Bagus BT Saragih, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
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Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr said on Monday his government did not support a move by dozens of pro-West Papua independence activists from Australia to attempt to enter Indonesian territory without permits.
“[The activists] have got to adhere to the laws of the country they’re seeking to enter, and Indonesia has made it clear that they’re breaching Indonesian law by going there without a visa, without a permit. We’ve advised them, through DFAT [Department of Foreign Affairs], that their action is not supported by Australia, it's extremely ill-advised,” Carr said during an interview with Radio National.
A transcript of the interview was made available to The Jakarta Post by the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.
More than 100 activists calling themselves “Freedom Flotilla” departed from Cairns in northeastern Australia on Aug. 17, Indonesia’s 68th independence anniversary, according to the website www.freedomflotillawestpapua.org.
They boarded two boats, but claim additional vessels will join the flotilla as it sails through Australian waters. Their intention is to “highlight abuses faced by West Papuans under Indonesian rule”, according to The Guardian.
Carr said the activists, whom he called “a fringe group of Australians”, offered false hope to Papuans.
“A hope that, somehow, independence for the [West Papua and Papua] provinces is on the international agenda when it’s not. The world recognizes Indonesian sovereignty as we do through the Lombok Treaty, and both sides of Australian politics support this position,” he said.