West Papua Information Kit

Contents

Advocatism - US government & NGO efforts
Contacts and networking
Freeport, mis-information and Washington lobby work
Genocide - yes, genocide
Health & HIV/AIDS
History of West Papua
History of United States in West Papua
Indonesia - Understanding the world's largest Islamic State
News and Current Affairs reports
OPM
Reports - Government and NGO publications
United Nations and international law
Where is West Papua ? / Maps of West Papua

Introduction

New Guinea, or Papua is the world's second largest and Australia's largest continental island hosting indigenous kangaroo and other Pacific animals. The Papuan people have during tens of thousands of years developed thousands of cultures and advance social skills. Then from the 1860s the western and eastern halves took different paths. In the east under German and British and then Australian colonial rule there was little developement until 1975 when Australia pronounced the thousand tribes of eastern Papua would have a western style state and be known as the nation of Papua New Guinea. Western Papua from the 1860s had extensive Dutch missionary contact and adapted many western sciences to suit their Papuan cultures and from the 1930s their several hundred tribes speaking three hundred languages formed agreement that they should develop a single united national identity - the above national seal says "One People, One Soul".

When Imperial Japan invaded from Asia, the Papuan people decided to deny them aid; but when the United States and Australians came the Papuan people gave every aid, carried and cared for the wounded Americans, gave permission, help build and supplied food for the US bases. Deep inside a friendly nation of people, General MacArthur decided to build his Headquarters and the US staging bases for a half million troops.

By 1961 West Papuan towns had developed their own civil services, but the entire territory was united in agreement to become 'West Papua'; their elected West New Guinea Council parliament took office on 5th April 1961. BUT U.S. Standard Oil executives and their associates at Freeport Sulphur and Bechtel Inc. wanted West Papua's gold & copper. The American government did not know about Standard Oil's covert exploration of West Papua in 1936 or that the world's richest gold & copper deposits were in West Papua. The U.S. government could not understand why Indonesia and the "pro-Indonesia group at the Whitehouse" wanted West Papua to be a colony of Indonesia. In 1967 General Suharto sold a thirty year mine license to Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. in exchange for a share of the looting of Papua's wealth.

According to US Dept. of State and hundreds of NGO records and reports the Indonesian military and government continues a brutal regime of theft, murder, rape; and acording to the opinion of the Yale Law School, genocide.

Some corporations have three anti-Papuan motives (Gold, Oil, Colonization), such as Freeport McMoRan mining of Papua's gold & copper with the world's largest mine dumping over 300,000 tones of waste per day into the world's oceans and environment. The Tangguh LNG Project despite foreign and local concerns and reports; both seek support of the Indonesian military (TNI) to suppress the indigenous populations, a military who cut down the Papuan forests for China Olympics, Japan paper, European and US furniture markets while eliminating the Papuan population's homelands and hope of hidding from TNI attack. Exxon, Freeport, Bechtel, and their US Indonesia Society lobby want silence about West Papua, want colonial access to its minerals; even the US Congress were not allowed to ask these questions about West Papua; so we hope you will ask questions and let the US electorate know.

Where is West Papua

After Standard Oil discovered West Papua (West New Guinea then Netherlands New Guinea) had the world's richest gold & copper deposits; the Axis leader Sukarno began demanding possession and that this half of the island be re-defined as part of Asia instead of the Pacific like PNG.

Please ask yourself is Papua part of Asia or the Australian Pacific? Are the people and cultres of Papua a part of the Australian Pacific or of Asia?
Yet, the United Nations map of the world's geographical areas includes ONLY ONE artificial political border; a single straight line highlighting a cruel colonization of these Pacific peoples. West Papua's Carstensz Pyramid is the highest mountain in continental Australia, yet this limestone peak piercing the equatorial snowline is also kept out of the media and public awareness for fear that the world might ask which continent it is part of.

Advocatism

Advocatism, unlike 'Activisim' when a already popular cause gains more promotion; Advocates help provide a voice for those people who are being denied a voice. In 1962 the world ignored West Papua's objections to the New York Agreement selling its sovereignty to Indonesian aministration; in 1969 the world again ignored West Papua's objections and the Australian government even arrested political figures Willem Zonggonau and Clemens Runawery to gag them from telling the United Nations and world about the staged event and abuses. Mr Zonggonau and Runawery were intern at Mannus Island until after Indonesia got the United Nations to issue its statement about the colonization process which Indonesia continues to claim as UN appoval of the Indonesian claim of sovereignty of West Papua.

Thirty years later after US government records have been published and with the Freeport mine in full operation; the truth has become obvious for anyone who looks. Advocatism seeks the help and support of governments to promote human rights, freedoms, and international / United Nations conventions on these rights.

