West Papua Information Kit
WEST IRIANESE REBELS WARNED
(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright; PORT MORESBY, May 20. Indonesia will suppress any rebellion in West Irian, according to Major-General Sjarif Thajeb, Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian Parliament and leader of a six-man Parliamentary delegation on a three-day visit to Port Moresby.
Speaking at a press conference, he said reports of largescale killings of West Irianese by Indonesian troops had been greatly exaggerated. For instance, an uprising at Manokwari, 400 miles west of Sukarnapura in late 1965, had resulted in the deaths of three Indonesians and perhaps 20 West Irianese, but some reports had put the number killed at several thousand. General Thajeb denied that Indonesian Air Force planes had shot up Manokwari; aircraft had strafed unoccupied, open ground “to scare them.” He also denied that any of the leaders of the uprising had been executed. General Thajeb said the Manokwari trouble was an armed rebellion resulting from foreign subversion. “If the people are dissatisfied they can complain through Parliament,” he said. “We will suppress armed rebellion. I am sure the West Irianese will vote to remain an Indonesian province In a plebiscite next year.”
Malik Goes To W. Irian
(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) DJAKARTA, Aug. 20.
The Indonesian Foreign Minister (Mr Adam Malik) left Djakarta today on a threeday visit to West Irian, where he will study preparations for the territory’s self-determina-tion next year. Mr Malik said before his departure that Indonesia would carry out the “act of free choice” in West Irian to see whether the West Irianese people wanted to remain part of Indonesia, in spite of opposition from certain political parties. The chairman of the People’s Congress (General A. H. Nasution) told visiting West Irianese tribal chiefs last night: “I know from your statement that you do not want the act of free choice, but the Government will implement it to show that Indonesia abides by international agreement.” President Suharto had told the chiefs on Sunday that the “act of free choice” would be only a formal reaffirmation of the territory’s resolve to remain part of Indonesia. Indonesia acquired West Irian from the Dutch in 1962 after agreeing at the United Nations to consult the West Irian people next year about their future.
West Irian Found Lacking
(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) PORT MORESBY, October 14.
West Irian has a low and diminishing rate of production, abetted by inefficient policy practices, lack of maintenance and bad management, a United Nations team has found. The team said that since the Indonesian take-over of the territory services have deteriorated and exports and per capita consumption fallen substantially. The findings are contained in a report by a 26-man mission from the Fund of the United Nations for development of West Irian. Its object was to recommend to Indonesia a plan for the expenditure of a $3O million funds in trust grant from the Dutch Government The 203-page report was prepared at the end of last year and' released about two weeks ago after the Indonesian Government accepted its recommendations. The report warned that not too much should be expected from the Dutch grant—“lt will take much more than $3O million to get West Irian moving in a self-sustaining direction.” It said the country’s highlanders used stone implements for a subsistence economy “at a state of technological primitiveness that is hard to duplicate anywhere in the world”
Surrender Offer
(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) PORT MORESBY, Dec. 10. A group opposed to Indonesian policy today offered the surrender of rebels in West Irian to the authorities in return for the withdrawal of Indonesian troops. Members of the West Papua Freedom Organisation in Port Moresby have issued a statement saying the 6000 Indonesian troops now in action against 3000 rebels in the Manokwari area of West Irian are not needed to maintain law and order for next year’s plebiscite on the territory’s political future. “If Indonesia really honours the act of free choice, it will be far better to withdraw her troops and give the authority to local troops and police to maintain law and'order,” the statement says.
“On this condition alone . . . the entire force of Papuan freedom fighters will surrender and honour the laws of the country.”
West Irian Vote Interpreted
(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) DJAKARTA, February 3. President Suharto said today he would regard any decision by the people of West Irian to leave the republic as treason against Indonesia.
In an interview at the presidential palace in Djakarta, he told N.Z.P.A.Reuter that any such decision would constitute a betrayal of the aims and achievements of Indonesia before and after its independence. Indonesia took over West Irian—then West New Guinea —from the Netherlands in 1962 after agreeing to hold an act of self-determination for the territory’s 800,000 people this year. President Suharto was asked if, as a result of this act of self-determination, Indonesia would in principle be willing to accept an independent West Irian on its borders. Speaking through an intepreter he said: “It was always the aim of the struggle of the Indonesian people from the colonial period until the proclamation of independence on August 17, 1945, to have and to create a unitary State from Sabang (on the far-western tip of Sumatra) to Merauke (on the eastern border of West Irian). “From the beginning of our independence we have then tried to get this territory extended from Sabang to Merauke, step by step.” President Suharto said the last stage in establishing the unity and integrity of the republic was completed with the Dutch handover of West Irian. “Where some people will try to separate themselves from this unity and integrity, I think this will form treason towards our independence,” he continued. “I think also that this population of West Irian would be committing treason against the national struggle too.” The act of self-determina-tion is expected to be carried out in West Irian in the middle of this year. A United Nations envoy has arrived to assist and participate in the process as stipulated under the terms of Indonesia’s agreement with the Netherlands.
Indonesians Vote Plan ’Unfair’
N.Z. Press Association—Copyright I PORT MORESBY, February 17. Indonesia’s proposal for the act of free choice in West Irian was unfair.. the West Papua Freedom Movement said today.
