It is clear that refusals to recognise minority rights loom large in the Australia-Indonesia relationship. Australia’s treatment of such minorities has an element of ‘scapegoating’ to it—blaming smaller groups for threats to dominant relationships.
Once you realise the extent of the rich resources of West Papua it all begins to make sense: the militarism, the secrecy, the refusal to admit human rights monitors, the compliant silence of regional neighbours such as Australia.
