Govt' Streamline Entry Permit for Foreign Journalist in Papua  

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Foreign Affairs Minister Retno L.P Marsudi said that her Ministry is planning to streamline the process for foreign journalists wishing to report from Papua. "We will attempt to simplify the matter as much as we can," said Retno on Monday, August 10, 2015.

According to Retno, there will still be some due processes that journalists must go through prior to the granting of access - not dissimilar to what Indonesian journalists must go through when they wish to report from abroad. "We will apply the same sort of standard," she said.

Previously, a request made by foreign journalists must be cleared by a Clearing House, which involves elements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Police (POLRI), the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), as well as the Coordinating Ministry for Politics, Law, and Security.

It is known that President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo had officially lifted the restrictions during his visit of Merauke on May 10, 2015 - which in essence made Papua as journalist-friendly as the rest of Indonesia.

For years, journalists who were found to have reported in Papua without an official permit from the Clearing House could face criminal charges - the most recent of which involved two French journalists, Thomas Dandois and Valentina Bourrat, who were arrested when filming a documentary on separatism on Papuan soil.

According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry's Information and Media Department, as per June 11, 2015, there were eight requests made by foreign journalists to report from Papua - all of which has been approved by the Ministry.

Prior to 2014, not all requests were granted. In 2012, only five requests have been approved out of the total of 11 that were lodged. In 2013, 28 permits were issued and seven were rejected, while throughout 2014, only five out of the 27 permits lodged were denied.

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