TEMPO.CO, Birmingham - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo continues to take measures to resolve human rights issues in Papua, said presidential staff for political, legal, and security issues Jaleswari Pramodharwardani on Sunday, October 2, in a discussion held by the Indonesian Students Association (PPI) in England.

“Leadership is crucial in the resolution of human rights issue in Papua, and we have a president who is very aware of [what's happening] in Papua. The public rarely knows that they [the issues] continue to be discussed,” Dani said in Birmingham, as quoted by Antara.

He revealed that during his visit to Papua in December 2015, President Jokowi asked religious leaders for advice over the President’s plan to visit Papua. The President wanted to personally observe the living condition of the Papuan communities.

“President Jokowi suggested the release of political prisoners and followed it through by calling Army chief of staff, Police chief and Chief Security Minister,” he said.

President Jokowi is fully committed to resolving issues in Papua, according to Dani. However, the mass media have rarely reported progress made by the government in rights issues in Papua.

“Two days before I came here [England], I held talks with chief security minister [Wiranto] over human rights violations in Papua. I think the public must know that they [resolution efforts] continue to be done, but [so far] they have failed to make the headlines for public consumption,” he said.

ANTARA