by Mathias Hariyadi

A document calls for the demilitarization of the leaders of the Indonesian province, the release of political prisoners and the removal of the ban on public assemblies. Native and Tribal "marginalized in their own land." Self-determination only way for a peaceful solution. But the underground resources are coveted in Jakarta.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The World Council of Churches (WCC) condemns the continued violations of human rights in Indonesia's Papua - the "Dutch New Guinea" in the days of colonialism - and calls on Jakarta to take "necessary measures" to demilitarize the area, freeing political prisoners and remove its ban on peaceful assembly. In a document released by the movement for interreligious dialogue Interfidei (based in Yogyakarta), WCC leaders support the protests of Papuans over the "underdevelopment" of a region rich in raw materials and even natural resources, coupled with the lack of health facilities , basic education and environmental degradation. "The Papuans - add the Christian leaders - are very concerned about the lack of employment opportunities for indigenous peoples."

A recent project sponsored by Jakarta encourages migration to Papua, especially from the provinces of Java and Sulawesi. The initiative has encouraged the emergence of new economic activities, at the expense of increasing loss of portions of territory for the natives and the gradual erosion of their cultural identity. They are becoming more and more "marginalized in their own land" and still today, according to human rights organizations, victims of torture, ill-treatment and arbitrary arrests by the Indonesian authorities.

In 2001 the authorities in Jakarta passed law a "special autonomy" for locals of the province, but its practical application has never materialized and the indigenous people continue to report "unfair treatment". Now, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is giving voice to their grievances and, together with representatives of civil society, calls for the cancellation of the norm and the granting of a true "right to self-determination." The document published by WCC also calls to mind the brutal repression of peaceful assembly in October last year (see AsiaNews 20/10/2011Il The Indonesian govt crushes Papua's "secession" in blood) and calls for urgent measures to restore law and justice, in order to obtain a "peaceful solution".

At the time of colonialism, Papua was under Dutch influence, but was never "occupied" at a political level. The eastern province of the Indonesia Archipelago, formerly known as Irian Jaya, is rich in natural resources and has been the scene of a violent military campaign in the days of Sukarno, who led the annexation in 1969 by exploiting a United Nations Interim Directive. The iron fist of the Suharto regime between 1967 and 1998 and the massive invasion of foreign multinationals and companies in Indonesia have encouraged the emergence of a separatist movement. The current name of Papua was sanctioned in 2002 by former President Abdurrahman Wahid.

• INDONESIA
• papua
• world
• council
• of
• churches
• rights
• justice
• discrimination