Pacific Conference of Churches Support West Papua 1 December 2023

Romans 8: 16-21

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

On the first of December 1969, the Morning Star was raised in the land of Tannah Papua. A Year later, the Indonesian Army invaded the land and placed a stranglehold on Papuans and the land. Today, the Pacific Conference of Churches, Fiji Council of Churches, Fiji Council Of Social Services (FCOSS), PIANGO Pacific 2030, Pacific Network on Globalisation, National Youth Council of FIji, Social Empowerment and Education Program- SEEP and other Civil Society representatives raised the morning star flag once again to commemorate the ongoing struggle for self-determination and freedom for our brothers and sisters in Tannah Papua. 

Rev Siera Bird, shares a reflection on the plight of West Papuan women especially, sharing a letter from Rode Wanimbo of the GIDI in West Papua who speaks to the hope that Pacific solidarity for freedom in West Papua is a beacon of hope for those in Tanah Papua. The reading from Romans Chapter 8 speaks to the hope for liberation that we find in Christ. 

As we continue to observe the 16 Days of Activism, we remember the unique violence that women and children face in the ongoing military occupation of Papua. The Pacific must stand up and speak out against the atrocities that are a lived reality for Papuans and reiterate the urgency with which we must work to end Indonesian Occupation of West Papua. 

From all corners of the Pacific, we shout #Merdeka! #MerdekaPapua! #Merdeka! #WestPapua #tannahpapua #FreeWestPapua

1 December 2023 Speech by ULMWP Provisional Government President Hon. Benny Wenda

Below is the speech that ULMWP Interim President Benny Wenda gave at Oxford Town Hall on December 1, 2023.

In the name of Yahweh, in the name of our ancestors, in the name of bones of suffering, and in the name of all generations to come, I would like to first say a minute’s silence for all the West Papuans, past and present, who have been killed in the course of the struggle. We mourn the ten Papuans who were massacred in February by the Indonesian military. We mourn the five teenagers murdered in Yahukimo in September, and the five civilians who were killed only days before that in Fakfak.

We also remember the brave fighters and heroes of the West Papuan struggle that we lost this year. I would like you to join me in a moment of silence for our flag raisers and all other West Papuans who have passed in 2023.

_______________________

December 1st 1961 is West Papua’s Independence Day.

On this day 62 years ago, the New Guinea Council raised the Morning Star across West Papua for the first time. A new nation was being born. If Indonesia had not invaded our land, West Papua would have become the first independent Melanesian state – before Vanuatu, the Solomons, Fiji, or Papua New Guinea.

Our flag raising ceremony in 1961 was recognised by Australia, the UK, France, and the Netherlands, our former coloniser. Oxford is the rightful place to raise this flag, because the UK witnessed our original flag raising

Though our independence was stolen from us by Indonesia and the big powers, we continue to recognise and cherish 1961 as a symbol of our nation. As enshrined in our constitution, the ULMWP has always recognised all previous declarations as vital and historic moments in our struggle. This does not just include 1961, but also the OPM Independence Declaration 1971, the fourteen star declaration of West Melanesia in 1988, the Papuan People’s Congress in 2000, and the Third West Papuan Congress in 2011.

There is now a new addition to this list of milestones: the first ever ULMWP Congress, which was successfully held inside West Papua in November. Over 5000 West Papuans gathered in Jayapura to choose their leaders. Every man and woman who attended the Congress risked their lives and their freedom to defend their constitution and take ownership of their struggle.

I give my congratulations and thanks to the Congress Committee, Papuan People’s Forum, and every West Papuan who organised this historic event, particularly the landowners of the Tabi region who hosted it. The spirit of Theys Eluay, who was from the Tabi region, was present at this Congress. Thank you to our military wings, we will continue to work together to achieve our goal of a peaceful self-determination referendum. As expressed in the Congress Resolutions, we acknowledge and give thanks to the KNPB and the Alliance of Papuan Students as important elements of our fight for self-determination. I acknowledge all our affiliated organisations and all independent self-determination groups, including women’s groups and Indonesian solidarity organisations.

I was greatly honoured to have been chosen as President of the ULMWP at the Congress. Together with Prime Minister Edison Waromi, our cabinet, and seven regional Executives, we will work together according to our constitution to achieve our freedom. Our roadmap is clear and our three agendas have been endorsed by the people: A) full membership of the MSG, 😎 a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights visit to West Papua, and C) a resolution on West Papua at the UN General Assembly.

