Indonesians have to go home says West Papuan leader

Democracy Rally:-

Indonesian Embassy, 8 Darwin Ave, Yarralumla, Canberra; 11am; 18 Mar 2011

Indonesians have to go home says West Papuan independence leader

“We Papuans don’t need Wiki-leaks of US Embassy cables to tell us Indonesian governments are rotten to the core” says West Papua independence leader Herman Wainggai.

“Indonesia has to get out of Papua. They know it, and we want it. They just don’t know how to admit it, don’t know how do it.”

West Papuans are in Canberra today to commemorate the death of Thomas Wainggai, academic, civil servant, and political architect, poisoned by Indonesian authorities in Cipinang Prison on 12 March 1996. Wainggai was convicted of subversion in 1988 for raising the flag of ‘West Melanesia’. He was Indonesian-West Papua’s most experienced and educated civil servant, with a degree in law from Okayama University in Japan and a PhD in public administration from Florida State University.

There are still 100 Papua and Moluccan political prisoners, including Philip Karma, Ferdinand Pakage and Buhtar Tabuni incarcerated in Jayapura, Melkianus Bleskadit, Rev. Daniel Yenu, Roni Ruben Iba in Manokwari; Simon Tuturop and Tadeus Weripang in Fak Fak.

“Our political prisoners must be released” said Herman Wainggai, twice jailed for subversion.

“Indonesians don’t know what democracy is. That’s why Papuans can’t speak, move, or have an opinion. That’s why there are videos of Papuans being tortured. That’s why Wikileaks has cables about corruption and abuse of power.”

The West Papua National Authority is mandated to deliver political independence through an internationally supervised referendum.

ENDS

© Scoop Media