Advocacy efforts:

• In October 2006 NGOs wrote a letter to New Zealand PM Helen Clark requesting her to ensure West Papua would be kept on the agenda of the Pacific Island Forum.
• In April 2006 a letter from NGOs, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and other noted public figures and legal experts was sent to the United Nations Special Committee of 24 on Decolonization; and to the office of Kofi Anna requesting the UN resume its decolonization of West Papua as it is required to do under its Charter and UN General Assembly Resolutions. The United Nations has refused to acknowledge its receipt of these letters sent both by courier and post and by fax to the Special Committee and Mr Annan's office. However, in September 2006 Indonesian Air Marshal Joko Suyanto gave public warnings (see Indonesian and Chinese papers) after the Indonesian representative at the UN informed him that Desmond Tutu and others are trying to discuss West Papua at the United Nations.
• In October 2005 this Urgent Appeal requested the public to write West Papua letters to United Nations.
• In May 2005 the United States Congress drafted a Section 1115 "DEVELOPMENTS IN AND POLICY TOWARD INDONESIA" asking its own questions. But Indonesian General Yudhoyono and the US Indonesia Society lobbied the US Senate and had these questions removed.
• In March 2005, members of the US Congress subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific got to see a OPM video statement and got to read various US government and NGO reports. 36 Members of Congress wrote a letter seeking a United Nations "review" of the "Act of Free Choice" under which Indonesia annexed West Papua in 1969.
• In March 2004, 88 Teachta Dála (TD or Irish Parliament Ministers) representing all political parties in the Dáil, signed a letter to UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan, criticizing the international body for overseeing a "sham" election in 1969 and calling on him to initiate a review of the UN's actions in the Indonesian take-over of West Papua.
• In March 2002, human rights activists including West Papua's leading human rights organization ELSHAM, submitted a petition to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan asking him to conduct an investigation into the Indonesian take over of West Papua. The Lord Mayor of Dublin also welcome West Papuan speakers to Mansion House.

If you can help, please work with as many advocacy groups as you can and see if you can help break the mainstream media and United Nations silence about West Papua. Perhaps even get a meaningful letter read at the General Assembly.

History

West Papua's history is straight forward but like the history of the Republic of Indonesia is subject to mis-information published in the US and Indonesia. While we can not hope to identify why claims of Sukarno's or General Yudhoyono's popularity have been so widely promoted, it is clear that such misinformation has direct benefit for the members of the US Indonesia Society and others with TNI business relationships.

• Summary - West Papua's history
• Timeline
• Summary - Indonesian history - to correct misinformation
  - - example Indonesian reaction to this history.
• US war photographs from West Papua

United Nations and international law

Colonization is a moral crime, it is when one nation decides to steal or colonize the resources of another nation of people. Although the United States was founded by rebellion to colonization, and the United Nations seeking to end conflict and suffering incorporates the concept of decolonization into its Charter; nobody has believed it was practical to get a colonial nation to submit itself to an international court for such actions. Although colonization is not a legal crime, failure to commence and complete Decolonization is.

The United Nations focused upon the task of decolonization and ending the suffering of colonized peoples. After fifteen years the United Nations membership agreed to General Asembly Resolutions 1514 (XV) Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples, and 1541 (XV) Principles which should guide Members in determing whether or not an obligation exists to transmit the information called for under Article 73 e of the Charter.

These two resolutions provide an enforcable committment by members of the United Nations to end colonization, such as West Papua's. In brief, 1514 states that EVERY COLONY MUST HAVE "SELF-DETERMINATION" WITH DELAY; while 1541 provides principles which decribe what a colony is, and what is meant by "Self-determination". These are the resolutions which the Republic of Indonesia with the support of its US corporate business partners has been violating since 1962.

The Jakarta Lobby has been promoting misinformation since 1962 about an a contract known as the "New York Agreement" in violation of UN Charter and Resolutions. Not only did it delay a proposed 'self-determination', but its also ensured the UN had no authority to design or implement any self-determination for West Papua. Two years after selling the mineral rights of West Papua to Freeport in 1967, the Indonesian military General Sarwo Edhi Wibowo in 1969 implemented a staged display for UN oberservers at which the public were not allowed to vote and civil protests by the Papuan people were crushed. Instead of claiming the 1969 Act was any form of Self-determination, the UN issued GA Resolution 2504.

The United Nations itself as well as Indonesia, the Netherlands, and the United States of America have also been in violation of the United Nations Charter articles 1, 73, and 74 and Resolutions 1514 and 1541 since writing and signing the New York Agreement in 1962. This does not mean that the public or people of these nations knew what was being done in their name; in Indonesia they were told they had a divine ancient right to rule this half of the Pacific island; in the Netherlands the public was told their government had no option because of Indonesian and US threats; and in the United States the veterans objecting to this betrayal of their Ally were told that the people of West Papua had to be sacrificed to save the United States from communism. The public were not told about the gold & copper or that West Papua and its Parliament were being colonized in order to faciliate the Freeport minning of the nation's minerals for the benefit of the US Corporations and Jakarta Generals.

The Catch-22 with International Law is that the nations and even the UN itself will not submit to the opinion of International Courts unless there is enough public opinion to force their hand - but groups with such support do not need to wait on the court to rectrify their issues. The International Courts are mostly used to vindicate a plaintiff's outrage, or to mediate international trade relations.

