Dutch MPs confirm their noninterference policy
Dutch MPs confirm their noninterference policy
JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Visiting members of the Dutch
Parliament asserted on Wednesday their country's pledge not to
meddle with the long-standing independence movement in the
province.
Spokesperson for the Dutch Parliament delegation Margaretha de
Boer told journalists the problems relating to the independence
call could be dealt with only by the Indonesian people.
She said their presence was not to support the Papuans' demand
for independence, but to listen to the people about the political
situation in Indonesia, including Irian Jaya.
De Boer admitted she was aware that her visit here could evoke
misunderstanding among people who are fighting for their
independence.
She said her country supported the process of democratization
being developed in Indonesia under the leadership of President
Abdurrahman Wahid.
De Boer, who represents the Labor Party, said the delegation
wanted to see how the process of reform was going on, listen to
people's views on the reform and learned if human rights are
respected in the easternmost province.
In a meeting with Institute for the Human Rights Studies and
Advocacy (IHRSTAD) and the Roman Catholic Church Office of
Justice and Peace on Wednesday, the Dutch delegates met with 20
Papuans who claimed to suffer from military abuse.
One of them, teenager Karolina Onim, who had to use a crutch
when walking, told the MPs she had been shot in her right leg
during a proindependence rally at the Cendrawasih University
campus on July 3, 1998.
She said that she was in the building of the Institute of
Theology, when a stray bullet hit her leg.
Military troops invaded the campus to disperse the students.
The Dutch delegation arrived in Irian Jaya on Tuesday. Apart
from de Boer, the group consists of AG Koendrs of the Labor
Party, Enric Hessing of the Liberal Party, Jon Hookoma of the
Spiegel Liberal Party, Marijke Vos and De Gaane of the Green
Party and Johan Hommes, the deputy clerk.
During their visit here, they met with caretaker governor
Musiran Darmosuwito, provincial military chief Maj. Gen. Albert
Ingkiriwang, speaker of provincial legislative council TN Kaiway,
church representatives and Jayapura-based non-governmental
organizations (NGOs).
Irian Jaya's takeover by the United Nations in 1963 marked the
end of two and a half centuries of Dutch colonization in the
Indonesian archipelago. (eba/sur)