West Papua

For decades the Indonesian twin provinces of Papua and West Papua have been a no-go zone amid claims of genocide and extreme violence. 

Native Affairs sent a team to the region - the first such NZ crew granted access to the troubled area of Melanesia in a half century.

Reporter Adrian Stevanon has filed an in-depth report on Papua New Guinea's neighbour.

Pacific Media Centre postgraduate researcher on West Papuan affairs Karen Abplanalp, a photojournalist, was also part of the crew.

This follows reports from Indonesia that two Indonesian logging workers who had been held hostage in Skoutio village of PNG's West Sepik province for around a week were rescued late last week by PNG Defence Force soldiers.

The pair were reportedly kidnapped earlier this month by an armed group while cutting wood in Indonesia's Keerom regency, a three-hour walk from Skoutio.

The kidnappers had also shot a person who was later treated at hospital in Jayapura.

Murray McCully's comments come after the Forum Chair and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said Jakarta had been accommodating recently.

Mr McCully has met with the Indonesian vice-minister for foreign affairs and a fact-finding mission into human rights was brought up.

"Well I did raise that with the vice-minister that we would certainly hope that if the idea was put forward that they would respond to it positively, but I have to say that I didn't get a very reassuring response to that."

This is the will of all the Pacific leaders and their people including Australia and New Zealand and PNG as chair is mandated to consult with Indonesia.

The 46th meeting of Pacific Island Forum leaders meeting ended with an agreement to disagree on the contentious issue of climate change and a change in approach to fisheries management.

Climate change in particular dominated the week's discussions between the 16 member countries gathered in Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby.

Early on in the summit, conflicting views emerged as small island states like Kiribati and Palau reiterated their calls for greater action from the more developed nations like New Zealand and Australia on climate change.

The situation in Indonesia's eastern region was one of the main issues discussed at this week's Forum summit in Port Moresby amid intensive lobbying by civil society for more scrutiny on abuses in Papua.

Peter O'Neill says the concerns have been taken seriously by the Forum leaders.

Since the admission of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) as an observer to the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare appointed a Special Envoy on West Papua to highlight the situation in West Papua.

Member of Parliament, Matthew Wale is in Port Moresby this week to reach out to Pacific Leaders and remind them of their moral responsibility towards the sufferings of the more than 10 million West Papuans in Indonesia.

This was the outcome announced by O’Neill this evening after much debate among leaders.

O’Neill is also expected to consult the Indonesia government on a fact finding mission by PIF to West Papua.

“We declare that this is a consultation process and we need to work together and the Indonesia government must be commended for their efforts to ensure more autonomy is given to West Papua,” he said. 

West Papua Human rights issue was a key agenda discussed today by the leaders.

The government's special envoy on West Papua Matthew Wale says the Solomon Islands is supporting the United Liberation Movement of West Papua's application for observer status at the Forum.

The ULMWP was granted observer status in the Melanesian Spearhead Group at the regional organisation's recent leaders summit in Honiara.

Mr Wale says Solomon Islands will also urge Forum leaders to support a resolution calling for the UN Human Rights Commissioner to conduct an assessment on the human rights situation in West Papua.

The vehicle convoy which started at Jack Pidik Park and proceeded along Waigani Drive through to the Sir John Guise stadium has stopped in front of the Kina Mart shopping mall area.

The Union leaders are speaking to members of the public who are gathered there about their cause and the issue of human rights exploitation that has powered their cause.

Union leader Kenn Mondiai says that the movement is growing and that the cause to free their Melanesian brothers and sisters is taking a regional and global stance.