Support West Papua at the Exchange in Dunedin at 1 pm on Sunday 1 December. Read on for more background information...

Dunedin North Parish hosted a presentation with a West Papuan activist about five years ago. We were due to host an event a couple of recently but the activist's visa was denied. Now Dunedin people have the opportunity to support West Papuan people in another way at a flag raising event on Dec 1st at the Exchange.

West Papua is the western part of the island of Papua, it has been occupied by Indonesia since 1963. The Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia is part of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC). PCC says this about West Papua: SINCE the illegal annexation of West Papua by Indonesia with the help of the United Nations and global powers, the PCC has called for Papuans to be allowed their right to self-determination. The Papuan churches, while part of the Dutch East Indies, helped form the PCC in 1961 before the territory was seized. On 23 April 2024 it was reported by Human Rights Monitor.

The Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) has expressed deep concern over the recent brutal torture inflicted on indigenous Melanesians in West Papua by Indonesian military members. According to a news article published by Suara Papua, Rev James Bhagwan, PCC General Secretary, this appalling incident is the latest in six decades of Indonesian oppression against the people of West Papua. The statement was made in response to the widely circulated video footage depicting the torture of an indigenous Papuan by Indonesian military personnel in the Puncak Regency, Papua Tengah Province, in February 2024.

In view of the upcoming Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Leaders’ Meeting, Rev Bhagwan raised questions about how the MSG can continue to tolerate frequent reports of human rights violations in Indonesia. Indonesia currently holds an observer status in the MSG. He called for Indonesia’s suspension or expulsion from the MSG if it refuses to facilitate a visit by the UN Human Rights Commission to West Papua. Rev Bhagwan emphasized that Indonesia, as a signatory to various UN conventions, should guarantee its citizens’ civil and political rights, including those in West Papua, regardless of their political ideology or religious beliefs. Indonesia has been re-elected for the next term as a United Nations Human Rights Council member until 2026.