Restive region

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa addressing the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on the problems in restive Papua said that Indonesia has listened to human rights groups and is seeking ways to address legitimate concerns since the country embraced democracy in the 1990s.

"The key thing here, to all our international interlocutors, friends, and (those) both critical as well as supportive: We get it," Natalegawa said. He added Papua needs special attention, special empowerment; "autonomy is the way to go."

Human rights groups claim that the Indonesian military's heavy presence in the rebellious region and harassment of activists are fueling the conflict there. At least 10 clashes involving security forces and members of armed groups occurred between July and August, according to a statement issued jointly by the human rights groups Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), KontraS, Imparsial and the International Federation for Human Rights on September 22.

Violations of freedom

"Freedom of expression, association and assembly are routinely violated in Papua, which seriously fuels tensions," Poengky Indarti, executive director of Imparsial, an Indonesian rights group, said in the statement. She added that human rights abuses, "such as acts of torture, remain unaccounted for."

Imparsial estimates there are over 14,000 military personnel deployed in Papua. The statement called on the government to take steps to reduce the military presence and to fully investigate all past and new allegations of human rights abuses.

Papua became part of Indonesia in 1969 and is one of the country's poorest regions. It has been home to a low-level separatist insurgency. A status of autonomy was introduced in 2001, yet, as AFP reports, local activists say that the implementation has been half-hearted and not improved their rights.

Author: Sarah Berning (dpa, AFP)
Editor: Manasi Gopalakrishnan