Military welcome Papuan rights body

Military welcome Papuan rights body

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: The National Commission on Human Rights'
(Komnas HAM) plan to open a branch office here has received
support, including from military authorities.

Irian Jaya Military commander Maj. Gen. Albert Ingkiriwang
said over the weekend he had met with the Institute for Human
Rights Studies and Advocacy (IHRSTAD) over the matter.

"I have urged Albert Hasibuan to realize the plan at once," he
said, referring to the commission's secretary general. "We
welcome the idea. For us, the quicker the better."

IHRSTAD executive director Johanes Bonay said the institute
was ready to support the plan. "A branch office of Komnas HAM is
badly needed to uphold the supremacy of the law here," Johanes
said.

Three main churches in Irian Jaya -- the Roman Catholic Church
of Jayapura diocese, the Evangelical Christian Church (GKI) and
the Indonesian Bible Camp Church (GKII) -- have also expressed
their full support for the proposal. (eba)