We have our mandate given through the Congress resolutions – the first popular mandate a ULMWP leader has ever received. With this Congress, we place the West Papuan struggle directly in the hands of the people. We are implementing democracy before we have achieved independence.

As ULMWP President, I endorse all the Resolutions passed by Congress, and reaffirm the existence of the ULMWP Constitution, Cabinet, and Government structure. I also confirm that our offices in West Papua, UK, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and Australia will continue to operate, with the help of our diplomatic support in those countries.

With our ULMWP government, our constitution, our cabinet and regional Executives, we are proving to the world that we are ready for independence. We are ready to govern our own affairs. We also have our Green State Vision, which was endorsed at our Congress, which will protect the rainforest that is currently being chopped and torn down by Indonesia.

This year has proven that West Papua has no future with Indonesia. The Indonesian military have steadily increased their military presence across our land. The effect of Indonesia’s military operations is to displace West Papuans and open the land to exploitation. According to Human Rights Defenders on the ground, over 77,000 people are still displaced, living in the forest or in refugee camps. When people are displaced, the military moves in, and Indonesia uses the opportunity to steal our resources. This is what is happening right now in Intan Jaya, with the Wabu Block gold mine.

As well as sadness, 2023 has also brought great progress for our movement. The pressure for a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is growing and growing. Over 85 countries have called for the UN to be allowed access to West Papua, including the Pacific Islands Forum and the OACPS. This year, the Melanesian Spearhead Group released their own communique calling for the UN visit to happen by March 2024. Two Melanesian envoys, the Prime Ministers of Fiji and Papua New Guinea, have since been appointed to engage with Indonesia and find a solution.

On behalf of the West Papuan people, I want to give my thanks to all groups across the world who continue to advocate for our cause. To our affiliated solidarity groups in New Zealand, Australia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Micronesia, Polynesia, Europe and the US: thank you. I call on all our solidarity groups to respect and endorse the results of our Congress and our direct mandate from the people. The democratic right of the people of West Papua needs to be respected.

Thank you to the International Lawyers for West Papua and the International Parliamentarians for West Papua, and to our close friends in Catalonia and the Basque Country, and all our diplomatic allies. Thank you to UK Greens, Labour Party, Liberals and Conservatives, in our All-Party Parliamentary Group, for your consistent support. A special thank you to former Lord Mayor Craig Simons and Elise Benjamin, who under your leadership gave me the freedom of the City of Oxford. Thank you to the city of Oxford, who have always welcomed me and who raise the Morning Star flag every year. And thank you to the British government who allow me to freely lobby on behalf of my people.

Thank you to the people and government of Vanuatu, our Wantoks, who have always been our strongest supporters. Thank you to all religious leaders, and particularly the Pacific Council of Churches and the West Papua Council of Churches, for your constant support and prayers.

I offer my thanks to Prime Minister Rabuka of Fiji, Prime Minister Marape of Papua New Guinea, and to all Pacific and Melanesian leaders. The solidarity of our brothers and sisters in Melanesia is one of our strongest weapons. Without the support of our Melanesian family, our struggle cannot succeed.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who contributes to our struggle through culture, particularly in the Pacific, whether you are a songwriter, an artist, or a rugby player. Indonesia bans our freedom song, but you help preserve our identity, our language, our culture. You are keeping alive the spirit of Arnold Ap, the cultural leader and musician who was murdered by Indonesia in 1984 just because he played West Papuan music and promoted West Papuan culture. While he was in prison before he was killed, he wrote these lyrics:

Yang kudamba yang kunanti, tiada lain hanya kebebasan – what I am longing for, what I am waiting for, nothing but freedom.

To all our supporters around the world, I ask you to continue to walk with us on our long road to freedom. Continue to be the voice of the voiceless people.

Finally, to all West Papuans, I ask that you defend your constitution and the ULMWP Provisional Government. This is your government, your constitution: the people have endorsed it, and the people can defend it. Do not bow down to any structure that is imposed from outside, or engage with Indonesian institutions. You have your own government, cabinet, and constitution, which has been mandated through the Congress. You can liberate yourselves and reclaim your sovereignty.

I call on every West Papua – whatever gender, tribe, age, or political affiliation, whether you are living in the cities, in the highlands, in prison, in exile, or as guerillas in the bush – to unite behind the ULMWP provisional government and our roadmap. We are one people, with one soul, one destiny. I am humbled to have been chosen to lead you, as we continue to work towards our freedom.

