20 December 2002 Edition
West Papua - Irish action urged
Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín Ó Caolain has written to the 26-County Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen, urging him to publicly support the right to national self-determination of the people of West Papua, which is currently occupied by the Indonesian state.
The Chairperson of the Papuan Presidium Council, Theys Eluay, was murdered by pro-Indonesian forces in November. This has greatly increased fear among the people of West Papua of an intensification of repression, which, to date, has resulted in the deaths of some 10,000 people.
Ó Caoláin told An Phoblacht that he has asked the Dublin government to publicly call upon the government of Indonesia "to recognise, and vindicate, the rights of West Papua".
"In reply to my Dáil Question of 5 July the Minister for Foreign Affairs stated that the Irish government supports the plans for regional autonomy for West Papua 'without affecting the territorial integrity of Indonesia'. The former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Chakravarthy Narasimhan, has recently described as a "sham" and a "whitewash" the so-called Act of Free Choice by which West Papua was transferred to Indonesia from its Dutch colonisers. The former UN official was centrally involved in supervising the transfer.
"In light of these developments I urge the Government to state publicly its support for self-determination for the people of West Papua."
Earlier this year Ó Caoláin met a representative of the West Papuan people, Sem Karoba, and pledged the support of his party for their self-determination demand.
The Chairperson of the Papuan Presidium Council, Theys Eluay, was murdered by pro-Indonesian forces in November. This has greatly increased fear among the people of West Papua of an intensification of repression, which, to date, has resulted in the deaths of some 10,000 people.
Ó Caoláin told An Phoblacht that he has asked the Dublin government to publicly call upon the government of Indonesia "to recognise, and vindicate, the rights of West Papua".
"In reply to my Dáil Question of 5 July the Minister for Foreign Affairs stated that the Irish government supports the plans for regional autonomy for West Papua 'without affecting the territorial integrity of Indonesia'. The former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Chakravarthy Narasimhan, has recently described as a "sham" and a "whitewash" the so-called Act of Free Choice by which West Papua was transferred to Indonesia from its Dutch colonisers. The former UN official was centrally involved in supervising the transfer.
"In light of these developments I urge the Government to state publicly its support for self-determination for the people of West Papua."
Earlier this year Ó Caoláin met a representative of the West Papuan people, Sem Karoba, and pledged the support of his party for their self-determination demand.