“The killing of a New Zealand helicopter pilot in West Papua is an utter  tragedy for his family and friends and our organisation is very concerned that any civilians are being killed anywhere in West Papua “says Catherine Delahunty spokesperson for West Papua Action Aotearoa.

“We also acknowledge that the place where this happened is a conflict zone and normally the Indonesian military must consent to anyone flying in there, so they have some responsibility for allowing entry into this remote place. It is also the responsibility of the companies that hire foreign pilots to constantly assess risk and protect pilots in this potentially dangerous area,”

The New Zealand Government needs to respond to this situation affecting our pilots by calling on Indonesia to allow the UN Human Rights Commissioner and foreign media into West Papua. The violent occupation of West Papua is an ongoing disaster for West Papuan people who rely on neighbouring countries to stand up for their human rights and rights to self-determination.

The only good that can come from incidents such as the kidnapping of Philiip Mehrtens and the killing of Glenn Conning, is that our Government stops sitting on their hands and starts negotiating with Indonesia for peace, human rights and self-determination in West Papua.

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