1) Somare: West Papua will haunt MSG

1) Somare: West Papua will haunt MSG

2) West Papuans welcome Malanesian support

3) Organization Disappointed In Vanuatu’s Compromise On Papua

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http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/51791

1) Somare: West Papua will haunt MSG

Source: 

The National, Monday June 24th, 2013

 THE issue of West Papua will continue to test the Melanesian Spearhead Group’s  commitment to defend and promote independence as the inalienable right of indigenous people of Melanesia and promote their human rights, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare says.

In his keynote address to the Melanesian Spearhead Group silver jubilee celebration in New Caledonia last week, Sir Michael said there was strong and growing support among the MSG people for West Papua’s membership to MSG and its aspirations for self-determination.

“Obviously, the Papua New Guinea Government’s position on this issue will very much weigh on MSG’s considerations in terms of how it deals with West Papua,” Sir Michael said.
“For me personally, I believe that MSG should actively make representations to Indonesia to address the human rights abuses in West Papua.

“The MSG must involve West Papua in some of MSG’s cultural events, sporting activities and technical skills exchanges.
“West Papua, after all, has a significant Melanesian community.
“But  should the MSG leaders decide on granting West Papua ‘membership’, in one form or another, it should be done only on the basis that it is a Melanesian community and not because MSG countries recognise West Papua as a sovereign, independent state,” he said.

He said if a decision was made for West Papua to be a ‘member’ of MSG, it was not hard to imagine this serving as a venue for both Indonesia and West Papua to have dialogue and regularly brief MSG countries of developments in West Papua.
Sir Michael, who was invited to attend the MSG celebration, said it sounded perfunctory but he was truly honoured because he noted from the invitation letter that he was regarded as a founding father of MSG.
“A great recognition, for which I am thankful,” Sir Michael said.
“While I, indeed, signed the agreement formally establishing the MSG, the honour of conceiving this organisation rests with the late Fr Walter Lini, Paias Wingti and Ezekiel Alebua.
“Both Wingti and Alebua, who are still with us today, would have been equally worthy guests.

“As we search to find areas of common interest to pursue our quest for more enhanced co-operation and deeper integration, we must ensure that our national resources and energies are not wasted.
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2) West Papuans welcome Malanesian support

Updated 24 June 2013, 10:55 AEST

The Melanesian Spearhead Group says it "fully supports" the right of West Papuans to self determination.

West Papuans welcome Malanesian support (Credit: ABC) 

Presenter: Geraldine Coutts

Speaker: Sean Dorney, Pacific correspondent for the Australia Network

DORNEY: It said that they noted a road map in relation to the application for membership and that that road map should be based on clear and achievable time lines. There is no decision yet on this application, but the application is still alive as it were.

What was interesting, I think, is that the very first line of the decisions in relation to the membership was an endorsement that the Melanesian Spearhead Group fully supports the inalienable rights of the people of West Papua towards self-determination. They said this is provided for under the preamble of the MSG Constitution.

And the West Papuans were very happy with that commitment to supporting their rights for self-determination. The second point was that they endorsed the concerns of the Melanesian Spearhead Group regarding human rights violations and other forms of atrocities relating to the West Papuan people and that these be raised with the government of Indonesia bilaterally and as a group. That's another one that the West Papuans were very pleased to see. I think it's the first time that the word "atrocities" has appeared in an MSG communique in relation to West Papua.

But then it goes on to say that this Ministerial mission at the invitation of Indonesia is going to be going to Jakarta and West Papua sometime later this year and that it's going to be led by Fiji's Foreign Minister, Ratu Inoke Kumumbola and that the outcome of the West Papuan National Coalition for Liberation's application will be subject to a report of that Foreign Minister's mission.

So the West Papuans are fairly happy about that. They're concerned, they tell me, about this trip. They want it to be very open. They're also wanting journalists to be allowed to travel with the foreign ministers, to journalists from the Pacific, to travel with the ministers and when they get to West Papua, they not just go to Jayapura. They'd be allowed to travel around the two provinces there, Papua and West Papua.

COUTTS: How much support did that get having a media tag along Sean. We know that Fiji probably wouldn't be enamoured of that?

DORNEY: Well, I did have a quiet chat to Ratu Inoke, and he suggested that yes, he wouldn't be opposed to media going on that trip. It will be interesting to see how it pans out.

The Indonesian delegation, the spokesman in English for Indonesian delegation turned out to be Frans Albert Joku and Frans Albert is saying that this delegation will be taken to the province and see things.

He also said there were two very strong statements at the plenary session, a particularly strong statement from Vanuatu's Prime Minister, Moana Carcasses, but also Gordon Darcy Lilo was quite strong in his comments and what they said was in quite contrast to what Papua New Guinea's Deputy Prime Minister said where he apologised for the fact that Peter O'Neill had not turned up and then went on to say that the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister was not there, because he was in Indonesia.

And then later on in his address, he said that Papua New Guinea recognised that West Papua was an integral part of the nation of Indonesia. So Papua New Guinea didn't give the West Papuans much hope, but there were very strong statements as I say from Vanuatu and the Solomons in support of the West Papuans. And it's my understanding that these fairly strong words in the final communique came as a result of those two Prime Ministers wanting they're to be a major statement of support for the West Papuans in this final communique.

