REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SUVA -- Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan believes that Indonesia should have a special envoy for the South Pacific region as an effort to strengthen bilateral ties with countries in the area.

"I will convey this proposal to Bapak (Mr) President," Luhut told the press on board Boeing 737-400 air force (TNI-AU) plane which carried the Indonesian delegation from Papuan provincial city of Jayapura to Suva, Fiji on Wednesday morning.

A special envoy for the South Pacific region is expected to help enhance communication between Indonesia and the governments and people of the countries in the region. It will help strengthen Indonesian diplomacy there.

"Diplomacy is important and we should be aggressively explaining to states in the South Pacific about the conditions and situation in Indonesia including what we have been doing in the area of human rights," he pointed out.

Luhut further said that Indonesia often becomes the target of international spotlight when it comes to concerns about human rights, although serious human rights violations actually happen in other countries.

Citing an example, he said a number of parties in the South Pacific region think that Indonesian people of the Melanesian descent only inhabit the provinces of Papua and West Papua.

"We are trying to counter their arguments one by one," Luhut cited, adding that Indonesia has 11 million people of Melanesian decent, spread in the provinces of Papua, West Papua, Maluku, North Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

In addition, the presence of a special envoy in South Pacific is expected to carry the country's message more effectively.

Luhut also stressed that the implementation of Pepera (referendum) in 1969, which paved the way for Papua to become an integral part of the Republic of Indonesia, has attained a finality as far as the United Nations is concerned.

Responding to a question about Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) which provides room to raise the Papuan issue, Luhut stated that Indonesia does not want that the issue be discussed at a summit of the leaders of member countries of the organization.

With regard to the visit of Luhut's delegation to Fiji, the special staff of Indonesian Foreign Ministry on strategic issues, Djauhari Oratmangun, said Fiji is Indonesia's good friend in the South Pacific region.

In the MSG's context, Fiji is among the countries that support Indonesia, Oratmangun stated.

The Indonesian government has delivered a total of US$2 million and goods worth US$3 million and also sent a company of Army troops to help reconstruct Fiji in the wake of the category 5 cyclone which hit the country last February.

Apart from that, Luhut also brought a letter from President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) for Prime Minister of Fiji, J.V.Bainimarama.

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