PAPUA'S INTEGRATION INTO RI FINAL: DUTCH LAWMAKER
Submitted by KamReed on October 28, 2005 - 08:49.
The Jakarta Post - October 21, 2005
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A Dutch parliamentarian called on the international community to stop questioning the status of Papua as the territory's incorporation into Indonesia under the United Nations-sanctioned 1969 Act of Free Choice was final.
"Like Maluku, Aceh and other territories of the Indonesian archipelago, Irian Jaya (Papua) is an integral part of Indonesia. The Netherlands therefore will not support any separatist movements," Hans van Baalen said in a seminar held to observe the 77th anniversary of the Indonesian Youth Pledge here on Thursday.
Van Baalen, a legislator from the Netherlands Party for Freedom and Democracy, was responding to the findings of the Drooglever study on Papua in the Netherlands and U.S. House of Representatives Resolution No. 2601, both of which questioned the validity of Papua's integration into Indonesia.
The study by Prof. Drooglever was commissioned by the Dutch government at the request of the Dutch parliament to establish the historical facts of what happened in Papua, and has inspired several non-governmental organizations to question the formal transfer of what was then Dutch New Guinea through the United Nations to Indonesia in 1969.
Meanwhile, Resolution 2601, which was endorsed by the U.S. House of Representatives in July, and is still awaiting approval from the U.S. Senate, would, if passed, require the U.S. government to seek clarification on a wide range of foreign affairs issues, including the Papua question.
Hundreds of Papuan people staged a demonstration on Thursday in Jayapura, the capital of Papua, to protest UN's decision to give Indonesia control of the province in 1963, and approve the result of the 1969 Act of Free Choice, which they said was undemocratic.
Van Baalen said the Drooglever study should not affect the good bilateral relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands. Instead, the two countries should enhance their ties for mutual benefit.
"The Netherlands as a founding member of the EU can be a gateway for Indonesian products to Europe and can lobby for the abolishing of EU import duties and quotas for Indonesian products. Indonesia as a co-founder of ASEAN can do the same for the Hague's interests in the region," he said.
Theo L. Sambuaga, an Indonesian legislator from the Golkar Party, said the government should work hard to improve the welfare of the Papuan people to help eliminate secessionist sentiment in the resource-rich province.
"The Papua issue will continually emerge as long as the government does not fulfill its obligation to ensure development, empower the people and uphold the rule of law in the country's easternmost province," he said.
According to Theo, the government should speed up development programs to allow the province under its special autonomy status to catch up with the more developed provinces.
Jimmy Demianus Ijie, speaker of the West Irian Jaya provincial legislature, blamed Jakarta's confusing policy for the increasing demands for Papua's secession from Indonesia.
"The differing powers in Jakarta should sit at a roundtable with all Papuan figures to seek a comprehensive solution to the Papuan issue, and consistently implement it," he said.
He was of also of the opinion that Papua's integration into Indonesia was final "but the remaining problem is that most Papuans have been treated as second-class citizens in their own homeland."
Source: The Jakarta Post -- www.thejakartapost.com
Dutch Government Stance on West Papua
Hello Andy and Otto,
Your response to Mr. van Baalen is one of the best summaries I have ever read of The Netherlands' responsibility in this matter. Thank you.
As Canadians, WestPAN members also feel betrayed by the Netherlands, as our forefathers fought and died to liberate the Dutch people from another oppressor - Nazi Germany. The Dutch always state their committment to defend freedom (see the foreign minister's comments below) but have clearly not followed through.
The letter below, in both English and Dutch, was e-mailed and faxed today (May 1, 2006) from WestPAN to the Netherlands government. (We sent a similar one last year.)
Tom Benedetti
WestPAN Canada
[ENGLISH VERSION]
Dr. Ben Bot, Minister of Foreign Affairs May 1, 2006
Government of the Netherlands
Fax# 31 703 484 848
Letter to the Government of the Netherlands on the Anniversary of VE Day, May 5, 2006
On this 61st anniversary of the Netherlands' liberation from an occupying force, we Canadians would like to express our deep disappointment in the Netherlands' reluctance to come to the aid of another occupied country, West Papua. In his May 3, 2005 speech, Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot stated "We share a vision of a world in which freedom and solidarity go hand in hand, a world in which power is bound by rules."
The Netherlands government is in a unique position to speak out on behalf of the people of West Papua, yet for political reasons, will not. Meanwhile, innocent Papuans are being killed because governments are afraid to speak out.
West Papua was a Dutch colony for more than a century. In 1961, during the process of de-colonization, the Netherlands helped West Papua establish their own Parliament, and officially approved West Papua's new state symbols. The Netherlands made 'solemn promises' to support Papuan self-determination, but abandoned those promises when it handed Papua over to Indonesia in 1962, in spite of the fact that there is no historical, racial, or cultural connection between West Papua and Indonesia.
The Netherlands government at the time, under duress from United States influence at the United Nations, agreed to endorse Indonesia's authority to conduct the inappropriately-named "Act of Free Choice" in 1969. The Act consisted of Indonesia selecting 1,025 Papuans and forcing them to openly vote under the supervision of armed Indonesian troops. As expected, the vote was unanimously in favour of integration with Indonesia.
A report commissioned by the Netherlands government in 2005 by Professor P. Drooglever, and Dr. C.S.I.J. Lagerberg's book "Schuldig Zwijgen" both concluded that the Act of Free Choice was a sham. Yet there has been no action taken to rectify the situation. We were particularly disturbed by Jan Peter Balkenende's recent statement of support for Indonesia's territorial integrity, in spite of clear evidence that Indonesia has never had a legitimate claim to West Papua, and the Netherlands was a key conspirator in this travesty.
