Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)
West Papuan flag raising -Sydney
Statement. 29 November 2024
(Note. Although 1st December is West Papua’s national flag day. AWPA will raise the flag on the Leichhardt Town Hall on Friday 29 Nov. as council will be closed on the 1st Dec.)
The 1st December is West Papuan National Flag day or National day.
This year is the 63rd anniversary of the first official flying of the Morning Star flag in 1961, in the then Dutch colony of Netherlands New Guinea.
As the Dutch prepared to give the West Papuan people their freedom, it is one of the great tragedies that at their moment of freedom it was cruelly crushed and West Papua was basically handed over to Indonesia in 1963 by the international community. A betrayal of a whole people.
Sixty-three years later, the West Papuan people are still struggling for their right to self-determination.
And the human rights abuses continue today.
The situation in the territory continues to deteriorate. There are ongoing clashes between the security forces and the TPNPB, with casualties on both sides.
West Papuans continue to be arrested, intimated and killed by the security forces. A number of military operations have taken place in the past few years. During these operations house are burned causing villagers to flee, traumatised and in fear for their lives.
These military operations have also created large numbers of internal refugees. Human rights monitor in a recent report said that there are over 79,000 IDPs in West Papua . Many of the IDPs remain without government aid because of the ongoing conflict between the TPNPB and the security forces which make aid delivery difficult
The election of President Prabowo (who has been accused of human rights abuses during his time in East Timor) is of major concern amongst West Papuans. Just days after his inauguration, it was announced for plans to resume the transmigration program in eastern Indonesia, particularly in Papua. A statement said it was needed for enhancing unity and providing locals with welfare. In fact, transmigration is a great danger for West Papuans who are in danger of becoming a minority in their own land. Protests against the reintroduction of the program have already taken place in West Papua.
The Indonesian military has always used a security force approach to incidents in Papua and with Prabowo being ex-military, we can’t expect to see any change from this security force approach.
In October the Armed Forces Commander General Agus Subiyanto established five new infantry battalions to be deployed in conflict-prone areas of Papua. The primary mission of these battalions is to maintain security and support the government’s development efforts in the eastern region of Indonesia.
https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesian-military-establishes-five-new-battalions-for-papua-security
The military will probably be used in the land acquisitions required for the large planned food estates such as sugar cane, palm oil and rice farms , which will also lead to the destruction of tropical rainforests, biodiversity and customary land.
A total of 2 million hectares (5 million acres) of forests, wetlands and grasslands in Merauke district will be razed to make way for a cluster of giant sugarcane plantations, part of the Indonesian government’s efforts to boost domestic sugar production.
There is also the danger of conflict between the migrants (backed by the military) and local Papuan land owners.
Joe Collins of AWPA said,
"Meanwhile, Australia continues to increase defence ties with the Indonesian military with no thought to the fact that there is an ongoing conflict in West Papua or that there are regular crackdowns on peaceful demonstrations with West Papuan activists regularly arrested and intimidated".
Australian soldiers instruct Indonesian personnel in the use of the EF88 Austeyr rifle as part of Exercise Keris Woomera.(Supplied: Department of Defence)
and
"The West Papuan people are calling on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua to investigate the human rights situation in the territory. The Australian Government should urge Jakarta to allow such a visit to take place. A small step that would benefit the West Papuan people".
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