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West Papua : An Overview
Colonized in 1714 by the Dutch, West Papua followed a path distinct from the other colonies ceded to Indonesia in the 1950s. Since West Papuans have no ethnic or cultural ties to Indonesia , the Dutch put in place conditions for their independence, |
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enabling them to choose a flag, a name (West Papua) and a model of government. For example, culturally, over 200 languages are spoken in West Papua , while the Papuans are of Melanesian ethnicity, along with the populations of Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. |
In 1962, at the insistence of the Indonesian government and under pressure from the United States, the Dutch agreed to an accord under which the United Nations would administer West Papua until an “Act of Free Choice” referendum could be held allowing Papuans to choose between independence or integration with Indonesia. In 1963, the United Nations handed Papua over to Indonesia.
In 1969, a referendum—commonly referred to now as the “Act of No Choice”—was held. Only 1025 Papuans, some with a gun held to their heads, were able to vote. The result was a unanimous vote in favour of integration with Indonesia . Popular discontent with this forced integration led to the birth of an armed independence movement—the Free West Papua Movement (Organisasi Papua Merdeka)—that is still active today. In 2001, an agreement was signed giving West Papua more autonomy, with Papuans gaining more control over their resources and freedom of expression of their cultural identity. In 2003-2004, the Indonesian government nullified the arrangements provided for under the autonomy agreement, further isolating West Papua and leading to new military operations to quash dissent. The greatest threat facing Papuans today continues to be the massive human rights violations that the Indonesian army has been perpetrating for the last 40 years.
West Papua in Numbers |
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