Saturday, the 15th of August, was a Global Day of Action in 9 cities in 6 countries around the world to remember “The Day of Broken Promise” when West Papua was sold to Indonesia in 1962. 

In Melbourne, we will be protesting the continued occupation by Indonesia of the land of the West Papuan people that has seen the genocide of half a million people over the past 53 years. Indonesian occupation has profited from mining- mining that has caused devastating environmental damage and resulting ill-health. US-owned Freeport and Australian-owned Rio Tinto mining corporations make huge profits, shared with Indonesia, on the suffering of West Papuan people.

The minister for Foreign Affairs agreed to meet privately with Peter Elaby today on condition that no photographs, recording devices or flags were present. This is Peter’s REPORT ON PRIVATE MEETING WITH THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER August 2, 2015 by Peter Elaby
On the morning of August 2, 2015, a group of Free West Papua supporters in Darwin attended a morning tea fundraiser as the special guest was Australia’s Foreign Affairs minister Julie Bishop. We asked the ministerial advisers if she could meet to discuss human rights in West Papua.

Julie Bishop was the key speaker who had a few questions from the crowd. She knew I wanted to speak to her but she ignored my hand in the air waiting to ask her a question. After she sat down, we walked up to her table peacefully with the morning star flag whilst the and asked her if she was going to meet to discuss West Papua. She said to go over to another area and wait, so we did.

We continued peacefully holding Free West Papua banners and the morning star flag whilst the ministerial advisers negotiated with the minister to meet at our request. The minister finally agreed to meet privately only with me and on condition that no photographs or flags were present. It was agreed and soon I was taken into a room, body searched and told to wait.

After 15 minutes the minister entered the room with one other woman and Federal policeman. The minister sat down and asked me what my name was. I said “My name is Peter Elaby and I come from West Papua but I am Australian citizen as well. I know you are my Australian government foreign affairs minister so is it possible that I can ask you a few questions?”.

The minister replied “Sure, what do you want to ask me?”

I asked her “Why does the Australian government not look at solving the human rights problems in the Pacific and particular in West Papua?”

The minister replied “The Australian government can’t do anything to help the human rights issues in West Papua because we respect Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua.” In addition she said “The Australian government is sure that the issue of human rights in West Papua can be solved with consultation with the Indonesian government”.

I then asked her “What is the Australian government stance on human rights in West Papua because Australia has been financing and training Indonesian troops and when they get back many are sent to West Papua. The Indonesian military kill civilian people and kill those who try to speak up about their rights. The Australian government helps the Indonesian government to arrest and kill West Papuans who join a democratic and peaceful rally”.

The minister replied that the Australian government cannot do anything because they respect the boundaries of Indonesian sovereignty.

I asked the minister for Foreign affairs “What is the difference between East Timor and West Papua?’ She was stuck but finally she replied “Well East Timor only got independence because Indonesia gave them a referendum”. But i said “No, the Australian government sent INTERFET troops into East Timor”. She then just started talking about Indonesian sovereignty again and how Australia can’t possibly interfere.

I next asked the minister “Why can the Australian government send troops into the Middle East but not next door in West Papua where the Indonesian government commits genocide of the people of West Papua and Australia just do nothing?’

She replied by repeating that Australia respects of the sovereign boundaries of Indonesia and that it is impossible for Australia to help.

I spoke to the minister about the fuzzy wuzzy angels of West Papua. I said “In World War 2 when Japan was trying to invade the Pacific, the people in West Papua and Papua New Guinea were the ones who stood and helped the Australian troops in Papua”. I asked her “Where is the Australian moral obligation toward the people of West Papua and the human rights situation in West Papua?”

The foreign affairs minister agreed that the people of West Papua helped Australia a lot in World War 2. She began explaining that Australia are educating some students from the pacific islands like Fiji, PNG and the Solomon Islands and that Australia work together with some Pacific Islands governments to solve the problems in the pacific region. But she didn’t say anything about the West Papuan human rights issues or genocide that is happening in West Papua.

We didn’t agree with each other because she didn’t mention how Australia could help solve the human rights issues in West Papua. She only wanted to talk about bringing students from the Pacific region while the real situation in West Papua is really upsetting me.

The foreign minister repeated again about Indonesian sovereignty and how Australia can’t do much. Then she asked me “me what do you think?”

