Susilo warns U.S. not to interfere in Papua
Susilo warns U.S. not to interfere in Papua
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Shenzen, China
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned the U.S. not to
interfere in Indonesia's domestic affairs after the U.S. House of
Representatives recently approved a bill that questions the
status of Papua.
Speaking to reporters on Friday during a visit to Shenzen,
China, Susilo said such intervention could affect relations
between the two countries, which have begun to improve since his
election last year and a visit to Washington in May.
"I am concerned (by the bill) ... this (the Papua issue) is
Indonesia's domestic affair.
"I call on all friendly states and the United Nations to
respect Indonesia's territorial integrity and let us solve our
own problems," he said.
The U.S. House of Representatives recently approved a bill on
Papua which if passed into law could increase international
pressure for the Indonesian government to allow the people of the
resource-rich Papua to vote whether to remain a part of Indonesia
or become an independent nation.
Section 1115 of Bill No. 2061 especially questions the Act of
Free Choice Indonesia held in 1969, when selected Papuan elders
voted unanimously to join Indonesia "in circumstances that were
subject to both overt and covert forms of manipulation",
according to the bill.
The bill asks the U.S. secretary of state to file a report
analyzing the 1969 Act of Free Choice within 180 days after the
enactment of the bill.
Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Yuri Thamrin said in
Jakarta on Friday the government would use all diplomatic avenues
to block the act.
Yuri said he was confident Indonesia had room to maneuver
diplomatically to block any potential negative impacts from the
bill.
The bill is one of four bills approved by the U.S. House of
Representatives, all of which concern financial aid to foreign
militaries, including the Indonesia Military. In the U.S., bills
must be approved by the Congress and the President before
becoming law.
"This bill is interesting because some of the clauses that are
very critical toward Papua were amended. This is our main
concern," Yuri said.