***Finland was willing to mediate between predominantly Christian Papua and the
government of the world's most populous Muslim country.
***Negara Barat selalu merasa bangga di pemisahan agama dari urusan negara.
Kenapa Finlandia harus bawa2 "Christian" Papua dan "Muslim" Republik Indonesia
? Papua adalah Papua, tidak perlu dimumbui menjadi "Christian" Papua.
***Indonesia perlu pelajari cara Tiongkok meladeni tingkahlaku negara2 Barat,
misalnya protes munculnya Dalai Lama di Jerman, AS, stop over Chen Suibian di
AS, Batam dsb-nya. Indonesia harus protes atas penggunaan "Christian" dan
"Muslim" ketika mengomentari NKRI.
***Omong2 kenapa grup pemberontak bukan minta PBB menjadi facilitator, dan
kenapa Finlandia begitu 'getol' , begitu 'baik hati' mau ikut2an ?
Papuan independence groups seek talks with Indonesia By Sara WebbREUTERS
6:00 a.m. October 1, 2007
JAKARTA – A group of pro-independence Papuans said it has asked Indonesia's
government to meet to discuss greater democracy and self-determination as well
as the withdrawal of troops from the troubled, resource-rich region.
A resolution of the decades-long conflict in Papua, one of Indonesia's most
backward regions, could pave the way for Papuans to form political parties and
have greater say over resources that include vast forests and huge copper and
gold deposits.
The West Papua Coalition for National Liberation (WPCNL), an umbrella
organisation which includes the Free Papua Movement (OPM), said on Monday it
had written to Indonesia's president, and asked for negotiations with the
government to be supervised by an internationally recognised mediator.
'The pro-independence groups demand a peace dialogue with Indonesia with
third-party mediators, as that will guarantee transparency,' Paula Makabori, a
member of the group, told Reuters.
She said that Finland, which helped broker a peace agreement between
Indonesia's government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Aceh in 2005, was
willing to mediate between predominantly Christian Papua and the government of
the world's most populous Muslim country.
Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised to end decades of
conflict in Papua and speed up development but critics say little has been
achieved under the 2001 special autonomy agreement for Papua.
Since former President Suharto's resignation in 1998, Indonesia has been
transformed from a dictatorship to a vibrant democracy and has settled two of
its three main conflicts, agreeing to East Timor's independence and Aceh's
greater autonomy.
But its role in Papua, which has a population of just over 2 million people,
continues to attract widespread international criticism, with human rights
groups reporting abuses by the military.
'A deal means Indonesia would have to pull out the military, allow genuine
democracy, international human rights monitors, an economic redistribution, and
the creation of political parties,' said Damien Kingsbury, an associate
professor at Australia's Deakin University, who advised on the Aceh peace
talks.
'Papua would be looking at creating a more democratic political environment in
keeping with Indonesia's own democratisation. That could contribute to a more
secure investment climate for Papua with the support of local Papuans.'
A peace agreement and increased autonomy could change how investors such as
Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. FCX.N{QR}- whose Grasberg mine in Papua is
one of the largest copper and gold mines in the world – negotiate deals in
future, Kingsbury said.
Freeport paid a total of $1.6 billion in royalties, tax and dividends in 2006
to the Indonesian government, and is the single biggest foreign taxpayer in the
country.
Papua, which occupies the western half of New Guinea island, was under Dutch
colonial rule until 1963 when Indonesia took over. Jakarta formalised its rule
in 1969 in a vote by community leaders which was widely criticised.
'There were reports of extrajudicial executions, torture and ill-treatment,
excessive use of force during demonstrations and harassment of human rights
defenders' in Papua, Amnesty International said in its 2007 report.
In February, Human Rights Watch said 'a low-level armed separatist insurgency
in the province has resulted in a large military presence and a climate of
mutual suspicion and fear'.
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