Nivell Rayda, Banjir Ambarita & AFP, Jakarta – The United States on Wednesday urged Indonesia to move forward on autonomy for Papua but warned it would not overlook cases of injustice and human rights violations.
Testifying at a congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday, senior US officials pledged to investigate abuse allegations in Papua but said there was no evidence to back charges of systematic killings of Papuans.
Joseph Yun, US deputy assistant secretary of state for Southeast Asia, said Washington opposed separatism in Papua and West Papua provinces but supported more thorough autonomy.
"If the 2001 Special Autonomy Law can be fully implemented, we believe that a lot of frustration currently felt by Papuans would decrease," Yun said.
"While Indonesia's overall human rights situation has improved along with the country's rapid democratic development, we are concerned by allegations of human rights violations in Papua and continuously monitor the situation."
The congressional hearing was called by Eni Faleomavaega, who represents American Samoa and has a long-held interest in Papua.
In an unusual scene for staid Capitol Hill, the congressman invited Papuans wearing feathered headgear to perform a traditional dance at the hearing's onset.
Faleomavaega said he considered Jakarta to be waging "genocide" against Papuans. "It is indisputable fact that Indonesia has deliberately and systematically committed crimes against humanity and has yet to be held accountable," he said.
Robert Scher, deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia, said allegations of human rights violations in Papua were taken "very seriously."
"However, we have not yet seen any evidence to suggest that the incidents under discussion are part of a deliberate or systematic campaign" by Indonesia, he said.
The inquiry also heard testimonies from a number of Papuans and academics.
In his testimony, Eben Kirksey, from the City University of New York, highlighted the failure of the special autonomous status granted by Jakarta in 2001 to suppress calls for independence after the fall of former president Suharto in 1998.
He said autonomy had failed to create stability in Papua, instead leaving Papuans marginalized due to lack of education, access to health and equal work opportunity.
Autonomy was designed to create more economic independence and channel a larger share of royalties from the logging and mining industries back to the province.
A recent study by the University of Sydney's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, however, said funding that was meant for health and education had been swallowed up by public servants' salaries, building projects and even local military operations.
On Thursday, hundreds in Jayapura rallied in support of the hearing, calling for an international-sponsored referendum for the region's independence.
Police closely watched the rally in anticipation of a riot or the raising of the banned Morning Star flag, a symbol of the separatist Free Papua Movement.