Jakarta — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) expressed regret over the actions of several Indonesian citizens who raised signs reading “Free Aceh, Free Maluku, and Free Papua” during a United Nations (UN) forum. The Ministry’s spokesperson, Rolliansyah Soemirat, described the act as a misuse of an international forum. “When individuals seeking attention do such things, it is clearly an abuse of the forum,” Rolliansyah stated in his remarks on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
According to him, the act was carried out by irresponsible individuals who lacked any sense of ethics. “Especially ethics on how to behave in an international community,” he added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued this response following the circulation of a video showing Indonesian citizens raising papers bearing the “Free Aceh, Free Maluku, and Free Papua” slogans during a session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), an official UN platform focused on the empowerment of Indigenous peoples across member states.
In footage shared on the Manuskrip Papua YouTube channel, three Indonesians are seen holding papers advocating for the “freedom” of Aceh, Maluku, and Papua. They wore traditional clothing representing their respective regions as well as batik outfits. A formally dressed individual in black was also seen speaking at the forum.
In the short video, security personnel are heard asking the demonstrators to stop their action and confiscating the papers bearing separatist slogans. One of the participants claimed that the reprimand followed a report by the Assistant Military Adviser (Aspenmil) of Indonesia’s Permanent Mission to the United States, currently held by Paulus Panjaitan—the son of former Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.
“They (Indonesia) couldn’t accept it. This is a permanent UN forum, not the Indonesian Parliament. We have rights here,” said one protester wearing a blue batik shirt, quoted from Instagram account @nehe_mia3 on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
Moreover, the formally dressed speaker who had the chance to address the forum stated that while Indonesia maintains its presence in Papua, human rights abuses continue, especially by the government. “As long as Indonesia remains in Papua, and colonialism persists in Papua, there will always be crimes, particularly from the government,” he said.
Rolliansyah emphasized that the UN had responded firmly by confiscating the materials distributed during the protest. Officials at the forum also issued a stern warning to delegates not to deviate from the forum’s intended purpose. “The UN immediately took action and reaffirmed that all official UN forums are platforms for cooperation among member states. Such forums must not be exploited for the agendas of irresponsible individuals or groups,” he said.
Rolliansyah further explained that the UNPFII was established to promote cooperation that respects the sovereignty of every UN member state. Therefore, the actions of the protesters were deemed unethical and contrary to the spirit of international cooperation. “Not only did they misuse the forum, but their behavior also reflected a profound disregard for international etiquette,” he concluded
