Nicholaas Jouwe (NJ), a senior Papua separatist movement figure who stayed in the Netherlands since 1961 has went home. The visit ran as implemented when he met President of the Republic of Indonesia, Indonesian Minister of Peoples’ Welfare, Indonesia Minister of Fishery and also the Governor of Papua on March 2009. In the time, NJ on April 4, 2009 signed a statement mentioning, among others, his support to the Republic of Indonesia and the willing to assist the development process in Papua through the implementation of the Special Automnomy. When NJ met President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Cikeas, Bogor, on March 26, 2009, Nicholas asked the President to grant him Indonesian nationality, which would allow him to return to Indonesia permanently, after spending more than 40 years in exile in the Netherlands.
Furthermore on January 12 NJ come again in Jakarta and make discuss with
Public Welfare Minister Agung Laksono and Transport Minister Freddy Numberi. In the meeting NJ said that I left the Netherlands to settle on my home soil of Indonesia for good, Papua is part of Indonesia. So with both of ministry we talked about the cooperation programmed, which is what we need. We have to develop the Papua land. Asked about OPM’s continued resistance to the Indonesian military in West Papua, Nicholas Jouwe replied the perpetrators were just “young people who know nothing.”
In this regards, IGSSARPRI’s Franz albert Yoku reported that the President had invited Jouwe to participate in further discussions to address Papua’s problems and assist in Papua’s further development within the Unitary Republic of Indonesia (NKRI). Nicholas wishes to spend his final years building Papua using the region's special autonomy rights one of the founders of the Independent Group Supporting the Autonomous Region of Papua within The Republic of Indonesia (IGSARPRI) Franzalbert Yoku said as quoted by Antara news agency. The returning Papuans from abroad points out the success of development in Papua, improved prosperity of the people and security stabilty in Papua. It also proves that the Papuans did not leave their homes due to security threats as often mentioned and even campaigned by certain rebellious groups in several countries.
Prior the home coming of NJ, the thousands of refugees who had fled into PNG in 1984, some 708 wanted to return to Papua on December 2009 and then Papuans who have returned to Indonesia are Franz Albert Joku and Nick Messet (once are activists of Papua separatist movement in Belgium); Yubel Kareni, Hana Gobay, Yunus Wainggai and Aneke Wainggai of the 43 Assylum Seekers from Australia (end of 2005); and Siti Wainggai, wife of Yunus Wainggai, who returned from Vanuatu.