Jakarta Globe, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Ezra Sihite, February 23, 2013
 |
| Soldiers unload the dead body of their colleague from a helicopter shortly after its arrival at Sentani airport, in Papua province February 22, 2013. (Reuters Photo/ Ismawan Nugraha) |
Related
articles
- Intolerance Could Make Indonesia Fail, Group Warns Feb 22, 2013
- Indonesia's Hanura Party Not Sweating Human Rights Tribunal Feb 23, 2013
- Police Accused of Torturing 7 in Papua Feb 22, 2013
- ‘Separatists’ Kill Eight Soldiers in Papua Feb 21, 2013
- Tribal Chief in Papua Questioned Over Attempted Rape Claim Feb 5, 2013
President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says the national government will use a welfare-based
approach rather than a military one to keep the peace in Papua after a deadly
series of shootings on Thursday left eight soldiers dead.
At a
limited cabinet meeting on Friday, the president declared that the government
would continue to seek to improve the living standards of Papuans and would not
intensify security arrangements in the restive provinces.
“The
[security] status in Papua has not been raised, however the law still has to be
enforced in any part of the Indonesian islands,” Djoko Suyanto, the
coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, said in a
press conference at the presidential palace on Friday.
The
government declined to raise the number of officers in Papua but said it was
prepared to send additional weapons, if needed, to hunt down the armed group.
“Bear in
mind that we have a clear and firm stance on any party who is trying to disrupt
public security or refuses to acknowledge the sovereignty of the unitary state
of Indonesia in Papua,” Djoko said.
He said he
suspected that Thursday’s shootings in Sinak were related to regional elections
for which the results will be announced today, and the shootings in Tingginambut
were sparked by the opening of new military posts, which made separatists feel
uncomfortable.
“Indonesia
and the world need to know that the military and police officers were carrying
out their job to protect the sovereignty and security [of Indonesia] as well as
to protect the people,” Yudhoyono said on Friday.
Former
Justice and Human Rights Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the state had
proven itself unable to resolve conflict in Papua.
Yusril
called on the government to remain calm in seeking to ease tensions in Papua.
“The approach should be effective to prevent the situation from getting worse,”
he said.
The former
minister added that unrest in Papua was similar to that in many other parts of
the world, in that it stemmed from dissatisfaction with living conditions.
“No matter
what, the integration between Papua and Indonesia is part of history and it has
happened. It’s been acknowledged internationally,” he said.
West Papua
Regional Legislative Council deputy chairman Jimmy Demianus Ijie said that many
Papuans felt they had not benefited from Indonesia’s independence and called
for an empathy from the national government.
“We’ve
never enjoyed Indonesia’s independence. What we have is only blood and tears,”
Jimmy said in Jakarta on Friday, adding that his people were frustrated at the
lack of delivery on regular promises of improvements by the government.
Jimmy
called on the government to build a dialogue with the Papuan people and not
take a heavy-handed approach to security.
“Let’s talk
about our unity. Why is the government afraid of opening a dialogue with Papua?
Today, there are many military personnel in plain clothes in Papua, as if a big
war is happening here,” he said.
He added
that Papuan people love Indonesia but want to be freed from poverty and want to
look after the interests of their children and grandchildren.
Indonesia
officially annexed Papua in 1969 with a UN-backed vote, seen by many as a sham,
and tensions have persisted.
No comments:
Post a Comment