West Papua exiles oppose security treaty

CANBERRA — A new campaign urging the Howard government not to proceed with its proposed security treaty with Indonesia was launched on September 15 by former West Papuan politicians Willem Zonggonau and Clemens Runawery, and Greens Senator Bob Brown. Zonggonau and Runawery, who now live in PNG, are on a speaking tour to promote independence for West Papua.

"While the Indonesian military continues its oppression in West Papua, any new security pact with Indonesia is a mistake ... increasing the likelihood of further human rights abuses", Zonggonau told a September 15 media conference. "The Australian government should as a minimum insist that foreign journalists and UN observers be given full access to West Papua as a pre-condition of the new security treaty", Runawery said. "The Australian government should not repeat the mistake of the 1969 John Gorton Liberal government when it was complicit in the sham referendum in West Papua."

Chris Capitol

From GLW issue 684