PAPUA -- GOI PLANNING FOR CONGRESSMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001174 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/ANP NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/16/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL ID SUBJECT: PAPUA -- GOI PLANNING FOR CONGRESSMAN FALEOMAVAEGA'S RETURN REF: JAKARTA 985 JAKARTA 00001174 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Cameron R. Hume for reasons 1.4 (b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: A senior Indonesian official told Congressman Faleomavaega that President Yudhoyono supported the idea of the Congressman's returning to Indonesia's restive Papua province. Indonesian legislators have also invited Mr. Faleomavaega to Papua and plan to press the GOI that they, too, be included in the trip. The GOI has yet to begin making specific plans for a visit and it is unclear how much pressure the President's office is willing to put on elements of the GOI that might want to limit Mr. Faleomavaega's access to Papua. END SUMMARY ¶2. (C) Ambassador Hume met Presidential Special Envoy Alwi Shihab June 13 to discuss Congressman Eni Faleomavaega's (D-American Samoa) possible return visit to Papua later this year. The Ambassador said that in his June 5 meeting with Mr. Faleomavaega in Washington, the Congressman had said he hoped to visit Papua in early August, accompanied by Representatives Donald Payne and Diane Waston. ¶3. (C) Ambassador Hume underscored the need to avoid possible confusion regarding the trip--especially given the differences of opinion within the GOI regarding Mr. Faleomavaega's previous Papua trip. (Note: Congressman Faleomavaega visited Papua in November 2007 but that trip was less than satisfactory. Although President Yudhoyono and Vice President Kalla had invited him to Papua, elements within the GOI--particularly the intelligence and security services--opposed the trip. Due to their opposition, the trip was limited to two days when the GOI had promised Mr. Faleomavaega a week. The GOI did not allow him to visit provincial capital Jayapura, due to security concerns. End note.) The Ambassador stressed the importance of planning the trip carefully and providing the Congressman with accurate information about the program. ¶4. (C) Shihab, who had just returned from Washington, where he had met with Mr. Faleomavaega, explained that President Yudhoyono had planned to write a letter to Faleomavaega but that domestic matters had "gotten in the way." (Note: Congressman Faleomavaega has sent two letters to President Yudhoyono, both critical of how the GOI handled his previous Papua trip and of GOI policy there generally.) The President had asked Shihab to carry an oral message to Faleomavaega that stressed two points: --The President was not satisfied with how Mr. Faleomavaega was treated during his Papua visit in November, particularly with the restrictions that were placed on where he could go and whom he could meet; --The President would instruct the security services that they must handle a future visit more appropriately. Shihab also explained that Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Sudjadnan had asked President Yudhoyono to host Mr. Faleomavaega at the Presidential Palace for the August 17, 2008 national day proclamation ceremony following the proposed Papua visit. ¶5. (C) Shihab said that, in Washington, Congressman Faleomavaega had asked Shihab if he and Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Freddy Numberi--the only Papuan member of the Cabinet--would accompany him to Papua. Shihab had said he was willing to do this and thought Numberi would as well. Shihab felt a one-week visit Papua was too long, and told the Ambassador he would try to persuade the Congressman to shorten the trip somewhat. (Note: The GOI has not made any specific decisions regarding how long the trip will be or what locations in Papua the Congressman will visit.) JAKARTA 00001174 002.2 OF 002 ¶6. (C) Ambassador Hume cautioned that the visit must be handled very carefully. There were some Papua activists and independence supporters who would try to use the visit to draw attention to their cause. Moreover, it remains unclear how much political capital the President's office might be willing to expend pressing recalcitrant elements of the GOI to support a less restricted visit to Papua. ¶7. (C) Indonesian legislators are also moving forward with their plans to invite Mr. Faleomavaega to Papua. Reiterating what a group of parliamentarians told the Charge in May (reftel),Djoko Susilo told poloff that he and his colleagues believed they could help facilitate the visit. Susilo noted they could relate to the Congressman as fellow legislators. Susilo said the parliamentarians would urge the GOI that they, too, be included in the trip. HUME