INTRODUCTION
In recent times, some quarters have chosen to question the circumstances surrounding the restoration of Irian Jaya, formerly known as West Irian, into the Republic of Indonesia.* This is based on claims that the Irian Jayans were not a party to the key agreement signed in 1962 between Indonesia and the Netherlands concerning their fate; votes were manipulated during the act of free choice which lacked transparency; the conditions under which 1026 Irian Jayan representatives voted were not free and fair; and the application of the system of consultations (musyawarah) without the consent of the people rather than the one-man-one-vote principle in conducting the act of self-determination.
Furthermore, the recent Second Congress of Papua in June 2000 asserted that the Papuan Nation has already acquired sovereignty as an independent state since December 1961, which calls for the recognition of its sovereignty and political rights. Another argument put forward in support of its claim for independence from Indonesia is based on human rights abuses and the consequent sufferings inflicted upon its people as well as the deprivation of the benefits accrued from Irian Jaya's vast and rich mineral resources. It also contended that New Guinea was not even mentioned in the 1945 Proclamation of Indonesia's Independence and this provides further evidence that it was never a part of Indonesia. On these grounds, the protagonists of Irian Jayan independence maintain that the entire process, which determined the will of its people in 1969, should be reviewed and revised in order to redress the injustice of the past. In this regard, the United Nations which had noted the results of the act of free choice through General Assembly resolution 2504 (XXIV), adopted in 1969, should renew its consideration of this issue.
Historical facts and authoritative documents, however, attest that the process of Irian Jaya's restoration into the Republic of Indonesia was carried out democratically and in a transparent manner with the full knowledge and consent of its people which was ultimately recognised by the international community.
This document is intended to provide true and indisputable facts surrounding the processes that led to the fulfilment of Irian Jayans' legitimate aspiration for reuniting with the unitary State of Indonesia and to the realization of long-standing demand of the people of Indonesia for the restoration of their country's territorial integrity.
Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Canberra