The New York Agreement was a betrayal of the West Papuan people

Australian West Papua Association (Sydney)

Statement 15 August 2021

The New York Agreement was a betrayal of the West Papuan people

 

President Thomas Wilson said “...that no right anywhere exists to hand peoples about from sovereignty to sovereignty as if they were property”

 

And this is exactly what happened to the West Papuan people 59 years ago on the 15 August in 1962.  Handed over by one colonial power, The Netherlands to another, Indonesia with a short administration period by the UN as a face-saving compromise for the Dutch and the international community.
https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20437/volume-437-I-6311-English.pdf

The Agreement did contain certain guarantees for the population of the territory, including detailed provisions regarding the exercise of the right of self-determination.

Although a so-called act of free choice did take place 

In 1969, Indonesia chose only 1025 electors (one representative for approximately every 700 Papuans) to vote in the UN sanctioned election. Under coercion the electors voted to integrate with Indonesia. The West Papuan people call this, the act of no free choice. It should be remembered that Australia was also involved in the betrayal. 

 

 

Benny Wenda (Interim President ULMWP Provisional Government) said  in a statement (10 August),  

“August 15, 1962 is a day of betrayal for us West Papuans. This is the day a secret deal was done between the United States, Indonesia and the Netherlands, deciding our future without any consultation with the people of West Papua. This secret deal was done without a single West Papuan in the room.”

 And

“We must hold a day of mourning on August 15 to remember what has been done to us. Due to this Covid crisis, we must stay at home this year. If you can safely hold a prayer meeting in your village, do so, but remember that Covid-19 is a killer. We must be safe.”

https://www.ulmwp.org/interim-president-remember-august-15-as-a-day-of-betrayal

 

 

 

Joe Collins of AWPA said, we hope the Indonesian security forces allow any rallies that take place commemorating this tragic event to go ahead peacefully. 

 

A rally by the People’s Front of Indonesia For West Papua (FRI-WP) and the Student Alliance of Papua (AMP) Ambon City Committee, are holding a peacefully rally today to commemorate the tragic event with the theme: ′′ 59 Years of New York Illegal Agreement and against Racism in the Land of Papua ′′

 

                                                             Posted on FB

Joe Collins said, “there is also concern that as Indonesian Independence Day (17 August) approaches, West Papuans may be intimidated/forced to take part in celebrations against their will”.

 

An article in Antara News titled “Papuans urged to display flags ahead of Independence Day celebration”.  reported that

“The Papua administration has urged residents and bureaucrats to join the celebration of Indonesia's 76th Independence Day by displaying the Red and White flag in front of their homes, shops, and offices.

They have also been encouraged to decorate their neighborhood areas with outdoor decorative flags, assistant to Papua provincial government's secretary for administrative affairs, Doren Wakerkwa, said here on Saturday.

Displaying the flag is meant to show the nation's respect for all the men and women who fought for independence, he said while reminding local residents of a circular letter, which has mandated hoisting the flag.”

https://en.antaranews.com/news/184070/papuans-urged-to-display-flags-ahead-of-independence-day-celebration

 

 

Benny Wenda also said in his statement,

“We know that Indonesian security services will go door to door trying to force West Papuans to raise the Indonesian flag. We do not want to celebrate your flag in West Papua. Under the name of the Indonesian flag, many of my people have been killed. Indonesia must respect our rights; you cannot force my people to raise your flag.”

 

Also, on the 16 August the Papuan People's Petition (PRP) call for all components of the people in the Land of Papua to be involved together in the Papuan people's free pulpit action on August 16, 2021 to urge the unconditional release of Victor F Yeimo. 

 

An extract below (google translate) from Jubi article

https://jubi.co.id/desak-pembebasan-victor-yeimo-petisi-rakyat-papua-ajak-masyarakat-turun-jalan/

 

Spokesperson for the Papuan People's Petition, Samuel Awom, said that Victor Yeimo was not a perpetrator but a victim of Indonesia's structured and massive colonial racism that happened to indigenous Papuans. Yeimo currently holds the status of a prosecutor's detainee but is being temporarily placed in the Papua Police Mobile Brigade detention center while waiting for the trial process.

"The action we are targeting is because this is a pandemic period, we must implement a health protocol. First, we call on the people involved to obey the prokes.  So, our action is in the form of a free pulpit for Jayapura City. In other places, the conditions of each region and the target of action in Jayapura City will be adjusted to the Jayapura District Attorney," he said.

 

Front Rakyat Indonesia untuk West Papua (FB)

google translate)

https://www.facebook.com/FRIWP.MEDIA

Action Call

Greetings for the Liberation of the People of West Papua,

The democratic space for the Papuan people is getting narrower with the 2019 case of racism at the Kamasan Papua dormitory in Surabaya, and the most recent one is the "step on the head" action carried out by the Indonesian Air Force in Merauke. The treatment of racism experienced by the Papuan people does not necessarily occur just because of racial differences, but it is a structured and systematic oppression that has been carried out for decades by the Indonesian government.

Racism in Papua cannot be separated from the history of the Papuan people themselves, especially the history of relations between Papua and Indonesia. Exactly on August 15, a meeting was held in 1962, which was later named the New York Agreement. An event that is very important for the people of Papua to reveal its history. From the New York Agreement, we can judge that the incorporation of Papua into Indonesia is undemocratic and illegal. From that history, we can also understand what really happened in Papua, starting from military operations, killings by officers, exploitation of nature, including racism against Papuans.

The New York Agreement is a clear proof of the forced annexation carried out by the Indonesian government, which is also cooperating with America. In the meeting which was attended by the Netherlands, Indonesia and America as mediators, not a single Papuan was involved, even though the meeting discussed the fate of the Papuan people. This event is very important for the people of Papua, to reveal history and demand the right to self-determination for the Papuan people.

Therefore, we invite all elements of the people who are pro-democracy to attend the action agenda to be implemented;

Time : Sunday, August 15, 2021

Time : 15.00 WIB

Place : Gd. Merdeka Jl. Asia Africa Bandung City

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The UN is still responsible for the territory.

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West Papua Exposed: An Abandoned Non-Self-Governing or Trust Territory

Julian McKinlay King, Andrew Johnson

Abstract

 This paper examines the shift in legal status that should have occurred, under the United Nations (‘UN’) Charter, with the transfer of West Papua from the Netherlands to the United Nations in 1962 via the ‘Indonesia and Netherlands Agreement (with annex) concerning West New Guinea (West Irian)’. It advances that this agreement must be a Trusteeship Agreement shifting West Papua’s legal status from a Non-Self-Governing Territory of the Netherlands to a Trust Territory of the United Nations. As such, the United Nations via the Trusteeship Council was, and remains, responsible to ensure the West Papuan people attain self-government or independence as required under Article 76(b) of the Charter. The argument is based upon Chapters XI, XII, and XIII of the UN Charter governing decolonisation and is further supported by admissions contained in now-declassified secret American, Australian, and United Nations documents from the period. A legal path to assist the people of West Papua to attain their rightful independence is also advanced utilising the Rules of Procedure of the Trusteeship Council where any UN Member can add an agenda item, and inhabitants from the Territory or other parties can present petitions, to draw the Council’s attention to a breach of the International Trusteeship System. This will allow the Trusteeship Council to seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice as available under Article 96 of the UN Charter and authorised by General Assembly Resolution 171(III) Part B. This legal opinion should also empower the World community to come to the assistance of the West Papuan people as encouraged under General Assembly Resolution 2621(XXV).

https://griffithlawjournal.org/index.php/gjlhd/article/view/1078

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