The Merauke incident<\/p>\n
For an organization whose aim it is to establish an
\nindependent state, it could be said that at least some of the
\ndemands that the Free Papua Organization (OPM) are making
\nfollowing the taking of 11 PT Tunas Korindo timber workers
\nhostage on Tuesday in Irian Jaya sound pretty modest.<\/p>\n
According to newspaper reports in Jakarta, this group of 50
\nOPM members led by Willem Onde has demanded that PT Tunas
\nKorindo, a timber company with its head office in South Korea,
\npay the organization US$1 million in compensation for the damage
\ncaused to forests logged in the territory, as well as payment by
\nthe company of money owed by the group to a bar in Merauke
\namounting to Rp 2.4 million -- besides of course some more
\nsubstantial demands such as the withdrawal of all police Mobile
\nBrigade (Brimob) personnel from the entire province and
\nrevocation of an earlier police announcement calling on all
\nmembers of the OPM guilty of having committed crimes before and
\nup to Dec. 1, 2000, to surrender.<\/p>\n
Other demands made by the group include that PT Tunas Korindo
\nput a stop to the destruction of Irian Jaya's forests, in
\nparticular those in the Merauke area and that Jakarta pay heed to
\nthe aspirations of the people of Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n
At present, the group is reported to be holding the 11 timber
\nworkers, plus five negotiators it captured on Thursday, in a camp
\nin the Asiki district, Merauke, near the border between Irian
\nJaya and Papua New Guinea. Among the hostages are three South
\nKorean executives of the timber company. Negotiations to free the
\nhostages have so far yielded no results.<\/p>\n
Given the long-standing feud between the OPM and Jakarta, one
\nwould have expected some more serious demands from the OPM, such
\nas immediate autonomy as a first step toward independence or the
\nholding of an East Timor-style referendum. But let's not fool
\nourselves about the gravity of the incident.<\/p>\n
The taking of hostages, especially when it includes
\nforeigners, is certain to have an unfavorable impact on
\ninvestment, in Irian Jaya for certain, but most likely also in
\nother parts of Indonesia. Many of this country's reserves of
\nnatural resources are located in far-flung regions, well away
\nfrom the center of government, where it is not easy for the
\ngovernment to guarantee security.<\/p>\n
Irian Jaya Governor J.P. Salossa was certainly fully aware of
\nthis threat when he warned against using force in resolving the
\ncrisis. \"The incident creates (a certain) image among foreign
\ninvestors in the province. We don't want a military-style
\nsettlement. We are talking about people's lives here,\" the
\ngovernor said, adding that his administration was, in so far as
\npossible, seeking to settle the incident by nonviolent means,
\nincluding negotiations.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, there is the danger that applying too soft
\na hand in settling the issue could encourage insurgents in other
\nareas to follow the Asiki example and resort to kidnapping and
\nhostage-taking to achieve their aims. Which would only aggravate
\nthe security situation in this country.<\/p>\n
As in all hostage-taking incidents, the Asiki confrontation is
\nplacing Jakarta in the difficult situation of having to find just
\nthe right balance between giving in and holding its ground.
\nJakarta must do all it can to free the hostages while at the same
\ntime protecting the wider interests of the nation.<\/p>\n
For the authorities entrusted with guarding over the nation's
\nsecurity, in Jakarta as well as in the provinces, the incident
\nprovides a valuable lesson in anticipating and dealing with the
\nkinds of security risks the nation is likely to face in the
\nimmediate future. The lives of innocent people are at stake.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-merauke-incident-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}