1) Indonesia:
We will turn back Aussie boat seeking to sail into Papua
2) Freedom
Flotilla to be turned around, says military
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1) Indonesia: We will turn back Aussie boat seeking to sail into Papua
THE Indonesian navy has threatened to turn back a boat of six Australian activists seeking to sail into the restive region of Papua to draw attention to rights abuses.
An Indonesian Navy soldier looks out to the sea. The Navy has said it will turn around a boat of Australian activisits if they reach Indonesian waters.
It came as the unarmed yacht, the Pog, hovered in Papua New Guinea waters not far from the maritime border with Indonesia.
The activists were waiting to hear directly from the navy and receive assurances force would not be used against them before entering Indonesian waters, their spokesman said.
Any confrontation could strain relations between Indonesia and Australia, as the Southeast Asian nation is highly sensitive about its sovereignty over Papua.
"If the boat enters our waters, we will turn it around. That's what we would do with any boat that didn't have the correct permits to enter the country," Indonesian navy spokesman Untung Suropati said.
Mr Suropati also stressed the navy would only use force if threatened by an armed vessel.
"If they are not armed, the navy will just intercept the boat, and prevent the activists from setting foot on Indonesian land," he said.
The Australian government has also warned the activists they will not be offered any special treatment if they are arrested in Indonesia.
The journey began on August 17 from the northern Australian city of Cairns with three boats and 20 activists making up the "Freedom Flotilla", but the fleet was reduced to one boat after the other two suffered mechanical problems.
The activists hope to dock in the Papuan port town of Merauke and hold a ceremony with Papuans to raise awareness of what they say are widespread rights abuses at the hands of Indonesian authorities.
"We feel very strongly that the voice of the Papuans is not heard by the world," Freedom Flotilla spokesman Ruben Blake told AFP.
Jakarta keeps a tight grip on the troubled region, the western part of New Guinea island, where a low-level separatist insurgency has been simmering for decades, and there are high rates of poverty and low standards of health and education.
Papua declared independence from the Dutch in 1961, but neighbouring Indonesia took control of the region with force in 1963. It officially annexed Papua in 1969 with a UN-backed vote, widely seen as a sham.
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http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/freedom-flotilla-to-be-turned-around-says-military/story-e6frg6n6-1226718054698
2) Freedom Flotilla to be turned around, says military
- AAP
- September 13, 2013
AN Australian boat carrying pro-independence activists to Indonesian Papua will be turned around, the head of the military in the province's port city of Merauke says.
The so-called Freedom Flotilla was expected to cross into Indonesian waters yesterday afternoon local time despite warnings from Jakarta as well as the Australian government that the activists should abandon their mission.
The commander of the Indonesian forces in Merauke, Brigadier General Edi Rahmayadi, yesterday repeated previous warnings that the group would be turned around, saying there would be ``no compromise''.
"They cannot enter sovereign territory of our country as long as they don't have cleared document,'' Brig Gen Rahmayadi told AAP.
"They will not be taken to land. They will be expelled while they're on the sea.
"No compromise on that. They'll definitely not be taken to the land first.''
The commander of the Indonesian forces in Merauke, Brigadier General Edi Rahmayadi, yesterday repeated previous warnings that the group would be turned around, saying there would be ``no compromise''.
"They cannot enter sovereign territory of our country as long as they don't have cleared document,'' Brig Gen Rahmayadi told AAP.
"They will not be taken to land. They will be expelled while they're on the sea.
"No compromise on that. They'll definitely not be taken to the land first.''
The group is making the journey to support the struggle for Papuan independence from Indonesia and alleged violence by authorities.
The Freedom Flotilla was initially made up of three boats with about 20 Australians and West Papuans aboard, and set sail from Cairns last month bound for Papua.
But due to mechanical problems just six activists aboard one boat, the Pog, are sailing the final leg of the journey.
The group's spokeswoman Izzy Brown, who is on board the boat, says the Freedom Flotilla is a peaceful mission and the activists pose no threat.
None of those on board the Pog, including an Australian, a New Zealander, a Kenyan and a West Papuan, have permission to enter Indonesian waters.
AAP
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3) West Papua Freedom Flotilla refused entry by Indonesian military
The West Papua Freedom Flotilla has been refused to enter the port of Merauke in West Papua.
The flagship boat of the Flotilla, The Pog, set off from Thursday Island, Queensland, and crossed into the waters of the Indonesian ruled territory of West Papua on Thursday................................
http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2013/09/west-papua-freedom-flotilla-refused-entry-by-indonesian-military/
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