ULMWP Media, 1 February 2019
Vanuatu Government sponsors West Papua hearing with UN Human Rights Commissioner Blachert in Geneva
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua conveys its thanks and gratitude to the Vanuatu Government for facilitating passage of the people’s historic petition and outstanding claims to UN Human Rights Commissioner Blachert in Geneva on Friday 25 January 2019.
The people of West Papua have finally been able to speak to the UN, by way of their 1.8 million signatures, the same forum that facilitated the Indonesian occupation so many years ago, and thank the Vanuatu chiefs and churches, womens organizations, youth assemblies, and all our brothers and sisters in Vanuatu, for recognizing their ancestral obligations and standing—like the small courageous David in front of the lying Goliath—alongside their Melanesian kin.
The 1.8 million signatures have now been lodged in the offices of the President of the UN General Assembly in New York and the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva; with an additional report to Commissioner Bachelet of the Indonesian Parliament’s declaration-of-war in December 2018 and subsequent dispersal of white phosphorous over highland villagers.
Indonesian politicians realize the lodgment of these documents is preparatory to a motion in the UN General Assembly to insert West Papua on the UN Decolonization. They realize that the 1962 New York Agreement gifted them ‘sacred trust’ responsibilities for 459,412 kms2 of wealthy Melanesian territory and for upholding the best interests of the territory’s sovereign owners. They are also realising that their ‘territorial integrity’ argument will not hold against infractions of Indonesia’s legal obligations and violations of international law.
God bless Vanuatu.
Jacob Rumbiak
Spokesperson, United Liberation Movement for West Papua
The Vanuatu Government’s sponsorship of the ULMWP mandate to insert West Papua on the UN Decolonisation List was subsequent to the Saralana Declaration of Unity in Port Vila on 6 December 2014 by West Papua’s key political organizations (Federal Republic of West Papua, West Papua National Coalition for Liberation and the West Papua National Parliament).
