Greenpeace's Open letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Mr. Marty Natalegawa

Greenpeace, http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia

We are deeply concerned and disappointed by the decision of the Indonesian government not to allow the Greenpeace flagship, Rainbow Warrior II, safe passage into the country.
The Rainbow Warrior is a peaceful environmental campaigning vessel. She has been sailing for Greenpeace for the past 21 years and is known for being a vital part of our work to promote environmental protection in every region of the world.

Alarming for us are developments this morning, when our ship agent was prevented from delivering emergency food and provisions to our crew by the Indonesian Navy. This runs counter to the spirit and intent of existing international maritime agreements which seek to provide welfare and services for all seafarers irrespective of nationality, religion, political opinion or social origin. As a democratic country, we find it disturbing that the Indonesian government has chosen to adopt this unreasonably uncompromising and inflexible stance against our campaigning vessel and her crew.
It is in this connection that we are now respectfully requesting your intervention in urging Jakarta to allow safe passage for the Rainbow Warrior in Indonesia. At the very least and on humanitarian grounds, we request that our agent be allowed to urgently deliver important provisions especially food and water to the ship and her crew.

This is the first time that our ship has been denied entry to the Republic of Indonesia. In the past, the Rainbow Warrior and other Greenpeace ships had been allowed entry into the country, and worked with local groups and concerned government agencies in exposing and environmental problems including stopping the dumping of hazardous wastes into the country, and in helping ensure a successful outcome during the 2007 UN Framework Convention On Climate Change summit in Bali. The Rainbow Warrior also provided disaster relief assistance in the aftermath of the tsunami which devastated Aceh in 2004. We therefore find it baffling, to say the least, that the Indonesian government is suddenly taking this hard-line and unwarranted action against the Rainbow Warrior and her crew.

We regret that our campaign to support the achievement of President Yudhoyono’s vision with the help of the Rainbow Warrior II is being set aside seemingly in favor of short-sighted political and economic interests. Aside from signifying the government’s capitulation to these vested interests, the government’s refusal in allowing entry for the Rainbow Warrior casts a dark shadow on Indonesia’s reputation as a robust and genuine democracy where peaceful freedom of expression is observed and guaranteed. Worse, given the Rainbow Warrior’s strong track record in environmental campaigning, the government’s stance serves to fuel concerns that the permitting system is being abused to serve the interests of those who stand to gain from the destruction of the environment.

Jakarta, 20 October 2010

Von Hernandez, Executive Director Greenpeace Southeast Asia

Watch the video: Greenpeace on Rainbow Warrior