The United Nations and the Indonesian Takeover of West Papua, 1962–1969
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The United Nations and the Indonesian Takeover of West Papua, 1962–1969 This book examines the role of the international community in the handover of the Dutch colony of West Papua/Irian Jaya to Indonesia in the 1960s and questions whether or not the West Papuan people ever genuinely exercised the right to self-determination guaranteed to them in the UN-brokered Dutch/Indonesian agreement of 1962. Indonesian, Dutch, US, Soviet, Australian and British involvement are discussed, but particular emphasis is given to the central part played by the UN in the implementation of this agreement. As guarantor, the UN temporarily took over the territory’s administration from the Dutch before transferring control to Indonesia in 1963. After five years of Indonesian rule, a UN team returned to West Papua to monitor and endorse a controversial act of self-determination that resulted in a unanimous vote by 1,022 Papuan “representatives” to reject independence. Now, more than thirty years later, the man responsible for UN involvement at the time, ex-Under Secretary-General Narasimhan, has been quoted in the western press admitting that the vote was a complete sham. This, along with growing calls for freedom in West Papua, ensures that the issue is still very much alive today. John Saltford works as a South East Asian Specialist in the Reader Information Services Department of the Public Record Office. He received his PhD on the United Nations and West Papua from the University of Hull. The United Nations and the Indonesian Takeover of West Papua, 1962–1969 The anatomy of betrayal John Saltford Dedicated to all those working for a just solution to the West Papuan dispute First published 2003 by RoutledgeCurzon 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by RoutledgeCurzon 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003. RoutledgeCurzon is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group © 2003 John Saltford All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. The publisher makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN 0-203-22187-7 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-27637-X (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0–7007–1751–X (Print Edition) Contents Acknowledgements viii Key individuals ix Abbreviations xiv Chronology, 1945–1969 xvi Map of West New Guinea during the 1960s xxvii Introduction 1 1 Background, 1949–1962 5 The 1950s 5 Moves towards Papuan self-rule 9 The Luns Plan 10 Dutch/Indonesian talks and US pressure 11 Summary 13 2 Preparations for UNTEA, 15 August to 1 October 1962 15 The end of US interest and the search for a UN security force 15 Ceasefire 16 Indonesian suspicion of the Netherlands 18 Papuan reaction 19 The West Papuan flag 21 Indonesian troops 22 Problems in recruiting UNTEA staff 23 Australian reaction 25 UN General Assembly debate, September 1962 25 3 UNTEA 1962 27 The first weeks of UNTEA 27 Indonesia’s campaign against UNTEA and Papuan self-determination 31 UNTEA Divisional Commissioners’ attitudes towards the Indonesian campaign 34 1 December Papuan march banned by UNTEA 38 Increased tension and outbreaks of violence 42 Summary 45 vi Contents 4 UNTEA 1963 47 The New Year and the issue of flags 47 Pro-Indonesian demonstrations 50 Attacks on Papuan nationalists and pressure on the Papuan police 54 Indonesian acceptance of the 1 May handover date 57 Narasimhan's February visit to WNG 59 The Papuan Volunteer Corps (PVK) mutiny 61 The final period of UNTEA and international opinion 63 International reaction to the 1 May handover 67 Conclusions 71 5 The first years of Indonesian rule, 1963–1967 74 Indonesian rule begins. Article XVI ignored 74 Conditions in the territory. Armed rebellion begins 76 UN reaction 81 Dutch reaction 82 British reaction 84 Australian reaction 86 Suharto comes to power 89 6 West Irian 1968: part 1 91 The economic, political and security situation 91 No mention of a plebiscite 93 International attitudes 94 Hastings’ articles in The Australian 96 Ortiz Sanz and General Sarwo Edhie Wibowo 98 Internal pressures on Suharto and Third World attitudes towards West Irian 100 7 West Irian 1968: part 2 103 Ortiz Sanz’s arrival and first tour of West Irian 103 Papuan opinion and eyewitness accounts 105 UN staffing 109 Ortiz Sanz’s suggestions for the Act of Free Choice 110 Political freedoms and human rights 113 Continuing security problems 115 Ortiz Sanz’s second tour of West Irian 117 Conclusions on 1968 118 8 January to May 1969 120 UN/Indonesian talks continue: