Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Visiting US Congressman Eni Faleomavaega met Tuesday with leading Papuan figures in Jakarta after the government failed to grant him permission to enter the province.
Legislator Yorris T.H. Raweyai, one of several Papuan figures invited by Faleomavaega to attend a dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel on Tuesday evening, said he would like to hear what the congressman had to say as well as conveying his own opinion on the situation in the province.
"Some of us have been invited to a dinner. I hope we can get something useful out of the meeting," Yorris, who represents Golkar in the House of Representatives, told The Jakarta Post before the dinner.
Yorris, a member of the House's Commission I on security and foreign affairs, said the US congressman will meet with the commission on Wednesday morning to discuss Papua and Indonesia's human rights situation in general.
Robert Joppy Kardinal, another lawmaker from Papua invited to the dinner, welcomed Faleomavaega's visit as a chance to clarify the current situation in the province. "Rather than receiving information from unqualified sources, the congressman has a chance to talk directly to lawmakers who represent the Papuan people," he said.
Faleomavaega, a Democratic Party congressman from American Samoa, initially wanted to attend a conference being held by the Papuan Traditional Council in Jayapura this week. However, the government prohibited him from entering the province, saying his presence there could spark riots and encourage violence.
The Papuan Traditional Council has announced that more than 500 representatives from 250 tribes in the Papua and West Papua provinces will attend its second conference being held from Tuesday to Friday.
Indonesia's Foreign Ministry director general for European and American affairs Eddhi Hariyadhi said a recent incident in Maluku may also be behind the rejection of the congressman's application to enter Papua.
Last Friday a group of people tried to wave the South Maluku Republic flag in front of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the Maluku provincial capital of Ambon. After the incident, which many said exposed the country's weak intelligence service, more than 30 people were arrested.
Foreign Ministry Director for American Affairs Harry Purwanto said another group of Papuan figures would travel to Jakarta to meet Faleomavaega on Thursday. "If the congressman wants to meet with Papuan figures, it can be arranged in other parts of the country," he told the Post.
Robert said that Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Minister Freddy Numberi will also host a meeting between Faleomavaega and officials from Papua's two provinces this week.
The congressman is also scheduled to meet with President Yudhoyono, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda and several other ministers during his visit.
International groups have often accused Indonesia of human rights violations in Papua, which Jakarta has repeatedly denied. 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 as West Papua upon the issuance of a government regulation on April 18, 2007.