The interim President of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) provisional government, Benny Wenda, has condemned Indonesia for the arrest and torture of eight students, and appeals to Melanesian countries to support their plea.

The eight West Papuan students were arrested by Indonesian police for peacefully demonstrating with banners and hand-painted Morning Star flags in Jayapura, capital of the Indonesian-ruled province of Papua, on 1 December 2021.

They have been charged with treason, and may face 25 years in prison.

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In an interview with 96.3 Buzz FM, Wenda said that this happened when West Papua celebrated its 60th year anniversary, which is significant for all West Papuans.

“The event is celebrated globally. Official celebrations took place in Netherlands, in United Kingdom, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu,” he said.

“The university students peacefully raised their flags, marched and chanted withdrawal of the military and demanded self-determination.

“Just last month, I asked the Indonesian government to allow my people to express themselves because we always respect their independence on August 17 annually,” Wenda said.

‘Call for respect and release’
“We have called for respect and are not happy with this arrest.

“We are also asking the international community to monitor the situation.”

Amnesty Indonesia has already called for the immediate release of the students. These students have been fed up with the military operations, internal displacements, murders and bombings.

Wenda also said that recently an elderly woman, Paulina Imbumar, who leads prayers, was arrested, and a request had been sent to the police station to release her.

The chair of the Vanuatu West Papua Association, Job Dalesa, said it was very sad to hear such actions taken.

He added that it was an independent human rights flag and the students were portraying their stand.

Dalesa called on the people of Vanuatu to unite in prayer for the people of West Papua.

“We will appeal to Indonesia to stop such actions,” he said.

The Vanuatu Daily Post contacted the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) headquarters in Port Vila for comments on the situation. However, there was no immediate response.

Kizzy Kalsakau and Jason Abel are Vanuatu Daily Post reporters. Republished with permission.

Vanuatu Prime Minister Bob Loughman has rejected a claim that he had been invited by the Indonesian government to visit West Papua.

In a courtesy call and meeting with the prime minister to check on the claim, Loughman Vanuatu West Papua Unification and Association Committee (VWPUAC) chair Pastor Alan Nafuki that he was neither aware of nor had he received any invitation from the Indonesian government.

Prime Minister Loughman reaffirmed an earlier statement he had made to Pastor Nafuki saying that his government’s position was “crystal clear” about support for West Papuan independence.

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It had been the same since the statement of the “Father of Independence”, the late Father Walter Lini, who had said in 1980 Vanuatu would not be completely free until the Pacific’s remaining colonised peoples of West Papua, Kanaky and Tahiti were free.

Prime Minister Loughman did not mince his words when he declared that nobody could change his country’s stand on West Papua.

All former Vanuatu governments and his current government had a mandate to “speak up for the voiceless” to help them towards achieving their God given right to self-determination and freedom.

The VWPUAC chair’s group had sought verification from the Prime Minister after Pastor Nafuki had been approached by two ni-Vanuatu individuals who claimed that he had been invited by Jakarta and his name was on the list of invitees.

“I asked one of them to show me the invitation with my name on it and he turned and left,” Pastor Nafuki said.

Vanuatu stands up strongly and speaks up for the freedom of the people of West Papua.

It has passed a Wantok Bill in Parliament in support of the freedom of the people of West Papua.