Papua N. G. wary of strife in West Irian

Press, 17 August 1978, Page 16

Papua N. G. wary of strife in West Irian

By

MARTIN RAYNER

in Sydney

Relations between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are, at best, uneasy. Recent incidents on the border between the two countries have led to increased tension.

The unease in .the region has sent ripples as far as Canberra, which is understood to be trying to bring diplomatic pressure to bear on Indonesia to tone down its bush war against Papuan guerrillas in Irian Jaya (half of the giant island of New Guinea) which is at the root of the troubles. There are relatively few guerrillas — reliable estimates put their numbers at around 2000 — but they have managed to tie down more than twice that number of Indonesian troops and claim to control large areas of the island, particularly in the central highlands around Warnena and near the border. They are fighting for a

free Papua, not one controlled from Jakarta 2500 km away. There is a govern-ment-in-exile, which even has its own flag, and offices in Port Moresby (the Papua New Guinea capital), Holland and Senegal, West Africa.

The Dutch were, until 1963 when the Indonesians took over, colonial masters of what was then Netherlands New Guinea, and the Papuans believe there is still a residual support for them among the Dutch. The Papuans, who make up most of the near-one million population of West Irian, have also received support from the Senegalese, hence their office in Dakar. With Papuans being the second largest ethnic grouping in Papua New Guinea, there is also a strong feeling of sympathy for the rebels there. The position is exacerbated because the border down the middle of the is-

land separates Papuans with strong family and cultural ties and has caused discontent among them. Bordercrossing is common. For the Government in Port Moresby, it is a ticklish problem. Papua New Guinea appreciates the sympathy for the plight of fellow Papuans, but does not want to anger its giant and somewhat unpredictable neighbour.

Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Ebia Olewale, visited Jakarta in May to assure the Indonesians of continuing good relations. He told his Indonesian counterpart that any Irianese rebels who conducted anti-Indonesian activites in Papua New Guinea would be arrested. However, he told the Indonesians' that Irianese' in Papua New Guinea had not been taken to court, since that would have im-

plied recognition of their movement. There are some hundreds of Papuans from Irian Jaya in Port Moresby, refugees strongly opposed to the Indonesians. Dealing with them is one of the Port Moresby Government’s biggest headaches. Both the Papua New Guineans and the Indonesians patrol the long border, which runs through inaccessible terrain excellent for guerrilla activity. The Port Moresby Government has avoided joint exercises with the Indonesians. In Irian Jaya itself, the Free Papua Movement under its leader, Jacob Prai, a Papuan who has spent 12 years in the bush fighting the Indonesians, battles on. Although his forces are far from well-armed — some apparently only have bows and arrows — the mountainous, forrested terrain is on his side, as are many of the local people. Prai claimed in an interview last year that his men had killed 400 soldiers in the

preceding 12 months; he also alleged the Indonesians were being helped by Australians (which has been hotly denied in Canoerra). The rebels claimed to have shot down an Australian helicopter in 1977. Like Port Moresby, Canberra is embarrassed by the whole war. An incident in July in which a border village in Papua New Guinea was razed, allegedly by Indonesians, threatens to exacerbate the situation. Reports say new incidents occur weekly along the border. The Australians are worried that Indonesia may have gone too far in cracking down on the small bands of rebels, but are eager ,to keep on good diplomatic terms. The Papua New Guineans fear, above all else, that if they make too much noise about border incidents, the Indonesians might just take them over. Fear of this, together with the controlled media in In-

donesia, ensures that the war in Irian Jaya remains one of the world's least reported and most shadowy. The vast province of West Irian — an area of 160,000 square miles — is rich in timber and minerals, and has great agricultural potential, vet Indonesia spends less than 1 per cent of its development budget there. West Irian was traditionally the place where Indonesian nationalists were sent by the Dutch in colonial times: in Indonesian it means “hot land.” These days, the people sent there are settlers from other Indonesian islands under the country's transmigration schemes. The Papuans complain that the newcomers have taken good land and most of the jobs. The Indonesians do not publicly admit there is a rebel problem. They say the army is only helping to settle tribal disputes over “trifling matters such as dowries, cattle and women.” Copyright World Feature Services, Ltd, 1978.