DPR Members to Meet Papuans in Australia
Monday, 03 April, 2006 | 17:23 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Six members of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) from the Foreign Affairs Commission plan to visit Canberra, Australia, at their own expense.

The six include Yuddy Chrisnandi and Happy Bone Zulkarnaen from the Golkar Party, Jeffrey J. Massie (Peace & Prosperity Party- PDS), Ali Mochtar Ngabalin (Crescent Star Party-PBB), Dedi Djamaluddin Malik, (National Mandate Party) and Effendi M.S. Simbolon (Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle-PDIP).

While there, according to Effendi, they will meet members of the Australian parliament and government as well as the 42 Papuans who have been granted asylum on grounds of genocide threats.

“We will provide evidence that their accusations are not true,” Effendi told Tempo yesterday (2/4).

The evidence to be shown, he said, consists of primary data from the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), the Police, the Indonesian Military (TNI), and churches in Papua.

The evidence shows that the 42 Papuans are from various ethnical groups, and their departure to Australia was a manipulation assisted by Australia.

It is planned that this week the delegation will meet the DPR Speaker, Agung Laksono, to request permission for the trip.

According to Ali Mochtar, the Australian parliament will provide an informal explanation by facsimile or phone on Wednesday this week and this will be delivered to DPR leaders.

The delegation will ask for the DPR leaders’ recommendation to visit Canberra.

It also plans to bring charges against the Australian Immigration Minister for granting the visas at the international arbitration agency.

Wahyudin Fahmi