Whatever happens in Papua is Indonesia`s problem and will be solved internally"Nusa Dua, Bali (ANTARA News) - The 19th Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and the Sixth East Asian Summit will not discuss the conflicts in Papua because they were Indonesia`s internal problem, an Indonesian minister said.
"The problems in Papua are a domestic problem and they have nothing to do with Indonesia`s participation in ASEAN cooperation," Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto said here on Wednesday after presiding over the 6th meeting of the Asean Council for Political-Security Community.
"Whatever happens in Papua is Indonesia`s problem and will be solved internally," Djoko said.
ASEAN groups Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Previously, human rights group Amnesty International urged the Australian and American governments to discuss the conflicts in Papua during the Sixth East Asian Summit here.
US president Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard were expected to attend the Sixth East Asian Summit and meet with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Josef Benedict, an Amnesty International spokesman, had criticized the absence of foreign media and organizations in Papua.
"We continue receiving reports about acts of violence committed by Indonesian security personnel," Benedict was quoted by Australia`s The Age daily as saying on Tuesday (Nov.15).
"The ASEAN meeting is very important for the international community, including the US and Australian governments, pressure Indonesia to overcome the human rights violations in Papua," Benedict said.
In the meantime, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) group also urged an immediate investigation into the alleged violence in Papua.
The Asean summit and related summits are to take place in Bali on November 17 through 19, 2011.(*)
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
