Indonesia accuses Pacific nations of interference

PACIFIC – Pacific island countries have criticised Indonesia’s human rights record in its Papua and West Papua provinces, using speeches at the United Nations General Assembly to call for self-determination in the region.

The comments earned a strong response from Indonesia’s delegation, which said the criticism was politically motivated and designed to draw attention away from problems in their own countries.

Delegations from Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Tonga all expressed concern over the provinces, which are located on the western half of New Guinea island and are home to a mostly Melanesian population.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said alleged human rights violations in the Indonesian provinces were linked to the push for independence.

“Human rights violations in West Papua and the pursuit for self-determination of West Papua are two sides of the same coin,” he said.

KEY POINTS:

- Delegations from Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Tonga take aim at Indonesia.

- Indonesia accuses Pacific countries of deflecting from their own problems.

- Indonesia denies claims of human rights abuses.

“Many reports on human rights violations in West Papua emphasise the inherent corroboration between the right to self-determination that results in direct violation of human rights by Indonesia and its attempts to smother any form of opposition.”

In a call echoed by the other Pacific leaders, Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine urged the UN Human Rights Council to initiate a credible investigation of violations in West Papua.

Nara Masista Rakhmatia, an official at Indonesia’s permanent mission to the United Nations, in turn accused the countries of interfering with Indonesia’s national sovereignty.

Rakhmatia said her government was shocked to hear the island countries’ claims about Papua when discussion at the session should have been about sustainable development goals and the global response to climate change.

“Their politically motivated statements were designed to support separatist groups in the said provinces, who have consistently engaged in inciting public disorder and in conducting armed terrorist attacks,” she said.

“It is a violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. It is highly regrettable and dangerous for states to misuse the United Nations, including this august assembly.

“These countries are using the General Assembly to advance their domestic agenda, and for some countries to divert attention from political and social problems at home,” she said.

A former Dutch colony, West Papua has been under Indonesian rule since a controversial 1969 referendum overseen by the United Nations.

Independence supporters say the vote, also known as the Act of Free Choice, was illegitimate and that a second referendum on independence should be held.

Tensions over Indonesian rule sparked a long separatist conflict in the resource-rich region, and Indonesia’s rule over the provinces has been dogged by allegations of human rights abuses.

A fact-finding mission report released by the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane in May described the situation there as a “slow-motion genocide”, and detailed allegations of widespread torture and harassment.

Indonesia has repeatedly denied claims of human rights violations.

- ABC