Jakarta – Although disillusioned and even threatened with losing its relevance, the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) remains the best available channel to address grievances in the province and thus must be engaged more actively in dialog with the government, a report from an international analysis group said.

The report from the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) released Thursday said MRP remains "the most representative body to emerge so far and has the support of key Papuan institutions."

"It is up to the government in Jakarta to make the first move to salvage the relationship" between Jakarta and MRP, and also Papua, the report said. "It needs to engage the MRP actively on both the Freeport and West Irian Jaya issues."

The report titled Papua: The dangers of shutting down dialog" was released by ICG's Jakarta office headed by researcher Sidney Jones.

The establishment of the Assembly, inaugurated last October, was in accordance with the 2001 special autonomy law for Papua; but various parties, the report says, became disillusioned with policies of the central government considered to undermine the autonomy law and the MRP's authority. Observers have also said inconsistency with the special autonomy law has led to more international support for calls of its separation from Indonesia.

The Assembly had rejected the establishment of the West Irian Jaya province which on March 11 saw a relatively peaceful election for a governor despite the MRP's warning of violence.

But given the large local turnout in the West Irian Jaya elections, implying local support for the new province, "the bigger question is whether the MRP is still a relevant actor," the ICG said.

The ICG report noted that the Assembly had not played a crucial role in decreasing tension in the Abepura area in Jayapura, which saw a riot on March 16, in which four police and an air force officer were killed.

Assembly members had pointed out to various grievances aired by protesters, triggered by dissatisfaction with operations of PT Freeport Indonesia which they say have failed to benefit Papuans amid allegations of environmental damage by the world's largest gold and copper mine.

The riots saw "sluggish" MRP response, the ICG report said, with an MRP team only arriving at Timika, the site of the mine, on March 12 following the first clash on Feb. 21 between local miners and security officers on Freeport property.

The Assembly sent press statements condemning the Abepura violence and urging the government to seriously address grievances in the province. Along with other Papuan leaders they expressed dissapointment when on a visit to Jayapura a day after the clashes, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo AS did not have a dialog with them.

ICG further noted the gap in perceptions of the MRP. Papuan leaders "had envisaged the Assembly as a representative body of indigenous leaders that would protect Papuan culture and values in the face of large-scale migration from elsewhere in Indonesia and exploitation of (its) natural resources".

But Jakarta-based politicians "saw it as a vehicle for Papuan nationalism and deliberately diluted its powers." The report said the MRP must nevertheless be strengthened by genuine recognition from Jakarta apart from increasing its own negotiating skills.