West Papua Stance Presented To Forum Leaders

Media Advisory

Media Conference

West Papua stance to Forum leaders

Date: Friday 9 August

Time: 10.30 am

Venue: PCRC, 83 Amy Street, Toorak

Attention Editors:

Representatives of various pro-independence West Papuan organisations meeting in Fiji ahead of the Pacific Island Forum leaders meeting next week will be holding a media conference at 10.30 am on Friday morning (9/8/02) at the PCRC office, 83 Amy Street, Toorak to present their position paper to this years Forum meeting.

For the past three years, West Papuan representatives have been approaching the leaders of Forum island countries to support their movement for independence from Indonesia who has overseen a brutal and exploitative occupation of the territory for four decades, ever since a fraudulent "act of free choice" in 1969.

In 2000, spearheaded by efforts from Vanuatu and Nauru, the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Kiribati put West Papua on its agenda for the first time, expressing "deep concerns over past and recent" human rights violations, and the need for peaceful dialogue.

In 2001 however West Papuan representatives were denied visas and barred from lobbying at the Forum, even though Indonesia, the occupying power was admitted as a Forum Dialogue Partner. Despite this Forum leaders expressed "continuing concern" over violence and loss of life in West Papua.

At this years Forum meeting in Fiji, West Papuan representatives have come together to present a united position on their struggle for independence.

We would welcome a representative of your media organisation to cover the Media Conference on Friday.

For more information please contact Stanley Simpson or Jimmy Naouna on Ph: 3304 649

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