Media blind spot over West Papua

Indonesia is trying to build an international reputation as a nascent democracy and is proud of having been re-elected in 2007 to the United Nations Human Rights Council for a three-year term. But the problems in West Papua make this democratic reform story questionable. While Indonesiakeeps this troubled province off limits to foreign journaluists and human rights investigators, Indonesia’s human rights credibility should be critically examined. Indonesia’s incorporation of West Papua has been contested ever since it took control in 1963. West Papua’s fate was sealed by a 1969 ‘Act of Free Choice’ which is known as the ‘Act of No Choice’ by the Papuans, since it was carried out under extreme duress and only 1022 men were allowed to vote (Saltford, 2003). The province remains heavily militarised and opposition to Indonesia’s rule persists

WEST PAPUA: Conflict in West Papua: The contrast between historic and contemporary media coverage in New Zealand

Many New Zealanders, even in politically aware circles, have a limited understanding of West Papua and frequently confuse the Indonesian-controlled territory with its neighbour Papua New Guinea. This reflects the limited mainstream media coverage of the territory and of the ongoing conflict that is taking place there. However, in 1962 and again in 1969, the New Zealand media gave considerable attention to the crises that enveloped West Papua and determined its subsequent destiny. The territory’s Pacific location was often highlighted and the statements of West Papuan leaders were reported. The year 1962 saw escalating Indonesian military intervention in the territory and subsequently the signing of the controversial US-brokered New York Agreement between the Netherlands and Indonesia. In 1969 Indonesia conducted an ‘Act of Free Choice’ which was widely seen by external observers as a fraudulent act of self-determination. This article gives examples of this historic coverage and considers what might be done to bring about change and to bring West Papua back into the frame as a Pacific neighbour

REVIEW: A shameful tale of genocide and human suffering: Review of A-Not-So-Distant Horror: Mass violence in East Timor, by Joseph Nevins

Joseph Nevins exposes and analyses how Western nations conspired together for more than two decades to back Indonesia and keep the East Timor issue out of the spotlight. The price paid by the East Timorese was a loss of life estimated at close to 200,000, or a third of its populatioon, proportionally one of the worst cases of genocide since World War II