Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Indonesia positive about workings of Papuan autonomy

Posted at 04:30 on 01 October, 2007 UTC

Indonesian officials who have recently visited the Papua region to observe the progress of special autonomy there say that it is working.

A spokesman for the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, was one of a delegation of 35 which travelled to Papua last week to observe the status of Papua’s Special Autonomy agreement which was established in 2001.

Dino Kusnadi says reports by human rights groups that Special Autonomy has failed to improve the lives of Papuans are far from the truth.

Mr Kusnadi says there is an effective working relationship between Papua’s local government and the central Indonesian government.

He says because of this, the delivery of better services is reaching the people.

“It’s just that it needs more time to be implemented, to be developed further. But whatever the difficulties there are, there is good intention from all sides to bring prosperity and peace in Papua - only that the know-how of co-ordination of implementing, of planning, we see that that’s a process that needs to be pushed further.”

Dino Kusnadi