This profile is designed to raise awareness of the situation that exists in West Papua, below is an introduction to the problems that exist in West Papua as a result of Indonesian colonization. It is taken from the Political Mission of the Free Papua Organization: the full transcript can be viewed in the journal entry:

What was described as the "decolonisation process" in West Papua, which returned the country to "the embrace of the Motherland," Indonesia, was simply a recolonisation, as transfer between colonial powers; Dutch to Indonesia. West Papua (the western half of the Melanesian island of New Guinea) is still a colony today.

The people of West Papua are living in wretched conditions in which their basic freedoms are denied. Their rich legacy of natural wealth, which is strictly for their own enjoyment and cultural and economic uses according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, has been plundered in the most corrupt way for four decades by Indonesian (mainly military) authorities whose power base is on the small island of Java.

As long as Indonesian maintains its hold on West Papua, there can be no improvement in the living conditions of our socially, economically and culturally excluded people, and they will continue to suffer from the oppression, misdeeds, pillaging, poverty, murders that Indonesian colonialism has brought them.

The history of oppressed people's struggles everywhere shows that freedom and independence cannot be achieved without struggle and, for the people of West Papua, there exists no alternative but to struggle to free themselves with every means at their disposal.

More information on the subject will become available in time along with links to other groups and organizations involved in this issue.

Note: This is an unoffical profile and does not "speak for" or represent any group, organisation or individual mentioned, quoted or refered to on the profile.