Indonesia officially acquired West Papua in 1969, after a sham ballot on independence in which only a handful of the local population were allowed to vote.
But when the ballot was held in 1969, it was far from free and fair: the Indonesian military handpicked 1,026 leaders to vote on behalf of the entire population, and threatened to kill them and their families if they voted the wrong way.
In this environment, the outcome of the so-called ‘Act of Free Choice’ was unanimous – and Indonesia’s takeover of West Papua was rubber-stamped by the UN.
Indigenous West Papuans face daily surveillance and intimidation by the Indonesian military and police, and many report living in constant fear.
Thousands have been killed, detained and tortured since 1963.
It”s about time Australia stepped up to the plate and said something. Diplomacy hasn’t worked for over 50 years.
The world, especially, Australia should be ashamed of their inaction.
A brief video relating to the ongoing genocide in West Papua is at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCvk3NZCzTU
Craig Moore, Stroud, NSW
Hello, Thank you for publishing my article and video on the Genocide in West Papua.. It is very much appreciated. Out of the hundreds of emails that I sent to newspapers yours was the only one with the courage to publish this article that the Australian Government would love to keep quiet.
There are a large number people in your debt. Papua Merdeka! Free West Papua!
Kindest Regards,
Craig Moore
The fiction that “Indonesia officially acquired West Papua in 1969” is a lie, a fiction that Canberra has been help Indonesia to promote since Paul Keating got into bed with them in the 1980s.
The UN Ambassador in 1969 kept strongly objecting to the Indonesian military’s farce, for example see http://wpik.org/Src/NYT/19690511reject.pdf and http://wpik.org/Src/NYT/19690707.pdf
And the UN has never endorsed the Indonesian claim of ownership, the UN resolution in 1969 had nothing to do with the sovereignty of West Papua, see http://wpik.org/Src/unga2504.html
All persons of African descent should declare war on Indonesia. They need our help, if President Obama does nothing because it is American made weapons that is killing the papuans