VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian government emphasized that Vanuatu was not a representative for Papuans, when replying to the allegations of human rights violations that the Pacific country had brought against Indonesia.

"You are not a representation of the Papuan people, and stop fantasizing about being one of them," Silvany Austin Pasaribu, a young diplomat representing Indonesia said at the UN General Assembly, on Saturday.

In the official UN video footage, Silvany said Vanuatu had an excessive and unhealthy obsession with how Indonesia should act or govern its own country.

The reason is, almost every year in the UN General Assembly, Vanuatu always touches the issue of alleged human rights violations experienced by the Papuan people - an accusation that Indonesia considers deliberately echoed to support separatism.

"Indonesia will defend itself from all advocacy for separatism that is conveyed under the guise of artificial concern for human rights," Silvany said.

He emphasized that since 1945, Papua and West Papua are part of Indonesia which is a final and irreversible decision. This has also been strongly supported by the United Nations and the international community for the last few decades.

"The principles of the UN Charter that Vanuatu clearly does not understand are respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Silvany.

In his answer, Silvany also questioned how Vanuatu, which has not ratified international conventions on the elimination of racial discrimination and signed international treaties on economic, social, and cultural rights, actually “lectures” Indonesia on human rights issues in Papua.

“We call on the Vanuatu Government to fulfill your human rights responsibilities to your people and the world. So before you do that, please keep your sermon to yourself,” the diplomat who is also the Second Secretary for Economic Functions at Indonesian Permanent Representative Office in New York said.

Vanuatu Prime Minister Bob Loughman accused Indonesia of committing human rights violations in Papua, and it continues to this day.

According to him, allegations of human rights violations in Papua are of particular concern to Pacific countries who have called on Indonesia to allow the UN Human Rights Council to visit Papua.

However, said Loughman, the Government of Indonesia did not respond to the call.

"I ask the Indonesian government to respond to the calls of the Pacific leaders," he said.

Last year, Vanuatu also accused Indonesia of not giving permission to the UN Human Rights Council to visit Papua.

"We are concerned about the Indonesian Government delaying the confirmation of time for the Human Rights Commissioner to visit Papua," Vanuatu's Permanent Representative to the United Nations for Sumbue Antas said in 2019. (Antaranews)