Op 5 april vond in Nieuwspoort in Den Haag de eerste Nederlandse ILWP conferentie plaats.
Het thema van de conferentie was "De Nieuw Guinea Raad als eerste stap naar de onafhankelijkheid van West-Papua"
vlnr. Wim Kortenoeven, Harry van Bommel, Cees van der Staaij, Frank Hubatka en staand: Joël Voordewind
Benny Wenda - West Papua Independance Leader and Jennifer Robinson - International Lawyers for West Papua
rechts: Benny Wenda en Jennifer Robinson
Voorzitter en discussieleider was Frank Hubatka.
Het programma bestond uit een kort drama opgevoerd door de familie Ap dat in een kort tijdsbestek een overzicht gaf van de historie met de belofte van zelfbeschikking voor West Papua en de gedwongen overdracht aan Indonesië.
Na dit korte drama waren er de volgende sprekers:
- Benny Wenda
West Papua Independence Leader
- Jennifer Robinson
International Lawyers for West Papua
- Cees van der Staaij
MP Reformed Political Party (SGP)
- Joël Voordewind
MP Christian Union (CU)
- Harry van Bommel
MP Socialist Party (SP)
- Wim Kortenoeven
MP Party for Freedom (PW)
helaas moesten de Nederlandse parlementariers na hun speeches en het beantwoorden van enkele vragen al weer snel vertrekken door hun volle agenda.
(In de tweede kamer was o.a. de Surinaamse amnesty-wet aan de orde)
Voor de fotoalbums klik hier
BACKGROUND
On 5 April 1961 the New Guinea Council (Nieuw-Guinea Raad)
was set up. It was an important moment during a period (1959
-1962) in which a more democratic mode of administration
started to develop within the Dutch colony.
Shaping and developing democratic structures in former Dutch
New Guinea was actualised between 1959-1962, the admi-
nistration period of governor Dr P.J. Platteel (the third and
last governor of Dutch New Guinea). The establishment of re-
gional councils came from the requirement that the Charter
of the United Nations imposed on the Netherlands: that the
interests of the inhabitants of Dutch New Guinea had to be
paramount. The Netherlands was to respect the right to self-
rule and had to take the political aspirations of the indigenous
people into account. They were also meant to support the Pa-
puan people with the gradual development of their own poli-
tical institutions.
There are documents. We are not speaking of vague promises,
but we are speaking of real firm commitments for the inde-
pendence of the West Papuan people.
Unfortunately by signing the New York Agreement (1962) the
Dutch governments abandoned the West Papuan people.
Today, after 51 years, the West Papuan people reclaim their
right by re-installing a New Guinea Council in West Papua.