Indigenous Peoples & Conflict Prevention & Resol.

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For immediate release: Tuesday 1st August, 2006.

being presented by fPcN in the UN WGIP 2006, Geneva, tomorrow - watch the website, from 2nd August for photos as we receive them.

United Nations
Economic and Social Council
Working Group on Indigenous Populations
Twenty-fourth session
Geneva, 31st July - 4th August 2006

Item (c) of the Agenda: Indigenous peoples and conflict prevention and resolution

Dear Chair, Tribal & Indigenous Peoples, Secretariat, Government representatives, ladies & Gentleman,

At this meeting, I am speaking on behalf West Papuan Tribal peoples and the indigenous Papuan students, submit our aspiration for self-determination as our solution to conflict in West Papua. We know the colonised tribal people of West Papua have wanted and deserved an United Nations administrated Self-determination since 1962 when the Republic of Indonesia signed an agreement with the Kingdom of the Netherlands to transfer administration without the people's consent, of the colony, West New Guinea which we call West Papua.

We remind the United Nations that the UN General Assembly Resolution 2504 in November 1969 did not state whether the so called 1969 'Act of Free Choice' complied with the United Nations Charter articles 1, 73, 74, or with the United Nations General Assembly Resolutions 1514 and 1541 of December 1960 of which the Republic of Indonesia approved at that time.

We remind the United Nations and world that the indigenous people of West Papua continue to demand their rightful self-determination and the removal of the colonial military forces from West Papua, from the United Nations and its members. We call on the United Nations under UN Charter article 1 and 74 and under UN General Assembly Resolutions 1514 and 1541 to help the Republic of Indonesia to facilitate a true act of West Papuan self-determination by "all adults, male and female, not foreign nationals" and "in accordance with international practice" as was stated in Article XVIII of the 1962 Agreement between the Republic of Indonesia and Kingdom of the Netherlands, and in which the United Nations had promised to help.

We hope the United Nations and Republic of Indonesia will show good faith and human respect for the traditional land owners of West New Guinea by supporting self-determination without being reminded of the many decades of human rights abuses, of jihad training camps now established inside West Papua, of HIV/AIDS and other medical illnesses introduced to the people of West Papua, of forests felled for foreign wood markets or to make space for a foreign population of farmers from over-populated parts of Indonesia.

We remind the United Nations and the Republic of Indonesia that the large military presence in West Papua can only increase discrimination against West Papuan indigenous peoples by non-indigenous domination in many sectors. Excessive Indonesian military presence spreads human misery; murder, rapes, unlawful persecution, arrest, abductions, disappearances and the lose of parents and other family members by many children who then can not continue their culture or schooling.

At the end of 1960, according to Dutch government data the West Papuan population amounted to 800,000, more than the 600,000 people of their brothers and sisters in Papua New Guinea (PNG). But the Indonesian statistics office in 2004 said the West Papua indigenous people amounted to only 1.500.000 million, where as the PNG indigenous population had grown to 6 million. We fear that corrupt business interests have wanted to deny West Papuan self determination until foreign nationals outnumber our indigenous population, making us a minority in our own land.

In 1961 natural resources like copper & gold deposits which Freeport admitted was near Timika was under regulation of the elected West New Guinea parliament for the benefit, only, of the people of West Papuan. But since transfer of colony to Indonesian administration the Indonesian military has taken control over natural resources in West Papua, this has resulted in many illegal activities; illegal logging, illegal fishing, even illegal prostitution is a project with full backing by Indonesia military.

Our Recommendations:We call for self-determination with United Nations assistance to restore our rights as tribal peoples; to our lands, to political freedom, to economic and social prosperity. We have these rights under Article 1 of the UN Charter, General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, General Assembly Resolution 1541, General Assembly resolution 2625, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Social, Cultural and Economic Rights. The International Court of Justice also says that all states must respect the right of self-determination.

We request the United Nations to revisit West Papua and provide an environment where the native West Papuans have a real opportunity for the self-determination, as described in THE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution of 10 December 1948 -Paragraph C. THE RIGHT OF SELF-DETERMINATION - No. 8. Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial and Peoples, General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960.

We ask, this Working Group, to expeditiously ask the state of Indonesia why it is preventing the UN representative on Human Rights from entering West Papua.

Furthermore to stop the 1000's of deaths of innocent West Papuans, every year the increasing sale of arms to an already mass murdering military has to be halted. I ask all of you here, my brothers and sisters to help us. If your country is selling arms to Indonesia, please help us by getting them to stop.

I make this statement as a representative of West Papuan Tribal peoples and especially on behalf of the students of West Papua. We ask the United Nations to restore and recognise our rights as tribal peoples with our own distinct cultures. We especially ask for respect for our way of living as tribal peoples.

Thank You
Your Sincerely
Edyson Wenda
International Spokesman for Papua Student Alliance (AMP)

Presented by fPcN interCultural on behalf of Edyson Wenda and the Association of West Papua Students, (AMP).

Watch the website: www.fPcN-global.org, from 2nd August for photos as we receive them, shortly after to be followed up with short films.

MEDIA RELEASE - MEDIA RELEASE - MEDIA RELEASE - MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release: Tuesday 1st August, 2006.

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