Churches back calls for Irian Jaya independence

JAKARTA (JP): A forum of church officials and community leaders in Irian Jaya is urging the government to heed calls for independence from the population of the easternmost province.

The forum said the aspiration had developed in Jakarta and in the province, and materialized in the emergence of three groups respectively calling for "an independent state", "an autonomous state", and "a federal state".

"The forum, however, finds that the Irian Jaya people basically want a chance to govern themselves (which means) independence," said the Reconciliation Forum of the People of Irian Jaya (Foreri) in a statement released to The Jakarta Post Saturday.

The forum was established last July 24 by three main churches in the province: the Christian Evangelical Church in Irian Jaya (GKI), the Irian Jaya Diocese and the Christian Missionary Alliance Indonesia (GKII).

Rev. Herman Saud of the GKI, Bishop Leo Laba Ladjar of the Diocese and Benny Giay of the GKII were among those who signed the statement.

Other signatories were community leaders Theis H. Eluay, Tom Beanal, women leaders Selviana Sanggenafa and Yusan Yeblo and university students Gerson Abrauw, Mario Korano and Martinus Werimon.

Foreri advocated "a vast opportunity for Irian Jaya people to openly and peacefully speak out" and suggested a poll to gauge their aspirations and the reason for their demands.

Foreri's statement came several days after the Irianese community in Jakarta headed by Yorrys Raweyai -- known for his activities in the Golkar-affiliated Pemuda Pancasila youth group -- demanded special autonomy for Irian Jaya.

Both Foreri and the Irianese community in the nation's capital have accused the government of failing to bring prosperity in the past 35 years to the province, which is three times larger than Java with untold wealth of natural resources but a population under two million people.

Both groups also cited human rights violations allegedly committed by the military against the people of Papua -- as Irianese would rather call themselves -- over the years.

Alleged rights violations in the spotlight include incidents when the military opened fire on a group of proindependence activists in Biak on July 6, and a student protest in capital Jayapura on July 3.

People had reportedly hoisted the outlawed Free Papua Movement flags in some parts of the province in a glaring show of defiance against the government.

The Biak shooting stirred up further controversy in the past few days following the discovery of several decomposed bodies floating in the sea, suspected by locals and some church officials to be execution victims.

However, the local government and police officials have denied the suspicions in the local press, saying the bodies were victims of the July 17 tidal wave disaster that hit Papua New Guinea.

The border of Papua New Guinea is 600 kilometers away from Biak.

Yesterday, a church source in Biak suggested the government should allow the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) to launch its own investigation in the province to halt the controversy.

"It's (the controversy) because local government institutions lack credibility," the source said by phone from Biak.

The ICRC has never received permission from the government to enter the province, but no exact reason has been given for the refusal. (aan)