Dutch Human Rights Ambassador Visits Papua For The First Time

JAYAPURA, Papua, May 5 (Antara) - The Dutch Human Rights Ambassador Kees van Baar visited Papua Province for the first time for a three-hour closed-door meeting with the Governor Lukas Enembe at Gedung Negara Dok V here on Thursday. During the meeting, the ambassador was assisted by some officials of the Netherlands Embassy to Indonesia, including Martin van Lith from Asia Department, a senior policy officer Edwin Arifin, and a political affair representative Brechtje Klandermans. Meanwhile, Enembe was accompanied by the provincial secretary Hery Dosinaen and the head of border and foreign affairs Suzana Wanggai. "I am glad to visit and see directly the ongoing situation in Papua Province," the ambassador stated following the meeting in the province's capital city Jayapura. During his first visit to the province, he discussed some issues on preventing abuses to citizens. Enembe sought a comprehensive solution to tackle the problem of human rights violence in the province, which remains a challenge to his government. "The government has received some reports on human rights abuses, such as ethnic conflicts or domestic violence. We have mentioned our efforts to halt the problems during the closed-door meeting," he reiterated. The ambassador earlier on Wednesday attended the World Press Freedom Day event at JCC in Jakarta. At the event, he emphasized the importance of protecting the freedom of media as it was a sign of a good democracy. "We not only talk about the murder of journalists but also the pressures that may be directed against them," the ambassador remarked on the event's sideline.