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Govt told to stay cautious of Papua foreign journalist freedom
House of Representatives (DPR) speaker Setya Novanto warned the government to stay cautious towards âfreelyâ allowing foreign journalists to enter Papua, saying that there needs to be measures in place so that non-journalistic activities could be prevented or detected
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ouse of Representatives (DPR) speaker Setya Novanto warned the government to stay cautious towards 'freely' allowing foreign journalists to enter Papua, saying that there needs to be measures in place so that non-journalistic activities could be prevented or detected.
Setya explained that while the House approves the freedom given to foreign journalists in covering Papua as a show of Indonesia's transparency, he cautioned the government to keep an eye on possible foreign intelligence operations in the region, which are usually uncovered by local Papuan authorities.
'The House urges that the freedom is coupled by a form of supervision to prevent any possible activities that fall outside of journalism. However, Papua itself has been experiencing democratic development as much as other regions in Indonesia, therefore we have nothing to hide from this curious world,' the Golkar party lawmaker said on Monday at the House's first plenary meeting of the fourth sitting period.
Several lawmakers and officials have previously underlined that while the access is a boon for Indonesia's freedom of speech, foreign journalists wanting to cover Papua must also abide by the laws in place, such as the need to obtain permits. (hhr)
