JAKARTA (AFP) – The Indonesian navy threatened Thursday to turn back a boat of six Australian activists seeking to sail into the restive region of Papua to draw attention to rights abuses.
It came as the unarmed yacht, the Pog, hovered in Papua New Guinea waters not far from the maritime border with Indonesia.
The activists were waiting to hear directly from the navy and receive assurances force would not be used against them before entering Indonesian waters, their spokesman said.
Any confrontation could strain relations between Indonesia and Australia, as the Southeast Asian nation is highly sensitive about its sovereignty over Papua.
freedom flotilla 