The Indonesian parliament yesterday passed legislation to create three new provinces in its underdeveloped region of Papua, a move critics fear could undermine the standing of the area’s indigenous population and threaten special autonomy powers.
Indonesia’s easternmost region, currently split between Papua and West Papua, will now be divided into five provinces, with the addition of South Papua, Central Papua and Highland Papua.
The government said the decision would help spur development, improve public service delivery and create more opportunities for Papuans to become civil servants in the resource-rich area that remains one of the nation’s poorest regions.
Indonesian Minister of Home Affairs