Greenpeace ‘Rainbow Warrior’ denied entry to RI

JAKARTA: International environmentalist group Greenpeace voiced their concern on Thursday over the Indonesian Navy’s refusal to allow entry of its flagship, the Rainbow Warrior, to Indonesian territory.

The group said that  two Indonesian navy vessels on Wednesday ordered the Rainbow Warrior to leave Indonesian waters, as the latter approached an anchorage to “take on vital supplies”, adding that the navy ships even escorted the Warrior to international waters.

 “We are extremely concerned by the recent turn of events and believe that the Indonesian government’s refusal to allow the Rainbow Warrior into Indonesia runs counter to the country’s democratic principles and the right to freedom of expression,” Greenpeace Indonesia country representative, Nur Hidayati, said.

The Rainbow Warrior was supposed to dock in Jakarta a week ago, as it was scheduled to promote the “Turn the Tide” tour of Southeast Asia, a regional campaign aimed at building  environmental awareness, particularly on issues related to climate change and deforestation.

According to Greenpeace, is the first time that the Rainbow Warrior has been denied entry to Indonesia.

In the past, the group said that the vessel and other Greenpeace ships were allowed to dock in the country to work with local groups and with concerned government agencies allegedly exposing environmental problems. — JP