By Michael Andrew

West Papuan human rights defender Rosa Moiwend was in New Zealand this week, speaking about the need for more countries to challenge Indonesia on its human rights abuses in her homeland.

Her New Zealand tour featured talks in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland where she discussed West Papuan resistance to expanding Indonesian military and business interests.

She told Pacific Media Watch contributing editor Michael Andrew about Indonesia’s confiscation of indigenous land for oil palm developments and its attempt to isolate West Papua from the rest of the Pacific.

“Land has been taken away from the indigenous people,” she says in this video report.

“And this massive food project is a kind of third wave of taking people’s land without permission.”

Moiwend also says there needs to be stronger media coverage.

“To get the information, maybe they are not well informed, that’s my assumption,” she says.

“Or, the second thing is, maybe they don’t have access to get into West Papua. Again, it is really important that the New Zealand government talks to the Indonesian government and asks them that they should open up to the media.”

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