Issues: ‘SBY must woo Pacific for Papua’s sake’

Feb. 25, p. 12

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should use his visit to Papua New Guinea next month to discuss ways to work with Pacific nations to solve the issue of Papuan separatism, say experts.
“Foreign countries scrutinize Indonesia over how it could solve
the insurgency problem because they regard Papua as an international concern.
The more we shut down, the more suspicious they become and it doesn’t help in efforts to embrace Papua,” said Adriana Elisabeth, a researcher from the Indonesian Institute for Sciences (LIPI).

Your comments:
It is certainly an honor to sit and speak with the President of Indonesia in regards to the international issue of West Papua.
The West Papua New Guinea National Congress, which is based in Papua New Guinea and has its branches overseas, supports Adriana Elisabeth’s comments from the Indonesian Institute of Science.
It is about time for Indonesia to open up and speak. West Papua’s independence is an international issue and not a domestic issue as Indonesians tend to regard it. Since when was West Papua a Republic of Indonesia or since when was it part of Indonesia?
We are a Melanesian race, a separate island, culture and identity and an island in the Pacific as it links up with Papua New Guinea.
Can’t we question that? Can we get the facts right, Mr. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and honestly declare the truth and get rid of this political jargon?
Felomero
Papua New Guinea

Felomero, would you ever recommend that the Europeans in Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, New Caledonia, and many more around
the world, return land to their rightful owners?
If you wouldn’t, how dare you demand that the government of Indonesia return Papua to the rightful owner? Your comment is not funny or amusing at all.
You are silly to suggest that Papuan independence is an international issue, not a domestic one. That is laughable and ludicrous crap.
My answer to you is that the rightful owner of Irian Jaya/Papua is the United Republic of Indonesia, which been recognized by the international community, and first of all by the most important organization in the world, The United Nations in New York a long time ago, now and forever, as an irrevocable part of Indonesian territory.
Furthermore, there is no historical link between PNG and Irian Jaya/Papua, the two territories have a completely different history and background then and now.
The people of Irian Jaya/Papua are Indonesians’ brothers and sisters, we speak the same language and that is a fact, and we shared the same Dutch colonialist history.
Riem Hemmat
United States