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RUEHJA/AMCONSUL SURABAYA 1844
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 001925 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EAP/MTS FOR JWAYMAN; H FOR KAREN GATZ 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/13/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ID XB
SUBJECT: REP. FALEOMAVAEGA BRINGS PAPUANS TOGETHER 
 
REF: A. JAKARTA 1874 
 
     ¶B. JAKARTA 1266 
     ¶C. JAKARTA 852 
 
JAKARTA 00001925  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Joseph L. Novak, reasons: 1.4 (b) an 
d (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  Despite being denied access to Papua during 
his July 3-6 visit to Indonesia, Rep. Eni Faleomavaega 
nevertheless succeeded in bringing together senior Papuan 
officials and civil society leaders in Jakarta for a dialogue 
on finding common ground to address the region's long-term 
needs.  Faleomavaega built goodwill with GOI officials 
(Reftel A) and also a degree of unanimity among Papuans. 
Faleomavaega emphasized his confidence in President 
Yudhoyono's commitment to empower the Papuan people.  He 
asked Papuans to speak with one voice in their dialogue with 
the GOI.  According to Papuans who participated in the 
meetings, this was the first time that senior Papuan 
political leaders have sat down to hear the views of civil 
society leaders.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Rep. Eni Faleomavaega held a series of meetings 
with Papuan government and civil society leaders during his 
July 3-6 visit to Jakarta, holding dialogues with a cross 
section of Papuan society despite being denied access to 
Papua by the GOI. (see reftel A).  The GOI kept its promise 
to bring Papuan officials to Jakarta instead, flying in 
governors from both Papua and West Papua provinces, several 
regents, and members of the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP). 
Minister of Fisheries Freddy Numberi arranged many of 
Faleomavaega's meetings, accompanied him throughout most of 
the visit, and coordinated events with the Foreign Affairs 
Ministry.  Other senior Papuan officials and legislators 
attended many of the meetings as well, including:  Deputy 
Minister for Development of Disadvantaged Regions, Dr. 
Michael Menafandu, and three members of Parliament: Theo 
Sambuaga (chairman of Commission One, which oversees foreign 
and security affairs), Yorrys Raweyai, and Robert Joppy 
Kardinal. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Faleomavaega's marathon meetings culminated on July 
5 with a session attended by all the Papuans mentioned above 
plus others who had flown in from Papua, including:  Papuan 
Governor Barnabas Suebu and West Papua Governor Abraham 
Ataruri; several Papuan regents (locality administrator); and 
a number of Papuan human rights leaders and members of the 
Papuan Traditional Council.  Pro-separatists attended as 
well, including Council Secretary Willy Mandowen.  Mandowen 
experienced some problems getting to Jakarta.  His plane 
reservation for the trip had been canceled when he arrived at 
the airport in Papua, but his threat to stage a protest that 
would close the airport persuaded the airline to give him 
back his seat.  Five MRP and Council members, however, were 
not able to travel because their seats were canceled, 
including Council Secretary General Thaha Al Hamid.  (Note: 
They sent us a letter of complaint to pass to Faleomavaega, 
which we also passed to Foreign Ministry and Coordinating 
Security Ministry officials.)  Various senior security and 
foreign ministry officials also attended the July 5 meeting. 
 
Governor Laments Poverty, Praises SBY 
------------------------------------- 
¶4.  (C) Gov. Suebu set the tone of the mid-day meeting by 
talking about the exploitation of natural resources which has 
stranded Papuans in extreme poverty amid vast natural wealth. 
 He explained how the Special Autonomy Law of 2001 should 
have empowered Papuans, but instead has been stymied by 
"corruption and nepotism."  He described how he "cried" at 
the poverty he witnessed during recent visits to some of 
Papua's thousands of villages.  However, he noted that the 
situation has begun to change under President Yudhoyono with 
the implementation of Special Autonomy.  He said he is 
hopeful that the Presidential Decree issued a few weeks ago 
will speed up development.  The governor said he has four 
goals: clean government; people-centered, village-to-city 
infrastructure development; peace in Papua by ridding of the 
more than 10,000 outlanders who are illegally mining and 
deforesting under the noses of local officials, thus angering 
Papuans; and, transportation infrastructure development, to 
build an integrated a 
ir, land and sea transport system, requiring an investment of 
$10 billion.  He also said he plans to send qualified 
 
JAKARTA 00001925  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
teachers to all of the villages and to distribute $100 
million (Rp.10 trillion) to the villages over the next five 
years to lift Papuans from "absolute poverty to middle class 
prosperity." 
 
Faleomavaega on Special Autonomy 
-------------------------------- 
¶5.  (SBU) Faleomavaega spoke next, explaining his long 
kinship with Papua and how he is the first Congressman of 
Asian-Pacific heritage to chair the East Asia subcommittee. 
He explained that the statements he made previously about 
Papua were misconstrued as advocating separatism, noting that 
what he actually said was that if the GOI "is not going to do 
anything to help the people of Papua, you might as well give 
them independence."  He then said, "I have come away very 
impressed with efforts by President Yudhoyono to implement 
the Special Autonomy Law."  He said the more Papuans are 
empowered to run their own affairs, the "less power there 
will be for separatists who demand independence."  He added 
that at least 10 delegations of Papuans have visited his 
office over the years, all claiming to represent Papua but 
with different agendas.  "It is critical that you speak with 
one voice," he said. 
 
