STRONG STUDENT AND COMMUNITY OPPOSITION TO BREAK-UP OF PAPUA VOICED IN SORONG DISTRICT

The following statement was released today in the name of the students and community of Sorong Regency in West Papua, translated in English by the West Papuan People Representative Office in Port Vila, Vanuatu

We, the community of Sorong, regard Presidential Decree No. 1/2003, ordering an acceleration of the process of dividing the present province of Papua into 3 smaller provinces, as an example of political manoevering , an abandonment of moral and legal values and an insult to the people of Papua. We view this as an example of the lust for power and the greed of the political elites in Indonesia who want to continue to control the wealth and natural resources of Papua without regard to the rights and property of the Papuan people. Therefore, in our heart of hearts we, all the students and the community of Sorong, declare the following :

1] That the President of the Republic, Megawati Soekarnoputri, immediately rescind Law No. 45 of 1999 and withdraw Presidential Decree No.1/2003.

2] That the uneven development of Papua which is responsible for the sufferings of the people over generations , is the result solely of the greed of those in power and the result of corrupt practices, collusion and nepotism. This problem cannot be redressed by dividing the province into 
three.

3] We call upon those who hold political power under President Megawati Soekarnoputri :Abandon your plans to hold on to the resources of Papua by falsely promising wealth and prosperity while at the same time disregarding the will of the people.

4] We urge the political lackeys of Indonesia in Papua who have declared themselves in favour of the division of the province, to prove they are true Papuans by respecting, sincerely and humbly, the innermost wishes of the Papuan people, rather than toadying to the parties in power or the political elites in Jakarta.

Further, we put Mr Abraham Oktovianus Ataruri ,a former civil servant, and his supporters on notice that their actions have destroyed the dreams and aspirations of the Papuan people.

5] We further call upon the Indonesian House of Representatives to urge President Megawati Soekarnoputri to accept responsibility for the repercussions arising from her Decree No.1/2003 which has created controversy within the Papuan community and which has brought the Indonesian 
Government into disrepute.

6] We demand that all measures taken by the Indonesian Government in contravention of the Papuan Development Program be redressed immediately in accordance with Indonesian and internationally recognized legal principles.

7] The Indonesian government must respond to our demands at the latest by 25 February,2003.

8] If these demands are not addressed by the above date, the only recourse available to us will be by way of a REFERENDUM in order to determine whether the true wish of the Papuan people is to continue to recognise the authority of Indonesia or, alternatively, to exercise their right of self-determination in favour of national sovereignty as an independent nation.

Only in this way can the principles of democracy and human dignity be fully respected by Indonesia and other countries.

Sorong, 11 February, 2003

In the name of all the students and citizens of the City and Regency of 
Sorong.


cc : 1. Chairman, Peopleís Consultative Council in Jakarta
Chairman, House of Representatives, Jakarta
President, Republic of Indonesia
Foreign Embassies in Jakarta
Minister of Internal Affairs and Regional Autonomy, Jakarta
Governor of the province of Papua
Chairman of the provincial Legislative Council of Papua
National and international press agencies
National and international print and electronic media
Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, Jakarta
All institutions of higher learning and senior high schools in Jayapura