Press Release 21/April/2006

The UN must return West Papua to list of non self-governing territories requiring self-determination plebiscite

  An initiative petitioning the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization to seek advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice concerning arrant irregularities in the administration and annexation of West Papua has been sponsored by NGOs and public figures.
  Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Senator Bob Brown (Aust.), Keith Locke MP (NZ) have written to add their full support to this effort already endorsed by US Congressman Faleomavaega, Bishop Hilton Deakin, Hon. Dr. Meredith Burgmann, Prof. Michael Byers, Prof Noam Chomsky, and West Papuan representatives.

Five major violations of international law, the United Nations Charter and UN General Assembly (GA) resolutions have been identified :

1) that Indonesia has yet to comply with the UN Charter (article 73) and allow self-determination for West New Guinea in compliance with UN GA resolution 1541 ;

2) that the 'New York Agreement' to transfer the administration of West Papua to Indonesia without the West Papuan people's consent violates international law and the United Nations Charter ;

3) that the Agreement violates UN Resolution 1514 by delaying transfer of administration in accordance with the people's will, and violates contract law as it was written for a purpose other than its stated primary function;

4) that the 'Act of Free Choice' was invalid in light of multiple violations of the terms of the 'New York Agreement', the United Nations Charter and UN GA Resolution 1541 ;
and that apart from historical issues

5) West Papua qualifies as a non-governing territory as defined by UN GA Resolution 1541.

Full text of letter can be found at :
    http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=4283

Joe Collins from AWPA Sydney said
"It is internationally accepted that the 1969 ?act of free choice? was flawed and not a true act of self-determination. A Dutch government commissioned report by Pieter Drooglever concluded, as have others, that the ?act of free choice? was a sham. Its time that the UN accepted responsibility and looked at its involvement not only in its handling of the act of free choice but also at the New York agreement."
Joe Collins is the Secretary of the Sydney branch of the Australia West Papua Association - an association which promotes equal human rights and freedom of speech for all people of all nations and endorses the de-colonization principles written into the United Nations Charter.
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