¶6. (SBU) West Papua Governor Ataruri told the audience that 
the provincial government is now asking how it can undertake 
Special Autonomy in an integrated Indonesia, referring to 
Faleomavaega's earlier statement by adding that if this 
cannot be accomplished, "we should just be let go."  Other 
participants in the meeting then launched into a litany of 
grievances, although no one openly spoke out for 
independence. (Note:  Foreign ministry and security ministry 
officials observed this meeting.) 
 
Papuans Find Common Ground 
-------------------------- 
¶7.  (C) Late on July 5, just ten or so persons attended a 
smaller private follow-on meeting attended only by Papuans 
and Faleomavaega.  According to one Papuan, these included: 
the two governors, Minister Numberi, Willy Mandowen, Yorrys 
Raweyai, Robert Kardinal, and Frans Wospakrik of the MRP. 
Raweyai and Mandowen said the five-hour heart-to-heart 
dialogue was the first time that senior Papuan officials have 
ever sat down and listened to community leaders.  Views 
ranged from calls for immediate separation to the two 
governors' view of giving the remaining 19-year lifespan of 
Special Autonomy a chance to empower Papuans, Raweyai said. 
(Note:  Raweyai advocates early independence.)  Even the 
staunch pro-separatist Mandowen said the meeting swayed him 
to accept that, at least for the time being, Papuans need to 
work with the GOI to build the human capacity needed to 
govern themselves.  Raweyai said the main message that 
everyone agreed on was that dialogue between government and 
civic leaders must continue and that they must speak with one 
voice in pressing the GOI to implement Special Autonomy. 
Raweyai and Mandowen both said they hope that the U.S. 
Congress and the Embassy will press the GOI to speed up 
Special Autonomy and to listen seriously to Papuans. 
 
¶8.  (C) A senior aid to Gov. Suebu, Agus Sumule, also asked 
us to keep pressing the GOI on these issues.  In a July 11 
telephone conversation, Sumule said the governor hopes 
Faleomavaega's visit "will result in an improved situation 
where the people in Jakarta will start to trust the people in 
Papua."  He added, "I hope that Jakarta will understand now 
that Special Autonomy is being watched very carefully...by 
people outside."  Sumule said the provincial government could 
have easily handled any political complications that might 
have arisen from Faleomavaega's visiting Papua, and he 
worried that Faleomavaega might believe that he did not see 
the real situation because he could not visit.  Sumule also 
complained that halfway through the fiscal year, Papua has 
only received a third of the funds allocated under Special 
Empowerment, making planning very difficult, and that Papua 
is awaiting action on the Presidential Decree. 
 
Flag Incident Raises Tensions 
----------------------------- 
¶9.  (C) When Faleomavaega arrived in Jakarta on July 3, 
approximately 500 delegates from 250 tribes had already 
gathered in Jayapura for the Papuan Traditional Council.  The 
Council reportedly was very excited that Faleomavaega would 
arrive on July 4 and address them, not knowing permission was 
 
JAKARTA 00001925  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
denied.  On July 5, the "Morning Star" flag, a symbol of 
Papuan independence, was displayed during a cultural 
performance at the Council, prompting Mobile Brigade police 
to send truckloads of police to the venue at the sports 
stadium.  An aid to Governor Suebu called Poloff at that 
point, saying he was worried security forces might do 
something rash and asking the Embassy to urge GOI security 
officials to use restraint.  Council leaders reached a 
compromise with police allowing them access to the stadium 
venue, but not to the room where delegates were meeting, 
thereby defusing the situation. 
 
¶10.  (C) On July 7, police summoned eleven Council members in 
order to question them as "witnesses" to the flag event, and 
were able to locate and question eight of them.  According to 
Sumule, during the week of July 8, police were to have also 
questioned eight members of the cultural group that displayed 
the flag, with treason charges possible.  The Council has 
long maintained that the Morning Star is a symbol of Papuan 
culture which they have a right to choose under the 2001 
Special Autonomy Law.  The GOI has declared the Morning Star 
a symbol of rebellion.  Sumule also maintained that the 
Morning Star is a legal cultural symbol, and asked the 
Embassy to urge the GOI to not overreact.  Sumule also 
expressed concern over comments on July 7 by former head of 
National Intelligence AM Hendropriyono, who said at a 
conference on separatist movements that the Papuan separatist 
movement is now "seeking sponsors from overseas."  Several 
other public figures made similar allegations in recent days. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) The Council on July 6 elected a new head, Forkorus 
Yoboisembut, replacing Tom Beanal.  According to the media, 
Yobiosembut promptly called for Papuan independence, saying 
that the "forced autonomy that is underway should not stop 
West Papua's independence (Note: Separatists refer to the two 
Papuan provinces of Papua and West Papua, as West Papua.) 
 
¶12.  (SBU) Faleomavaega told interlocutors during his visit 
that he hopes to attend the United Nations Climate Change 
Conference in Bali next December and to go to Papua at that 
time, receiving positive feedback from GOI officials (Reftel 
A).  We also are planning to send PolOffs and probably other 
Mission officers to Papua several times in the coming months 
to review progress on Special Autonomy and human rights.  We 
will continue to press for open and transparent access to 
Papua.  USG focus on progress in Papua should help heighten 
GOI political will to stand by its commitments. 
 
 
 
HUME