It would ensure that the vote favoured the territory remaining with Djakarta, the movement made up of West Irianese opposed to Indonesia who have been allowed to live in Papua-New Guinea said. Details of the act of free choice were announced in Djakarta by the Indonesian Information Minister (Mr Budiardjo), at the week-end. He said only 1000 of West Irian’s 800,000 people would vote in the act of free choice, which is expected to be held in August. The voters would be made up of local assembly representatives, tribal chiefs and community leaders. Mr Budiardjo said West; Irian’s difficult terrain and! poor communications pre-! vented the act of free choice being held on a one-man-one-vote basis. The freedom movement said in Port Moresby that the 1000 voters would be carefully chosen by the Indonesian Government. “They will vote the way the Indonesians want them to,” it said. The movement also criticised the Indonesian reason for not being able to let everyone vote. “The whole country voted in 1961 when -the Dutch held elections for the West New Guinea Council,” it said. “It isn’t communications that stops everyone voting now, it is Indonesian politics. “Or else they have so badly mismanaged the country since they took over that the communications have collapsed."
West Irian Voting Plan Approved
DJAKARTA, February 25. The United Nations and the Netherlands have approved the way in which Indonesia will carry out the forthcoming plebiscite in West Irian, to decide whether ths former Dutch territory will stay in the Indonesian Republic. Meanwhile, members of Parliament from West Irian have submitted a resolution to the Indonesian Minister of Home Affairs (MajorGeneral Amir Machmud) stating that the territory will never leave Indonesia.. The Indonesian Minister of Information (Air Vice-Mar-shal Budiardjo) has announced that the plebiscite will be carried out before August 17 on the basis of one vote for every 800 people; the principle of one vote for each of the 800,000 inhabitants of West Irian cannot be implemented because of the difficult terrain and lack of communications, he says. A West Irian student today called on the Indonesian Government to carry out the act of free choice properly, “for the sake of Indonesia’s good name.” Edward Alex Suruan, aged 29, who is studying at Padjadparan University, in Bandung, West Java, said the people of West Irian needed salt, clothes and matches, not luxury cars and buildings.
West Irian Vote By Discussion
DJAKARTA, February 26. No-one will cast a vote when West Irian makes its act of free choice later this year. Instead, the future of the vast backward territory will be decided by the Indonesian “musjawarah” system of democracy—decision by discussion. This was revealed yesterday by the Indonesia’s Deputy Foreign Minister in Charge of West Irian Affairs (Dr Sudjarwo), in an interview with N.Z.P.A.-Reuter. Dr Sudjarwo, a 54-year-old lawyer and well-known Indonesian diplomatic troubleshooter, said the West Irian decision would be made “one by one” by consultative assemblies in each of the territory’s eight regions. This would mean the act of free choice could not be decided in one day but might take between 14 and 20 days, Dr Sudjarwo said. The regencies would have to make their decisions separately, as the meetings had to be attended by people such as the United Nations representative, Ortiz Sans, Dr Sudjarwo said. The discussions were expected to begin in August “Decisions will take place by discussions, not by voting —under the Indonesian Musjawarah system of consultation to reach agreement,” the lawyer said. "This is the system of democracy in Indonesia, where there is no voting in Parliament “You have to persuade each other until there is a general consensus of agreement. Democracy by Musjawarah is also known to the people in West Irian,” Dr Sudjarwo said. There would be one representative for every 750 people in the regencies—which ranged in population from 35,000 to 165,000. This meant that about 1066 West Irianese out of 800,000 would decided whether the territory remained part of Indonesia.
Dutch View Of West Irian Choice
(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)
THE HAGUE, May 22.
The Dutch Foreign Minister (Dr Joseph Luns) said in The Hague that the Netherlands had emphasised to Indonesia that acceptance of the forthcoming act of free choice in West Irian would depend on its credibility.
Dr Luns was speaking at a press conference yesterday after his return from Rome, where he held two days of talks with Mr Adam Malik, the Indonesian Foreign Minister.
The act of free choice, provided for under a United Nations agreement of 1962, is due to be held in the Papuan populated territory between July 10 and August 3 under the auspices of the United Nations. Dr Luns said that Mr Malik had explained that West Irian would be opened to observers and foreign correspondents “to the limit of the facilities available.” Dr Luns said this was one of the key points in ensuring credibility for the act of free choice which would be under the Indonesian “musjawarah system”—a form of consultation entailing the representation of every 750 Papuan adults by one electoral representative.
Dr Luns, who was accompanied in Rome by the Dutch Minister of Development Aid (Mr Bered Udink), said it had become apparent as recently as the last few weeks that the United Nations would be satisfied with this procedure. Asked about the outcome of the act of free choice, Dr Luns said that Indonesian thinking was strictly on the lines that the territory would remain with Indonesia whereas “for us, there is a certain element of uncertainty.” Dr Luns said that after the act of free choice, the Secre-tary-General (U Thant) would submit a report to the United Nations which would then be put on the provisional agenda, giving every country a right to comment upon it. Indonesia had included the territory in its five-year development plan and would he speeding up its development projects. For its part, the Netherlands would be speeding up the availability of funds amounting to sloom, which had in principle been made available for this purpose under the auspices of the United Nations, Mr Udink said.
- Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
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