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INFO PAPUA : Editorial/ Opinion : Public Opinion

Buchtar Tabuni: Ddialogue should be international not just with Jakarta
By Bintang Papua,
Oct 23, 2009, 18:41

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Bintang Papua, 23 October 2009

Jayapura: Speaking to a journalist from Abepura Prison where he is
serving a three-year sentence, Buchtar Tabuni, chairman of the KNPB,
National Coalition for West Papua, said that ever since the Act of Free
Choice took place in 1969, conflicts have been occurring continuously in
Papua.

The 1969 Act really must be reviewed as it was not a decision based on
universal suffrage, one person, one vote. It was taken by consensus,
which is an Indonesian method which was used because of alleged
geographical difficulties in Papua. So why is it that the election
(based on universal suffrage) for the New Guinea Council in Papua in
1959/60 was so successful, right down to the villages? This also
happened in the Indonesian elections in 1971.

The alleged geographical problems in 1969 was just a trick to deceive
people.

Indonesia claims that the Act in 1969 involved 1,026 people, but this
was out of a population of 800,000. The decision to be a part of the
Indonesian Republic was taken unanimously. That was a big lie.Those
1,026 people were under heavy pressure from the military.

The Indonesian general, Sintong Panjaitan, commander of RPKAD at the
time, says in his book that if he had not been in charge of operations
at the time, the Papuan people would have voted unanimously for
independence.

Q: So If you now want to demand a reappraisal of the 1969 Act of Free
Choice, how should this be done?

A: That Act must certainly be reappraised because it is the cause of all
the problems. And shortly, a book on the Act of Free Choice is being
launched in English by the KNPB. This is the English translation of a
book published in Dutch by Professor Droogleveer, which exposes all the
lies that have been used for the past 47 years.

Q: Do you feel satisfied with the way Special Autonomy has gone for the
past 8 years?

A: It has been a bonanza for the Papuan elite and a disaster for the
Papuan people because there have been systematic killings by all kinds
of irresponsible people and the situation has been much worse than
before Special Autonomy.

Q: If an international dialogue is held, what according to you should be
discussed and what would be the ideal format?

A: The KNPB will have a clear vision of the what will be discussed and
how the dialogue should be conducted. But the first thing to do is to
launch the book in English so as to expose all the lies told by
Indonesia. Diplomats as well as various international organisations will
get a clear picture of the format to be used and the topics that should
be discussed.

And morevoer, this should not be a dialogue between Jakarta and Papua
because according to the KNPB there is no need for such a dialogue. This
took place in 1969 with the Team of 100 which led to the enactment of
the Special Autonomy law in 2001. What we need now is international
dialogue and the first step towards that will the publication of the
English translation of the book on the Act of Free Choice.

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