I replied “West Papua will get independence one day”

Free West Papua Campaign Free West Papua Ca

Rilis Media

Pada tanggal 16 Juli, Flotilla Kemerdekaan ke Papua Barat membalas ‘permainan perang’ di antara AS dan Australia dengan aksi langsung di laut lepas, menarik perhatian pada perjuangan Papua Barat untuk kemerdekaan dari pendudukan Indonesia yang kejam.

Flotilla Kemerdekaan ke Papua Barat berfokus kepada keterlibatan Australia dan AS dalam pelanggaran HAM disana. Kedua negara tersebut telah memungkinkan dan mendukung pendudukan ini, secara diplomatis dan secara material.

Masalah ini mulai di tahun 1961, dengan pengambilalihan Papua Barat, yaitu difasilitasi oleh PBB. Pada saatnya jajak pendapat itu, militer Indonesia memilih 1025 orang Papua Barat, dan memaksa orang tersebut untuk memilih di bawah todongan senjata. Papua Barat berada di bawah pendudukan militer Indonesia sejak 1969.

Selama lima puluh tahun ini, Papua Barat telah menderita sebuah genosida, yang pernah dilaporkan secara luas. Sampai sekarang, lebih dari 500,000 warga negara Papua tewas, atau diperkosa dan disiksa. Pendukungan militer dan keuangan dari Australia dan AS berlangsung sampai hari ini. Begitu juga pembunuhan dan pelanggaran Hak Asasi Manusia oleh pasukan Indonesia di Papua Barat sedang berlangsung.

Inisiator Flotilla, Ketua Arabunna Kevin Buzzacott, mengatakan bahwa

“Kami tidak akan tahan pembunuhan ini di depan rumah kami.”

“Australia dan AS memang terlibat dalam genosida yang terjadi di Papua Barat. Kedua Pemerintah ini bertangan merah dengan darah Papua Barat” mengatakan Izzy Brown, dari Flotilla Kemerdekaan.

Laporan HAM Departemen Luar Negeri AS yang baru-baru ini dirilis menyorot pelanggaran HAM oleh pasukan Indonesia yang sedang berlangsung di Papua Barat. Laporan ini mengungkapkan bahwa penyiksaan dan pembunuhan tersebut disembunyikan secara sistematis. Laporan tersebut dapat dibaca dengan URL ini : http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2014&dlid=236442#wrapper

Tambang Freeport juga terkenal karena keterlibatan dalam pelanggaran HAM sistematis oleh pasukan keamanan yang diperkerjakan oleh Freeport, termasuk pengawasan, penyiksaan mental, ancaman kematian dan tahanan rumah. Operasi Freeport di Papua Barat telah menyebabkan kerusakan parah pada lingkunga orang Amungme, yaitu merupakan sebuah kontribusi terhadap genosida budaya yang sedang berlangsung di seluruh Papua Barat.

Di 2015, pemerintah Australia berkurang bantuan luar negeri ke Indonesia, tetapi pendanaan untuk pembantuan dan pelatihan polisi Indonesia tetap mengalir. Pasukan Indonesia telah melakukan pelanggaran HAM yang parah, dan Australia harus berhenti pendanaan yang memungkinkan ketakutan massal dan pembunuhan kejam.

Orang Papua Barat berjuang untuk kemerdekaan. Di antaranya, ada banyak orang yang berjuang untuk hidupnya mereka sendiri. Mereka telah meminta bantuan kami.

Kami membantu rakyat Timor Leste di saat mereka membutuhkan. Rakyat Papua Barat layak mendapatkan dukungan kami juga. Hubungi Flotilla Kemerdekaan ke Papua Barat: freedomflotillamedia@gmail.com

Cindy Watson

Australia untuk Papua Barat Merdeka 0407267502

The Indonesian Government forces have slaughtered over 500,000 West Papuan men, women and children in the last 53 years.

After decades of this criminal cruelty, it is time to tell the Indonesian Government that we will no longer stand by whilst their Indonesian forces continue the ongoing bloodshed, rape, murder and torture of innocent men, women and children in West Papua.

The blood at the Indonesian Government consulate in Darwin today highlights ongoing bloodshed and slaughter of innocent civilians in West Papua.

