Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Some 160 former members of the Free Papua Organization (OPM) declared their allegiance to the Republic of Indonesia at a ceremony on Thursday attended by Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie.
The ceremony was held at the Pegunungan Bintang Regency office in Oksibil, during which the former OPM members read out statements and surrendered three rifles and ammunitions to Aburizal.
"We promise to be faithful to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, to participate in its development and to maintain law and order," Enduro Bikdana said while reading out a statement.
The group were once part of OPM's armed wing, TPN, under two different groups lead by Paulus Kalakdana and Agus Kaproka, based in the border area between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
On hearing the declaration, Aburizal said, as had been previously stated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, those who wished to return to Indonesia would be treated just like other Indonesian citizens.
"Let's work together for a prosperous life. To develop the Pegunungan Bintang regency together we must forget the past conflicts and forgive one another," Aburizal said.
Aburizal said, 250 houses worth a total Rp 98 billion (US$10.76 million) would be built in Pegunungan Bintang for former TPN members who declared their allegiance to Indonesia. Another 100 houses would also be built in Lani Jaya regency for the same purpose.
Thursday was the third such occasion where Aburizal received declarations from former rebels, and is scheduled to receive three more soon from Tadius Yogi's group from Enarotali, Goliat Tabuni from Puncak Jaya, and the Kelly Kwalik group from Timika.
"The President sent a message saying that when we bring them back to NKRI, we should not use a security approach but one of mutual prosperity," Aburizal said.
In a separate development, some members of the US Congress sent a letter to the President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, demanding the "immediate and unconditional" release of two convicted Papua separatists, Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage.
The pair were sentenced to 15 and 10 years in prison respectively in May 2005, for hoisting the OPM flag at a ceremony attended by around 200 people to commemorate the declaration of Papuan independence in 1962.
Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat told Antara in New York that the letter, dated July 29, was conveyed through him and had been passed on to Jakarta.
Sudjadnan said the letter may convey little significance as it was signed only by 40 of more than 500 congressmen from the two US chambers.
Indonesian presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said, however, the presidential office had yet to receive the letter. "I have checked with the Foreign Ministry and the U.S Embassy in Jakarta. They said they had not received such a letter," he said.
He also queried the U.S congress concerns in the matter. "The congress members signing the letter may not really understand what happened in Papua."
They should not intervene with issues in Papua, he said, and should respect the development of the province.
Meanwhile, lawmaker Djoko Susilo of Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs said his US counterparts' move to demand the release of legitimately convicted separatists went "way beyond their authority" in a sovereign country.
"They should understand the way we treat issues of separatism here is comparable to the way in which the United States tries to contain terrorist movements," he said.