Yan Christian, who was awarded with the Canadian John Humphrey Freedom Award in 2005, said a dedicated ministry was needed to handle all the problems in Papua under the next government. 

Proposals had been made about including Papuans in the new government's cabinet, Yan Christian said in a statement in Jayapura on Thursday, as reported by Antara news agency. 

A number of regions, including Papua, wanted to be represented in the new cabinet, he said. 

However, he added that the presence of a Papuan minister in the cabinet would not on its own guarantee positive change in the country's easternmost and least-developed region.

 "A forestry minister from Papua, for instance, would have little or no time to think about Papua. He would not even have the authority to speak about the security issues in Papua," Yan Christian said. 

"I don't believe that including several Papuans in the cabinet will help resolve the problems in Papua," he said. 

"Therefore, I think we should concentrate on the possibility of forming a special ministry to focus solely on Papua. The minister could then be assigned with seeking an end to the conflict in Papua," he said. 

Papua, which is rich in natural resources, is beset by security problems with Free Papua Movement (OPM) separatists still hiding in border areas and forests. (hhr)

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