West Papua is the western half of New Guinea, the world’s second-largest island. It lies 250 kilometres north of Australia and is one the thousands of South Pacific islands collectively known as ‘Melanesia’. West Papua is one of the most remarkable places on Earth. Its rainforest is second in size only to the Amazon, and contains species like the bird of paradise and the tree kangaroo. It is home to sophisticated tribal people whose culture stretches back tens of thousands of years. The West Papuans live in 250 tribes, each with its own language and culture.
West Papua used to be part of the Dutch East Indies. After World War II, the Dutch Empire became the new nation of Indonesia. But the Dutch argued that West Papua had never been part of Indonesia and had an entirely different culture and history. West Papua declared independence on 1st December 1961 - but the Indonesian army invaded three months later. Although the international community intervened, Western governments, led by the USA, chose to appease Indonesia and accept its occupation rather than risk a political crisis that might encourage the spread of communism in South East Asia. In 1969, the UN presided over a referendum on independence that was clearly a sham. The Indonesian occupiers announced that the Papuans were too ‘backward’ to cope with democracy, and 1026 ‘representative’ Papuans were rounded up and forced at gunpoint to vote to join Indonesia. This was called, ironically, the 'Act of Free Choice’.
Since its annexation the people of West Papua have suffered constant misery. Over 500,000 people have died as a direct result of the Indonesian occupation. Much of their land has been taken by the state and given to national and multinational companies for mining, logging or oil extraction. Non-violent dissent has been criminalised: anyone who calls for independence, raises the Papuan flag or publicly questions the legitimacy of Indonesian rule can be imprisoned. Tens of thousands of Indonesian soldiers are stationed in West Papua, and regularly torture, rape and murder Papuan leaders, activists and civilians.
West Papua is a closed society. All foreign journalists are banned. Human rights groups, lawyers, foreign politicians and even tourists are either banned from entering Papua or restricted to small areas where they are closely monitored by the police. As a result, the world hears little about the horror that goes on there day after day.
The Papuans have been denied one of the fundamental rights in the UN International Charter of Human Rights - ‘self-determination’, the right to choose their own government and national status. Every representative Papuan organisation is now calling for a re-run of the 1969 ‘Act of Free Choice’ – this time as a genuine referendum on independence, in which all Papuans get the chance to vote.
Papuans brave enough to call for independence put their lives at risk. Independence leaders are arrested, tortured and murdered. Even demonstrating peacefully can be fatal. The Papuans need outside help and international support if they are to succeed in their struggle for ‘Merdeka’ – freedom.
https://www.freewestpapua.org/