Jakarta, Aug. 7 -- Indonesia's 80th Independence Day must serve as a call to recognize and respect the rights of indigenous peoples, Deputy Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Lestari Moerdijat, has said.

She then urged that the Indigenous Peoples Bill, which is expected to provide a legal basis for the protection of indigenous peoples, be ratified as soon as possible.

"It is a paradox that the deliberations for the Indigenous Peoples Bill remain stalled to this day," she said in a statement received here on Thursday.

She made the statement in written remarks delivered during an online discussion on "Upholding the Rights, Preserving the Wisdom, and Strengthening the Role of Indigenous Peoples in Indonesia" on Wednesday...