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Indonesia seeks to calm nerves on Papua as internet access gradually restored

Indonesia has moved quickly to dampen international concerns over the situation in Papua and West Papua.

Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post)
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Jakarta
Thu, September 5, 2019

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Indonesia seeks to calm nerves on Papua as internet access gradually restored Papuan students grouped under the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) hold a protest in front of the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta on Aug. 28. In the protests, they reject racial abuse and demand the government retract the internet blackout in West Papua and Papua. (JP/Donny Fernando)

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ndonesia has taken swift action to prevent international fallout from the worrying situation in its easternmost provinces, following weeks of protests and deadly riots that have seen a government-imposed internet blackout – ostensibly to stem the tide of misinformation – gradually overturned.

The nation’s diplomats in Geneva, Switzerland, have taken care to brief United Nations’ High Commissioner on Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on developments in Papua ahead of the UN official’s first annual press briefing on Wednesday, padding any possible criticism over the issue.

Led by Ambassador Hasan Kleib, the Indonesian Permanent Mission to the UN held a series of meetings and contacts with officials from Bachelet's office a few days before the press conference and immediately after rioting unfurled in Papua.

Hasan said his team had detailed efforts in “law enforcement, dialogue and persuasion”, making sure to emphasize that security forces had acted professionally and avoided the use of force in dealing with the masses.

“The meetings were intended to provide a more accurate picture of the situation in Papua, bearing in mind that there were various distortions in the news that did not reflect the reality on the ground,” he said in a statement received on Thursday.

Papua and West Papua have been rocked by protests and rioting since Aug. 19 over perceived racial abuse by authorities and members of local mass organizations. The tensions also became a boon for a small-scale secessionist cause in the region, which Jakarta has flatly rejected.

The escalation of conflict has led the UN human rights chief to express her concerns about the violence there, which has resulted in the deaths of protesters and security personnel.

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