Papua wants 'selective' tourist restriction
Papua wants 'selective' tourist restriction
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua
The Papuan governor, the Papua military commander and local
councillors have asked the central government to implement its
plan to restrict tourists to the province selectively.
Governor Jaap Salossa said the plan should not affect all
foreigners as many were involved in development programs,
including in the areas of education, health, social, and
religion.
"Many churches in Papua have partners overseas. So, if the
planned restriction is applied without selections, it could spark
new problems," Salossa said.
Papuans are mainly Christians and animists in the
predominantly Muslim country.
The central government is considering a plan to restrict
foreigners to Papua, citing rampant visa abuses as one of its
reasons for doing so. It said aid workers and foreign journalists
went to the easternmost province posing as tourists.
Papua military commander Maj. Gen. Nurdin Zainal agreed with
the governor.
"Please do not create an impression that Papua is not safe,"
he said.
Four people were recently killed in Timika in a conflict
sparked by the formation of Central Irian Jaya province under a
presidential decree, which accelerated the division of the giant
province into three separate provinces.
An undercurrent of resentment toward Jakarta has always
existed in the province since its integration into the country in
1963. Sporadic fighting with government troops has been common
over the last 40 years.
Nurdin said he hoped the government would not close the
province to foreigners and tourists. He also hoped the government
would not restrict field officers from humanitarian non-
governmental organizations from entering the province.
He said any tourists visiting the province would be advised
against visiting certain hotspots.
Salossa said he did not mind if the government imposed
stricter screening on tourists and foreign NGO activists, but
stressed that the province was in dire need of activists in the
areas of education, health and religion.