BY FEDERICO FUENTES
MELBOURNE — Indigenous, trade union and religious leaders from around Australia and the region will gather here in September to sign a memorandum of understanding in support of West Papua's independence struggle.
The memorandum, officially launched on August 14, calls for a review of the 1969 "Act of Free Choice" and the New York Agreement of 1962 which transferred West Papua from Dutch colonial control to Indonesian colonial control, as well as for the removal of all Indonesian troops from West Papua and an United Nations-supervised referendum on independence for West Papua.
Jacob Rumbiak, a leader of the West Papuan independence movement OPM, appealed for help from abroad. "There is a need for international solidarity to give a voice to the people of West Papua. We have watched all the other countries in the Pacific region gain their independence. Now it is our turn, and Australia should be assisting, not blocking our efforts in favour of Indonesia", said Rumbiak.
Signatories of the memorandum include the ACTU, the VTHC, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, Rev Tim Costello of the Baptist Union of Australia and Vicki Walker of the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry.
[For more information about the memorandum of understanding, contact Australia West Papua Association on (03) 9510 2193.]