[Kabar-indonesia] Howard Concerned About Papua Exodus Reports [+2 Transcripts; Activist Dies]

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

4 reports: 

- Australian PM Concerned About Reports 
  Of Papuan Exodus

- Papuan activist dies in Sydney hospital

- Transcript: Papuan asylum seekers bring 
  political struggle to Australia

- Transcript: Australia won't support Papuan 
  independence movement: Vanstone

Australian PM Concerned About Reports Of Papuan Exodus

CANBERRA, October 3 (Dow Jones)--Australian Prime Minister John Howard
said Tuesday he was concerned about predictions of an exodus of asylum
seekers from the Indonesian province of Papua.

A boatload of 43 asylum seekers from West Papua landed in Northern
Australia in January, triggering a diplomatic rift between Australia
and Indonesia this year.

Earlier Tuesday, Papuan dissident Edison Warom warned even more people
from the province were planning to seek asylum in Australia.

"I can say that there will be more people leaving but I can't confirm
what day and what time," Warom told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
radio through an interpreter.

Howard said he was troubled by Warom's comments and an earlier report
the 43 Papuan asylum seekers who arrived in January had been
hand-picked to satisfy Australia's immigration system.

The Australian newspaper last month reported expedition leader Herman
Wanggai spent two years recruiting the best candidates to be granted
Australian temporary protection visas.

"The government will be looking even more closely at any possible
manipulation of the system," Howard told reporters in Sydney.

"We have an orderly refugee program and if people are trying to
manipulate the system then it will mean further closer scrutiny of any
asylum applications in the future."

The arrival of the asylum seekers in northern Australia in January and
the Australian Immigration Department's subsequent decision to grant
temporary protection visas to 42 of the 43 Papuan triggered a public
fallout between Australia and Indonesia.

Interpreting the visas as Australian endorsement of Papua's
independence movement, Indonesia recalled its ambassador to Australia
in March.

Prime Minister John Howard sent the nation's top diplomat, Michael
L'Estrange, to Jakarta to try to patch the rift. Later, Foreign
Affairs Minister Alexander Downer met with his Indonesian counterpart
and Howard met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to
restore good relations between the neighboring countries.

----------------------------------------

AAP
October 3, 2006

Papuan activist dies in Sydney

A prominent Papuan independence activist has died in a Sydney hospital, the 
Free West Papua human rights group says.

Willem (Wim) Zonggonau, who spent 35 years trying to win independence for the 
Indonesian province of Papua, died on Monday at Royal North Shore Hospital, 
after a "massive cardiovascular event".

Greens Senator Bob Brown paid tribute to Mr Zonggonau, 64, whom he said had 
been a great leader.

"He was a fine and inspiring person," Senator Brown said in a statement.

Mr Zonggonau was prevented from travelling to the US to protest against the 
conduct of the United Nations after a "sham" referendum on the issue of 
independence in 1969.

"If the Papuan's wishes for independence had been heard fairly and openly 
back then (1969) I have no doubt Wim would have been a great leader, even prime 
minister of West Papua," Senator Brown said.

At the time of his death, Mr Zonggonau, who lived in Papua New Guinea, had 
been on a public speaking tour of Australia to highlight his concerns about a 
proposed new security treaty between Indonesia and Australia.

"There were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, however an 
autopsy and coroner's inquiry will be undertaken in Sydney this week," Free West 
Papua said in a statement.

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Australian Broadcasting Corporation 
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
-transcript-

Papuan asylum seekers bring political struggle to Australia

Reporter: Geoff Thompson

TONY EASTLEY: A pro independence Papuan leader who helped get 43 of
his people to Australia, where they were granted temporary asylum, has
told AM that preparations are being made for what he calls another
"exodus".

Edison Waromi is the President of the West Papua National Authority,
which was set up to try and unite the different pro-independence
groups within the Indonesian province.

He told our Indonesia Correspondent Geoff Thompson that the asylum
seekers' journey to Australia was planned to bring attention to
Papua's independence struggle.

(Sound of drums, singing)

GEOFF THOMPSON: On the edge of Jayapura, a celebration of the Papua
Indonesia does not want you to see. A few years ago, a secret little
gathering like this would be an occasion to raise the morning star
flag of Papua's independence movement. Now a small separatist gesture
is all that is there, but there is a new hope here.

(Willy Mandowen speaking)

"Forty two Papuans have been accepted by Australia as our neighbour,"
says the Papuan Customary Council's spokesman Willy Mandowen.

