comprehensive solutions.
Finally, Abbott’s visit to Indonesia will contribute to the economy, politics, society and security of the both nations.
The writer, a commissioner at the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), is a UNESCO consultant for the Asia-Pacific Region.
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