TEMPO No. 31/VI/April 04 - 10, 2006 Cover Story Kicked by the Kangaroo
Indonesian relations with Australia remain on edge. Having recalled its ambassador, President Yudhoyono is preparing his next move. A cartoon was published in the daily The Australian, a famous Australian newspaper, last Saturday. The cartoon portrays a picture of a man wearing a peci hat "humping" a dark-skinned man with curly hair. The man with the peci has red lips and a tail. Grinning, he says, "Don't take this in the wrong way." Indeed the two men have no names, but it is easy to imply that the man with the peci is President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and the dark-skinned man is a Papuan. Bill Leak, the cartoonist, gives a small note that he does not mean to insult, but some circles considered that the cartoon has insulted Indonesia. President Yudhoyono is urged to act, cutting the deplomatic ties with Australia and taking Bill Leak to court. The government indeed has not taken any measure toward the cartoon, but presidential spokesman, Dino Patti Djalal, said "That cartoon is very offensive and is regarded as garbage." Jakarta-Canberra relations have indeed heated up after Australia granted temporary three-year visas on March 23 to 42 Papuans seeking asylum. President Yudhoyono hastily recalled the Indonesian Ambassador to Australia. A war of words appeared in the mass media. Politicians in both countries hurled insults at each other. In Indonesia, it is not difficult to find cartoons that "humiliate" Australia. The Rakyat Merdeka daily in Jakarta at the beginning of last week published a caricature depicting Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer as two dingos. Howard is portrayed as a man eager to take over Papua. Obviously the cartoon condemns Australia's decision to grant temporary visas to 42 Papuans. Jakarta seems to have received a strong kick from the "Kangaroo" down under. The Indonesian government is now accusing Australia of discrimination. The Papuans were easily given the chance to obtain asylum, while the same opportunity was denied to people from the Middle East. "Granting Papuans visas was a rash decision," protested Yuri Thamrin, a spokesman for the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Department. The asylum seekers were, of course, overjoyed. After the Australian government announced that visas were to be granted, the refugees shed tears of happiness. "We are very happy because the Australian government has proven that it values our human rights," said Herman Wainggai, with a sparkle in his eye. Herman is the group's leader. Upon arriving in Cape York, Australia, on January 18, they flew the flag of West Melanesia. The ranks of West Melanesia are outside of the Free Papua Organization (OPM) group. While the OPM group fights for West Papua independence, West Melanesia is struggling for the unity of Melanesians in the western region. This group claims the Melanesian race consists of the Aboriginal tribes in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Ahuru, Samoa, Vanuatu to the east, and West Papua to the area of Maluku and Timor Lorosae to the west. While the OPM was established in 1965, the name of West Melanesia first appeared in December 1988. The founder of this movement is Thomas Wainggai, an intellectual from Serui, Papua. Thomas earned his doctorate in law and public administration from a Japanese university. He once traveled to the United States. He married a Japanese woman named Teruko, but returned home to work as a staff member of the Regional Development Planning Body in Jayapura. On December 4, 1988, Thomas and hundreds of his supporters proclaimed the establishment of the nation of West Melanesia in Jayapura. He was accused of insurrection, tried and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. Thomas died in Cipinang Prison in March 1996. Doctors who performed an autopsy on his corpse concluded that he died of natural causes. The autopsy was witnessed by Dr. Terence Meyer from the International Red Cross. However, his supporters in Papua rejected the report. They accused Jakarta of intentionally ending the doctor's life. The thousands who waited for the arrival of his body at Sentani Airport, Jayapura, ran amok and tore the city apart. About 423 kiosks were burned down, and four people died. After Thomas Wainggai, the name of West Melanesia almost disappeared. The group reappeared on December 14, 2002. At that time, a group commemorated the establishment of West Melanesia by hoisting the 14-star flag, on the campus of Cenderawasih University in Abepura. The event was led by Herman Wainggai, the nephew of the late Thomas. Herman is often called the successor of the Melanesian movement. Just like his uncle, Herman was arrested by police. After two-and-a-half years imprisonment, he was released in mid-2005. His name faded from the public eye until he boarded a boat along with a group of people and headed towards Australia in mid-January. The group consisted of 30 men, six women, and seven children. Herman brought along his young twins. As they landed in Cape York, Herman announced that the Indonesian Military was pursuing them. Senior officials in Jakarta denied the charges. President Yudhoyono even called John Howard to ask that the 43 Papuans be sent back. Yudhoyono promised they would take them back as brothers. The request was denied. As has been widely reported, 41 of the asylum seekers were flown to Christmas Island, in the Indian Ocean. Two others, namely Yunus Wainggai, the captain of the motorboat, and his son, Anika Wainggai, were treated at the