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 meetings with officials from Bachelet's office a few days before the press conference and immediately after rioting erupted 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.

She also took issue with the government-enforced internet blackout that made it difficult to verify facts on the ground — including the number of deaths — and urged authorities to “engage in dialogue” with protesters and refrain from excessive use of force.

In response, Hasan said the move to limit internet access in the region was temporary and that it was intended to prevent the spread of misinformation that may otherwise stoke further unrest. “This policy is continuously monitored and evaluated in line with the conditions in Papua,” the envoy said.

In her briefing in Geneva on Wednesday, Bachelet reviewed the developments of the human rights situation worldwide, from the fires in the Amazon rainforest to “carnage” in Syria, but she did not elaborate further on the situation in Papua, referring only to her statement from earlier.

Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara confirmed Jakarta’s decision to restore internet access to parts of the jungle-covered region. He was summoned alongside Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu to brief lawmakers on developments in Papua and West Papua.

Before the briefing continued behind closed doors, Retno said it was in the public’s interest to keep conditions in Papua conducive to peace and rejected fresh calls for an independence referendum. “We want to emphasize that Papua and West Papua are inseparable parts of Indonesia, so [any] calls for a referendum is a red light for us all,” she said in Jakarta on Thursday.

The region — formerly West Irian — has long been taken off the UN's decolonization list and is recognized by the international community as a legitimate territory of Indonesia under the New York Agreement of 1962 signed by Indonesia and the Netherlands.

In 1968, under the watch of UN observers and United States diplomats, the nation further consolidated its sovereignty over Papua after local tribe elders voted in favor of Indonesian rule in the controversial Act of Free Choice. (tjs)

Popular

Israel army says 'encourages' eastern Rafah residents to leave

Indonesia oldest shoemaker Bata closes its only factory

More than meets the eye in photo of orangutan ‘offering help’ to man