PAPUA GOVERNOR UPDATES CHARGE ON DEVELOPMENT,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001266 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM EAID ID SUBJECT: PAPUA GOVERNOR UPDATES CHARGE ON DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES REF: JAKARTA 852 (PAPUA GOVERNOR OUTLINES DEVELOPMENT PLAN) JAKARTA 00001266 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: John A. Heffern, Charge d'affaires. Reasons: 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu told Charge on April 23 in Papua that he was making headway in his efforts to heal the rift between Papua and neighboring West Irian Jaya province and to implement his village-based development program. The two provinces' governors signed a milestone agreement on these issues on April 18. Suebu also reported that, with regard to the Yudhoyono administration's attitude towards Papua, it was an ongoing struggle to retain the central government's support while persuading it to step back and let him do his job. Expressing some concern about the Indonesian military's excessive presence in Papua, Suebu encouraged the USG to engage the central government on human rights issues in Papua. End summary. Moving Forward On Development, Reconciliation Issues -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On April 23, Charge met with Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu during a visit to Jayapura. Suebu reported that he was making slow but steady progress in his efforts to carry out his village-based development strategy (reftel paras) and resolve obstacles to the full implementation of the Special Autonomy law arising from the lingering dispute between the leadership of Papua and West Irian Jaya provinces. On the latter problem, he said he had returned from a meeting on Biak island with West Irian Jaya governor Bram Atururi, regents from both provinces, and leaders of both provincial legislatures and the Papuan People's Assembly (Majeles Rakyat Papua, MRP). In the talks, Suebu said, general agreement had been reached that the village-based development strategy would apply in both provinces and that the implementation of the Special Autonomy Law would be more fully coordinated with the West Irian Jaya provincial government. (Note: In the past, there has been friction over the fact that because West Irian Jaya lacks a recognized legal basis, Special Autonomy funds are allocated to regencies in West Irian Jaya but not to the provincial government itself. End note.) Participants in the conference signed an agreement to this effect on April 18 which also agreed West Irian Jaya's existence would be "acknowledged" by the Special Autonomy Law. Suebu said that the village-based development plan was now being coordinated at the regency and district level. ¶3. (SBU) Suebu went on to say the 2007 budget recently enacted by the Papuan legislative assembly would correct the old "inverted pyramid" pattern of expenditures, whereby 70 percent of the budget was used to fund the provincial bureaucracy. In this year's budget, the amount spent on administration would only be 27 percent. Papua Needs Responsible, Diverse Foreign Investment -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Charge asked what Suebu was doing to attract foreign investment. Suebu said that Malaysian investors were already involved in palm oil plantations, and that the Chinese had shown interest in this as well. Suebu said that Papua must respond carefully and impose a screening process in order to avoid getting burned by predatory "hit and run" investors. Some potential investors, Suebu said, had wanted to develop concessions as large as 100 thousand hectares for palm oil. Papua's response was that it was willing to consider proposals for up to 10 thousand hectares at first. ¶5. (SBU) Suebu explained that he wanted not only to expand, but also to diversify foreign investment in Papua. Papua had great potential for eco-tourism, he noted, but it needed better promotion and infrastructure for this. Charge said that USAID might be able to offer expertise in agribusiness, and that it was planning to send another mission to Papua in May. Suebu welcomed this, noting that Papua was currently over-reliant in mining and logging, while its potential for agriculture was largely unrealized. ¶6. (SBU) Charge asked in what other sectors USAID might be helpful. Suebu's aide Agus Sumule responded that he appreciated USAID's current efforts in basic health and education, and that he would welcome expanded engagement in these sectors in coordination with other donors. Sumule pointed to vocational education as an area in which foreign assistance would be especially helpful. Eco-tourism was also JAKARTA 00001266 002.2 OF 002 an area in which Papua could benefit from donor expertise. Suebu Wants Jakarta's Support -- And Leeway -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Charge asked about the current state of the central government's attitudes towards Papua. Recalling his February meeting with President Yudhoyono (reftel),Suebu said that he and West Irian Jaya Governor Atururi were working together to change the central government's image of Papua as a "problem region." Suebu stressed that he needed Jakarta on board if his plans to develop the province were to succeed, and said that the long-delayed Presidential Instruction on the Acceleration of Development in Papua was being revised so that it empowered provincial and local governments. Suebu said that in its original form, the draft instruction had outlined an "Aceh model" of development coordinated by a special office in Jakarta. Suebu said that he had successfully argued that it would be best if the central government would simply give him a chance to do his job. At this point, his aide Sumule chimed in, saying that everyone hoped that the government would continue to "keep its hands off" Suebu, a reference to rumors that the governor might be tapped for a Cabinet-level position. ¶8. (SBU) Suebu noted that members of the Papua Presidium (an unofficial indigenous rights grouping) had announced their intention to travel to the U.S., and noted reports that there had been increased U.S. Congressional interest in Papua in recent months. Charge replied that opening Papua to NGOs and journalists would be helpful in providing the outside world with accurate information about conditions in Papua. Suebu said that he supported those NGOs who were working for "truth and justice," and that the U.S. should continue its dialogue with the central government on human rights. TNI Still Overbearing -------------- ¶9. (C) Charge asked for Suebu's views on the role of the police and military (TNI) in Papua. Suebu said that the province needed a "sufficient" police force, with more representation of indigenous Papuans in its ranks. He noted that Tommy Jakobus, the current police chief would soon leave his post, and said he was currently in discussions with the national police leadership about a possible successor, as stipulated in the Special Autonomy Law. The military, he said, should confine itself to a supporting role to the police in maintaining public order. The governor complained that the TNI deployed in Papua did a poor job of sharing information with the provincial government, and that he was troubled by reports of activities by plainclothes KOPASSUS (Special Forces) troops in the province. (Note: OPM separatist activity has been on the rise in Papua since December 2006 and KOPASSUS has increased its presence there as a result. However, there have been no reported abuses or misconduct by any TNI soldiers in Papua during this period. End note.) The security forces, Suebu said, continued to be excessively fixated on issues of separatism, distracting the central government from development priorities. He added that KOPASSUS in particular had a record of "creating and perpetuating conflicts." Overall, Suebu concluded, it would be good if the TNI were to reduce its numbers deployed in Papua. Media Themes: U.S. Looks To Better Future -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Following their meeting, Charge and Governor Suebu held a brief impromptu press conference for representatives of local and national media. The media accorded front-page coverage to Charge's statement that while the U.S. supported the territorial integrity of the Republic of Indonesia, we also recognized Papua's special identity, history, and needs, and were exploring ways in which the USG could become more engaged. The U.S., the Charge continued, was more interested in building a future of cooperation than in revisiting historical issues. Asked about a recently-ended strike at the U.S.-owned Freeport mine near Timika, Charge said he was pleased that the dispute had been resolved without intervention by either the U.S. or Indonesian governments. HEFFERN