President Joko Widodo was reluctant of respond to restrictions on international journalists to Papua.

Public Discussion "Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression in Papua" at the Atlet Century Hotel, Jakarta, Tuesday (3/5). Tirto.id/Andrey Gromico
By: Dieqy Hasbi Widhana - May 5, 2017.

Jokowi once promised Papua free for international journalists and human rights observers. That is not proven. tirto.id President Joko Widodo is reluctant to respond to restrictions on international journalists to Papua. After attending the presentation of Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, the series of events on World Press Freedom Day in Jakarta, Jokowi was involved in a question and answer session with several journalists. When asked about the problem of access to Papua, Jokowi ended it.

When Jokowi moved away, the question was repeated by reporters with a loud shout. But Jokowi still ignored and the presidential guard asked journalists to stay away.

Asked separately on the same topic, Vice President Jusuf Kalla stressed that access to Papua was open, similar to other regions in Indonesia.

"In Indonesia, press freedom has no boundaries. What happened in Jakarta, freedom is the same in Papua, "Kalla said on the sidelines of the same event, 3 May.

Victor Mambor, journalist and general leader of Tabloidjubi.com and Jubi Newspaper, local media in Papua, had asked Jokowi directly about the clearing house. This is a mechanism from the Indonesian government involving 18 different work units from 12 Ministries, to filter requests for permission from foreign journalists covering Papua. This procedure is complicated and the process is long.

Jokowi stressed that the procedure was abolished. This was said by Jokowi while attending the main harvest in Merauke Regency, May 10, 2015.

But Jokowi's statement was without a written commitment or instructions from the president. He was actually opposed by his subordinates, especially from the military ranks including by Moeldoko, at that time as Commander of the Amry, and Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu

Ade Safira, head of the section for the protection of civil and political rights from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as Bagas Narararya from the Director General of Mutilateral Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the labyrinth of clearing houses is still valid.

"Clearing house is not only for journalists, but also for research," Safira said to Tirto, on May 3.

Safira said, the bureaucratic clearing house process is open. He explained, one important part of this agreement was the Papua regional government. Efforts to screen foreign journalists or researchers were carried out on the pretext of security.

"If for example someone wants to come to Papua, the government of Papua is asked to agree whether or not it is safe to come there. Because there is community resistance, "he claimed.

Both of them did not explain what the benchmarks of foreign journalists or researchers could be accepted to access Papua. Bagas only made sure, if he refused, the government did not need to give a reason.

"For example, if you apply for a visa (journalist) to the United States then you are refused, you cannot reason why it was rejected. That is in any country, "Bagas said.

Based on a 2015 Human Rights Watch report on restrictions on access to Papua, the clearing house mechanism involving a number of ministries was divided into four work units in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, namely diplomatic, consular, diplomatic facilities, and information and media security.

Among other departments that filter access permits to Papua include the National Police, the State Intelligence Agency and the Strategic Intelligence Agency from the army.

Army Chief of Staff Head of Major General Wuryanto and Indonesian Police Head of Public Relations Division Inspector General Setyo Wasisto were reluctant to respond to Tirto's question about the clearing house mechanism. Setyo said "could not answer" because he had just been withdrawn as part of the National Police Headquarters Public Relations late last month.

According to a Human Rights Watch report, complicated and complicated permission to make reporters must be patient. If the permit is completed, journalists will be closely monitored by intelligence. For those who are desperate without a permit, if found out, they are definitely detained by the immigration department and subsequently expelled.

At the end of 2015, Marie Dhumieres, a French correspondent who worked in Jakarta, got permission to Papua. He went to Pegunungan Bintang to interview pro-independence activists from the West Papua National Committee.

A week after he returned to Jakarta, Sentani police detained and interrogated three activists who accompanied Dhumieres. Hearing the news, Dhumieres tweeted to Jokowi's Twitter account:

"So, Pak @jokowi, foreign journalists can be free to go anywhere in Papua, but the people we interviewed were arrested after we left?"

Victo Mambor, journalist and general leader of Tabloidjubi.com, said that local sources accompanying journalists in Papua could often be intimidated.

"(Intelligence) follows, is monitored, supervised. Our speakers are sorry, "said Victor who often accompanied foreign journalists to cover in Papua.

In August 2014, Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat from the French-German bilingual television Arte TV were detained by police in Wamena when they were arrested.