British Ambassador to Indonesia Mark Canning said on Saturday that the UK government did not support the activities of the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM), which claimed to have opened an office in Oxford, England.
The envoy issued the statement following a plan by the
Indonesian government to summon him to clarify whether his government
was supporting Papua’s secession from Indonesia by allowing UK-based
Papuan exile Benny Wenda to set up an office for the Free West Papua
campaign, the opening ceremony of which was reportedly attended by
Oxford’s mayor and a member of the UK parliament.
“The views of
the UK government are well known. We regard Papua as part of this
country and want it to enjoy the same peace and prosperity as other
parts of this nation,” Canning said in a press release on Saturday.
Canning
said his office had also explained the matter to his counterpart,
Indonesian Ambassador Hamzah Thayeb, in London on Friday, saying that
the views of the Oxford Council, as well as Benny, should not be taken
as reflecting those of the British government.
“The council, like
all councils in Britain, is free to support whatever causes it wishes.
It is not part of [the UK] government and is not directed in any way by
the government,” Canning said.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty
Natalegawa would summon Canning soon to clarify the matter although,
according to presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha, Marty had
reported to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that it was a “one-sided
claim made by activists or those supporting the independence movement in
Papua”.
Marty reported the incident to Yudhoyono on Friday
night, Julian said on Saturday in a press release. “I look forward to
explaining our position on a subject that we recognize is a sensitive
one for the Indonesian government,” Canning said.
While
reiterating its support for Indonesia’s integrity, Canning said the UK
government was concerned with human rights issues that should be
addressed in Papua, a concern that has been raised by UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.
Pillay, who visited
Indonesia last year, said on Friday that she was informed the police had
conducted crackdowns on mass demonstrations across Papua since April
30, as Papuans were preparing to mark the 50th anniversary of Papua’s
integration into Indonesia. Two Papuans were reportedly shot dead during
the crackdown and the police are still investigating the incident.
“I
am of course aware that efforts are under way to try to improve this,
as well as to address issues relating to economic and social
development, and we fully support them. We keep in touch with all those
who are trying to move Papua forward, including the new governor, who I
met last week,” Canning said, referring to Lukas Enembe.
Comments:
Filippo / Sun, 05/05/2013 - 20:05pm
The British reresentative says: "The views of the UK government are well known. We regard Papua as part of Indonesia". Given the historical context, officially affirming that West Papua is a part of Indonesia amounts to officially claiming that the 1969 referendum was fair. This is splendid British hypocrisy.
Andrew Johnson / Sun, 05/05/2013 - 16:05pm
West Papua became a UN trust territory when the General Assembly including Indonesia made resolution 1752 (XVII) for the UN to occupy the colony as allowed by article 85 & the Trusteeship System Chapter XII of the Charter of the United Nations.
Pakistani troops were used by the UN to occupy/administrate West Papua for the first seven months, and since 1st May 1963 Indonesia has been the administrator - see the UN summary http://t.co/vdfLkdM3fQ