Jakarta rejects the ‘‘Mixed method’’ 120 Papuan petitions 124 TPNG, Australian and Dutch reactions 126 Papuan acceptance and dissent, and UN concerns 129 Rebellion 134 Contents vii 9 May to July 1969 141 Indonesian/UN discussions on rights, freedoms and preparations for Assembly member elections 141 Elections for the Assemblies and UN protests 143 Agreement to hold fresh elections 148 UN and Dutch cooperation with Indonesia 151 ‘‘OPM plot’’ against Ortiz Sanz and final Indonesian/UN discussions on the ‘‘Act’’ 155 More rebellion, political prisoners and Australian cooperation with Indonesia 156 10 The Act of Free Choice and its aftermath 158 Final Indonesian preparations for the ‘‘Act’’ 158 The Act of Free Choice, 14 July to 2 August 1969 160 Aftermath 165 The report of the Secretary-General and the UNGA debate, November 1969 172 11 Conclusions 178 Some arguments for and against Papuan self-determination 178 Implementation of the New York Agreement 180 The UN and the ‘‘Act’’ 182 Notes 185 Bibliography 211 Index 219 Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the advice, guidance and support that I have been given over the years from academics, activists, archivists and a few of the people who lived through the events described in these pages. In particular I would like to thank Tim Huxley who acted as supervisor for the PhD thesis on which this book is based. His encouragement and detailed feedback on my work was invaluable. I am also grateful to the Public Record Office for its help and to the staff at the UN Archives in New York for their assistance both during my visit and subsequently. Finally I would like to thank my wife Andrea and my two daughters Freya and Charlotte for their support along the way. Key individuals Abdoh, Djalal UNTEA Administrator, 15 November 1962 to 1 May 1963. Abdulgani, Hadj Roeslan Indonesian Ambassador to the UN during the Act of Free Choice. Indonesian Foreign Minister, 1956–1957. Ariks, Johan Prominent Papuan leader from Arfak region who led a rebel- lion against the Indonesians in the mid-1960s. Captured in 1967 and died in prison in 1969. Awom, Frits (Ferry) Sergeant in the PVK and ringleader of 1963 PVK mutiny. From 1965, led a Papuan rebellion against Indonesia in the Bird’s Head Peninsula. Barwick, Garfield Australian External Affairs Minister until April 1964. Bonay, Eliezer Spokesperson for the Papuan National Party Parna in 1962. In May 1963 was appointed first governor of West Irian by President Sukarno. Dismissed in 1965, later imprisoned and released in January 1969. Fled to PNG in the 1980s. Bunker, Ellsworth US diplomat and mediator in UN-brokered Dutch/ Indonesian talks on WNG, 1962. In March 1965 acted as US Special Representative to Indonesia and in April 1967 became US Ambassador to Vietnam. Cameron, Peter UNTEA Divisional Commissioner, Manokwari (Western Division). Carter, G. S. UNTEA Divisional Commissioner, Central Highlands. Freeth, Gordon Australian External Affairs Minister, 1969. Gilchrist, Sir Andrew British Ambassador, Jakarta, 1963. Goedhart, Louis J. Head of Dutch Liaison Mission to UNTEA. Gore-Booth, Sir Paul Permanent Under-Secretary to the Foreign Office, 1965. x Key individuals Hasluck, Sir Paul Australian Minister for Territories, 1962. Head of Australian Mission to UN, 1964–1969. Hokujoku, The Reverend A Jayapura representative in the Act of Free Choice. Now living in the Netherlands. Indey, Martin Prominent Papuan pro-Indonesian militia leader during UNTEA period. Fled to PNG during 1970s. Jockel, Gordon Australian Ambassador, Jakarta, 1969–1972 Joku, Hendrik Member of West New Guinea Council, 1961–1963. Fled to PNG in 1975 and became a senior figure in the OPM. Jones, Howard P. US Ambassador to Jakarta from 1958 until May 1965. Jouwe, Nicolas West New Guinea Council member, 1961–1962. Went into exile in the Netherlands in 1962 and formed the “Freedom Committee for West Papua”. Leading Papuan nationalist campaigner throughout the 1960s and subsequently. Kaisiepo, Franz Governor of West Irian during Act of Free Choice. Replaced Eliezer Bonay in 1965. Kaisiepo, Markus West New Guinea Council member, 1961–1962. Went into exile in the Netherlands in 1962 and formed the “High Court of the Chamber of Representatives of West Papua/Melanesia”. Leading Papuan nationalist campaigner throughout the 1960s and subsequently. Died in 2000. Khalil, Aly Head of UNTEA’s Information Section. Khan, Said-Uddin Pakistani Brigadier-General. Commanding officer of Pakistani UNSF troops during UNTEA. Luckham, Harold UNTEA Divisional Commissioner in Fak Fak. Lunn, Hugh Australian journalist in West Irian during the Act of Free Choice.