Obama should help West Papua’s people blighted by a US corporation
Written by Pacific Scoop
Mar 04, 2010 at 12:00 AM
President Barack Obama has lunch with other customers during a stop at Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room in Savannah, Ga., March 2, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Pacific Scoop: Opinion by Carmel Budiardjo, in London.
The country Barack Obama will be visiting in March has in many ways changed beyond recognition from the country he wrote about a few years ago. But one place where virtually nothing has changed is West Papua, which was incorporated into Indonesia 40 years ago. Although Papua has abundant natural resources and is host to this copper and gold mining company, which is Jakarta’s largest taxpayer, the vast majority of indigenous Papuans live in dire poverty…
Activists warned on Thursday not to put too much hope in the Merauke food estate, saying it would do little to provide food security or eliminate starvation in Indonesia.
The Vanuatu government has assured that it maintains its stand on the decolonisation of West Papua from Indonesian rule. Foreign Minister Joe Natuman made the assurance in response to a march which highlighted the issues of West Papuan independence and human rights. More than a thousand people marched though the main street of Port Vila this morning and presented a petition to the Foreign Affairs Minister.
This is the 70th in a series of monthly reports that focus on developments affecting Papuans. This series is produced by the non-profit West Papua Advocacy Team (WPAT) drawing on media accounts, other NGO assessments, and analysis and reporting from sources within West Papua. This report is co-published with the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) Back issues are posted online at http://etan.org/issues/wpapua/default.htm Questions regarding this report can be addressed to Edmund McWilliams at .
