Jakarta – Member of Commission I DPR RI, By Soleh, strongly condemns the actions of a group of individuals calling for the independence of Papua, Aceh, and Maluku in the United Nations (UN) official forum in New York, United States.
He called the action a form of provocation that injures the spirit of unity and sovereignty of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
"On behalf of the DPR and on behalf of the Indonesian nation, we strongly condemn the movement," said Soleh to reporters, Friday, April 25.
According to the legislator from the PKB faction, the use of international forums to voice the separatism agenda is a very irresponsible and violating act of diplomatic norms.
He considered that this action was not only embarrassing, but also had the potential to cause distortion of information about Indonesia's domestic situation in the eyes of the global community.
Chronology
The incident took place on Monday, April 21, at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, ahead of the opening session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in 2025.
This forum is an annual agenda that brings together various indigenous communities, international organizations, and UN member countries to discuss global issues related to indigenous peoples.
Moments before the opening session began at 10.00 local time, four individuals on behalf of two separatist groups Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front (ASNLF) and the West Papua Liberation Organization (WPLO) suddenly raised a poster that read Free Maluku, Free Papua, Free Aceh" in the General Assembly meeting room.
The action was carried out quickly, on the sidelines of technical preparation before the opening of the forum. The perpetrators then posed and took photos with a courtroom background that is usually only accessed by state official officials, UN agencies, or registered participants.
The parties involved in the action were identified as Tengku Fajri Krueng and Muhammad Hanafiah from ASNLF, as well as John Anari and Martin Go from WPLO. They are said to have entered the courtroom as public participants who registered through the UNPFII open mechanism.
After the action was carried out, the perpetrators were immediately reprimanded by the PTRI (permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia) in New York. The Indonesian diplomat immediately reported the incident to the UN security, which then confiscated the posters brought by the four individuals.
UN security also asked them to leave the area of the trial because it was deemed to have violated the rules of the UN's official forum space and ethics.
By Soleh emphasized that this kind of provocative action should not be taken lightly. Although the UNPFII forum is open and provides space for civil society from various countries to attend and raise issues, it cannot be used as a justification to spread narratives that threaten the integrity of the country.
"They have abused the official UN forum for the benefit of their group. Obviously it is a violation that we cannot take lightly," he said.
He also reminded that separatist groups such as ASNLF and WPLO are not large domestic groups, but they have a diaspora network that is quite active in voicing the independence agenda in international forums and social media.
"The four people live abroad and try to actively voice independence in international forums. They are small but aggressively speaking on social media. We must not allow their voices to be the only narrative heard outside," he said.
He considered that the spread of separatism messages through this kind of international forum was an attempt to disturb Indonesia's sovereignty and build misleading opinions in the international community.
"Because they are trying to interfere with Indonesia's sovereignty and unity, we must not remain silent. We must be responsive and present to maintain the integrity of the nation," he concluded.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and PTRI New York are said to continue to monitor and prevent possible similar actions in the future.
The Indonesian government is also expected to strengthen public diplomacy to present a balanced and accurate narrative regarding development in Papua, Aceh, and Maluku, areas that have often been targeted by certain groups abroad.
Source: https://voi.id/en/news/47816