Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura | Wed, 05/19/2010 10:49 AM
None of the EU member states supports the Papua separatist movement, but they support the implementation of special autonomy for the province aimed at improving the welfare of Papuans, says a former diplomat.
During a discussion on the issue with reporters on Tuesday, former Indonesian ambassador to Belgium and the EU Nadjib Kesoema also denied claims from the International Law for West Papua (ILWP) and the International Parliament of West Papua (IPWP) that EU countries supported the Free Papua Movement (OPM) struggle.
Nadjib said only two of the 736 EU parliament members attended the launch of the ILWP and IPWP in Brussels on Jan. 26 this year.
The event, Nadjib added, failed to draw media attention there, “because for Europe, the Papua issue has no direct influence on their lives, as the media is more interested in their own social issues”.
The Indonesian government is cooperating with the EU in economic, cultural and political fields, including human rights and democracy issues, as well as improving ties between both parties.
Meanwhile, former OPM official Nicholas Messet said the ILWP and IPWP were just entities lacking clear motives.
Messet said he was confident that none of the countries supported the OPM struggle, and urged Papua’s younger generation to work hard, study and earn money to improve their lives, rather than fight for something uncertain.
Messet called on the youth to learn the value of hard work from newcomers.
“I have been fighting since young, but it turned out that there’s no hope for freedom, so we have to change to progress,” he added.
Meanwhile, members from the joint National Police and Indonesian Military (TNI) security forces on Monday at 12:20 local time shot dead an OPM rebel identified as Werius Telengge in an ambush in Goburuk village, Yamo district, Puncak Jaya regency.
In the ambush, security personnel seized an AK-47 assault rifle and several rounds of ammunition.
Werius was wanted for a deadly ambush on PT Modern Technical construction workers in April. The ambush left three workers dead.
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