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| West Papua Media’s Nick Chesterfield … training for “safe witness” journalism. |
The
Chiefs’ Nakamal in Port Vila, Vanuatu – the scene of closed-door meetings.
The West
Papuan reconciliation and unification conference being hosted in Port Vila for
the different separatist groups from West Papua has gone into stealth mode as
the delegates have barricaded themselves in the Chiefs’ Nakamal to deliberate
and make recommendations for a way forward.
No member
of the local media or public have been allowed entry into the Nakamal.
These
restrictions are a precautionary measure to avoid Indonesian spies infiltrating
the meetings.
The
various groups represented in the closed-door meetings are here to find common
grounds on which they can be allowed member status into the Melanesian
Spearhead Group (MSG), a regional body that supports the interests of
Melanesians.
Indonesia,
West Papua’s current colonizer, has been granted “observer” status in the MSG
while West Papuans have so far been denied representation. The main speculation
regarding this would be due to the fact that West Papua is not a sovereign
state so it cannot be represented in an organization formed by Melanesian sovereign
states.
There are
several separatist factions claiming to fight for West Papua’s right to
self-determination. This conference aims to bring these factions together to
formulate a common ground on which they can move into the MSG as full-time members.
Meanwhile,
Indonesia has threatened to cut all diplomatic ties to Vanuatu for meddling in
its internal affairs. Radio New Zealand reported that Jakarta’s Acting
Ambassador to Vanuatu, Imron Cotan has indicated that there could be war.
“Indonesia
is ready to go to war in order to maintain Papua within our territory so we are
indeed serious about Papua. Nobody I believe should take it lightly. Indonesia
will be more than prepared to freeze anything if our sovereignty over Papua is
questioned. That is definitely a no go in Indonesia.”
Vanuatu,
however, is adamant with its stand to support West Papua. It has always been a
staunch supporter of the “Free West Papua” movement and has championed the
cause for self-determination for years.
Fr Walter Lini, the foremost father of this nation famously declared
that “Vanuatu is not free until all Melanesia is free.”
It is
with this attitude that Vanuatu will not give in to Indonesia’s threats, but
will remain a strong supporter of West Papua. This support has gone as far as
seemingly “meddling” in Indonesia’s internal affairs so that West Papuans’
voices can be heard in the MSG.
West
Papuans are predominantly Melanesian. When their Dutch colonizers left in the
1950s to 1960s, West Papua was incorporated into Indonesia through a rigged
vote called the “Act of free choice” in 1969. Ever since then, the West Papuans
have faced increasing human rights abuses.
These
abuses have been one of the reasons why Vanuatu will always support the West
Papuans’ fight for self-determination.
West Papuan Meetings Barricaded, Indonesia Indicates
War, Vanuatu Adamant was
originally published on West
Papua
Resources: PAPUA PRESS AGENCY
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