Activists urge return of RI baby from NZ<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two activists called on the government yesterday
\nto bring home a stateless and nameless Indonesian baby boy who is
\ncaught in legal limbo in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
They said the baby was an Indonesian citizen and should
\ntherefore enjoy the protection of Indonesian law.<\/p>\n
The eight-month old baby was taken to New Zealand to be sold
\nlast year by an American woman recently convicted by a court in
\nAuckland for masterminding a baby trafficking scheme.<\/p>\n
The baby, named "Paul" by Auckland welfare workers and foster
\nparents, is now in the custody of a New Zealand family. Police
\nsay they have no hope of finding his Indonesian parents due to
\nthe absence of documents and records of his origins.<\/p>\n
Officials in Jakarta and at the Indonesian embassy in Auckland
\nwere not available to comment on the situation yesterday.<\/p>\n
But Arist Merdeka Sirait of the Working Children's Foundation
\nhere said the government should immediately intervene and secure
\nthe return of the baby.<\/p>\n
"This is a violation of children's rights. This baby must be
\nreturned at once," Arist told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
"If they cannot identify his parents, then he should be
\nadopted by the state," he said, citing both the 1945 Constitution
\nand the international convention on children.<\/p>\n
The New Zealand family court should officially inform the
\nIndonesian embassy of the problem so the embassy can arrange for
\nhis return, he said.<\/p>\n
"This calls for a government-to-government approach. Indonesia
\nshould send a team of lawyers if it has to," he added.<\/p>\n
Apong Herlina, chairwoman of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute,
\nsaid bringing the baby home might prove difficult in the absence
\nof any documents and if his parents were not known.<\/p>\n
"The parents must be found first, only then can the baby be
\nclaimed as an Indonesian citizen," she said.<\/p>\n
She said the American woman who bought the baby should be
\ninvolved in an attempt to identify his parents.<\/p>\n
The Associated Press, citing court documents, said in a report
\nfrom Auckland on Thursday that the baby was bought by 52-year-old
\nHenriette Erika Langenback, of Elgin, Texas.<\/p>\n
She paid US$350 for him in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Indonesian-born Langenbach pleaded guilty and was sentenced to
\ntwo years in jail for selling a newborn infant to another Texan
\nwoman.<\/p>\n
The second Texan buyer, 35-year-old Charli Shirley Connelly of
\nAustin, Texas, and an Australian doctor allegedly involved in the
\ntransaction are still facing court proceedings.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian baby arrived in New Zealand on another
\ntraveler's passport. He has no legal status there until it can be
\ndetermined by the courts.<\/p>\n
Langenbach had the buyer claim to be pregnant, check into an
\nAuckland motel, then pretend to have given birth there and leave
\nwith the child.<\/p>\n
The "birth" was registered in New Zealand, but the plan was
\nfoiled when an application was made to the U.S. Consulate for a
\npassport for the infant.<\/p>\n
The "birth" would have allowed baby Paul to qualify for a New
\nZealand passport. (byg)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/activists-urge-return-of-ri-baby-from-nz-1447893297",
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