Indonesian military-police, and intelligence in civilian clothes, violated the universal tenets of freedom of expression and assembly during a suite of operations against indigenous Melanesian West Papuans honouring their historic national day on 1 December.
Department of Foreign Affairs Immigration and Trade
ULMWP Pilgrimage to Canberra, 9/9/19
On 9 September 2019 the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) travelled to Canberra with a petition of 17,000 signatures asking the government to vote for motions supporting West Papua's self-determination in the UN General Assembly. Jacob Rumbiak and Ronny Kareni, with members of Australia West Papua Association (Melb) and FRWP Womens' Office (Docklands) started the pilgrimage at the Netherlands Australia War Memorial to honour the nation's Dutch colonial heritage, crossed Lake Burley Griffin to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy to acknowledge Indigenous Sovereignty, and concluded at Parliament House with a Media Conference during which Andrew Wilkie MP and Greens Senators Richard di Natale and Janet Rice were handed the box of signatures. Later in the day Senator di Natale tabled the petition in the Senate. Three days later Nadine Rutter, who organised the petition, presented it to Herman Wainggai (ULMWP'S UN Representative) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Jacob Rumbiak, Religious Freedom Institute, Bangkok, November 2019
'The Case for Freedom of Religion in West Papua's struggle for Self-determination' by Jacob Rumbiak for the Religious Freedom Institute Conference in Bangkok, 4-6 November 2019. Eleven informative powerpoints, including bibliography, with a PDF for downloading.
Letter from ULMWP Spokesperson to Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne, October 2019
Letter to Senator Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Parliament, from ULMWP Spokesperson Jacob Rumbiak, requesting her help to dissuade the Indonesian Republic from its aggressive nationalist performance and Syria-like development in West Papua by establishing a quiet dialogue with the new Vice-President Ma'ruf Amin.
Vice-President Amin, as Chairman of the Ulema Council of Indonesia, is the republic’s most powerful Muslim cleric, and has the moral and political authority to successfully argue for the recall of Indonesia's Islamic militia from West Papua.
West Papua Cartoon Exhibition
An exhibition of twenty-nine works by Australia's most gifted and beloved cartoonists published in 2006 after the arrival of forty-three asylum seekers from West Papua. The cartoons narrate and amplify the war-of-words between Canberra and Jakarta, and between Australian politicians, over the refugees' claims of genocide and Indonesia's racist militarized rule. That Australia's media moguls published their employees' works suggests that they too believed it was time to question Australia's long-standing support of the Indonesian colonial occupation.
West Papua splits Indonesia: Jokowi to talk to ULMWP, Wiranto flies in troops
As rallies and fires mark the end of colonial authority in West Papua, Indonesian President Jokowi agreed to formal dialogue with the United Liberation Movement for West Papua. At the same time the Minister for Political, Legal & Security Affairs (former military-general Wiranto) flies hundreds of Indonesian soldiers into West Papua and hundreds of Indonesian civilians out.
Global Petition to Parliament House, Canberra, 9 Sept 2019
Today thousands of Australians join with the thousands of West Papuans who in recent weeks have taken to the streets demonstrating against racist abuse, calling for the UN to be allowed access to West Papua and asking for a supervised referendum on independence.
ULMWP Statement: Parliament House, Canberra, 9 Sep 2019
The ULMWP presented an official statement as a petition from thousands of Australians is presented to politicians in Canberra at a Press Conference in Parliament House.
Dutch guerilla’s memoir of WWII in Netherlands (West) Nieuw Guinea
'We fought in the Jungle: my guerrilla struggle in New Guinea in the Second World War' is the English translation of em>Vij Vochten in het bos a WWII memoir by Sergeant Maurits Christiaan Kokkelink, which was published in Amsterdam in 1956 but never reprinted, and was found in a second-hand bookstore in Ljouwert, capital of the far northern province of Friesland.
West Papuans mourn the passing of Rev. Dr Neles Tebay
West Papuans mourn the passing of Rev. Dr Neles Kebadaby Tebay—Catholic priest, prolific author and journalist, peace facilitator, and indigenous champion of Peace, Truth, and Justice.
ULMWP begs for UN intervention as 2,650 Indonesian commandos wreck highland villages
West Papuans beg for UN intervention as 2,650 Indonesian commandos hunt down freedom-fighters and the Jakarta government blocks emergency food water and medical supplies to highland villagers.
Jakarta’s mephistophelian behaviour in Papua condemned
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) asserts security for Papuan and Indonesian civilians is now worse than it was for East Timorese during the referendum period in 1999.
Threatened species in West Papua
Thirty-one colourful informative slides prepared by Dr Jemima Amery-Gale of some of the wondrous indigenous flora and fauna facing increasing threat of extinction from mining, logging, conversion of rainforests to palm oil plantations, and the black market trade in West Papua.
Indonesia needs push to negotiate with West Papua in the UN
Indonesia needs to be pushed to West Papua’s negotiating table at the United Nations
