http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/08/10/govt-called-reject-us-congress039s-request.html
Govt called on to reject U.S. congress's request Antara , Jakarta | Sun, 08/10/2008 2:08 PM | National People's Consultative Assembly speaker Hidayat Nurwahid said Sunday the government should reject a letter sent by 40 members of the U.S. Congress requesting the "immediate and unconditional" release of two activists of the outlawed Free Papua Movement (OPM). "The president must firmly reject the request," Nurwahid said after attending the closing ceremony of a students national leadership training program at the University of Indonesia. Nurwahid said he regretted that the U.S. congressmen had attempted to interfere with the internal affairs of the Indonesian government. "This is a form of intervention into the nation's sovereignty," he said. He said the president should not hesitate to reject the request. "We have our own legal mechanism to handle separatist problems," he said, adding that it was improper for the U.S. congress to meddle in Indonesia's internal affairs.(**) ++++ http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/08/10/state-secretary-yet-receive-us-congress-letter-detained-activists.html State secretary yet to receive U.S. congress letter on detained activists Antara , Jakarta | Sun, 08/10/2008 1:42 PM | World State Secretary Hatta Radjasa said Sunday he had not received a letter from the U.S. Congress demanding the immediate and unconditional release of two detained sympathizers of the outlawed Free Papua Movement (OPM). The sympathizers are Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage. "Up to now, we still have not yet received the letter," the minister said during the announcement of a national energy and water efficiency movement in Jakarta on Sunday. He said such a request would be dealt with according to procedures stipulated by the Foreign Ministry. "Well, let us wait and see if there really is such a letter," he said. The minister`s statement came after 40 U.S. Congressmen were reported to have written to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono demanding the "immediate and unconditional" of the detainees. Karma and Pakage were sentenced to 15 years' and 10 years' imprisonment, respectively, in May 2005 for hoisting the "Bintang Kejora" (Morning Star) flag of OPM in Abepura, Papua, on Dec. 1, 2004. Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Sudjadnan Parnohadingrat confirmed the U.S. congressmen had sent the letter to President Yudhoyono. "It`s true. The letter was dated July 29, 2008, and was sent through us. We passed it on to Jakarta," Ambassador Sudjadnan told Antara last Wednesday. He said the request could not be taken lightly as it had been signed by 40 U.S. congressmen. Commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces Gen. Djoko Santoso said the letter intervened with Indonesia's internal affairs and that the decision to detain the separatists was solely the jurisdiction of the Indonesian government. (**)
