TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government is committed to resolve all human rights cases in Papua by the end of this year, a senior minister said on Wednesday.

"I am optimistic that the human rights cases in Papua will be settled this year. The people of Papua also wish to settle the cases (and) the government will facilitate it," coordinating minister for political, security and legal affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said.

He informed that he would also involve the commander of the defense forces (TNI) in the efforts to settle the cases.

"I do not care about the identity of the perpetrators. We will disclose all the existing information and the identity of whoever is wrong, and we will punish him," he declared.

A commissioner of the National Commission on Human Rights, Imdadul Rahmat, has said that resolving these cases should become the long-term commitment of all parties.

"They must commit to enforce human rights in Papua so that such cases do not recur. There must be more approaches for a dialogue to deal with political stability in Papua so that Papua can enjoy real and everlasting peace acceptable to all," he explained.

He advised that the settlement of the 12 human rights cases in Papua by the government by the end of this year must also comprehensively cover other aspects, besides social and political, such as land rights, traditional community rights and the welfare of the people of Papua.

All the parties involved must be in unison with the government so that no institution later claims it had a different view on the matter.

"Such commitment must be enforced through law. We must not do things in a half-hearted fashion. We have often said that we carry no burden. We must remain open," he argued.

The settlement of the human rights cases in Papua is very important. Rahmat stated that besides proving that Indonesia is more democratic, such a move is necessary to safeguard the integrity of the unitary state of Indonesia.

"Each case takes its own time to reach a solution and faces its own peculiar set of difficulties. We wish all such cases are settled this year," he explained.

ANTARA



