TNI ready to intercept pro-OPM boats: minister
Bagus BT Saragih, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
| National | Sun, August 18 2013, 7:57 PM

The Indonesian Military has been ordered to be prepared to intercept the journey of two boats carrying pro-West Papua independence activists from Australia, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto said on Sunday.

“I have asked the Navy and Air Force to standby and anticipate their journey,” he said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post.

The minister also said that he had talked with Australian ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty. “That there should be no nation allowing its soil to be used as a departure point for the movement of a group aimed at disturbing other nation’s sovereignty. That is very clear.”

The minister also confirmed the government had never issued visas to the activists and permission for the boats to enter Indonesian waters.

“I heard they are concerned about violence and human rights. I think the Indonesian government shares similar concerns,” Djoko said.

Reports over a plan by the activists to sail to Indonesian territory without permission came only days after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made a state speech which included an appeal for nations to respect Indonesia’s sovereignty over Papua.

The two boats would sail from Cairns, East Australia, through the Torres Strait and on to Papua New Guinea, from there; they hope to make the trip to Merauke, easternmost city in the Papua province, according to The Guardian.

The West Papuan Freedom Flotilla movement, which consisted of some 50 activists, was aimed at “highlighting abuses faced by West Papuans under Indonesian rule.” They planned to land in Merauke within a fortnight.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Saturday he had received information about the plan. “We keep monitoring the information. We are also making communications with the Australian and Papua New Guinean governments,” he said, reiterating that the governments of both Australia and Papua New Guinea had expressed their supports to Papua as an integral part to Indonesia.(dic)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2...-minister.html


Indonesia warns Australian flotilla activists of arrest in Papua
By Gail Burke
Posted Sat 17 Aug 2013, 8:24am AEST

Indonesian authorities have warned a group of Australian activists not to sail to the country's disputed Papua region today, or risk being intercepted and arrested.

The group, called the Freedom Flotilla, is preparing three boats to sail from Cairns to the Papuan provinces, to highlight the need for peace and stability in the area.

The crew includes Aboriginal elders, West Papuan refugees, filmmakers and other activists.

But the deputy chief of Papuan police, Paulus Waterpauw, says unauthorised boat arrivals will be intercepted by the navy and likely be detained by immigration authorities.

He says anybody in the group who has a criminal record or is on the country's wanted list will face arrest.

Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has also issued a strong warning to other countries, saying they should not violate Indonesia's sovereignty and upset Indonesians.

He says the Papuan provinces are part of Indonesia and that should be respected.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-1...-papua/4893924

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