The government has said it is ready to listen to all feedback and demand from Papuans, except those related to a referendum.
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JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The government has said it is ready to listen to all feedback and demand from Papuans, except those related to a referendum. The government will also restore full internet access on 5 Sept., once conditions in Papua have returned to normal this week.
“Dialog is important and necessary, but it must be constructive. We are closed to any [discussions] about a referendum. If Papuans feel that the development is lacking in acceleration, let us know,” Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto said in Jakarta on Tuesday (3/9/2019).
Wiranto said that President Joko Widodo had instructed Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian and State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Budi Gunawan to open dialog in all spaces in Papua.
A protest was held in Manokwari on Tuesday over the racial abuse in mid-August directed at Papuan university students in East Java. To prevent the protests from devolving into a riot, authorities prohibited the protesters from marching from the Amban subdistrict office to the city center.
A similar protest turned violent on 19 Aug., with rioters setting fire to several buildings and vehicles.
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo said the police had arrested 48 people in Papua and another 20 in West Papua in connection with the mid-August riots.
Meanwhile, T.S. has been detained at the East Java Police station and named as a suspect for spreading hoaxes and provoking protesters during the 16-17 Aug. siege of the Papuan students’ dormitory in Surabaya.
East Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Frans Barung Mangera said T.S. was being temporarily detained for 24 hours from midnight on Tuesday.
In addition to T.S., the police had also named Surabaya civil servant S.A. as a suspect.
National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) commissioner Amiruddin Al Rahab said authorities should thoroughly investigate the racial abuse case. “Persecution and racism are [violations of] human rights,” he said.
Internet access
Wiranto said that the government would remove its internet restriction in Papua once security and order was restored in the region. The results of an analysis on potential security disruptions through cyber communication were the primary consideration in ending restricted internet access. “Please give us time. If conditions are truly safe, internet access in Papua will [be restored] on 5 September,” he said.
Communications and Informatics Minister Rudiantara said that restricted internet access remained in place in Papua and West Papua due to the high volume of hoaxes spreading in the regions.
“More than 500,000 URLs have been used to spread hoaxes [since 18 Aug. 2019]. The level [of dissemination] is still high,” Rudiantara said on Monday evening in West Sumatra. He added that the hoaxes comprised disinformation as well as provocation.
Separately, the Public Works and Housing Ministry said it would start repairing the 10 government offices that were damaged in the riots on 29 Aug. in Jayapura. Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said the repairs would cost around Rp 100 billion (US$7.05 million).