PRESS RELEASE Australia West Papua Association (Sydney) The Australia West Papua Association thanks the Australian government for endorsing a petition for greater journalistic access to the Papuan territory under Indonesian administration. Australias action is consistent with its legal obligations under Article 76 of the Charter of the United Nations for trust territories. We ask Prime Minister Abbott to fulfil Australias obligation by asking Ban Ki-moon to put the United Nations issue of General Assembly Resolution 1752 on the agenda of the Trusteeship Council without further delay. West Papua has been subjected to a foreign occupation since the General Assembly approved a Dutch request in 1962 for the United Nations to occupy and assume responsibility for West Papua as is allowed by articles 75 to 85 of the Charter of the United Nations. Despite objection by the Papuan community the United Nations has accepted an offer by Indonesia since 1963 to administrate the territory but has failed to monitor conditions in the territory as would be required by articles 85, 87, and 88 of the Charter of the United Nations if the international issue of General Assembly resolution 1752 were put on the agenda of the Trusteeship Council and acknowledged as an approval for trusteeship. Historical references: history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1961-63v23/d160 un.org/documents/ga/res/17/ares17.htm Contact: Andrew Johnson, AWPA (Sydney) smh.au/world/abbott-government-calls-for-more-openness-in-west-papua-risking-insulting-indonesia-again-20141002-10oxl7.html Abbott government calls for more openness in West Papua, risking insulting Indonesia again The Abbott government has risked insulting Indonesia again by calling explicitly for more openness in its most sensitive province, West Papua. A Senate motion passed on Wednesday, with the explicit support of Foreign Minister Julie Bishops office, notes that press freedom in West Papua is tightly restricted by the Indonesian government. The motion expressed concern at the imprisonment of two French journalists for working in the separatist area on tourist visas, and called for their release. Its highly unusual for the government to support a motion on a sensitive foreign affairs issue. These are routinely denied because the Senate is not considered the appropriate forum. Its even more unusual because the subject was West Papua. Greens senator Richard Di Natale, who moved it, said Ms Bishops office had contacted him on Wednesday saying the government would support his motion with some technical amendments. This has clearly been considered in detail by the foreign ministers office, and I was really encouraged to receive communications from them, Senator Di Natale told Fairfax Media. Its in that context that I can only … interpret this support as a gesture that the government is actively sending a very clear signal to the Indonesian government. It seemed a very deliberate shift in policy, Senator Di Natale said. Indonesia is hyper-sensitive about West Papua, which has hosted a low-level separatist insurgency for 50 years, and Australian governments of both persuasions have also become sensitised. In 2006, the Howard governments acceptance of a group of 42 refugees from the province caused a stand-off during which Indonesia withdrew its ambassador for several months. That fight was resolved with the negotiation of the Lombok Treaty, in which Australia expressed full support for Indonesias territorial sovereignty. In 2012, the then Labor government and the Coalition even refused to support a condolence motion for a dead Australian activist because it mentioned in passing her concern for West Papua. The motion passed on Wednesday was significantly stronger. The Senate noted that access to the Papuan provinces by foreign journalists was tightly restricted by the Indonesian Government, and called on the Australian government to request that the Indonesian government release [two imprisoned French journalists Thomas] Dandois and [Valentine] Bourrat as a sign of its commitment to more open Papuan provinces. It expressed concern at their detention and commended president-elect Joko Widodo for indications that he would ease restrictions. The motion risks a strong political backlash in Indonesia. The head of the international relations department at the University of Indonesia, Evi Fitriani, said Senator Di Natale would be better off investigating the limited journalist access to information about the treatment of irregular migrants by Australians. Asked about the Abbott governments apparent change of heart, she said: Well, he has irritated Indonesia several times before. No surprise. Ms Bourrats mother, Martine, who is in Indonesia en route to see her daughter in Jayapura, West Papua, welcomed the Senate motion. We dont have the same in France. It would have been, for us, a great support to read this in French, Ms Bourrat said. Its an example. Its an idea to send this to the European parliament. PEACE ... OPM-NATIONAL-INTERNATIONAL MORNING -THE REPUBLIC OF NEW GUINEA OF MELANESIA ISLANDS OF WEST PAPUA..JUSTICE REVOLUTION MOVEMENT -.THANKS.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 09:23:16 +0000
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