Fremantle Hospital in West Australia for tuberculosis. In Australia, Herman was greeted by many supporters of the movement. A number of senior OPM officials who had already emigrated to Australia gave him a warm welcome. Senator Kerry Nettle from the opposition party immediately flew to Christmas Island to meet him. According to the senator, the Papuans are hoping for Australia's aid, just as they helped in the independence of East Timor. He hoped the Australian government would give them protection. The opposition party seems to have taken full advantage of the situation to pressure John Howard. A number of members of the Australian congress even took one step further. Bob Brown, a member of congress, said that this is the right time for Howard to take the initiative on the Papua problem. He urged Australia to take this case to the United Nations commission on human rights. The very same call was made by a number of non-governmental organizations in Australia. Two weeks ago, Amanda Vanstone, the Australian Minister of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, finally announced the government was granting temporary asylum for the 42 Papuans. One other person is still being processed. Why are they ignoring Jakarta's request? Amanda explained that they referred to Australian law, which is bound by international law. The immediate granting of temporary asylum caused anger in Jakarta. Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono accused a number of international NGOs of manipulating the case. Last week, hundreds of people surrounded the Australian embassy in Jakarta. They urged the government to expel the Australian ambassador. "If the government doesn't want to do it, then the people will," said Permadi, a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). This is not the first time Papuans have emigrated to Australia. It is common knowledge that a number of senior OPM officials have long set up residence in Australia. Take for instance Jacob Rumbiak, who shares a common struggle with Thomas Wainggai. Jacob resides in Melbourne and actively campaigns for Papuan independence. In Papua New Guinea, a number of Papuans have been welcomed in the past. But it is this granting of asylum that has caught the world's attention. It is clear that asylum is not the end of this story. A number of NGOs in Australia are preparing a major event in recognition of the temporary asylum granted to those 42 Papuans. It is being coordinated by Free West Papua, an NGO which is actively working for West Papuan independence. The event is to be held in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, and will feature Papuan food, music, and dance. In Jakarta, on Monday of this week, after weighing the developments, the government will decide on its next course of action. Wenseslaus Manggut, Lita Utomo (Jayapura) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seesaw Relations This is not the first time that relations between Indonesia and Australia have reached boiling point. Numerous issues in the past managed to sour relations. 1962 After negotiating, Indonesia and the Netherlands agree that Irian Jaya is a part of Indonesia. Australia disagrees, concerned that the area will become a communist base. 1963 Indonesia confronts Malaysia. Australian troops assist Malaysia to oppose Indonesia during fighting in Kalimantan. 1965 The Sukarno regime collapses, and Australia-Indonesia cooperation begins to run smoothly. April 10, 1986 In The Sydney Morning Herald, David Jenkins writes a news piece on the wealth of the family of President Suharto. The Indonesian ambassador in Australia protests in person to Minister of Foreign Affairs Bill Hayden. October 21, 1987 Paul Keating becomes the Prime Minister of Australia, replacing Bob Hawke. Keating calls President Suharto by the name bapak and considers him a senior statesman. 1989 Australia says that East Timor is, de jure, an integral part of Indonesia. 1995 The Australian public does not accept Mantiri's appointment as the Indonesian ambassador in Canberra, because he once said that the Santa Cruz incident rightfully happened. 1992 Australia reacts strongly after a recording of the Santa Cruz incident in Dili on November 12, 1991 is broadcast. In this incident, a number of university students demanding the independence of East Timor were shot and killed. August 30, 1999 The independence of East Timor creates anti-Australian sentiments in Indonesia, because it is felt that their government interfered in the process. June 25, 2001 President Abdurrahman Wahid visits Australia. This is the first presidential visit since the independence of East Timor. October 12, 2002 Explosions in Legian, Bali, kill 202 people, 88 of them Australian citizens. Indonesia and Australia agree to jointly combat terrorism. May 27, 2005 Australian Schapelle Corby is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by the Denpasar Court for bringing a large quantity of marijuana into Bali. A few days later, the Indonesian ambassador in Canberra is terrorized by a package containing white powder. After testing, it is discovered that the powder is harmless. March 20, 2006 State Intelligence Agency head Syamsir Siregar reveals the involvement of foreign organizations in the anti-Freeport protests, which took place in Abepura, Papua, four days earlier. It is suspected that these foreign organizations are from Australia, but the Australian government denies this. March 24, 2006 The Indonesian government protests Australia's issuing of temporary visas to 42 Papuans. 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