Page 29 - Islands Business February 2023

West Papua West Papua

More than 500,000 Papuans have been killed by Indonesia greater Asian community.
since 1962 and Jakarta has embarked on a trans-migration But Papua has been part of the Pacific since 1950, with Mar-
policy which seeks to change forever the population of West cus Kaisiepo and Nicolas Jouwe representing the then terri-
Papua by introducing more than 300,000 non-Papuans to the tory of Dutch New Guinea at the first South Pacific Conference
region. in 1950. This was a year after Indonesia gained independence.
With the FLNKS and Vanuatu firmly behind the ULMWP join- Indeed, the Dutch were ready to hand over independence to
ing the Melanesian Spearhead Group, it remains to be seen Papua until the United States and its proxy, Australia, became
whether Rabuka will put Fiji’s support behind the Papuans. involved with their interests in the territory’s rich resources.
All indications are that Papua will become the next full The U.S. was also concerned about the Communist threat
member of the MSG and that Indonesia will retain its associate in South-East Asia and needed Indonesia’s support to act as a
membership as a matter of courtesy from its Pacific friends. buffer and staging point in the Vietnam War.
Fiji’s ambassador to Indonesia, Amenatave Yauvoli, was a It was against this backdrop that the Netherlands lost
former Director-General of the MSG and is a diplomat of con- control of its Pacific territory, the U.S. gained an asset and
siderable skill and experience. Australia made money while the United Nations oversaw the
If Fiji takes that path of including Papua in the MSG family, process.
Yauvoli will have the unenviable task of trying to maintain a The Pacific churches - all born out of Christian missionary
friendship forged out of necessity by Bainimarama and Indo- movements - formed a regional collective at Malua, Samoa in
nesia’s former President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in 2011. 1961, the year before Samoa’s independence.
For now, Wenda is celebrating a small success - finally a At that conference, Pastor Willem Maloali of what is now
Fijian government leader who will listen to their plight. the Gereja Kristen Injili di Tannah Papua (Evangelical Christian
“The people of West Papua are celebrating because after Church in the Land of Papua), represented his people and
16 years somebody in the Fiji government has stood up for their aspirations.
West Papua,” Wenda said after meeting Rabuka in Nadi on “We see ourselves as part of the Pacific and that is why we
the periphery of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat leaders’ joined those talks,” Malaoli recalled at his home in Jayapura
meeting. in 2016.
“That gives us the confidence that the issue is in Melane- “Hopefully one day we will be free to determine our future
sia’s hands.’’ - whatever that may be - as Pacific people.’’
While there can be no argument that the issue is in Melane- In 2013, the link between Papua and the Pacific Conference
sia’s hands, the question is - what will Melanesia do? of Churches (PCC) was renewed in Busan, South Korea.
“For us it’s about justice,” said PCC General Secretary,
Reverend James Bhagwan.
Fact File - West Papua “The human rights abuse in West Papua cannot be allowed
1. Part of the former Dutch East Indies to continue and we must stand in solidarity with God’s people
2. Granted autonomy by the Netherlands in December everywhere.’’
1961
3. United Nations receives mandate to oversee Papua in A story of 4 Papuans
1962 When Indonesia invaded Papua in 1962, the action had seri-
4. Annexed by Indonesia in 1963 ous repercussions for a group of medical students.
5. Referendum of 1026 Papuans gives control to Indone- The Dutch authorities had sent seven West New Guineans,
sia after seven years of human rights abuse as they were known at the time, to Papua Medical College,
Port Moresby.
Four more attended the Central Medical School, Suva. In
Why the church lobbies for a free West Papua May 1963 when the United Nations annexed Dutch (West) New
For 60 years, churches and civil society in the Pacific have Guinea, Indonesia demanded that the students be flown home
lobbied metropolitan nations to allow West Papuans to choose immediately.
for themselves a political future. The Port Moresby-based students applied for political
Australia - as the United States’ local enforcer - and PNG asylum in a letter to Prime Minister, Robert Menzies. In Fiji,
as the nation under most threat from Indonesia, have con- Welby Korwa, Jesse Ajomi, Alex Mambraku and Otniel Burdam
strained those efforts at every turn. were allowed to remain and complete their studies.
Canberra and Port Moresby have consistently argued that Dr Korwa joined Fiji’s Medical Department upon graduation
Indonesia has territorial integrity over West Papua. They fail and served in public hospitals before establishing a surgery in
to recognise that the region was part of a Dutch colony and Cumming Street, Suva. Dr Ajomi worked for the Fiji govern-
allowed autonomy 62 years ago. ment as a dentist all his professional life, retiring in the mid
Australia fears an influx of boat people on its northern bor- 1990s.
der if Indonesia is forced to give up its annexed territory.
In doing so, they attempt to classify Papua as part of a

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