Freedom Flotilla to West Papua & friends board ‪#‎USSFitzgerald‬ Missile destroyer in DARWIN before it’s deployment to the Indo-Asia Pacific region ‪#‎FreeWestPapua‬ Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney knew about the massive gold deposits that is now Grasberg Freeport mine before the Dutch pulled out and conspired with Indonesia to take control of West Papua to gain access to its resources. The Freeport project is associated with an astonishing level of violence. Confrontations and military conflict have flared repeatedly since the Dutch departed, with the Indonesian government well supported by the US government with military training, advisers and weapons sales. The Australian government also provided military hardware, including helicopters, and training. There have been multiple instances of military deployment of modern warfare techniques against local indigenous traditional cultures with peaks occurring in 1977, 1980 and 1996.The U.S. betrayed West Papua in 1961 by facilitating Indonesia’s invasion of West Papua. Time for the U.S. to right the wrongs of the past and help West Papua on the road to freedom.

Today The Freedom Flotilla West Papua has chosen to respond to the joint US and Australian ‘war games’ with a direct action on the high seas, drawing attention to the West Papuan struggle for independence against the cruel Indonesian occupation.

West Papua flotilla crew

The Flotilla are focusing on the US and Australia’s engagement in enabling and supporting this occupation, which dates back to the flawed 1961 U.N. facilitated takeover of West Papua. Both US and Australian ongoing financial and Military support has continued to the present day as have the subsequent widely reported killings and human rights violations in West Papua by Indoensian forces.   West Papua has been under Indonesian military occupation since the 1969 vote when Indonesia handpicked 1025 West Papuans who were forced to vote at Indonesian gunpoint. Since, West Papua has suffered a widely reported genocide with now over 500,000 Papuan citizens killed, raped and tortured. Flotilla initiator, Arabunna Elder Kevin Buzzacott, says that “We can no longer have this murder on our doorstep”

West Papua-

”Australia and the U.S. are complicit in the genocide happening in West Papua. The blood of West Papua is on your hands” Izzy Brown – Freedom Flotilla West Papua The 2014 U.S Department of State report on Human rights released recently highlighted Indonesian forces continued human rights abuses in West Papua. http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2014&dlid=236442#wrapper This report revealed systematic cover ups of torture and killings. Freeport mine is also renowned for complicity and systematic human rights abuses by security forces employed by Freeport including surveillance, mental torture, death threats and house arrest. Freeport’s operations in West Papua have caused severe degradation to the Amungme people’s environment and habitat, contributing to the ongoing cultural genocide throughtout West Papua. The Australian government reduced foreign aid to Indonesia this year but funding, including Indonesian police training and assistance have remained to secure fragile relations between the nations. Indonesian forces are guilty of gross human rights violations and Australia has to stop funding and feeding the fear and brutal killings. West Papuan people are struggling for freedom. Many Papuans are struggling for their lives. They have asked for our help. We helped the Timorese in their time of need. The people of West Papua also deserve our support. Contact Freedom Flotilla to West Papua freedomflotillamedia@gmail.com Cindy Watson Australians for a Free West Papua 0407267502

The regatta attracts more than 15,000 people to Mindil Beach every year.

The Battle of Mindil pirate style

Mural underway on the corner of Bennett Street and Cavanagh Street Darwin. In support of Australians for a Free West Papua.

Amazing mural going up at this moment on the corner of Bennett Street and Cavanagh Street. In support of Australians for a Free West Papua.

Call Cindy Watson from Australians for a Free West Papua on 0407 267 502

In support of Australians for a Free West Papua.

”On Sunday night here in Darwin, Northern Territory, I performed a Larrakia sacred smoking ceremony for the Biak Massacre and all West Papuan people who have lost there lives and their families. This one of my favourite images of the night.” June Mills

In 1998, Indonesian forces opened fire on West Papuan citizens in Biak, where the Morning Star flag had been raised in support of West Papua’s independence.
The Indonesian military violently raided houses and forced West Papuan people toward the sea – then tortured, raped and murdered innocent Papuans, murdering over 100 men, women and children. Their Bodies were piled into awaiting Indonesian naval ships. No member of the Indonesian forces have been brought to justice for this crime against humanity.
For more information, please visit http://www.biak-tribunal.org/