Papua vote to join Indonesia 'a sham': Dutch study<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
key 1969 vote on the future of the Indonesian island province
\nof Papua was \"a sham\" orchestrated by Jakarta, a Dutch
\ngovernment-commissioned study has found.<\/p>\n
That vote, which officially made the province part of
\nIndonesia, has been followed by decades of abuse at the hands of
\nthe Indonesian military, the study states as reported by AP.<\/p>\n
The 740-page book, \"An Act of Free Choice,\" was published
\nTuesday after five years of research by Dutch author Pieter
\nDrooglever at the request of the Dutch government, the colonial
\nruler of Indonesia and New Guinea for centuries.<\/p>\n
When the Netherlands gave up its colonies in the Dutch East
\nIndies after World War II, the territory that was at the time
\ncalled West New Guinea and was not included in a sovereignty
\nagreement with Indonesia. Only in 1962 did the two countries
\nagree to place West New Guinea under UN rule, amid strong
\ninternational pressure.<\/p>\n
The region was promised a popular vote on its sovereignty, but
\nwas transferred to Indonesian control six months later. In 1969,
\nits status as an Indonesian province was set when, Drooglever
\nconcluded, the Indonesian government rigged a vote by 1,022
\ninhabitants on behalf of the population of around 700,000.<\/p>\n
UN observers were turned away from the voting site, the result
\nof which was declared to be 100 percent in favor of joining
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
\"The Act of Free Choice ended up as a sham,\" Drooglever wrote
\nin the summary of the book. \"A press-ganged electorate acting
\nunder a great deal of pressure appeared to have unanimously
\ndeclared itself in favor of Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
Although Drooglever's conclusions are consistent with those of
\nother historians, the sponsorship of the Dutch government gave
\nthe report added significance since The Hague has always seen
\nitself as an interested party in Indonesian affairs.<\/p>\n
Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot, however, termed the report -
\nrequested by parliament in 1999 - as \"superfluous\" before its
\nofficial publication, according to the daily Trouw newspaper in
\nan extensive three-page report Tuesday on the book.<\/p>\n
Bot, nonetheless, presented the report to parliament Tuesday
\nand in an accompanying letter called it \"the result of an
\nacademic study, which forms an additional contribution to our
\nhistory and the events surrounding the Act of Free Choice.\"<\/p>\n
Bot visited Jakarta to attend the celebration of Indonesia's
\n60th anniversary of independence in August, marking the
\nNetherlands' recognition of the Southeast Asian nation's self-
\nproclaimed freedom in 1945.<\/p>\n
Moves to question the legitimacy of the 1969 vote have also
\nbeen rife in Papua. Some Papuan groups said they would call for a
\nmass strike beginning on Dec. 1 to force the central government
\nto heed demands for a review of the referendum and dissolution of
\nthe newly established Papua People's Council.<\/p>\n
Dec. 1 coincides with the anniversary of the Free Papua
\nMovement, which has waged a low level armed struggle for
\nindependence against the central government.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian government has given us nothing but
\nimpoverishment,\" Hans Gebze of the West Papuan People's Struggle
\n(PEPERA PB) Front told a joint press conference.<\/p>\n
He claimed that one million Papuans would participate in the
\nstrike.<\/p>\n
The groups also plan to hold rallies in front of the Dutch
\nEmbassy on Thursday and the UN representative office on Friday
\nthis week.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/papua-vote-to-join-indonesia-a-sham-dutch-study-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}