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

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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

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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