Govt under fire over ban on foreign researchers

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Domestic researchers lashed out on Thursday at the government's plan to impose restrictions on foreign scholars who wish to conduct field studies in the troubled provinces of Papua and Aceh.

They said that the restriction impinged on academic freedom.

"From the academic point of view, there must be no restrictions on research activities. If the government insists on imposing the ban, clear reasons must be given for it," said Aswatini, chief researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) here.

Director of the Institute for Economic and Social Research, Education, and Information (LP3ES) Imam Ahmad concurred, saying that such a restriction would only discourage scientists who have good intentions.

Both were commenting on the government's plan to close foreign researchers' access to field study in Papua and Aceh.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda defended the stringent policy because he claimed many foreign researchers came with goals other than research.

The plan to issue the restriction came just after researchers from the Netherlands and Australian requested a permit to conduct studies in the provinces.

According to Hassan, the government is not in a position to reject foreign researchers from entering the country because of the existing free visa-upon-entry policy granted to visitors from Western countries, including the Netherlands and Australia.

The minister, however, said that the facility could be restricted for visits to Aceh and Papua, known for their long- standing secessionist movements.

Imam suggested that the government drop its plan and let research activities go ahead wherever they are conducted. If the government is concerned about the results of a study, Imam said, the government could conduct a counter study.

Aswatini who heads LIPI's research center for population said that the government should provide a clear explanation for its plan to restrict foreign field studies in Papua and Aceh.

Without an explanation, she said, it would only strengthen suspicions within the international community over what is really happening in the provinces of Papua and Aceh.

Apart from a broad explanation, an exact time frame for the restriction, if it is unavoidable, is a must, according to Aswatini.

"There must be an exact time frame. It is impossible to restrict foreign research in those areas forever," Aswatini added.

But both Imam and Aswatini said they could understand the restriction as long as it was connected with security concerns.

"It would be an understandable restriction," Imam said, adding that such a strict policy was normal in conflict areas.

Aswatini who frequently assisted foreign researchers who studied here asserted she would think twice if she was asked to assist scholars who wished to conduct research in Papua or Aceh.