Harlyne Joku – "They're being sent to a concentration camp." This is how a West Papuan spokesman for the Merauke group living in Port Moresby, Nicholas Balagaize, described the repatriation exercise being carried out by the Indonesian government on the West Papuans who opted to return to their homes in West Papua.

Last Sunday saw the final part of the repatriation program which sent about 300 West Papuans back to the Papua province of West Papua.

Ambassador Bom Soerjanto confirmed the repatriation at a press conference last Friday, saying it was a joint program between the government of PNG and Indonesia and adding that the program was voluntary. "None of them have been forced to return," he said.

An Indonesian military aircraft flew the first lot of men, women and children out of Wewak's Boram Airport last Thursday. They consisted of those living in the Momase provinces where the second and third generation of West Papuans settled. Last Sunday, some 170 West Papuans from the Southern region, Lae and Port Moresby were flown by the military plane from Port Moresby to West Papua.

Initially about 700 West Papuans had registered to return but most had second thoughts and changed their minds. One told The Post-Courier that he did not know whether he would be returning to his home province and family.

Mr Balagaize yesterday warned those that had taken part and others considering for future repatriation to be wary. "They will send you back home to a concentration camp to be observed closely by the Indonesian military. It will be dangerous," he said.

Mr Balagaize, whose late brother Lawrence was one of the first to join the repatriation exercise in 2005 to Merauke on the southern part of the island, was found dead in a suspicious nature in a drain a few months after his return. He said the current repatriation was being conducted on a low note and not done correctly.

Mr Balagaize said the United Nations should have been involved in the program as they were the cause of the West Papuan issue when allowing the so-called "Act of Free Choice" to take place.

He said that the special autonomy was thought of in Jakarta and "pushed down the throats" of the West Papuans. Mr Abdul Hakim from the Indonesian Embassy said yesterday the program had been successful and the people will not be sent to a "concentration camp."