I am hoping that the ridiculous statements from PTBI are just an extremist POV and we can just dismiss them. However what if such views are commonly held among our neighbours? Surely we should be doing far more to ensure that our opinions and understanding of other cultures and vice versa are more accurate. Where are all the independent researchers when we need them? Why are people's views of history so different when information is so readily available via the internet? I can only assume that schools and media in Indonesia are teaching something very different from those in Australia. This is a problem in other regions too, especially the Middle-East, and may indeed be a major cause of world conflict.

@Dianne/Scout
You are speaking about Siti Pandera Wanggai.
Please note, that it's not Siti Pandera Wanggai herself who claimed that Indonesian authorities made her lie. It's David Manne, (Yunus Wanggai's lawyer) who claim that she said so. Personally I do not trust David Manne.
The Age reported that they have a phone conversation with Siti Pandera Wanggai, but there's no guarantee that it's a real Siti that they talked to. Maybe someone posed as her. If she really talks to The Age, then why she did not use the chance to ask to talk to her daughter Anike?

Meanwhile, Indonesian media had met Siti Pandera directly and interviewed her briefly. Siti also said that her estranged husband was an abusive man. She even showed the journalists a scar in her thigh, which she said it because of Yunus hit her with a machete (TheJakartaPost).
Siti Pandera also had met Papuan acting governor, to ask for help. And according to the governor, when he met her Siti's feeling seemed genuine. There is no sign that she was forced at all.
Siti also had spoken with the Indonesian foreign ministry, and she cried when she asked for help to bring her daughter back to Indonesia and it seemed genuine.

So Dianne/Scout, to say that Siti was forced by Indonesian authority to make false claim about wanting her daughter back, (and that she was forced to flee to PNG), more proof is needed other than what David Manne has said.

And by the way, the family of Anike Wanggai and Siti Pandera has met Presiden Yudhoyono. David Manne previously said that Siti's family were forced to do that and that Siti's family fear of persecution. But Marvin Wanggai, one of Siti's family who met the President boldly said "That's not true!"
If you understand Bahasa Indonesia, here are some of the links.
http://www.liputan6.com/view/3,121422,1,0,1145966712.html
http://www.liputan6.com/view/1,121409,1,0,1145966586.html
http://www.liputan6.com/view/1,120761,1,0,1145277232.html

Regards

Scout, Dee, Ludwig, Dianne and Co. (in no particular order - sorry Di - got you twice!)

First off feel free to borrow my brick wall, whether you bang your head, or talk to it, the feeling and repsonse will be the same compared to .... and it REALLY will feel so nice when you stop.

You will of course note that quite early in the piece I did say that he was just jerking your collective chains and pushing the right buttons - and by responding you were only fueling his alter ego and of course EACH AND EVERY response was caustic and vitrolic - no points were ever answered and it is my belief they never would.

And then along came chainsmoker, who has put forward an interesting proposition, that perhaps we are not seeing past the smoke and mirrors. As a matter of point, I have come across many Indonesians, some have been very good and helpful, while some have been as useless as a folicle on a fundamental oriface - but in the latter catagory, their command of English was nowhere near the quality of this gutter tripe.

Ignorance in this instance would be bliss and if the fire is deprived of oxygen, then it soon dies out - and I am sure all will agree that debate without quality is worthless.

I am certain that now my meanderings are like the chooks coming home to roost...

@Kekkendika:

Listen to dee's advice, yobbo:

"Didnt you ever learn that resorting to personal abuse denotes a loser, in any debate?"

Such immaturity, after losing a debate, you need to launch personal abuse as way to cover-up your loss of face. Bad boy...

200 YEARS IS ENOUGH! RETURN AUSTRALIA TO ABORIGINES! WHITES GO HOME!

@Dianne:

Your treatment of indigenous Australians is horrible and extremely racist and you know it. That is why Australians are completely panicky when someone disclose this skeleton in your closet. I know you want to cover-up and deny the white theft of Aboriginal land and your systematic destruction of Aboriginal people and culture. I'm telling you such denial is useless. We Indonesians know very well what you did to your indigenous people, we are not so foolish as to put trust to Australians, descendents of criminal thieves and genocidaires.

Remember, the truth will always come out!

RETURN AUSTRALIA TO ABORIGINES!

PTBI...hati hati lah:) I might start to 'dig' and find out which people were dispossessed in YOUR area, because it is most rare to find an existing people ANYwhere who have not been driven out or haved riven out others.

You are still on a 'my daddy can kick your daddy's butt' thing.. and you realllllly seem to be like about 14.. a bright and well informed 14 admittedly, but still.... u know ? Janganlah bersifat sombong.

Most Aussies will agree that this land was 'taken'. We ourselves are victims of that same history. I don't think too many white Australians have a sense of pride about the situation or condition of our indigenous Aussies. But there are many indgenous people in the world. Including in Malaysia and they are NOT the Malays or Chinese, they are the Sengoi. I'm sure I can find equivalents in Indonesia.

On the topic.. it is difficult at times to walk the fine line of keeping good relations with a country which is doing things against its own people. For me, if they stopped the transmigration and obvious confiscation or forced acquisition of land for those migrants, things would be good for West Papua. Perhaps you can enlighten us on just how the vast numbers of transmigrants are obtaining land ?

Do you disagree that large numbers of transmigrants will change the cultural and political situation in West Papua ? When it comes time to vote, will they vote for a person who looks after their interests or the interests of the indigenous ?