Church leader calls for international help to solve Papua tensions

A church leader in the Indonesian region of Papua is calling on the international community to intervene and help generate peaceful negotiations between Indonesian authorities and Papuans.

Burn at Wamena in the Baliem Valley in Indonesia's Papua

On Wednesday, there was an escalation of violence in the region, when one person was killed and another 18 wounded, after two soldiers on a motorcycle ran over a young boy.

An Indonesian parliamentary delegation is in the Papua region, investigating the violence.
The head of the Papuan Baptist Church, Socrates Sofyan Yoman who is meeting with the Indonesian delegation has told Radio Australia's Asia Pacific program the only way to achieve peace is through dialogue with local Papuans.

"We will discuss with them, how to solve West Papua cases, West Papua's problems," he said.
"How we end the human rights violations and human rights crisis here."

He says the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is not doing enough to address the crisis.
"I think he is only promise and promise and promise. And never actualise, never realise. Never! never a genuine or peaceful dialogue, never fulfils his promise," he said.
Reverend Yoman says there needs to be international intervention to stop the suffering experienced by local Papuans.
"We need the international community to intervene, humanitarian intervention, or United Nations peacekeeping force in West Papua. This is possible!" he said.

"The special autonomy laws have failed. Now we're looking for another solution - dialogue. Dialogue is the way. Peaceful, genuine negotiations between Indonesian government and the West Papuan representatives, mediated by the international community or third party.
He says there is little the Indonesian government can do to gain greater control over the military.
"You know, the civilian government is powerless. Powerless. Controlled by the TNI (Tentera Negara Indonesia). "
"Like now, they kill people, but are never investigated. No public investigations. They always say "unidentified people" (perpetrators of violence). This is the real situation here. "
Soure: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/news