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| Down Under |
| Australian Govt. urged to seek answers over Papua shooting |
| 2006-01-20 |
| The Federal Government is being urged to question Indonesia over reports four people have been shot by Indonesian soldiers in the troubled province of Papua. The incident is being seen in some groups as a reprisal against Papuan independence supporters who arrived in Australia on a boat this week. The Democrats say it appears one man has died and another three people have been injured in an area where some of the boat people came from. An Indonesian police spokesman says security forces injured two men and shot dead a high school student during a clash with residents yesterday in the central Papua district of Paniai. The clash allegedly erupted after three people were told to stop taking donations of up to $10 from residents while repairing roads in the area. The three reportedly returned with about 100 supporters and attacked the police station. The police spokesman says soldiers came to aid the police and security forces were forced to open fire into the crowd because they refused to disperse. He could not confirm whether there were members or supporters of the separatist Free Papua Movement among the protesters. Democrats foreign affairs spokeswoman Natasha Stott Despoja says she is concerned the shooting could be linked to information Indonesian officials might have gathered while questioning the asylum seekers yesterday. Senator Despoja says Australia is obligated to ask questions about the incident. "The Federal Government has responsibility to investigate what is happening in West Papua," she said. "We don't know the reasons behind that shooting. We would ask the Federal Government to make sure that any information about these asylum seekers is kept very tightly under wraps from the Indonesian Government. "But of course, we do expect our Government to make their welfare paramount." Labor foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd agrees. "It's important for Foreign Minister Downer as a matter of absolute priority to establish who precisely has been killed and were there any connections between these individuals and those who have sought asylum on Cape York," he said. Immigration Department spokesman Sandi Logan is rejecting claims Australia may have allowed Indonesian officials access to the asylum seekers. "There's been absolutely no contact between Indonesian officials or authorities and the unauthorised arrivals - we wouldn't do that, you don't work that way," he said. It is understood the asylum seekers were offered consular access but that was rejected. Mr Logan says a foreign government is usually not contacted as part of security and identity checks for asylum seekers and it is unlikely any names were passed on by Australian authorities. The boat people are now on Christmas Island. |
| Posted by:Oztralian |