American Samoa Congressman Faleomavaega has written to the Indonesian President expressing his disappointment over a recent trip to Papua, and saying until he can visit Papua properly, he can't advocate support for the Special Autonomy Law in Congress.

Faleomavaega arranged his trip to coincide with the UN climate change conference in Bali, and "in support of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's efforts to implement the provisions of the Special Autonomy Law that was approved by the government of Indonesia since 2001."

Faleomavaega says instead of the five day visit he expected to Biak and Manokwari in Papua and the capital Jayapura, he was told on arrival that he would only spend two hours, and wouldn't be permitted to visit the capitol.

"Having already been denied entry in July of this year and having accommodated your request to postpone my August visit to the last week of November," Faleomavaega said to President SBY, "I was deeply disappointed that upon my arrival I was again denied entry into Jayapura and that my time was reduced from 5 days to only two hours of actual meetings with the leaders and people of Biak and Manokwari due to supposedly security concerns. Such a decision on the part of your government begs the question, if all is well throughout the provinces of Papua and West Papua, why is security a problem at all?"

"In Biak, I met with Governor Barnabas Suebu and other legislators, traditional and religious leaders selected by the government. During the course of our meeting, a highly respected traditional leader, Chief Tom Beanal, was detained by the military, as was Mr. Willie Mandowen. My staff had to go to the gate of the government guesthouse to request that they be allowed entry to our meeting with Governor Suebu.

"Papuans who had gathered in the streets in Biak were denied the opportunity to meet with us, and US Ambassador Cameron Hume and I had to force our way through a military barricade just to meet with the Papuan people who had to walk several miles from the airport and wait in the hot sun because Indonesian military forces (TNI) barred them from meeting with Ambassador Hume and me."

Faleomavaega says he found the "overpowering" military presence that shadowed his visit deeply disturbing. He says in Manokwari the military presence was even worse, and he and the US Ambassador were taken in a car without escort in an attempt to deceive Papuans who were gathered in the streets waiting for their arrival.

"In no uncertain terms, I was told by the TNI military leaders that Ambassador Hume and I were not welcome in Manokwari."

"While I felt no danger whatsoever from the Papuans who were unarmed and only wanted to meet with us, I was very uncomfortable that the TNI military was so bent on not allowing even a conversation to take place.

It was my hope and understanding that I would be able to meet with the people and leaders of both provinces but, when I saw how heavily armed that the TNI military was, I knew that the military had no intention of honoring the commitment that President SBY and I had made in Jakarta in July of this year."

Faleomavaega asks whether President SBY is still committed to working together to implement the Special Autonomy Law.

"As long as the TNI military forces of Indonesia continue to deny Members of Congress real access to the provinces of Papua and West Papua, especially Jayapura, it will be difficult for me to support the goals of Special Autonomy when clearly the Papuans in these two provinces are still being intimidated, harassed and abused by the TNI."

He says until he can meet properly with Papuans and visit Jayapura, he can't in good conscience inform my colleagues in Congress that progress is being made to implement the Special Autonomy Law."

"I do commend President SBY for his efforts to implement the Special Autonomy Law which is supposed to ensure the civil rights and liberties of the Papuan people and, at this time, I still believe we can work together in cooperation with Freeport Mining, USAID, OPIC, and the traditional, religious, and political leaders of both provinces to strengthen the Special Autonomy Law. But, whether or not we move forward is entirely up to President SBY and those who control the activities of Indonesia's TNI military forces."