Open letter to delegates at ALP Conference

Open letter to delegates at ALP National Conference

We are writing to you with great concern about the issue of West Papua. We believe the situation in West Papua is deteriorating. The West Papuan people who are one of our nearest neighbours face great challenges including ongoing human rights abuses, the exploitation of their natural resources with little or no benefit to themselves, the danger of becoming a minority in their own land as the result of migrants arriving daily , and a HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Although there has been some progress towards democracy in Indonesia, the Indonesian military has itself failed to reform. We note in the US State Department's 2005 Human Rights report on Indonesia, it states "the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) considered anyone killed by its forces in conflict areas to be an armed rebel. The government largely failed to hold soldiers and police accountable for such killings and other serious human rights abuses in Aceh and Papua."

In November 2006, the Australian Government signed a treaty with Indonesia,the ³Agreement between Australia and the Republic of Indonesia on the Framework for Security Cooperation² (The Lombok Treaty). This treaty commits us to ties with the Indonesian military who have a record of committing human rights abuses not only in the past in East Timor but at the present time in West Papua. The military are also involved in illegal resource extraction including illegal logging in West Papua.

We believe this treaty is being driven by the issue of West Papua and its main aim is to restore good relations with Jakarta which were damaged by the arrival of the 43 West Papuan asylum seekers in Cape York in January 2006. It is also to confirm to Jakarta the Government¹s policy of recognising Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua.

However, good relations with Jakarta should not be at the expense of the West Papuan people who are struggling for their right to self-determination. We note that a majority of the Australian people also believe in the same right. A Newspoll in April 2006 showed that 77% of Australians believed that the West Papuan people have a right to self -determination.

To repeat, our main concern is the defence ties with the Indonesia military that this treaty would commit us to. We believe that any aid or training given to the Indonesian military will only be used to oppress the West Papuan people.

This treaty has yet to be ratified by the parliament. We believe before any treaty is signed with Indonesia, safeguards should be put in place that allows access for human rights monitors to West Papua.

We note that in the Australian newspaper, dated 12 April 2007, that the former NSW MLC Meredith Burgmann said she had cross-party support for a motion that calls for autonomy, international monitors to resolve disputes between the Papuans and the Indonesian army, and recognition of the differences between Papua and the rest of Indonesia. We thank delegates for this support for West Papua.

We also ask delegates at the conference to urge that a motion calling for a clause in the treaty that allows access for human rights monitors to West Papua be also moved before any treaty with Indonesia be ratified in parliament.

ENDS