President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has sought to quell growing support for Papuan self-determination among Indonesia’s Pacific island neighbors, on Monday seeking to demonstrate the area’s recent economic progress to visiting Solomon Islands Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo. Members of the intergovernmental Melanesian Spearhead Group have recently expressed sympathy for self-determination for the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua, and some officials in Jakarta fear it could bolster wider international support for secession.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 02:40:27 +0000