God bless West Papua. Papua Merdeka.

Benny Wenda

Interim President

United Liberation Movement for West Papua

West Papua independence leader Wenda elected ULMWP president

Benny Wenda, left, with the ULMWP interim prime minister Rev Edison Waromi at the 22 Melanesian Spearhead Group Leaders' Summit in Port Vila. 22 August 2023 Photo: RNZ Pacific / Kelvin Anthony

This week, the ULMWP held its first ever congress in Jayapura, which was attended by 5,000 indigenous West Papuans from all seven region.

The congress was called in response to the ULMWP leaders' summit in Port Vila, where the leaders announced that they had unilaterally dissolved the ULMWP provisional government, angering many.

"The ULMWP has officially restored the term "Provisional Government" which had been removed/removed through the unconstitutional process that took place at the ULMWP Summit-II in Port Vila, Vanuatu last month," UNMWP congress chairman-elect Buchtar Tabuni said.

At the meeting, Reverend Edison Waromi was elected as prime minister and Diaz Gwijangge, S. Sos as head of the Judiciary Council.

Tabuni said that the appointment of executive, legislative and judicial leadership as well as the formation of constitutional and adhoc bodies would be for a period of five years (2023-2028) as stipulated in the ULMWP Constitution.

Wenda, who is based in the United Kingdom, stepped down as ULMWP leader and Menase Tabuni was appointment as president.

Menase Tabuni's election was meant for ULMWP maintaining its presence and solidarity with the Papuan people on the ground.

"We must do this from within West Papua as well as campaigning in the international community," he said at the time.

Wenda said he was honoured to have been elected as the ULMWP president at this historic congress in Port Numbay.

He said he and Rev Waromi take their mandate from the people very seriously and together, they will continue to work to free their people.

"I have always represented the people of West Papua, but true representation comes from election.

"The people are demanding a choice, and we must listen," he said in a statement ahead of the election.

Source: RNZ

Free West Papua campaigners convene for inaugural meeting in Jayapura

 

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) is holding its first ever congress in Jayapura.

Five thousand West Papuans from all seven regions are in Port Numbay, Jayapura, for the three day gathering.

The congress was called in response to the ULMWP leaders' summit in Vanuatu, where the leaders announced that they had unilaterally dissolved the ULMWP provisional government, angering many.

Two groups within the ULMWP, the People's Forum and Congress Committee have issued a rejection of the decision, saying it was undertaken outside of the ULMWP constitution.

"The people consider that the leaders have violated the Constitution where leadership and constitutional bodies must be appointed and born through Congress, not the Summit," ULMWP Congress Committee said in a statement.

The ULMWP Congress chairman Bazooka Logo said "today (Monday) is the day when the momentum of the West Papuan people will determine who their leader will be who will lead the struggle for the independence of the West Papuan people [and] as well as the agenda of the Papuan people's struggle for independence."

"To all the participants [West Papuan people], this is an important moment that will really determine your future. For this reason, use your sovereign rights which are guaranteed constitutionally by the ULMWP in the ULMWP Constitution properly until the Congress is finished."

Both group also demand the right to elect their own leaders, as provided for by its provisional constitution, not have them rotated in and out of power.

The Congress will end with the announcement of the results of the ULMWP leadership election.

Source: RNZ

This Video Shows the Bloody Treatment of Malay Indonesian Army to Melanesians in West Papua

Today, November 20 2023, five thousand West Papuans from all seven regions gathered in Port Numbay

Today, November 20 2023, five thousand West Papuans from all seven regions gathered in Port Numbay, Jayapura to open the first ever ULMWP Congress. The Congress will conclude on November 23rd with an announcement of the results of the ULMWP Leadership election. 

The Congress has been held according to the demand of the people of West Papua, following a People’s Forum held on November 6-7th. The People’s Forum was organised in response to the ULMWP Leaders’ Summit, held in Port Vila in August, the results of which have proven controversial among the people. The People’s Forum and Congress Committee issued a rejection of decisions undertaken outside of the ULMWP constitution, in particular the Leaders’ announcement that they had unilaterally dissolved the ULMWP Provisional Government.  

The ULMWP Congress Committee states that, “The people consider that the leaders have violated the Constitution where leadership and constitutional bodies must be appointed and born through Congress, not the Summit.”  

