TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) officially ratified three bills on the new autonomous regions (RUU DOB) of Papua in today’s plenary session, June 30, 2022. The three bills are the bill for South Papua Province, Central Papua Province, and Papua Pegunungan Tengah Province.

“Can the bill for South Papua Province, Central Papua Province, and Papua Pegunungan Tengah Province be approved and passed into law?” said the House Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad who chaired the session. Lawmakers thus answered, “agreed.”

One DPR member made an interruption prior to the bill ratification, yet Dasco did not give the person an opportunity to speak. “Interrupt later, it’s now time for the decision,” said Dasco.

The DPR and the government officially approved the results of the first-level discussion of the bill last Tuesday. The ratification was achieved albeit there are still opposing groups.

Ten civil organizations that are members of the Solidarity of Civil Organizations (SOS) for Papua rejected the government’s plan. They argued it would trigger social conflict between groups refusing and supporting new autonomous regions.

“The new autonomous regions of Papua have created a wide gap among Papuans into two groups,” SOS wrote in an official statement yesterday.

SOS said there have been human rights violations against groups rejecting the plan, for example during the demonstration which led to chaos and even death due to clashes with the authorities in Yahukimo some time ago.

The ten civil organizations are Papuan Legal Aid Institute (LBH Papua), JERAT Papua, KPKC Sinode GKI in Papua, YALI Papua, PAHAM Papua, University of Cendrawasih’s Democracy, Human Rights, and Environment group, Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of Sorong, WALHI Papua, Teraju Foundation, and Yayasan Pusaka Bentala Rakyat.

DEWI NURITA

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