[IPSM] West Papua is the next East Timor
JJ
janzen_ford at myway.com
Tue Dec 14 11:29:52 PST 2004
West Papua is the next East Timor
Do not doubt the above heading for one moment. The parallels to pre-referendum East Timor on the ground in West Papua are already apparent: the transfer to West Papua of police and military commanders formerly assigned to East Timor, increased profligacy of various militia activities including Indonesian military-trained Laskar Jihad holy warriors, the influx of large numbers of Indonesian paratroopers and Special Forces into West Papua, foreign journalists barred from entry unless granted special clearance, constant harassment, arbitrary arrests and murder of West Papuans expressing their basic human rights which has been denied them for so long, and on-going wholesale environmental damage by the Jakarta elite and their military cohorts with absolutely no regard of the long-term and permanent damage to one of the few remaining tropical rainforests in the world. Even more shocking is the murder by the Indonesian military of the Chairman of the Papuan Presidium Council and Paramount Chief of Sentani tribe, Theys Hiyo Eluway in November 2001 - and the murder of two American teachers at Freeport McMoran's (biggest goldmine in the world) location in Timika, West Papua.
West Papua as a killing ground for the Indonesian military to practice their oppression has remained unchecked from outside scrutiny for far too long. If no urgent action and intervention occurs, the outcome will be as predicted by Sir Alfred Russell Wallace the British naturalist in 1869: "If the tide of (Malay) colonisation should be turned to New Guinea there can be little doubt of the early extinction of the Papuan race."
Exactly 100 years later, the 1969 Act of Free Choice delivered West Papua to Indonesia. Only 1,025 Papuan tribal leaders out of an estimated native population of 800,000 were chosen by Indonesia to vote (see Secret Document) and given two choices: agree to vote for integration with Indonesia, or face certain death. The intimidation worked - all 1,025 tribal leaders (or 100% of the vote) returned a unanimous vote in favour of the territory's integration with Indonesia.
The writing is on the wall - it's time for International Action for West Papua.
Out of a total population of 2,1 million in West Papua (latest census results from year 2000), the indigenous Papuan Melanesians currently number only 1,3 million, with the remaining 800,000 made-up of an assortment of opportunists and transmigrants from other parts of Indonesia who neither share nor respect the Papuan culture and identity. The Papuan population in independent Papua New Guinea across the border (PNG shares the border with West Papua on the island of New Guinea) currently stands at an estimated 5 million. The disparity in numbers clearly indicate genocide/ethnocide perpetrated on a massive scale by the Indonesian military against the indigenous population in just 40 years of oppressive and brutal rule. We say enough is enough.
Numerous documents and research papers now indicate that the 1969 Act of Free Choice was flawed and was not held in accordance with internationally-accepted standards of practice. We propose that the facilitation of a fair and just referendum/act of self-determination be held in West Papua. The indigenous Papuans (Melanesians) of West Papua must be allowed to properly and democratically determine their future.
We propose that the United Nations and the international community not forget the painful lessons of East Timor and to recall that the very same is becoming increasingly apparent in West Papua as each day passes.
Time has become mission-critical with the current rapid deterioration in the civil, political, environmental and human rights situation in West Papua.
15,000 tribal Papuans face genocide on the side of Glacier Mountain-PLEASE HELPTuesday December 07, 2004 at 07:05 AMinfo at fPcN-global.org
SECRET GENOCIDE
As you read this, in the remote Highlands of West Papua, the Indonesian-occupied western half of New Guinea island, up to 15,000 Papuan refugees are huddling together to keep warm in caves or make-shift shelters on the frozen foothills of the glacier-topped Puncak Jaya -- at 5,000 meters high, the tallest mountain in Australasia. They are starving and terrified. Sometime last week, they were herded into the mountains like cattle by Indonesian soldiers firing machine guns at them from helicopter gunships as they ran for their lives. For now, we can't be sure exactly how many Papuans have been shot dead, but we know the names of some of them. We do know that at least two elders, a church pastor, a woman and two children - unarmed, innocent civilians -- were gunned down in cold blood by Indonesian soldiers as they fled. Below them in the valleys, the Papuan villages lie in ruins. Indonesian soldiers have torched their homes, ripped up the crops from their fields and killed their animals in a frenzy of destruction. Nothing is left. There is no life. Now the 15,000 Papuan refugees are encircled by thousands of the very same Indonesian soldiers who have just murdered their loved-ones and destroyed their homes. The Indonesian military has formed a strict cordon around the Papuans. No Papuans are being allowed out and no Papuans are being allowed in to bring the food, medical supplies and warm clothes which are all now desperately needed. Not even church pastors are being allowed through to tend to the sick, wounded and starving. Tragically, we know that so far 15 Papuans have died on the mountainside of Puncak Jaya, of starvation and exposure. Most of them were children. We don't know, but by now, many more Papuans have most likely died. This situation is NOT being covered in any news, it is secret genocide. PLEASE PLEASE take action to help. We are appealing for cash donations to buy bulk food basics. ALL money donated will be sent directly. You can donate here..... http://www.fpcn-global.org/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=5 please mark your donation Puncak Jaya ALSO Please contact the following by letter, phone, fax or email voicing your concern for our tribal brothers and sisters. Request that Indonesian authorities enable the 15,000 refugees to return safely to their villages, supply food, medical supplies, clothes and other necessities of life to the refugees. Allow free access to the region (without intimidation) to Papuan church leaders, human rights investigators and foreign journalists and order an immediate withdrawal of the TNI (Indonesian soldiers) back to barracks. Thank You Contact the UN United Nations Department Foreign & Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH Tel: +44 (0) 20 7270 1500 Contact you nearest Amnesty International Office stating your concerns about human rights issues in West Papua http://web.amnesty.org/contacts/engindex 5. Contact the Indonesian Embassy in your Country AUSTRALIA Canberra 8 Darwin Ave, Yarralumla ACT 2600 Tel. +612 6250 8600 Fax. +612 6273 6017 indonemb at cyberone.com.au
www.fPcN-global.org
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