COUTTS: And is that the reason that the application for the MSG membership for West Papua was accepted before the delegation as was ....?

DORNEY: No, well that's, the Foreign Ministers had also agreed with that. The Foreign Ministers' decision was at the consideration of the application be deferred. The Foreign Ministers hadn't recommended that the application be thrown out. The Foreign Ministers had said let's have this visit that the Indonesians have invited us to, to West Papua, so I don't think the application was going to be rejected straight off anyway.

COUTTS: All right. Well, West Papua obviously dominated a lot of the proceedings. The chairmanship was handed over. But what other noticeable business took place?

DORNEY: Well, there were quite a number of other decisions made. But I suppose one of the more interesting things towards the end of the whole affair, the three day meeting, was that on Friday evening, at the centre, the leaders were to sign a re-endorsement of the support of the Melanesian Spearhead Group for the independence of the Kanak people of New Caledonia and surprisingly, although Sir Michael Somare was there, as one of the founding members of the leaders of the Melanesian Spearhead Group. Papua New Guinea did not turn up, did not sign that final endorsement of support for the FLNKS, which caused a bit of consternation.

Sir Michael Somare himself was quite furious that Papua New Guinea wasn't there. I understand Papua New Guinea's Deputy Prime Minister, Leo Dion, was ill and didn't turn up, but nobody else did as well. So that support for the FLNKS has been signed by all the other members, but not at that very crucial final meeting by Papua New Guinea.

And after that, the leaders went down to a social function, but at that social function, they had five cakes with five candles on each of the cakes to mark the 25th. anniversary of the formation of the MSG and because there was no representative of the Papua New Guinea government there, Sir Michael Somare actually lined up to blow out the candles on the cake for Papua New Guinea.

COUTTS: All right Sean. And, have we actually got travel dates yet for the Ministerial meeting?

DORNEY: No, the West Papuans were telling me yesterday, they did not want it to be at the same time as Indonesia's celebration of its independence anniversary, because they said West Papua would be covered in Indonesian flags at that time, that they didn't think that was an appropriate time for the delegation to go, but we do not have an exact time. No, the invitation is coming from the Indonesians and Ratu Anoke and the MSG Secretariat are waiting upon that invitation.

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3) Organization Disappointed In Vanuatu’s Compromise On PapuaOceania Decolonization Committee called deferral ‘not acceptable’

By Godwin Ligo

PORT VILA, Vanuatu (Vanuatu Daily Post, June 21, 2013) – ‘Oceania Decolonization Committee’ (ODC) president Shem Rarua said Vanuatu leaders compromising the nation’s stand on West Papua with the rest of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) members at the19th MSG Leaders’ Summit is "disappointing".

He told Daily Post yesterday that while the MSG functions as a Group, the individual member countries have their own stand when it comes to such issues as the West Papua struggle for political freedom from Indonesia.

"To comprise Vanuatu’s position on West Papua issue with other Melanesian members is not acceptable," he said.

"Many promises were already made to the West Papuan leaders by the Vanuatu leaders to grant them membership over the past few months.

"How can the Vanuatu Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs compromise the West Papua issue at this MSG summit which should have allowed full membership to the West Papua?" Rarua questioned.

"The Prime Minister and the Minister Foreign Affairs of Vanuatu have heard, seen and read more than enough of the brutality, killings and murdering of the West Papuan Melanesians reported in local, regional and international media every day as well as from the West Papuan leaders and people themselves.

"Then here we are Prime Minister Moana Carcasses and Foreign Affairs Minister Edward Natapei, have compromised and agreed with other Melanesian countries to visit Jakarta, Indonesia and West Papua for the proof, when you see the proof in all media outlets and even the Human Rights Organizations and the leaders of West Papua themselves every day."

[PIR editor’s note: Radio Australia reported that Foreign Minister Natapei said "…his country strongly backed the bid to have it discussed at this meeting, but was outnumbered. ‘We have to comply with the majority,’ he said."]

"I wish to remind the two Vanuatu leaders at the MSG of what one of the founding fathers of this nation, the late Father Walter Lini said , ‘Vanuatu cannot be fully independent until all colonized people of Oceania and elsewhere are politically free’.

"I want the people of Vanuatu to know that the Vanuatu Government (leaders) does not support our stand for West Papua Call to be freed from the Indonesian military control.

"The ODC two fundamental principles are clear which are; ‘No Dialogue and No Referendum to be discussed with Indonesia’ by anybody.

"Even the Vanuatu Parliament unanimously approved West Papua issue to be taken up with the UN Decolonization Committee but all past and today’s government leaders have failed to fulfill this wish of the people of Vanuatu for West Papuan Melanesians," the concerned ODC president said.

"The ODC was registered in 2009 and liaises closely with the West Papua National Consensus Leadership (NCL) working towards the political Independence for the West Papuan people.

"We were pleased to note earlier responses from the Vanuatu Government leaders when the West Papuan freedom campaigners visited Vanuatu.

"They promised the West Papuan leaders to have West Papua obtain full MSG membership in this Noumea summit. It has now turned out all differently, a lie to the Melanesians of West Papua.

"I could not sleep last night because Vanuatu Leaders betrayed our West Papua Melanesian brothers and sisters," Rarua said.

Vanuatu Daily Post: http://www.vanuatudaily.com