"It's the first time in history. What's going on? It's a sign of God's
blessing," he says, "that the Papuan's struggle in his plan."

Australia's granting of temporary protection visas to 42 Papuans was
part of a plan. But rather than being a spontaneous flight from
Papua's conflicted shores, the asylum bid was organised over three
years and each of the asylum seekers was carefully selected based on
the likelihood of their qualifying for protection because of family
histories of involvement in the independence movement.

(Sound of Edison Waromi speaking)

"This is a very encouraging for the Papuan people who are being
pursued and intimidated," says the West Papua National Authority's
President Edison Waromi.

"They can just go together to the kangaroo continent, until Papua's
problem, independent Papua's political status, can be resolved fairly
and peacefully," he says.

"Australia has a constitution that can guarantee asylum seekers so we
need to direct our struggle," he says. "And when West Papua gains its
independence in the future, Australia will be our closest neighbour."

Edison Waromi also claims that another asylum bid, what he calls an
exodus, is being prepared.

(Sound of Edison Waromi speaking)

"I can say that there will be more people leaving but I can't confirm
what day and what time," he says, "because if I say then Jakarta will
surely monitor the southern waters and borders of Jayapura. But I will
say there will be an exodus."

Edison Waromi offered no evidence to suggest that such an exodus was imminent.

>From Jayapura this is Geoff Thompson reporting for AM.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Australian Broadcasting Corporation 
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
-transcript-

Australia won't support Papuan independence movement: Vanstone

Reporter: Tony Eastley

TONY EASTLEY: Only last week the Minister for Immigration Senator
Amanda Vanstone met Chinese immigration officials to discuss border
security in the Asia-Pacific region, so it's a subject dear to her
heart.

Amanda Vanstone joins us now.

Good morning, Minister.

AMANDA VANSTONE: Good morning.

TONY EASTLEY: We heard Edison Waromi, the President of the West Papua
National Authority tells our correspondent that he wants to send more
people to Australia. Has Australia received any intelligence to that
end?

AMANDA VANSTONE: Well, nobody who gets access to any intelligence
discusses it on air, but I do find this story a little bit depressing,
even though it was one that we would expect, because we said at the
time that this was an organised arrangement, and not, as you rightly
say in the introduction to the program, a spontaneous flight.

It was an organised arrangement, and it was clearly done to give the
opportunity for people in Australia to form a base for protesting the
civil issues in Indonesian West Papua.

Now, we don't support a separate Indonesian West Papua and I don't
think Australians want civil unrest on their northern borders. So the
fact that this has given some people some hope is in fact, I think, a
pretty depressing outcome.

TONY EASTLEY: But what's been arranged between Australian and
Indonesia since those last arrivals, the 43, which can head off
further potential diplomatic stoushes between Australia and Indonesia?
And have you received any information to suggest this is happening?

AMANDA VANSTONE: Well, if you want to talk about what you refer to as
diplomatic stoushes, I think you need to talk to Mr Downer. But from
my part in the immigration portfolio, we have very close cooperation
with the Indonesians.

I'm very grateful, and I think if I could tell you all about it,
Australians would be very grateful for the cooperation we get from
Indonesia. Their minister, Mr Awaluddin, is a very competent man_

TONY EASTLEY: Are you confident, though, he'll tell you that more
Papuans may be on their way to Australia?

AMANDA VANSTONE: Look, the first loyalty of any minister is to their
own nation, and that's just as true of Indonesian ministers as it is
with Australian ministers.

But I can say this: that we do understand that the unlawful movement
of people is a regional issue, and we cooperate on it between
ourselves, and with other countries in the region.

TONY EASTLEY: But are you confident, Amanda Vanstone, that if there is
another boatload of Papuans being arranged to come to Australia,
you'll know about it first?

AMANDA VANSTONE: Look, I don't think you can ever be sure of that sort
of thing. I would hope that there isn't another boatload, for a number
of reasons. It is the least safe way to seek asylum in Australia.

I did hear last night on another program on the ABC someone saying we
tried to pass a bill to send all asylum seekers to Nauru. That's not
correct.

We sought to pass a bill through Parliament to send all unauthorised
boat arrivals to Nauru. It is the least safe way for people to come to
Australia and seek asylum.

TONY EASTLEY: Minister for Immigration, Senator Amanda Vanstone,
thanks for joining us this morning.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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