a photo report
Within a week of the 43 Papuans arriving near Weipa in Queensland, Australians voted with their feet and rallies were held in several states. Below are photos from the rallies in Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin.
And of course in the rallies the Morning Star, West Papua's flag of Independence, provided a central focus and an essential feature at the rallies. According to Chris Richards of New Internationalist:
Until 1 December 1999, the Indonesians treated the raising of the Morning Star as an act of treason. Jails all over the country held Papuans imprisoned (some for up to 25 years) for raising their flag. The security forces surprised everyone by announcing that the raising of the flag would be permitted on 1 December 1999. In an emotional and peaceful ceremony, the capital city of Jayapura became 'Papuan owned' for a day. People throughout the country excitedly began preparations for the grant of independence that they thought would necessarily follow."
23 April 2006: TAPOL Human Rights Bulletin 181 (West Papua) - It seems that since December 2005 things are starting to escalate around West Papua, so it's not surprising that TAPOL dedicates a large section of this December Bulletin to the issues in Papua.
10 April 2006: Pieter J Drooglever, An Act of Free Choice? - the Papuans of Western New Guinea and the limitations of the right to self determination. An English summary of the Dutch Government-commissioned report into the handover of Irian Jaya to the UN under the New York Agreement in 1962 and the Indonesian - and stacked - Referendum of 1969.
31 March 2006: The Secret War Against The Defenseless People Of West Papua - "If the history of human rights is not the history of great power's impunity, the UN must return to West Papua, as it did finally to East Timor." Essays and writings by John Pilger, Clinton Fernandes and Marni Cordell.
31 January 2006: Free West Papua, Let Them Stay! - A forum in Fremantle about the West Papuan asylum seekers and their reasons for the trip from Merauke to Weipa in Queensland with Senator Kerry Nettle, advocate Kaye Bernard, Project SafeCom's Jack Smit and Australian West Papua Association supporter Ned Byrne.
22 January 2006: Inside the Grasberg Mine: an exasperating New York Times key feature investigation on West Papua's Freeport Mine. Published in December 2005, the article is already found on dozens of locations on the internet, and perhaps it's a study that will break the stranglehold on a situation that's both environmentally unsustainable, politically corrupt and an abhorrence in terms of human rights and ecological responsibility.
21 January 2006: Raise the Flag and Cry Merdeka - The first traditional Papuan boat, a canoe with outriggers, arrived on Australian shores this week from West Papua. The heat is on the Howard government especially because the Indonesian government allegedly embarked upon "revenge attacks" against family members of those who made the journey. This is a background briefing on the issues at stake.
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Visa feast
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A Visa feast
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A Visa feast
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Staff housing
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Papuan children
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Flyer,
Perth Forum |
Darwin Rally
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Darwin Rally
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Guests and contributors at the Melbourne events, the traditional Papuan dance and the rally included Greens Senator Kerry Nettle, SIEV X whistleblower Tony Kevin and Queensland refugee advocate Frederika Steen.
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Kerry Nettle
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Melbourne
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Pamela Curr,
Freddie Steen |
Melbourne
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Melbourne
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Kerry Nettle,
meeting |
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Tony Kevin,
Kerry Nettle |
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Greens Senator
Kerry Nettle |
Max Goudkamp (RAC)
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Sydney
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Sydney
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Sydney
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Sydney
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Sydney
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Sydney
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Sydney
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Sydney
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