Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has told Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo that PNG has no right to criticise Jakarta over what he calls alleged human rights abuses in West Papua.
The two leaders spoke on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Jakarta, reaffirming commitments to maintain dialogue to build stronger and trustful relations that had been made when they met in Port Moresby in July.
Marape told Widodo he had abstained from supporting the West Papuan bid to join the Melanesian Spearhead Group at last month’s meeting in Port Vila because the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) “does not meet the requirements of a fully-fledged sovereign nation”.
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“Indonesia’s associate membership status, also as a Melanesian country to the MSG suffices, which cancels out West Papua ULM’s bid,” Marape said, referring to the ULMWP.
He said about the allegations of human rights issues in West Papua, that since PNG had its own challenges, it had no moral grounds to comment on human rights issues outside of its own jurisdiction.
The Indonesian president said PNG deputy Prime Pinister John Rosso would be invited to assess developments taking place in West Papua.
Widodo said Indonesia’s was committed to building trustful and cooperative relations with all Pacific countries and would extend an invitation to their leaders to attend the Archipelagic Island States (AIS) Forum next month in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, on the planned electrification project in PNG’s western provinces, the two leaders pledged to ensure this project would go ahead smoothly and is completed on time.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
In the long history of the many complicated affairs of the Human Condition, there is no greater deed than restoring liberty stolen. West Papua’s war of liberation is one of the greatest-fought marathons of righteous battle against all odds for freedom taken from them by brutal and barbaric invaders. Freedom taken from them with the help of western governments and corporations. Western governments and corporations wining and dining with mass murderers to be able to do their business and exploit what the invader has taken. Abandonment, treachery, exploitation – the characteristics of the apologist dressing his apologia in a gloss of delusional wonderment. “No! I am not a spineless puppet!” Marape – Judas parasite!
Jim Aubrey, spokesperson, Genocide Rebellion
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