28 Oct 2015

Visit to West Papua

From Nights, 7:12 pm on 28 October 2015
RNZI's Johnny Blades and Koroi Hawkins interview the Governor of Papua Province Lukas Enembe.

RNZI's Johnny Blades and Koroi Hawkins interview the Governor of Papua Province Lukas Enembe. Photo: RNZI/Koroi Hawkins

RNZ International reporters Koroi Hawkins and Johnny Blades recently traveled to Indonesia's most easterly territory, West Papua.

The territory has been tightly restricted until this year, and the process for foreign journalists to get visas can be difficult and complex.

Koroi says that Radio New Zealand have tried to obtain visas for the territory in the past, but they had, until their recent trip been rejected.

"It was touch and go there for a while, we weren't sure if we were ever going to go."

So is the fact that Jakarta even let in a couple of foreign journalists a sign it's prepared to divulge more power to the region?

Johnny and Koroi talk to Bryan Crump about their trip and issues facing the territory.