Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Wanting to prove the human rights situation in Papua province has improved, Jakarta is considering allowing US Congressman Eni Faleomavaega, a Democrat from American Samoa, to visit the province.
Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said Wednesday that Jakarta was yet to make a final decision on whether or not the senator, a staunch supporter of Papuan independence, would be given permission to visit Papua.
"We will make a public announcement in one or two days. However, we really want critics to see the reality in the province for themselves. You see, seeing is believing," he told reporters Wednesday.
He said that if Faleomavaega's agenda and schedule were appropriate, the visit would be approved. Hassan said he was confident the senator would leave the province with a good impression after his visit.
He said while the US government has repeatedly expressed its support for Indonesia's territorial integrity, it was a regular occurrence for people or groups in the US to ask questions about the province.
Faleomavaega sponsored in 2005 a bill asking the US government to review its recognition of Papua as part of Indonesia. With international non-governmental organizations, he also lobbied the United Nations to fight for the territory's self-determination in line with the deployment of some 50,000 Indonesian soldiers to the province and alleged human rights abuses that have occurred since the territory's transfer to Indonesia in 1963.
The US congressman also criticized Australia and New Zealand for leaving the Papua issue up to Indonesia, saying it was an issue Australia and other countries in the Pacific should not have ignored.
However, Faleomavaega's stance appeared to have softened when he recently told an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) delegation visiting the US that Indonesia's sovereignty over the province depended not so much on international recognition, but on how the Indonesian government treated the territory, improved the capacity of local governments and empowered Papuan people.
The delegation invited Faleomavaega to visit Papua to see for himself the progress that has been made in the province.
International groups have often accused Indonesia of human rights violations in Papua. Jakarta has repeatedly denied the accusations. In an effort to manage foreign involvement in Papua, the government limits the entry of foreigners into the province.
Jakarta granted special autonomy to Papua in 2001 in a national consensus to counter a mounting independence movement launched by the Free Papua Movement.
West Papua, previously part of Papua province, was declared a new province in 2003. Initially named West Irian Jaya, it was renamed West Papua upon the issuance of a government regulation on April 18, 2007.