Indonesia reaffirms sovereignty over Papua

Indonesia reaffirms sovereignty over Papua

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Netty Dharma Somba, Jakarta, Jayapura

The Indonesian government has brushed aside any questions about
the legitimacy of the 1964 UN-sponsored self-determination vote
in Papua, saying current standards should not be applied to past
events.

Commenting on the recent release by the U.S. of a document
that shows Washington in 1964 dismissed the vote as a sham,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs' spokesman Marty Natalegawa said the
disclosure would do nothing to change the status of Papua as part
of Indonesia.

"We should avoid the temptation of applying today's standards
to situations from the past. The most recent disclosure does not
change our sovereignty over Papua," Marty told The Jakarta Post
on Sunday.

He said the self-determination vote was carried out by the UN
and supported by the international community, and the release of
an old document did not change the legitimacy of the ballot.

He added: "I do not think that there is any sinister ill
intention over the timing of this release."

The Associated Press reported on Saturday that a newly
declassified document showed that the U.S. had dismissed the 1964
ballot as a sham.

The ballot was organized by the UN and involved tribal and
community leaders handpicked by Jakarta. Even today, however, it
is difficult to organize province-wide elections due to the
ruggedness of the terrain and the great distances over which
communities are dispersed.

During a visit by U.S. president Richard Nixon to Indonesia in
1969, U.S. national security adviser Henry Kissinger wrote that
Nixon should not raise the Papua issue with then Indonesian
president Soeharto.

Kissinger wrote that independence for Papua was
"inconceivable", despite reports that Indonesian Army operations
had caused thousands of civilian deaths and spread fear among the
people.

There has been increased attention paid to Papua by Washington
of late, as just one week before the release of the 1964 document
some 20 U.S. senators asked the UN to send special envoys to
monitor the security situations in Papua and Aceh.

The release of the U.S. document was welcomed by the Papuan
Presidium Council (PDP), which said the document could finally
correct history regarding Indonesia's sovereignty over the
province.

"The disclosure open the possibility for us to hold a dialog
with the Indonesian government and the international community,
as we were never given a chance to negotiate with Jakarta," PDP
leader Herman Awom told the Post.

The director of the Institute for Civil Strengthening, Budy
Setyanto, said it was too late for the U.S. to speak out against
the 1964 ballot as the UN had already recognized Papua as an
integrated part of Indonesia.

"The disclosure will not change the legitimacy of Indonesia's
sovereignty over Papua. Only the UN could change that status," he
said.

He also said there were questions about the motives of the
U.S. in releasing the 40-year-old document. "I think they have
certain interests."