West Papua is part of an island above Australia, and I’m guessing most people reading this have never heard of it.
European interest in West Papua and its vast natural resources has existed since the 1500s. In the 1600s, the Dutch claimed sovereignty over West Papua and remained there until the mid-twentieth century. The Dutch formally withdrew from the country with the intention to grant West Papua their independence in 1962.
The people of West Papua have no geographical, ethnic, or cultural ties to Indonesia, but despite that, the country began asserting authority over West Papua immediately after the Dutch withdrawal. Through U.S.-led negotiations, Holland and Indonesia signed The New York Agreement, which included the
infrastructure for a voting process known as the Act of Free Choice. What should have been a vote under U.N. supervision of 800,000
became 1,025 Papuans who voted for Indonesian rule at gunpoint under the threat of great harm to themselves and their families.
The campaign to win West Papuan independence is called “Free West Papua,” and the campaign website claims it strives to “educate and engage the American public and government around the history, issues, and challenges of the indigenous Melanesian citizens of West Papua, as well as the diaspora of exiled West Papuans currently being impacted by Indonesia’s oppressive rule.”
Since 2007, the campaign has been directed by independence leader and two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Benny Wenda.
After being arrested, beaten, and tortured for organizing a peaceful protest to promote West Papuan independence, Wenda escaped imprisonment and was granted political asylum by the English government.
“The people of West Papua have been suffering under Indonesian occupation since 1963. Over 700,000 civilians have been killed, and thousands more have been raped, tortured, and imprisoned,” said United States campaign representative Jewell Fa’amaligi.
“Foreign media and human rights groups are banned from operating in West Papua, so people rarely hear about the situation there. The Free West Papua Campaign is bringing the story of West Papua to the world and campaigning for freedom and justice in West Papua.”
To support West Papuan independence, we must educate others about the growing deaths of the islanders. Those who are fortunate enough to raise their own flags outside their homes need to help the West Papuans, who will be killed for raising theirs. Without their oppression being common knowledge, there is little hope for them to better their situation. More information about the genocide can be found on the campaign website at freewestpapua.org.