Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Indonesian counterpart on the deaths of three civilians on 4 June 2021 in Ilaga, Puncak Regency of West Papua.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are aware of increased tensions in the Papua region and we continue to monitor developments closely. We are aware of this incident involving civilians and my thoughts are with the families of those involved. We urge all parties to refrain from escalating tensions and welcome recent dialogue between security forces, the Indonesian Human Rights Commission and Papuan civil society leaders to ensure the protection of civilians during law enforcement operations in the region. The UK fully respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia and regard the provinces of Papua and West Papua as an integral part of Indonesia.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to (a) his Indonesian counterpart and (b) the international community on the recent comments made by General Hendropriyono that two million West Papuans be transmigrated to Manado.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government fully respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia, including the provinces of Papua and West Papua, and notes the continued efforts on behalf of the Indonesian government to invest in the economic and social development of both provinces in recent years. We continue to support efforts to address the needs and aspirations of the people in both provinces. General Hendropriyono is no longer an Indonesian government official and we understand that his comments do not reflect official Indonesian government policy. Ministers regularly engage with their Indonesian counterparts on a range of bilateral issues, including Papua.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Indonesian Government on the killings of (a) Zhage Sil and (b) other clergy in that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are aware of the death of Zhage Sil in Papua in December and support the steps that the Indonesian government has taken to investigate the incident. We recognise there are significant challenges in the region, including human rights concerns, sporadic violence and the security situation in some areas. We have not raised this specific case with the Indonesian Government, but the Foreign Secretary discussed Papua with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on 14 October 2020. The UK fully respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia, including the provinces of Papua and West Papua. We regularly press the Indonesian authorities to address all legitimate human rights concerns, including on Freedom of Religion and Belief (FORB).
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the (a) Indonesian and (b) Dutch Government on the independence movement in West Papua.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Foreign Secretary discussed Papua with Foreign Minister Retno on 14 October. The UK Government fully respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia, which includes Papua and West Papua provinces. Within this framework we support the efforts of the authorities and civil society to address the needs and aspirations of the people both provinces. The Foreign Secretary has not discussed Papua with the Dutch Government.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Indonesian counterpart on self-determination in the territory of West Papua.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Foreign Secretary discussed Papua with Foreign Minister Retno on 14 October. The UK Government fully respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia, which includes Papua and West Papua provinces. Within this framework we support the efforts of the authorities and civil society to address the needs and aspirations of the people both provinces.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, as part of their coordinated international efforts to address climate change, when they last discussed with the government of Indonesia (1) the issue of increased deforestation in Papua, and (2) allegations of illegal and deliberate fire setting by commercial interests in Papua’s rainforests in order to clear the land for palm oil production.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
As part of our coordinated international efforts to address climate change, the UK Government works closely with the Government of Indonesia on shared objectives to reduce and avoid deforestation and improve the sustainability of Indonesia's palm oil sector, including through regular bilateral engagement. Our partnership incorporates UK support for a number of programmes designed to reduce and avoid deforestation in key forested provinces, including Papua and West Papua, as well as thematic programmes to promote the Government of Indonesia's initiatives on palm oil sustainability and better governance of the forest and land-use sector.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to reports of up to 45,000 civilians displaced by Indonesian military operations in Nduga, West Papua, if the Government will stop the (a) sale of arms and (b) provision of training programmes to Indonesia.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
HM Government takes its export control responsibilities very seriously. All export licence applications are assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the ‘Consolidated Criteria’).
The Consolidated Criteria takes into account our obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty and other relevant rules of international law. It provides a thorough risk assessment framework and requires us to think hard about the possible impact of providing equipment and its capabilities. These are not decisions we take lightly.
HM Government will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that it might be used for internal repression.
The United Kingdom supports counter-terrorism training for the Indonesian National Police, through the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC). This includes a broad range of counter terrorism investigation and analytical skills; essential equipment to enhance Indonesia’s forensic, surveillance and IT capabilities; and training on the post-terrorist incident response, including first aid training. All training requires rights and responsibilities to be upheld. We do not provide training to Papua based units but continue to monitor the situation in Papua closely. HM Government respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia, which includes Papua and West Papua provinces.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has made to his Indonesian counterpart on Indonesian military operations in the West Papuan regencies of Nduga, Intan Jaya and Puncak Jaya.
Answered by James Heappey
The Defence Secretary has not made representations to his counterpart on Indonesian military operations in Nduga, Intan Jaya and Puncak Jaya, but the Foreign Secretary discussed Papua with the Indonesian Foreign Minister on 14 October 2020. British officials in Indonesia are monitoring developments closely. The British Government fully respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia, which includes the Papua and West Papua provinces. We urge parties to refrain from violence and respect the rule of law.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Pacific Islands Forum and Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States request for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit and prepare a report on West Papua, whether the Government plans to support that request.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK supports a visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (ONHCR) to Papua. Officials from the British Embassy have discussed the proposed visit of with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and continue to encourage the Indonesian Government to agree dates as soon as possible. The former Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Heather Wheeler attended the Pacific Island Forum in August 2019, noting the communiqué. It is our longstanding position that we regard Papua and West Papua provinces as being part of Indonesia and consider dialogue on territorial issues in Indonesia as a matter for the Indonesian people.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 13 October (HL8595), what was the reply given by the government of Indonesia to Heather Wheeler’s representations about West Papua at their meeting in January 2020.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We do not usually publish records of conversations - doing so may set a precedent whereby Her Majesty's Government is pressured to publish further conversations.