There is a requirement for a ULMWP Congress to allow the people to elect their leaders contained in the ULMWP Provisional Constitution, which was adopted by consensus during the ULMWP’s Extraordinary Summit held in October 2020. The People’s Forum statement which triggered the Congress was signed and delivered by all seven ULMWP Regional Executives, representing the seven customary regions of West Papua.  

This Congress will be the first time that the West Papuan people have chosen their own leaders on West Papuan soil. Until now, the leadership of the ULMWP had been rotated between the three ULMWP factions. Benny Wenda has welcomed the Congress, stating that by electing their own leaders “West Papuans are demonstrating to the world that we are ready for statehood”. 

The first ULMWP Congress is now open and will close on 23 November with an announcement of the people’s decision.

Fiji’s ‘Rambo’ prime minister calls for Pacific to become ocean of peace

 UPDATED at 9:30 p.m. EDT on 2023-10-25

Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka speaks during an event at the New South Wales Waratahs rugby team headquarters in Sydney, Oct. 16, 2023.

Fiji’s prime minister and former coup leader has called for Pacific island nations to declare their ocean territories a “zone of peace” as the United States and China jostle for influence in the region. 

In a speech to Australia’s Lowy Institute, Sitiveni Rabuka light-heartedly referred to himself as a “Rambo” figure because of his leadership of two coups in Fiji in the late 1980s and acknowledged some people might have questions about him becoming an “apostle of peace.” 

The blunt-talking Rabuka said Pacific island countries are poor, aid-dependent and have carried little weight on the world stage, but control exclusive economic zones larger than North America and Europe combined, which gives them a right to be heard and recognized. 

“History may be calling. It might be our manifest duty, destiny – to carry banners for peace and speak out for harmony in our time and forever,” he said in Canberra on Tuesday.

Rabuka is on an official visit to Australia and met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday, who said Australia would sell 14 Bushmaster armored vehicles to Fiji for the country’s use in U.N. peacekeeping missions. 

On Thursday, the two countries agreed to cooperate on addressing cybersecurity threats and Fiji said it would become part of Australia’s e-visa pilot program.

Rabuka said he would push his peace zone idea at the 18-nation Pacific Islands Forum meeting next month in the Cook Islands and hoped member nations would back it.

Rabuka, however, has been at odds with the positions of some Pacific island leaders by backing Australia’s plan to arm itself with nuclear-powered submarines and supporting what he called the science-based view that the release into the Pacific Ocean of treated wastewater from Japan’s tsunami-damaged Fukushima nuclear plant is safe.

The peace zone could contribute, he said, to addressing the “complex West Papua question” – the conflict between Indonesia and its Papuan provinces, where an armed independence insurgency has continued for decades – or managing tribal conflicts in neighboring Papua New Guinea with the help of Fiji’s U.N. peacekeepers.

“These are just some of the initial thoughts. Extensive discussion and negotiations will be required with many stakeholders if the project for peace is to happen,” he said. 

Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka (right) looks on as Pat Conroy, Australia’s minister for international development and the Pacific, speaks during an event at the New South Wales Waratahs rugby team headquarters in Sydney, Oct. 16, 2023. [Saeed Khan/AFP]

Rabuka became prime minister in December after opposition parties won a majority of votes in a national election, ending 16 years of rule by Frank Bainimarama – who first came to power in a 2006 coup – and his Fiji First Party.

Rabuka has apologized for his coups, which sought to reassert indigenous Fijian political and economic power but also unleashed violence against Indo-Fijians, who are the descendants of indentured Indian laborers brought to Fiji by the British in the late 19th century. 

As part of Rabuka’s efforts to create a legacy that is broader than his coups, one of his government’s early moves was the abolition of a Bainimarama-era media law that chilled political debate and freedom of expression.

“Some of you know, I have repented, I am reborn. My past cannot be removed but I can compensate to some extent for what I have done,” he said. “Many years ago I became a convinced democrat.” 

Fiji’s ties with China burgeoned after Australia, New Zealand and other nations attempted to punish the Pacific island country for its 2006 coup, aiding Beijing’s broader push for influence in the Pacific. 

Relations have cooled under Rabuka who put a police cooperation agreement with China under review. In his Lowy speech, Rabuka said Fiji continued to value its relationship with the world’s No. 2 economy even as its rivalry with the U.S. appeared to be intensifying.

Without naming any country, he said Fiji was grateful for the aid it received provided the country doesn’t become entrapped by it.

“Unfortunately some aid donors expect us to be compliant, to submit to their demands, so we have to be very, very careful,” he said. 

This report has been updated to replace the main photo.