Church pressures Aust on Papua

AUSTRALIA’S Uniting Church has called on the government to take concrete steps towards ending human rights abuse in West Papua.

In a letter to Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Marise Payne, Uniting Church President, Deidre Palmer, called for a withdrawal of troops from the embattled Nduga Region and other areas of Papua,

Dr Palmer also called on Australia to request the Indonesian government to hold meaningful dialogue on the future of Papua with a lasting peace being the central; theme of discussions.

The Uniting Church also wants the United Nations to play a significant role in bringing peace to the region.

Here is the full letter,

Minister for Foreign Affairs; Women

PO Box 6100
Senate
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Dear Minister,

Re: Concern for the people in Papuan and West Papuan provinces of Indonesia

The Uniting Church in Australia has been in partnership with several Protestant Churches across Indonesia for many decades. We enjoy strong friendships which have led to rich and valuable mutual learning and opportunities to work together, with exchange visits and volunteers. Today, we have collaborations with the Protestant churches in Bali, West Timor,

Maluku and Papua/West Papua on projects that address poverty and equality in their communities. We meet regularly with all our Church partners, and with the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) to strengthen our relationships and express our solidarity as they work for the welfare of all Indonesians.

This relationship with the churches in Indonesia is further strengthened by the large number of Australians of Indonesian origin who are members of the Uniting Church who add to the rich and vibrant life of our church here.

Our partnership with the Gereja Kristen Injili di Tanah Papua (GKI-TP – the Evangelical Christian Church in the Land of Papua) goes back over 25 years.

We have been receiving worrying reports from our partners about situations of violence and unrest between Papuans and non-Papuans and write to request your diplomatic intervention.

We recognise the balances required in Australia’s relationship with Indonesia, but in this situation where human rights violations appear to be occurring and tensions are escalating, we think it is incumbent on the international community and Australia as a close and respected neighbour, to speak up for the sake of peace and human rights.

We wish to raise to your attention the appeal made by the Ecumenical Forum of Churches in Papua, a body made up of four large Papuan churches, including our partner GKI-TP. We attach herewith a full copy of their statement.

I am writing to ask that your Government address the situation directly with the Indonesian Government.

In solidarity with the churches in Papua, we respectfully request the following:

1. That you call for the Government of Indonesia to reduce the military presence, including those in the area of Nduga and other areas across Papua. We recognise the need to prevent further violence but fear the increased presence of soldiers in Papua is further increasing the tensions and the likelihood of violence and deaths.

2. That you call for the Government of Indonesia to pursue an independently facilitated, peaceful dialogue on the future of Papua, with the main objective of a permanent positive peace in the land of Papua which has long been the hope of the people of Papua.

3. That you advocate for the United Nations to be invited to broker discussions, promote peace, and investigate any human rights abuses that may have occurred.

We are very concerned about the current situation in the Papuan provinces, and request that the concerns of the Papuan people are addressed soon, in such a way that further fatalities can be avoided, and the human rights of all people are protected.

We thank you for your consideration of these matters and look forward to witnessing your leadership in this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Dr Deidre Palmer
President
Uniting Church in Australia