Papuans stuck in PNG want to return home
Papuans stuck in PNG want to return home
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
As many as 14,000 Papuan border crossers, including suspected
separatists, are currently languishing in numerous makeshift
camps across neighboring Papua New Guinea (PNG) and most of them
want to return home.
Indonesian Ambassador to PNG J.R.G. Djopari asked on Saturday
the Papuan administration to accept the border crossers once they
return to their homeland.
"They are Papuans who were provoked by irresponsible people
and later fled to PNG," the Antara news agency quoted him as
arguing.
Djopari said the refugees, traumatized by past abuses, have
demanded that their security be guaranteed to enable them to
return home.
He said the refugees are living in critical conditions and
require assistance from the Indonesian government. "Their state
of health is quite alarming. They are staying in tents to
survive," he added.
The ambassador said the Indonesian Embassy in the PNG capital
of Port Moresby was facilitating the planned repatriation of the
Papuan border crossers.
Many of the refugees, mostly coming from the regencies of
Merauke, Pegunungan Tengah and Jayapura, have been living for 30
years in PNG, although they are still Indonesian citizens, he
said.
Djopari, speaking to private RCTI television, however admitted
that around 3,000 of the refugees have given up their Indonesian
citizenship to obtain PNG citizenship.
They changed their citizenship because the Indonesian
government did not pay attention to their unfortunate fate, he
added.
The ambassador further said that most children of the Papuan
border crossers could not attend schools in PNG for economic
reasons.
He also denied that the PNG government protects Papuan
separatist rebels and other criminals who have fled to the
neighboring country.
The PNG government does not want its state used as a hideout
for foreigners violating the laws of their respective countries,
particularly Indonesia, he said.
However, Djopari did not rule out the possibility of Papuan
rebels intruding into PNG to escape the Indonesian security
authorities.
"It is possible as the border area (between Papua and PNG) is
very large. Therefore, it is difficult for the security forces of
either country to detect movements across the border," he argued.
A shortage of PNG security personnel stationed in the border
area, is also to blame for the failure to monitor and stop Papuan
rebels from escaping to PNG, the ambassador added.
He said the PNG government also wanted the border area to be
secure to enable its citizens and their Indonesian counterparts
to engage in mutual trading.
The ambassador said the two countries needed to further
improve bilateral ties in all aspects of life.
He said many PNG citizens wanted to study in Indonesia and
Papua in particularly and that a group of women from the
neighboring country would soon visit the Papua capital of
Jayapura to learn cooking, sewing, dancing and other local
community skills.