Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last raised with the government of Indonesia access by journalists to West Papua; and what assessment they have made of the dangers facing local journalists who have reported on human rights violations in West Papua.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
President Jokowi made clear his intention to allow free access for foreign journalists to Papua when he announced the lifting of the ban in May 2015. A number of foreign journalists have since gained access to report on the region. Unfortunately it seems some elements of the Government have been slow to respond to President Jokowi’s wishes. We continue to receive reports that journalists face difficulties in securing visas and restrictions on free reporting.
In January 2018, I raised my concern on this issue with the Indonesian ambassador to London, and officials in Indonesia also raised this when they visited Papua in February 2019. The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific acknowledged at a Westminster Hall Debate on 8 May 2019 that transparency and media access are important. We continue to encourage Indonesian journalists to write openly and frankly about Papua to ensure that local perspectives are properly heard and are part of any debate.
Our Embassy in Jakarta is very active in promoting press freedom. To mark World Press Freedom Day on 3 May 2019 the Embassy arranged a full programme of activities to celebrate the work of journalists, media organisations and regulators. Indonesia will also be invited to the global Media Freedoms event in July, which the UK is co-hosting with Canada, which will promote the importance of media freedom and aim to adopt a more co-ordinated approach to securing the safety of media professionals.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Indonesian Government on West Papuan political prisoners held in West Papua and throughout Indonesia.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government follows the situation in Papua closely. Officials at our Embassy in Jakarta visit Papua and West Papua provinces regularly. Officials press the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate human rights concerns, including upholding the right of all citizens to protest peacefully, and promote the sustainable and equitable development of the provinces. We fully support the positive steps taken by President Joko Widodo to release political prisoners.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote human rights of West Papuans.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government follows the situation in Papua closely. Officials at our Embassy in Jakarta visit Papua and West Papua provinces regularly. Officials press the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate human rights concerns, including upholding the right of all citizens to protest peacefully, and promote the sustainable and equitable development of the provinces. The Ambassador raised the recent violence in Nduga Regency with senior officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Indonesian Government on the murder and torture of West Papuan indigenous people.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government follows the situation in Papua closely. Officials in London and at the Embassy in Jakarta press the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate human rights concerns, including upholding the right of all citizens to protest peacefully, and promote the sustainable and equitable development of the provinces.
I met the Indonesian Ambassador in January and raised Papua with him. The Ambassador raised the recent violence in Nduga Regency with senior officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January and called on the Indonesian authorities to ensure that any security response was proportionate. Officials at the Embassy in Jakarta raised reports of the use of torture with the Deputy Police Chief of Papua Province in February 2019.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of human rights abuses against indigenous people in West Papua; and what recent representations he has made to his Indonesian counterpart on that assessment.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK Government follows the situation in Papua closely. Most recently, I raised Papua with the Indonesian Ambassador on 8 January. Officials have also pressed the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate human rights concerns, including upholding the rights of all citizens to protest peacefully, and promote the sustainable and equitable development of the provinces.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Indonesia on the actions of Indonesian military and police forces in West Papua following the attack by the West Papua Liberation Army in the Nduga Region on 1 December 2018.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government is following the situation in Papua with close interest. Officials at the Embassy in Jakarta, including the Ambassador, visit Papua regularly. Our Ambassdor discussed the violence in December 2018 with senior officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and officials raised the issue with Papua police and military representatives during a visit to the region in February. Officials press the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate human rights concerns, including upholding the right of all citizens to peacefully protest, and support the sustainable and equitable development of the province, through political dialogue.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will make representations to the (a) Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and (b) other international organisations on undertaking an independent international investigation into the alleged use of white phosphorous on civilian targets in West Papua in December 2018.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government condemns the attack on construction workers by an armed group on 2 December in Nduga district in Papua. We have called on the Indonesian authorities to ensure that the security response is proportionate. Our Ambassador has discussed this with senior officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are aware of a media claim about the possible use of white phosphorus. This has been strongly denied by the Indonesian authorities. We have been in touch with NGOs and others who have looked into the allegation; they have not found any evidence to support it.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to ensure that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is granted full and unimpeded access by the Indonesian Government to West Papua.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government is following the situation in Papua with close interest. Officials press the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate human rights concerns, including upholding the right of all citizens to peacefully protest, and to support the sustainable and equitable development of the province through political dialogue. Officials have discussed the proposed visit by OHCHR officials with Indonesian officials and stated UK support for an OHCHR visit to Papua.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the accuracy of reports that the Indonesian Armed Forces used Chemical weapons on West Papuan civilians on 15 December 2018.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government condemns the attack on construction workers by an armed group on 2 December in Nduga district in Papua. We have called on the Indonesian authorities to ensure that the security response is proportionate. Our Ambassador has discussed this with senior officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are aware of a media claim about the possible use of white phosphorus. This has been strongly denied by the Indonesian authorities. We have been in touch with NGOs and others who have looked into the allegation; they have not found any evidence to support it.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has held with his counterpart in the Indonesian Government on recent instability in West Papua; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government follows the situation in Papua closely. Officials at our Embassy in Jakarta, including the Ambassador, visit Papua regularly. Officials press the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate human rights concerns, including upholding the right of all citizens to peacefully protest, and promote the sustainable and equitable development of the province. The Ambassador met officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January to discuss the situation in Papua. The UK respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia.