The chairman of the new unit to accelerate development in Papua denies that ongoing abuses by security forces are hindering development in the region.
The unit, UP4B has been created by Indonesia's government and is due to finally begin its work by the end of the month.
It was established on the grounds that nearly 3.2 billion US dollars of special autonomy funds disbursed for Papua and West Papua provinces since 2002, have failed to improve human development outcomes in the region.
The former military commander, Lt Gen Bambang Darmono, says he is not factoring the role of the military into his plans as chairman.
"Military is not dominant anymore in Papua. They can influence but they are not dominant anymore. If we're talking about the violence in Papua, a lot of violence (is) actually existing in Papua but the origin of source not only from the security forces."
Lt Gen Bambang Darmono.
