Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 357: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the status of the state of West Papua; if it is still a United Nations trusteeship; if he has received complaints from representatives of the persons of West Papua in relation to the governance of the State by Indonesia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42910/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Earlier this year I received representations from members of a group called the "West Papua Indigenous Organisation", a group seeking self-determination for West Papua. West Papua is no longer a United Nations Trusteeship. Following the departure of the Dutch and a brief period of UN administration, Indonesia took over the administration of Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) in 1963 and it became a province of Indonesia following a UN-supervised 'Act of Free Choice' in 1969, the legitimacy of which is disputed. Proposals to divide the region into three provinces in 2003 fell through. However, two provinces, West Irian Jaya (now referred to as West Papua) and Papua Province, have since been created and this division was legitimized by a decision of the Constitutional Court, which argued that despite the illegality of its formation, West Irian Jaya (now West Papua) was de facto a functioning province. The government subsequently issued a regulation on 16 April 2008 which clarified the status of the province of West Papua and put it on an equal footing with that of the province of Papua.

Despite being rich in natural resources, Papua and West Papua are the least developed areas of Indonesia and their populations are the poorest. Grievances against the central Government remain strong, particularly in relation to the implementation of the Law on Special Autonomy, enacted in 2001, which, at least on paper, provides the region with wide-ranging political authority and generous revenue-earning provisions. Other problems faced by the people of West Papua relate to interaction with the security forces in the province; the influx of migrants from other Indonesian regions; under-development in infrastructure, education and health; and the perception of neglect of the province by the central authorities.

Together with our partners in the EU, Ireland respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia and is committed to a united, democratic, stable future for the country. We believe that the most productive approach to dealing with the situation in West Papua, including the situation in relation to human rights issues, is through dialogue with the Indonesian Government. In this context, we have encouraged the Government to seek peaceful solutions in conflict and potential conflict areas in Indonesia, including West Papua. We have also raised issues relating to the human rights situation there.

We will continue to urge full implementation of the Special Autonomy Law for Papua. We recognise, however, that the Law was established prior to the division of Papua into two provinces and that this has resulted in major problems in its implementation. Ultimately the central Government needs to provide a legal foundation for the province of West Papua and the Special Autonomy Law should consequently be revised. In this respect, we welcome the commitment of the President of Indonesia, Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to promote the accelerated development of the region through the implementation of the socio-economic aspects of the Special Autonomy Law. We hope that real progress will be made during his second term in office which has just begun.

I will continue to monitor the political situation in Indonesia. Human rights issues are regularly raised in discussions with the Indonesian authorities and, together with our EU partners, the Government will continue to take every opportunity to raise concerns regarding Papua in contacts with them. I am delighted in this respect that an EU-Indonesia Human Rights Dialogue was launched at the EU Foreign Ministers' Troika meeting with Indonesia in Jakarta on 9 November last. Ministers agreed that the first working session in the Dialogue should be held during the first half of next year. They agreed also that it should be forward looking, constructive and focus on concrete cooperation in the protection and promotion of human rights.