People gather in West Papua to give thanks at the success of the West Papuan People’s Petition

September 30, 2017

On Friday 29th September, people in Sentani, West Papua, gathered to give thanks at the success of the West Papuan People’s Petition which was presented to the United Nations on 26th September.

For more information about the West Papuan People’s Petition at the United Nations, please take at look at the Guardian article on it’s presentation and the Guardian article on the UN’S response. ULMWP Spokesperon, Benny Wenda told the Guardian that Indonesia’s denial of the petition was further demonstration of its head-in-the-sand attitude to Papuan self-determination.

“The unprecedented petition of 1.8 million signatures of West Papuans has been delivered to the United Nations to remind the UN of the legacy of its failure to supervise a legitimate vote in 1969 and its ongoing duty to complete the decolonisation process.”

In West Papua, Chairperson of the National post of West Papua People’s Petition, who also serves as the Chairperson of the KNPB in Sentani, Allen Halitopo, expressed his deep gratitude to all who took part in the West Papuan People’s Petition.  He said that this success came about thanks to the support of all groups in West Papua.

Allen Halitopo expressed his gratitude to the ULMWP Executive Committee who has worked hard to submit the West Papuan People’s Petition to the United Nations Decolonization Committee.

Calvin Wenda, Chairperson of the Local Petition Committee in the area and Chairperson  of KNPB in the Numbay area also expressed his gratitude to all parties who have been involved and took part in this petition. He said that all this could not have happened without the the support of the West Papuan people so that we can win this victory.

The Chairperson of the Chairman of the National Petition Committee, Bazoka Logo in his speech said, a few years ago the West Papuan People’s struggle never anything tangible to oppose the Indonesian government but now in the West Papuan People’s Petition, they have a physical weapon to fight diplomatically. He said the Indonesian government’s panic has been expressed through the Indonesia media in claiming that the petition is a hoax but in reality the West Papuan People’s Petition is having big effects around the world.

The West Papuan people also expressed their special thanks to the countries who supported West Papuan self-determination at the United Nations General Assembly last week: Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.