MEDIA STATEMENT
12th April, 2016
The people of West Papua demonstrate to show their support for ULMWP’s full membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG)
Today, we the people of West Papua demonstrated in our thousands across the country to support the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP)’s full membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).
Rallies were held in Port Numbay/Jayapura, Manokwari, Sorong, Merauke, Kaimana, Nabire, Fakfak, Biak, Yalimo, Yahukimo and all over West Papua. In Port Numbay/Jayapura alone, over 5000 people rallied peacefully on the streets to call for West Papua to return to our rightful place as a full member of the Melanesian family of the MSG. They also rejected the Indonesian government, which does not represent them, attempting to claim full membership of the MSG. Our people are united in one voice and determined to support ULMWP as our representative body, bringing us back to the Melanesian family.
However our people’s peaceful expressions were met with a brutal crackdown by the Indonesian military and police who arrested over 40 people simply for peacefully calling for ULMWP’s full membership of the MSG. In Yahukimo, 5 West Papuan people were arrested simply for distributing leaflets to call for a demonstration and they were then brutally tortured by the Indonesian police with a hammer.
Why is the Indonesian government brutally suppressing West Papuans from expressing our desires for ULMWP’s full MSG membership?
We appeal to our Melanesian brothers and sisters for help. We are Melanesian West Papuans simply seeking to return to our roots and join as full members of the Melanesian Spearhead Group because we are an integral part of Melanesia and full members of the Melanesian family.
The Indonesian government is using ‘economic diplomacy’ and telling the world that they are democratic but in West Papua there is no freedom of expression, especially when it comes to calling for membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.
On behalf of the people of West Papua, I call upon our Melanesian family of the MSG to please stand strong together with your true Melanesian wantoks and family members in occupied West Papua. The MSG was founded on principles that promoted Melanesian unity and self-determination as a means of liberation from colonialism. As an occupied people, we urgently call upon our Melanesian family to please support us in returning to our rightful place as full members of the Melanesian family of the MSG as we are an integral and indisputable part of Melanesia.
Why is the Indonesian government scared of West Papua joining the Melanesian family of the MSG? We West Papuans know that it is because they want to wipe out the Melanesian population of West Papua before we are finally free to peacefully exercise our fundamental right to self-determination. The Indonesian government fears true Melanesian solidarity.
We the Melanesian people of West Papua have expressed our united will and aspirations very clearly. We have full confidence in all our Melanesian family members to show true compassion and to support us in returning to our Melanesian family at last so that we may begin to turn over a new leaf in the long suffering history of Melanesian West Papua.
May God bless the people of West Papua and our true Melanesian family in the Melanesian Spearhead Group.
Benny Wenda
West Papuan Independence Leader
Spokesperson for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP)