The Obama Administration's hypocritical shift re West Papua Human Rights Abuses

Papua Issues Scrapped from U.S. House Bill






The United States House of Representatives had scrapped from the country’s foreign
relations bill approved last week a provision highlighting the political status of West Papua and the human rights condition in the province.

The bill that was brought to the House on May 14 initially contained a section calling on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to make “a report on the 1969 Act of Free Choice, the current political status of West Papua, and the extent to which the Government of Indonesia has implemented and included the leadership and the people of West Papua in the development and administration of Special Autonomy."

It also required President Barack Obama to file a report describing “the extent” to which the Indonesian government ensures that it has stopped rights abuses in Papua.
US-Indonesia relations have been improving under Barack Obama’s leadership. Clinton and Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda met in Washington early this month to discuss a comprehensive partnership agreement.

Clinton said after the meeting the US wanted to have “closer connections with Indonesia and a military-to-military relationship.”