West Papua's best chance to end the colonial genocide and abuse is if western people and media force the United Nations to admit that West Papua is still a colony. The legal case is certain, Indonesia signed a contract of sale admitting West Papua was a colony; West Papua also qualifys under both Principle 4 and 5 of UN GA Resolution 1541 as a colony; and it has not been allowed any act of self-determination.

Genocide is also a crime, although the Yale University Law School report of 2004, Indonesian Human Rights Abuses in West Papua: Application of the Law of Genocide to the History of Indonesian Control clarifys the likelyhood of guilt, it is most unlikely that Indonesia would ever allow any Court to give its opinion on this issue. The best benefit of the Yale report is that it clarifys that genocide is a legally appropiate term when talking about the current Indonesian control of West Papua.

Advocacy Sampler

• Mar/2005 West Papua Militia or on-line video.
• Jul/2005 Susilo warns US not to interfere in Papua; UA: State-sponsored terrorism by the TNI in Pyramid, West Papua
• Aug/2005 Twenty thousand West Papuans who again risked their lives to tell their wishes to Indonesia
• Sep/2005 Indonesia: Killing and torture acquittals demonstrate failure of justice system Amnesty International USA
• Oct/2005 HIV Aids problem in West Papua must be highlighted; AIDS Pandemic Troubles Human Rights Activists
• Nov/2005 Study questions transfer of West Papuan sovereignty
• Dec/2005 The New York Times - The Cost of Gold: The Hidden Payroll
• Jan/2006 FBI accused of bait-switch tactics in Indonesia; U.S. Puppetry Leaves Murders Unsolved | Feb/2006 FBI & Indonesian coverup of TNI murders being completed | Jul/2006 Death penalty for supplying food
• Mar/2006 Protesters demand an end to plunder of Papua, Melanesia meets Asia

• West Papuans oppressed by U.S. Multinationals : Excerpt (original)
• Promoting Dictatorship : Suharto's Lobby; Lippo goes to High School.
• 1980s Indonesian Lobby front : The Lippo Group (Lippo players)
• Extent Australian government compromised by Indonesian lobby : The spy chief left out in the cold
• Freeport : Tax breaks and more

West Papuans saved many American and Australian lives (see war photos) while Gen. MacArthur built his Pacific HQ and bases in West Papua for the safety afforded by our Papuan Allies. West Papua defeated Indonesian invasions of 1961/62 and ask the UN to return the prisoners to their Asian nation. But under pretense of Cold War fear some American corporations had the US betray West Papua (see US record) by forcing the Netherlands to sign the New York Agreement sentencing West Papua to Indonesian militia and mining by Freeport McMoRan.

  Americans, academics, and veterans wanted to support human rights. The United States Congress has written letters (text) and wrote Section 1115 of the 2006 Foreign Relations bill asking questions; but the Indonesian Lobby had the US remove this section. The US Indonesia Society is an group of companies who make their profits in Indonesia and whose business relations with TNI Generals are at odds against US and global security. The Tangguh LNG Project despite protests adds extra problems and more motive to rape/colonize. The people of West Papua need your help to end 40 years of colonisation.

  Australia and the US had turned their backs to West Papua, and we have not yet afforded West Papuans the help they gave our nations during our WW-II hour of need. The Indonesian military has raped thousands of girls and women, and have killed hundreds of thousands of Papuans while shipping over a million Javanese settlers 4000Km from Asia to replace the Papuan race.

  West Papua is also the simple story of genocide. Of fourty years of world silence as the Indonesian military executed the members of government, as the population has been bombed by aircraft donated by the United States to the Indonesian military; of colonial occupation by a Asian power of a Pacific nation.
Of tens of thousands of refugees in PNG who've waited over ten or twenty years to return to their beloved West Papua. Of tens of thousands of others who had to flee as the Indonesian military and militia burnt their townships and food farms to the ground, of people and their children hidding in secret jungle camps in fear of the Indonesian militia. Of people dying from hunger and exposure because they can not risk returning to their homes or being found before the Indonesians are gone. Of a gold mine and gas project that have no intention of allowing West Papua to have the plebiscite which East Timor had in 1999 and which West Papua was meant to have in 1969.

• TNI : Tentara Nasional Indonesia : the Javanese version of a military funded by various criminal operations and around 30% by government
• Indonesia : RI : Republic of Indonesia : established in 1945 with Japanese aid, overthrew the 1949 'United States of Indonesia' during 1950
• Dutch East Indies : a Corporation State from 1602 to 1799
• East Indies : old fashion name for region from Sumatra to the Moluccas islands
• Dutch Colonial Rule : the period of 1800 to 1941 in the East Indies
• West Papua Independence Movement : social intiative since 1930s to establish unified West Papuan identity and government to protect multitude of cultural assets.
• Stone Age : Colonial rationalization : "stone age" and "primitive" are two terms used to denigrate Papuas as less developed for using tools and technologies appropiate to their environment and social needs, while ignoring advance Papuan social skills most western societies require.