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Viewing cable 07JAKARTA3298, PAPUA -- U.S. REPRESENTATIVE'S VISIT

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07JAKARTA3298 2007-12-03 10:14 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Jakarta
VZCZCXRO1898
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #3298/01 3371014
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 031014Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7243
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4551
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1683
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1475
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 3585
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1231
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2100
RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 0485
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 003298 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/ANP, H, DRL/AWH 
NSC FOR EPHU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS EMIN ENRG ID
SUBJECT: PAPUA -- U.S. REPRESENTATIVE'S VISIT 
 
REF: A. JAKARTA 3100 
 
     B. JAKARTA 3076 
     C. JAKARTA 3015 
 
JAKARTA 00003298  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
1.  (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Congressman Faleomavaega--accompanied by 
the Ambassador--visited Papua, November 26-28.  He met a wide 
range of government officials and civil society figures in 
Biak and Manokwari, and toured U.S. firm Freeport's mining 
operations in Timika.  Faleomavaega voiced strong support for 
Special Autonomy and for Papua Governor Suebu's development 
plans.  He also praised Freeport's efforts to train and 
employ Papuans, and to minimize the environmental impact of 
its operations.  Press coverage of the visit noted that the 
Congressman reiterated his support for President Yudhoyono's 
commitment to the region.  END SUMMARY. 
 
3.  (SBU) U.S. Representative Eni Faleomavaega (D American 
Samoa) visited Biak (an island off Papua), Manokwari (the 
capital of West Papua), and Timika (the center of 
Freeport-McMoran's copper and gold mining operations).  The 
Congressman had requested permission to visit Papua from Nov. 
26-30 but the Indonesian Government approved a visit from Nov 
26-28.  On security grounds, the GOI denied his request to 
visit Jayapura, the capital of Papua Province, and arranged 
for Jayapura-based interlocutors to meet the Congressman in 
Biak.  (Note:  December 1 is a politically sensitive day in 
Papua and the GOI had security concerns about a visit during 
this timeframe.)  Ambassador Hume accompanied the Congressman 
on the visit along with two Congressional staffers and two 
DEPLU officials. 
 
IN BIAK 
 
4.  (SBU) The Indonesian government arranged the visit to 
Biak with security procedures similar to a presidential 
visit, according to one DEPLU official.  The Congressman's 
delegation proceeded to a secluded government compound behind 
several rings of security for a meeting with Papuan civil 
society figures and legislators, chaired by Governor Barasbas 
Suebu. 
 
5.  (SBU) Governor Suebu explained that while Special 
Autonomy offered the best mechanism to resolve the "tug of 
war between Jakarta and Papua," it has yet been fully 
implemented.  Money was not a problem as the central 
government has transferred USD 2 billion to the provincial 
government for FY 2007-8.  The key challenges, according to 
Suebu, remain increasing the capacity of the provincial 
government to use that funding to implement the Governor's 
development plans.  Accounting, budgeting, and program 
monitoring were areas where the provincial government needed 
particular help. 
 
6.  (SBU) Congressman Faleomavaega stressed his deep personal 
connection to Papua and explained that some of his ancestors 
were Samoan missionaries who were buried in Papua.  He agreed 
that Special Autonomy was the best way forward and praised 
President Yudhoyono's commitment to making it work.  He also 
urged support for Governor Suebu's efforts and said the USG 
was looking for ways to support his administration.  Special 
Autonomy must, however, begin to show tangible results or 
else support for the arrangement will wane, Faleomavaega 
explained.  Noting the role of Congress in appropriating 
money for the USG, Faleomavaega pledged to look for ways to 
support the Papuan provincial government.  He pointed to 
education as the highest priority and said it was the 
"salvation of the Papuan people". 
 
7.  (SBU) Chairman of the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) Agus 
Alua echoed similar themes, adding that the recent 
Presidential Instruction on the accelerated economic 
development of Papua provided more specific guidance on how 
to generate economic benefits for the Papuan people.  He also 
stressed the need for the MRP--the one institution charged 
with looking after the culture and welfare of the Papuan 
 
JAKARTA 00003298  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
people--to play a greater role in governing Papua. 
 
8.  (SBU) Amungme traditional leader Tom Beanal struck a 
somewhat different note.  (Note:  The Amungme are the ethnic 
group that dominate the area around Freeport's mining 
operations.)  He charged that the voice of the Papuan people 
has never been heard:  "We demanded independence and they 
gave us Special Autonomy."  Beanal called on the U.S., UN and 
others to support Papuans' "desire for a new dialogue with 
Jakarta."  Faleomavaega responded that Papuans have had 
opportunities to have their voice heard.  He continued that 
Papua now had a directly elected governor and an elected 
legislature.  Papuans, like other Indonesians, also had the 
opportunity to choose their President through direct 
election.  These electoral leaders were moving forward with 
Special Autonomy as a way to realize the aspirations of the 
Papuan people. 
 
9.  (SBU) Following the official meeting, Faleomavaega met 
with a crowd of approximately 150 ordinary Papuans.  Wading 
into the crowd, he was greeted with a traditional Papuan 
ceremony and, together with a local minister, he led the 
group in a brief prayer. 
 
MANOKWARI STOP 
 
10.  (SBU) The team then proceeded to Manokwari.  DEPLU 
officials informed the delegation after arrival in the city, 
the capital of West Papua Province, that Governor Abraham 
Atururi was out of the country.  The resulting abbreviated 
meeting with the Vice Governor and other local officials 
consisted of an overview of basic facts about the 
province--demographics, geography and economics.  There was 
little opportunity for substantive exchange, especially given 
the need to leave on schedule for a flight to Timika. 
 
11.  (SBU) Following the meeting, the delegation's motorcade 
passed several hundred Papuan protesters at various locations 
enroute to the airport.  Many were carrying banners claiming 
that Special Autonomy had failed and calling for a referendum 
on Papua's status within Indonesia.  Several protesters also 
carried the "Morning Star" flag, a widely recognized symbol 
of Papuan independence.  The delegation encountered more 
protesters at the airport and managed to depart just minutes 
before protesters broke through a police line and surged onto 
the runway, blocking planes from taking off.  Based on 
Mission's direct observations, Indonesian police at the scene 
went out of their way to ensure that there was no violence 
and we heard of no complaints of heavy-handedness by security 
forces throughout the trip. 
 
WITH FREEPORT 
 
12.  (SBU) After Manokwari, Faleomavaega's delegation toured 
Freeport's operations in Timika.  Freeport officials briefed 
the Congressman on their efforts to recruit, train and employ 
Papuans.  This included a tour of the Nemangkawi Mining 
Institute, a Freeport facility where several hundred Papuans 
are enrolled in a three-year course teaching highly-skilled 
mining and other business trades.  Freeport officials also 
provided an overview of its environmental programs, including 
a tour of the mine tailings reclamation area.  He also met 
with a number of Freeport's senior Papuan employees. 
However, bad weather prevented the delegation from visiting 
the Grasberg mine in the highlands, as originally scheduled. 
 
13.  (SBU) In response to Freeport's briefing and tour, the 
Congressman stated:  "People in America don't know about all 
the good you are doing.  You have to do a better job telling 
your story."  He praised Freeport as the source of over USD 5 
billion investment in Papua and the provider of over 18,000 
jobs.  He also noted the positive economic impact of 
Freeport's operations, which he considered an excellent model 
for how an American company can do business overseas. 
 
14.  (U) Congressman Faleomavaega gave us permission to send 
this message.  He said he did not need to clear on it. 
 
 
JAKARTA 00003298  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
HUME