PAPUA -- HUMAN RIGHTS BODY TO ISSUE REPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001434 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/ANP, DRL, DRL/AWH NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM ID SUBJECT: PAPUA -- HUMAN RIGHTS BODY TO ISSUE REPORT REVIEWING PAST VIOLATIONS JAKARTA 00001434 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Indonesia's official independent human rights body--which goes by the acronym "Komnas HAM"--has announced that it will soon release a preliminary report on human rights violations in the Papua region from 1963-2002. Based on the results of the report, Komnas HAM will decide whether to launch field investigations that would form the basis of a larger report. One contact told us that the purpose of the whole review is to "get the facts out." Papuans have called for such a report for years. END SUMMARY. A REPORT RE PAPUA ¶2. (C) Indonesia's official human rights body plans to issue a report regarding the Papua region of eastern Indonesia. The National Commission on Human Rights, an independent body, is currently drawing together documentation for the report. To be issued within the next month, the report--which would be preliminary in nature--would review violations which occurred in the 1963-2002 timeframe. ¶3. (C) According to our contact, the timeframe was chosen because 1963 was the year that the U.N. transferred administration of the region to Indonesia from the Dutch government. (Note: Papua was formally incorporated into Indonesia in 1969.) The end date chosen was 2002 because that was the year that the region received Special Autonomy from Jakarta. The preliminary report was commissioned several months ago and is quite long, according to contacts. DIFFICULT YEARS ¶4. (C) The 1963-2002 timeframe was a very difficult one in the Papua region, particularly the earlier years. Military operations against separatists were extensive. Papuans claim that during these operations serious human rights violations occurred and for years they have demanded a full investigation. Papuans also claim that those who did not support Jakarta's rule and others who were not involved politically came under severe pressure, including via arbitrary imprisonment, disappearances and sometimes torture. After the fall of Suharto in 1998, the situation began to improve markedly, with the Indonesian military relaxing its grip on the area to a large extent as Papuans became more involved in self-government. ¶5. (C) The activities during those years of separatist groups--such as the Free Papua Movement (OPM)--will fall within the purview of the report. Indonesians have also accused separatists of committing human rights violations. POSSIBLE FIELD INVESTIGATIONS ¶6. (C) If the preliminary report warrants it, Komnas HAM may commission field investigations to various sites in Papua. The objective would be to gather facts for a larger report on what exactly transpired. One Komnas HAM contact told us that the purpose of the whole review is to "get the facts out." (Note: Komnas HAM as an official institution is charged with investigating human rights issues. It cannot bring charges of violations on its own, though it can refer evidence to the Attorney General's Office, which can bring charges.) MEETING A PAPUAN DEMAND ¶7. (C) Komnas HAM has a solid reputation and its review of events in this area is a positive. Papuans have called for such a report--and prosecutions of those responsible for violations--for years. In fact, in light of the fact that little has been confirmed, Papua has long been awash in rumor and conjecture as to what exactly happened (Papuans angrily JAKARTA 00001434 002.2 OF 002 throw around the words "repression" and "genocide," for example). If Komnas HAM can make progress in placing a spotlight on this area, it would be constructive for the new democratic Indonesia and its efforts to face up to its authoritarian past. HUME