TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Govt dismisses referendum talk as riots flare in Papua
“Referendums are for occupied countries that are given the choice to be independent or to join with the occupying country. But Papua and West Papua are the legitimate territories of the Republic of Indonesia,” Wiranto said.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Spreading protests against racism in Papuan provinces. (JP/Swi)
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto has dismissed calls for a Papuan referendum on self-determination amid rioting in the Papuan capital of Jayapura.
“I think [demands for a referendum] are inappropriate,” Wiranto said at the House of Representatives complex in Central Jakarta on Thursday.
“NKRI [the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia] is final.” He said the New York Agreement, signed in 1962 by the Netherlands and Indonesia, had officially made Papua and West Papua legitimate territories of Indonesia. “That means NKRI is final, NKRI is non-negotiable, including Papua and West Papua,” he said.
“Referendums are for occupied countries that are given the choice to be independent or to join with the occupying country. But Papua and West Papua are legitimate territories of the Republic of Indonesia.”
He added that the President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo administration had treated Papuans fairly, with the central government spending Rp 92 trillion (US$6.5 billion) on developing Papua and West Papua.
