Jayapura – Papuan community leaders, smarting at the refusal of a minister to meet with them last week, have accused the central government of arrogance and an "unwillingness" to address problems affecting their province.
Representatives of the Papuan Legislative Council (DPRP), Papua People's Assembly (MRP) as well as local religious figures issued a joint statement of their concerns, which was sent Thursday to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The focus of their disappointment was Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo AS's visit to Jayapura on March 17, one day after the clashes between protesters and security officers.
Four police officers and one Air Force soldier were killed on March 16 by protesters, who demanded the closure of the gold and copper mine run by PT Freeport Indonesia.
All the five were involved in efforts to break up a rally in which the protesters blocked a road in front of the Cendrawasih State University campus in Abepura.
A copy of the statement was received by Antara newswire's bureau office in Jayapura.
During the visit to Jayapura, Widodo and his entourage of other high-ranking officials visited bereaved families of the dead as well as the injured at a local hospital. In another stop at Trikora Military Command Headquarters, the members of the delegation gave speeches but did not provide time for dialog.
The group said the refusal to engage in discussion showed the central government was not committed to solving problems in the province. They also said it was different from the accommodating approach toward the settlement of problems in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, where a peace agreement with local people was reached last year.
Signatories to the statement included DPRP deputy spokesman Komarudin Watubun, MRP chairman Agus A. Alua, Papua Bishop Mgr. Leo Laba Ladjar and chairman of the Papuan chapter of the Communion of Indonesian Churches Rev. Herman Saud.
Meanwhile, at least 16 lawyers from Papua and Jakarta are ready to defend 15 people named suspects in the killing of the five security personnel.
Pieter Ell, coordinator of the Papuan chapter of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said in Jayapura the lawyers were from Kontras Papua, the Jayapura branch office of the Legal Aid Institute (LBH), the Papuan chapter of Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM), the Democratic Alliance for Papua, Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) and Kontras Jakarta.
Pieter said the suspects had been treated fairly during questioning.
Papua Police have questioned 76 people in connection with the incident, and a reconstruction of the clashes was held Wednesday at the incident site near Cendrawasih State University.
The reconstruction, led by chief of the National Police investigating team Sr. Comr. Matius Salempang, attracted a crowd of onlookers after traffic was halted for nearly 30 minutes from the direction of Jayapura to Sentani airport.