The Age (Melbourne)
Growing border tension fuels PNG conflict fears
By Paul Daley, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Canberra
Monday 13 November 2000

The suspected increased involvement of Papua New Guineans in the West Papua independence movement has triggered new fears in Port Moresby that the country could be drawn into a border conflict with Indonesia.

While Australian security planners continue to view the PNG-Indonesia border with deep concern, New Guinea's intelligence and military strategists are increasingly warning that the country is ill-equipped to deal with growing security problems posed by mounting friction between the Free Papua Movement (OPM) and Indonesian security forces.

The PNG intelligence agencies have warned the government that its own depleted security forces are hopelessly ill-equipped to deal with thousands of potential refugees from West Papua should fighting increase in the disputed Indonesia province.

Nor could the PNG security forces deal with border incursions by the Indonesian military in hot pursuit of OPM rebels, or with PNG citizens who are helping to train OPM members on the PNG side of
the border, the government has been privately warned.

In recent months PNG Prime Minister Mekere Morauta has stepped up dialogue with Indonesia over the West Papua issue.

Sources told The Age that PNG diplomats had expressed strong concerns about the likelihood of hot pursuits by Indonesian soldiers across the PNG border, and Indonesia had expressed its alarm that PNG citizens were known to be aiding the OPM.
 
It is believed that PNG has told Jakarta it will cooperate on border security issues, but it also expects Indonesia to respect PNG sovereignty.

"Relations between Jakarta and Moresby on this issue remain constructive," a diplomatic source said.

"But Indonesia continues to make it plain that its troops won't stop at the border when they're chasing (OPM rebels) and PNG citizens will also pay if they are helping out."

Australian analysts fear a rise in tensions along the PNG-Indonesia border could also draw Canberra into the widening conflict if PNG asks for military assistance to seal the border.

Late last week PNG's Post Courier newspaper referred to "various official reports" to the PNG government - including from the PNG consulate in Jayapura, West Papua, and "intelligence people in
Vanimo" near the PNG-West Papua border - about the security issue.

The warnings "cautioned that the spill-over could take the form of fleeing civilian refugees, border incursions by Indonesian soldiers in pursuit of pro-independence rebels and even the active
involvement of PNG citizens sympathetic to the West Papua independence cause".