West Papuan petition is no hoax: Leader

The West Papuan people’s petition is no hoax: it is the voice of our people - signed by the majority of West Papuans.

West Papuan Independence Leader and spokesperson for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Benny Wenda, was responding to Indonesia's UN representative, Triansyah Djani, who called his petition a hoax and separatist propaganda.

Last week Wenda delivered a petition signed by the majority of West Papuans to the United Nations, calling on the UN to act over human rights abuses in West Papua and to carry out its 1962 commitment to ensure West Papuans have the opportunity freely to exercise their right to self-determination.

“The West Papuan People’s Petition is an unprecedented democratic act demonstrating the will of my people for self-determination. It was signed by 1,804,421 people: 1,708,167 indigenous West Papuans and 96,254 Indonesian settlers.

“The number of indigenous signatories represents an estimated 70.88 percent of the indigenous population of West Papua according to the latest independent research.

“This shows to the world what would have happened in 1969 if we had been given the free and fair vote promised to us by the UN and to which we are entitled to under international law.

“West Papua would have been the first independent Melanesian state – before Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Kanaky/New Caledonia.”

Wenda is calling on all West Papuans and supporters not to let rumour and sabotage weaken, deflect or neutralise their unprecedented democratic appeal to the United Nations.

“Our road to freedom is long. We invite all governments and people around the world to join us and stand up for truth and justice in our struggle to end colonial Indonesian colonial rule in our land. We, the people of West Papua, are fully confident that one day we will finally be free.

“With the West Papuan People’s Petition, we the people of West Papua appeal to the United Nations and to the world to see our aspirations for the future.

“We call upon the UN to support our fundamental right to self-determination that was illegitimately and unlawfully taken by Indonesia in 1969. Let the will of the West Papuan people finally be tested under the scrutiny of the world through a genuine act of self-determination for all West Papuan people; an Internationally Supervised Vote.”

(Read more at https://www.ulmwp.org/5017-2)

Related article:

UN committee rejects West Papua independence petition http://www.looppng.com/node/67360

 

 

 

 

 

 

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