Another East Timor?

One of the most shameful aspects of Australian history is, without a doubt, the Australian governments acquiescence towards the Indonesian military’s human rights violations throughout East Timor, Aceh, West Papua and other regions where the Indonesian government holds concerns over its “territorial integrity”. SBS’s Dateline aired a report detailing the ongoing death and suffering experienced by the people of West Papua thanks to military operations conducted by the Indonesian military and the militia it supports. Reverend Sofyan Yoman, a West Papuan Baptist, has claimed that in Puncak Jaya over 6000 people are hiding in the jungle after fleeing their homes which were torched by the Indonesian military.

Soon after this latest spate of violence erupted, the United States announced its intention to resume military training programs suspended in 1992 following the Santa Cruz massacre. This move is expcted to “accelerate the full restoration of Australian-Indonesian military ties” which were severed in 1999 following the human right abuses perpetrated by Indonesian backed militia forces surrounding East Timor’s vote for independence.

The latest violence in West Papua was mentioned in parliament recently. Robert Hill, like so many government officials before him, offered weak apologetics for the Indonesian authorities, explaining that:

Indonesia has significant difficulties across its island states in relation to a number of provinces, including Papua. I think, on the basis of the most recent information that I have seen, it is seeking to meet its responsibilities of government to Papua in a responsible way and in a way that will be of benefit to the people of Papua (My emphasis) as well as to the country as a whole. It is not an easy challenge for the Indonesian government, but the signs that I have been seeing are positive signs and are therefore in the direction that Australia should support.

Alexander Downer has stressed that the Australian Government will not interfere in (i.e. comment on) Indonesian territorial matters. A report in The Australian stated:

Mr Downer said he expected the agreement would explicitly state that each side would respect each other's territorial integrity and take into account Indonesia's political sensitivities regarding its sovereign territory. (My emphasis)

"Indonesians will be reinforced in their confidence in Australia knowing that Australia supports Indonesia's territorial integrity," he said.

"By that I mean we do not support secessionist movements in Indonesia."

So Australia supports Indonesia’s territorial integrity – even if it must be maintained by killing, destruction of homes and forced expulsions (like in East Timor). After all, we must “take into account Indonesia's political sensitivities regarding its sovereign territory”.