Papua: Decisions of Peace Conference still awaiting the OPM

Decisions of Peace Conference still awaiting the OPM, says Tebay

On recommendations regarding Jakarta-Papua dialogue

July 12, 2011 - Following the Papua Peace Conference which was held last week, Father Dr Neles Tebay, coordinator of the Papua Peace Network which was responsible for convening the conference, the results of the conference were not yet final.

He said that there were other groups of Papuans who would also play an important role in the success of the recommendations made by the conference. These were Papuans who are based abroad and Papuans living in the mountains, the TPN/OPM.

“This [the conference] was only the beginning. A final decision about who would represent us at the dialogue is not yet final. These are suggestions made by Papuans who are in Indonesia.” He said that a resolution of the problems in Papua would have to involve three groups, those living in Indonesia, those now living abroad, and those in the mountains.

He said that the conference had agreed on the criteria of Papua, a Land of Peace. “The indicators were in the political, economic, and environmental spheres, as well as in the field of law, human rights and social-cultural spheres.

“The drafting committee formulated the criteria according to inputs from the various sources on the first day, in particular the results of the discussions which took place in the commissions,” he said.

A political observer from La Keda Institute, Lamadi de Lamato said that the proposals agreed by the conference were somewhat idealistic. “It would seem to me that adjustments are needed to ensure that what is being proposed is realisable,” he told Bintang Papua.

He said that components from a number of districts in Papua and West Papua had been invited, and pointed out that members of the “DPRP—provincial legislative assembly—were acknowledged as being representatives of the people and they have been very vocal in expressing views to the government.”

He felt that nevertheless, the results of the conference were acceptable, both scientifically as well as being representative of the indigenous Papuan people, “because the participants had come from most of the regions in Papua and West Papua.”

ENDS

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