Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to make representations to the government of Indonesia to encourage it to establish an inquiry into the incident at Paniai, West Papua, on 8 December in which the Indonesian police and military reportedly shot into a crowd; and whether they will encourage that government to allow access to West Papua for non-governmental organisations and the media.

We are concerned by reports of a number of deaths in Paniai on 8 December, apparently following attempts to disperse a group of protesters. We support calls by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for the authorities to conduct an independent and thorough investigation into the incident.
We regularly discuss the situation in Papua province with the Indonesian authorities, raise concerns about access for international journalists and non-governmental organisations and encourage a greater focus on resolving disputes through peaceful dialogue. Most recently the Charge d’Affairs visited Papua province on 3-5 December.