West Papua Information Kit

West Papua Videos

In 1880 the first book about Papua was published, the first paragraph attempted to dispell the mythos of Papuans being cannables and primitives.

Today 120 years later the mine companies continue to promote this,
and the PNG government revenues depend on the mines.
It is time western media came out of the stone age
- time to see people as human beings.

Documentary and News videos

These are links to video files which most systems should be able to play.
Video shows Papuans being tortured as reported in newspapers October 2010, video posted by friends of People close to Nature.
Papuan being tortured with burning stick Indonesian interrogation in West Papua
The men on the left with a gun and using a burning stick are Malay Indonesian, the man being held on the ground is Papuan.
2010, Indonesian military with civilians
2009, murder and taunting of Yawan Wayeni
2008, Al Jazeera - Indonesia's silent war
2008, unknown - Biak Massacre of 1998
2007, fpcn-global.org - The Secret War in Asia
2007, students - Americans visit to West Papua
2006 refugees fleeing West Papua
2004, ABC - OPM gathering and Tmikia investigation
Blood on the Cross
- a 1999 documentary about 1996 Geselema massacre
1998, ABC (Aust.) - The Biak Massacre
Missionary - Baliem Valley
John Rumbiak
1969 journalist witness
Australia allowing colonial regime
West Papua / East Timor
Tears of Mother Mooi

Since Indonesia has forbidden western media, few journalist have been brave enough to report or document the many human rights abuses including the racial discrimination of a people as 'stone age' 'primitives'. At a time when the world is quickly depleating its resources, and is consumed by ethnic conflicts, it is unfortunate that we have overlook the world's most mature cultures because early explorers had mistaken technology for culture.

Instead of seeing these cultures for what they are, today one Indonesian tourist operator even sells a travel package in which he promises the customer will see cannables. Some tourist have even believed the performances provided.

Since the late 1980s the OPM has been making a concerted effort to get western reporters in and out out West Papua, their first real success was in 1991 with the release of:
  • Rebels of the Forgotten World a 52 minute documentary as a film maker flys into West Papua and must then dodge TNI patrols searching for the group while completing their work and getting out on foot.

    Other Films include:

  • Cry of the Forgotten Land is 26 minutes from 1995 filmed on a tourist visa to document some of the cultures of West Papua
  • Land of the Morning Star produced in 2003 by the late Mark Worth for Film Australia using archive footage and footage from the brief period when Wahid (first Indonesian President not part of the corrupt Indonesian militia system) was in office.
Some more media files on this Disc / Web-site Some External Internet photo sites

 
George Steinmetz' photos of the Korowai, West Papua
Robert Dive trip report 2006
Paintings of birds of New Guinea
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
- Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
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