Indonesia will offer amnesty to West Papuans who have contested its sovereignty resulting in conflicts and clashes with that nation’s law enforcement agencies, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says.
He arrived in Port Moresby on Monday night from Indonesia where he attended the inauguration of President Prabowo Subianto last Sunday.
During his bilateral discussions with the Indonesian president, Marape said Subianto was quite frank and open about the West Papua issue.
“This is the first time for me to see openness on West Papua and while it is an Indonesia sovereignty matter, my advice was to give respect to land and their (West Papuans) cultural heritage.
“I commend the offer on amnesty and Papua New Guinea will continue to respect Indonesia’s sovereignty,” Marape said.
“The president also offered a pledge for higher autonomy and a commitment to keep on working on the need for more economic activities and development that the former president (Widodo) has started for West Papua.”
While emphasising that Papua New Guinea had no right to debate Indonesia’s internal sovereignty issues, Marape welcomed that country’s recognition of the West Papuan people, their culture and heritage.
Marape also reaffirmed his intention to work with Subianto in expanding trade and investment, especially in business-to-business and people-to-people relations with Indonesia.
The exponential growth of Indonesia’s economy currently sits at nearly US$1.5 trillion (about K5 trillion), with the country aggressively pushing toward first world nation status by 2045.
Papua New Guinea was among nations allocated time for a bilateral meeting with President Subianto after the inauguration.
