ETAN Urges Obama to
Raise West Papua Rights with
Indonesia President
contact: John M. Miller, ETAN,
+1-917-690-4391, john@etan.org
October 25 -
 The
East
Timor and Indonesia Action
Network (ETAN) today urged
President Obama to forcefully
urge Indonesia's President Joko
"Jokowi" Widodo to end human
rights violations.
In
a petition signed by nearly
1400 people [more than 3500 as
of May 2016], the U.S. president
was urged "to condition U.S.
support for the Indonesian
security forces on concrete
improvements in human rights."
John M. Miller, national
coordinator of ETAN, said that
"President Widodo
pledged to improve human
rights in West Papua. By
conditioning assistance to the
Indonesian military and police,
President Obama can support this
policy by striking at those most
reluctant to implement it."
Miller added that "Widodo's
rights pledge has been
undermined by Indonesia's
security forces and some of
Jokowi's own officials."
Obama and Widodo are scheduled
to meet in Washington, DC, on
Monday, October 26.
Background
Beginning in May 1963, West
Papua was occupied by Indonesia
with U.S. government support and
encouragement. By 1969,
Indonesia had annexed the
territory. Over the course of
five decades, West Papuans have
suffered mass killings, torture,
rape, and the loss of their
culture and lands.rights.
The U.S. provides weapons
and training to Indonesia's
police and military that
continue to repress the West
Papuan people.
 U.S.
corporations like the mining
giant
Freeport McMoRan have
devastated the environment. At
least 100,000 Papuans are
believed to have died as a
result of Indonesian rule. And
the region has been so inundated
with migrants that indigenous
Papuans are no longer a majority
in their own land.
The
Indonesian government's attempts
to conceal the truth about West
Papua include restricting access
to the territory by foreign
journalists and UN Special
Rapporteurs on human rights.
While President Widodo has
announced several positive
initiatives, elements in his
government, including the
security forces, are resisting
change and the human rights
violations continue.
The
West Papuans continue to resist
Indonesian rule. Groups
supporting self-determination
recently came together in the
United Liberation Movement for
West Papua (ULMWP) in a
broad coalition to press their
case within West Papua and
internationally.
Restrictions on security
assistance, training and
weapons, from the United States
were important in persuading
Indonesia to respect rights of
the East Timorese.
ETAN
suggests conditioning security
assistance on credible trials of
those accused of past and
ongoing human rights violations;
unconditional freedom for
political prisoners;
unrestricted access to the
territory (which currently
consists of the Indonesian
provinces of Papua and West
Papua); and
internationally-mediated talks
between the Indonesian
government and the United
Liberation Movement for West
Papua.
The
East Timor and Indonesia
Action
Network (ETAN) was founded
in 1991 and supports democracy,
human rights and justice in
Timor-Leste, West Papua and
Indonesia. Website:
www.etan.org Twitter:
@etan009. ETAN
co-publishes the monthly West
Papua Report with the West Papua
Advocacy Team.
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ETAN is "A
voice of reason, criticizing the
administration's reluctance
to address ongoing human rights
violations and escalating oppression
in West Papua and against religious
minorities throughout Indonesia."
Noam Chomsky
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