ICMI Condemns Pacific Countries over Meddling on West Papua Issue

Jakarta, Jubi – The Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) condemned the statement by Pacific countries’ leaders for what it called their meddling in Indonesia’s affairs over West Papua.

ICMI Deputy Chairman Priyo Budi Santoso in a press release received in Jakarta on Thursday (29/9/2016) accused those Pacific leaders of intervening concerning West Papua.

“Pacific countries should not intervene the internal affairs of Indonesia with provocative statements that the West Papua should be given their rights for self-determination,” said Priyo.The Prime Minister of Solomon Islands Manasye Sogavere said there have been the human rights violations in West Papua, therefore the people should be given the rights for self-determination through a referendum to decide whether they would stay with the Republic of Indonesia or build their own state.

Priyo asserted that West Papua Province could not be separated from Indonesia. So, if there are problems, the one who should be responsible to resolve it is the Indonesian Government, not other countries.

“So, if there are problems in West Papua, the Indonesian Government has responsibility to resolve it”. According to him, the open statement by the Pacific countries has been disturbed and intervened the internal affairs of Indonesia in the UN forum.

“As the neighbor countries, they shouldn’t do it, because the problems occurred in West Papua is the internal affairs of Indonesia as the sovereign country and the member of the United Nations,” said Priyo.

He urged the Indonesian Government to explicitly condemn the provocative act by Pacific countries against West Papua. In their statement, ICMI is clearly support the Unitary State of the Republic Indonesia or death! and West Papua is part of the Republic Indonesia, therefore it should be kept under the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia. (*/rom)

November 19, 2016 0

Jakarta pressures Julie Bishop on Papua

Indonesian Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu.

Indonesia has asked Australia to caution its Pacific Island neighbours against interfering in the West Papua issue and to urge them to withdraw support for West Papuan membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, warning that the issue could pose a “stumbling block” to closer bilateral ties.

Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu told The Australian yesterday he made the request to Australia’s defence and foreign ministers during their annual meeting in Bali last week and “the response has been good. It is unlikely they will refuse”.

“I have told Australia … we should maintain our close relationship and not let issues like this be a stumbling block to our relationship,” he said.

At Friday’s ministerial meeting, Australia and Indonesia also agreed to consider joint patrols of areas of the contested South China Sea and pirate-infested Sulu Sea between Indonesia and The Philippines. That will likely be discussed further when Indonesian President Joko Widodo makes his first official state visit to Australia on Sunday.

General Ryamizard’s decision to publicly raise the West Papua issue appears designed to pressure Canberra into adopting a stronger public defence of Indonesia’s position.

The bid for West Papuan membership of MSG, likely to be decided by year-end, has become a rallying point for the Free West Papua movement, which argues that the territory’s UN-supervised vote to stay with Indonesia in 1968 was secured by cheating and military intimidation.

Indonesia is an MSG associate but is lobbying hard against Papuan admission since the United Liberation Movement of West Papua gained observer status last year.

The group’s chairman, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, champions West Papuan representation. He was one of seven Pacific leaders to speak out against human rights abuses in the Papua provinces and to support self-determination at last month’s UN General Assembly.

After the ministerial meeting on Friday, General Ryamizard said: “I have told Australia we never interfere with the internal affairs of any other country and we will strongly object if other countries do so to us.

“So please tell Solomon Island and those six nations (from the MSG) never to interfere or encourage West Papua to join them.

“Those countries better keep their mouths shut and mind their own business. It is better that (Australia) speaks to them gently. If it was left up to me, I would twist their ears.”

John Blaxland, of ANU”s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, said Canberra would have little choice but to speak to the Solomons (which gets $162 million Australian aid this year) and “remind them of which side their bread is buttered”.

However, the Indonesian minister’s public statements were “extremely unhelpful” because they brought the issue into the open, which was wanted only by pro-independence activists. Dr Blaxland, said it was “completely toxic for Australia”.

“The restoration of the bilateral security relationship is predicated on us being supportive over West Papua and the Indonesians are acutely sensitive to Australia’s role in that.

“We can’t afford for West Papua to sour relations between Australia and Indonesia when there are so many other issues on the agenda dependant on us maintaining an even keel in that relationship,” he added.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop yesterday confirmed West Papua was discussed at last week’s meeting but would not say whether Australia would pass on Indonesia’s message to Pacific Island nations.

The Australian 12:00AM November 2, 2016

November 12, 2016 0

PM Reiterates Call For Recognition Of Taiwan, Expresses Concern On WP

he United Nations General Assembly Hall where leaders convene every September to discuss UN Agendas in the world.

By PM Press, Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare has reiterated Solomon Islands call on the United Nations for the recognition of Taiwan and expressed concern about the human rights violations in West Papua when he addressed the 71st United Nations General Assembly yesterday, Friday 23rd September.

Solomon Islands commits a section in its annual address to the United Nations General Assembly to call on the UN for the recognition of Taiwan and when reiterating that call yesterday, the Prime Minister said, “Solomon Islands recognises the fundamental right of Taiwan’s 23 million people to participate meaningfully in the United Nations specialised bodies.”

However, the Prime Minister said Solomon Islands finds Taiwan’s limited and restricted participation with the World Health Organisation regrettable, especially at a time when the spread of infectious diseases is impacting children and needs everyone to assist.

He said similarly, Taiwan remains unjustly on the fringes of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s decision-making process despite managing more than a million flights or 58 million passengers through ‘Taipei Flight Information Region.’

“We (therefore) call for Taiwan’s open and free access to all WHO meetings and also call for Taiwan’s predictable and certain participation in ICAO gatherings.

“There has always been two political systems along the Taiwan Strait and the reality is the world works with one and turns a blind eye to the other.”

He said the implementation of the (UN) 2030 Agenda calls for all hands on deck and therefore the UN must put the interest of humanity first and work with all including Taiwan.

On the issue of human rights violations in West Papua, the Prime Minister said Solomon Islands is gravely concerned about the human rights violations against Melanesians in that region.

And he added that the human rights violations and the pursuit for self-determination of West Papua are two sides of the same coin.

“Many reports on the human rights violations in West Papua emphasise the inherent corroboration between the rights to self-determination that results in direct violations of human rights by Indonesia in its attempts to smother any form of opposition.”

The Prime Minister said, “The principle of sovereignty is paramount to any institution whose core rationale is the respect for sovereignty. If the justification of sovereignty rests on a series of decisions that are questionable, then there is a case to challenge the legality of the argument of sovereignty.”

He added that, “As the chair of the Melanesian Spearhead Group that also includes Indonesia as an associate member and the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) as an Observer, Solomon Islands affirms the need for constructive engagement with Indonesia and looks forward in cooperating with Indonesia to address the violations of human rights in West Papua.

The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to reaffirm Solomon Islands support for the unalienable right of the people of the Territory of French Polynesia pursuant to annual resolutions of the UNGA beginning in 2013.

He said Solomon Islands continues to request the Administering power to work and cooperate with the UN Special Committee on the question of French Polynesia and C24 (UN Committee on Decolonisation).

The Prime Minister also made mentioned the question of New Caledonia on the United Nations Agenda.

He said the Melanesian Spearhead Group continues this issue and wished the people of New Caledonia all the best as they prepare to decide on their political future in 2018.

September 27, 2016 0