Jayapura – A House of Representatives delegation said here on Saturday no foreign country would recognize an independent Irian Jaya.
"Leaders of the foreign countries President Abdurrahman Wahid visited recently threw their weight behind Indonesia in dismissing independence demands here," House legislator Astrid Susanto told local government officials on Saturday. "This sort of demand is against international law".
The delegation includes members of House Commission I for defense and military and Commission II for law and home affairs. They are on a three-day, fact-finding visit to the country's easternmost province following intensifying calls for independence in the territory.
Separatist activity peaked when Irianese in several regencies raised the West Papua Morning Star flag on December 1, defying the warnings of local administrations and security authorities. Jayapura prosecutors are demanding five people arrested for raising the separatist flag be sentenced to between 10 months and one year imprisonment.
A delegation from the Irian Jaya provincial legislature met with leaders of the House and the People's Consultative Assembly in Jakarta last week to demand independence for the territory.
They called for international mediation under the auspices of the United Nations to solve problems in Irian Jaya and for the name of the province to be changed to West Papua. They also demanded an investigation into human rights violations committed in the province.
Astrid, from the Love the Nation Democratic Party (PDKB) faction, said the international community did not want to see a partitioning in Indonesia for fear it would pose a threat to regional stability.
President Abdurrahman in his first month in office has visited over a dozen countries and received both written and verbal support for the maintenance of Indonesia's territorial integrity.
He claimed that his extended trips abroad was part of an effort to show provinces who wanted to break free that they would get the backing of the international community.
Irian Jaya Deputy Governor Abraham Octavianus Atururi said the increasing demand in the province for separation from Indonesia should be taken seriously by the central government.
He said a dialog involving the international community could be helpful in solving problems in the province.
The House delegation backed the Irianese demand that the province be renamed West Papua and its capital Jayapura be called Port Numbay.
"Any changes to the names are not consequential to us. We will support it if the people want to change the names," said Yasril Ananta Burhanudin, who chairs House Commission I.
Asked about past human rights abuses in Irian Jaya, Yasril said the House would investigate the allegations. "Human rights violations have become our focus and we will recommend stern measures against whoever is guilty of them, regardless of whether they are civilians or in the military," he said.
In a related development, hundreds of students from the Forum of Communication for Students from Central Mountainous Areas staged a sit-in at the gubernatorial office. The students demanded security personnel stop torturing civilians in Puncak Jaya, Paniai, Jayawijaya and Mimika.
Protest leader Diaz Qwiyangge said the government should also investigate the killing of civilians who participated in the raising of the separatist flag on December 1.
"We call on the governor, the military commander, the provincial police chief and the speaker of the provincial legislature to listen to our concerns about human rights violations in the province," he said.
The demonstrators also demanded copper and gold mining company PT Freeport Indonesia, which operates in Timika, be held responsible for human rights violations near its area of operations.
"The multinational company has indirectly helped security personnel commit atrocities against civilians around its operational site," said Diaz.