This betrayal led to one of the world's most brutal military occupations. West Papuans continue to be imprisoned, executed, raped, tortured and starved to death as the Indonesian occupation approaches 40 years. Many Papuans have been shot simply for raising their national flag. There are now an estimated 50,000 Indonesian troops in West Papua. 15,000 of them were sent in 2005, and the repression has escalated again 2006.
Our Canadian soldiers risked, and in many cases, lost their lives to liberate the Netherlands. Yet the Netherlands is now unwilling to risk diplomatic relations with Indonesia by taking a clear position on the injustice of the escalating occupation of West Papua.
Please use your hard-won freedom to free others who cannot help themselves. As Canadians whose fathers, uncles and grandfathers helped liberate the Netherlands, we appeal to your government to publicize your review of the Act of Free Choice, and to voice a clear protest at the United Nations.
Sincerely,
Tom Benedetti, Moderator
WestPAN: Canada's West Papua Action Network (www.westpapua.ca)
[DUTCH VERSION]
Dr. Ben Bot, Minister of Foreign Affairs 1 Mei, 2006
Government of the Netherlands
Fax# 31 703 484 848
Brief aan de Nederlandse regering ter gelegenheid van de viering van de Bevrijding van Nederland op 5 Mei 1945.
Op de eenenzestigste gedenkdag dat Nederland werd bevrijd van een bezettingsmacht, willen wij Canadezen onze diepe teleurstelling uiten over de tegenzin van Nederland om hulp te bieden aan een ander bezet land, namelijk West Papoea.
In de voordracht van 3 Mei 2005 verklaarde de Minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Bernard Bot "Wij delen het standpunt van een wereld waarin vrijheid en solidariteit hand in hand gaan, een wereld waarin gezag gebonden is aan regels."
De Nederlandse regering is in een unieke positie om als woordvoerder op te treden voor de bevolking van West Papoea en toch is de regering dat om politieke redenen niet van plan te doen. Ondertussen worden er onschuldige Papoea’s vermoord, omdat de internationale gemeenschap weigert zijn stem te verheffen.
West Papoea was een Nederlandse kolonie voor meer dan een eeuw. In 1961, gedurende het verloop van dekolonisatie verleende Nederland hulp aan West Papoea bij de totstandkoming van hun eigen parlement en gaf officieel goedkeuring aan de nieuwe staatssymbolen van West Papoea. Nederland maakte" plechtige beloften" om het recht van zelfbeschikking te ondersteunen, maar trok die beloften in toen zij Papoea aan Indonesië overdroeg in 1962, ondanks het feit dat er geen historisch, cultureel,of rassenverband bestaat tussen West Papoea en Indonesië.
Onder dwang van de Amerikaanse invloed binnen de Verenigde Naties, stemde de toenmalige Nederlandse regering erin toe het wettig gezag van Indonesië te ondersteunen om de dubieus genaamde " Vrije Keus Regeling" in 1969 in praktijk te brengen. De regeling bestond hieruit dat Indonesië 1.025 Papoea's bijeenbracht en hen dwong om in het openbaar hun voorkeur kenbaar te maken door middel van een referendum, onder toezicht van gewapende Indonesische troepen. Zoals te verwachten was werd unaniem de voorkeur gegeven aan integratie met Indonesië.
Het historisch rapport van Professor Drooglever “Act of Free Choice� en vele andere rapporten (waaronder het boek van Dr. C.S.I.J. Lagerberg: “SCHULDIG ZWIJGEN�) tonen aan dat “The Act of Free Choice� een farce van de eerste orde is geweest. Maar nog is de Nederlandse regering niet bereid om haar verantwoordelijkheid te nemen. Tot op de dag van vandaag is er geen enkele actie ondernomen om de situatie recht te zetten. Teleurstellend was in dit verband de politieke uitspraak van minister-president J.P. Balkenende, tijdens zijn recente bezoek aan Indonesië, dat Nederland de territoriale integriteit van Indonesië steunt. Dit staat haaks op het feit dat Indonesië nooit en te nimmer een legale claim op West Papoea kan doen laten gelden en Nederland een politieke hoofdrol gespeeld heeft in deze karikatuur van rechtvaardigheid.
Dit verraad leidde tot één van de werelds wreedste vormen van militaire bezetting. West Papoea's worden nog steeds in gevangenschap gehouden, geëxecuteerd, verkracht, gefolterd en sterven nog steeds de hongerdood terwijl de bezetting door Indonesië al bijna veertig jaar bestaat. Vele Papoea's zijn doodgeschoten eenvoudigweg omdat zij hun nationale vlag hezen. Er zijn naar schatting 50.000 Indonesische troepen in West Papoea. Daarvan zijn 15.000 in 2005 gezonden in een periode dat de onderdrukking in omvang steeds toeneemt. In 2006 “viert� de onderdrukking nog steeds hoogtij.
Onze Canadese soldaten riskeerden, en in vele gevallen verloren, hun leven ter wille van de bevrijding van Nederland. Toch is Nederland nu niet bereid diplomatieke betrekkingen met Indonesie in gevaar te brengen door een duidelijke uitspraak te doen ten aanzien van het onrecht van de steeds toenemende bezetting van West Papoea.
Op vriendelijke wijze verzoeken wij U om uw moeizaam verworven vrijheid aan te wenden om anderen, die daar zelf niet toe in staat zijn, hun vrijheid te geven. Als Canadezen, wiens vaders, ooms en grootvaders Nederland hielpen te bevrijden, doen wij een beroep op uw regering uw herziening van de "Vrije Keus regeling" openbaar te maken, en om een duidelijk protest bij de Verenigde Naties naar voren te brengen.
Hoogachtend,
Tom Benedetti, Moderator
WestPAN: Canada's West Papua Action Network (www.westpapua.ca)
Post new comment