You have to wonder. Is there any hope at all for the Papuans.? Every year sees more and more Indonesians settled in their country. Papuan students and kids are sent to Java to be Muslimised. They come back strangers in their own country.

Tough for the Papuans.They are denied access to their own country's wealth. And US firms are taking out the gold and minerals.

If by some miracle a vote on independence is held in about ten or twenty years, Indonesia's army will make sure that the right answer is given to please Jakarta.

The butchers that wrecked electricity supplies and set fire to churches, killed indiscriminately and all the rest in Timor Leste are doing well in Papua and in Java. God help the Papuans.

Waverley.

I agree, it is cowardice of the lowest order. How much easier and more fair, to include in Papuans to the benefits of development.

They are the "true" and modern day stolen generation.
Indonesia exercises medieval practice, treating them in this crude manner.

Dan

Colonial powers such as the 19th century Belgian Congo claimed they were helping to develop the locals etc. But West Papua by 1961/1962 had held national elections, had a good education system, dozens of people studing medicine in Australia, were mechanics, builders, building an export market, and manning and maintaining the radio and telephony systems. When the UN asked Indonesia to assume administration the military looted the schools, shops and other infrastructure for anything they could fly back for sale in Jakarta. Papuan workers were replaced by Javanese and Indonesia spent several years isolating the population.

The 'New York Agreement' was not negotiated in 1962, it is a UN trusteeship agreement that was proposed in May 1959 by US consel John Henderson, modified in Oct' 1960 to ask the UN to be the temp administrator as well as trustee, and negotiated with Indonesia during 1961; https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1961-63v23/d150

This is what Indonesia and their friend U Thant were concealing from the newspapers & public in 1962 because Indonesia had 'internationaised' the issue by asking the United Nations to occupy & subjugate the colony on behalf of Indonesia that was making empty promises about how it would fulfil the UN legal obligations of Charter article 76 if we agreed to entrust the UN responsibility to Indonesian administration of the colony.
For the only UN reference to the legal status of West Papua, refer to the summary at https://search.archives.un.org/downloads/united-nations-temporary-executive-authority-in-west-irian-untea-1962-1963.pdf

Please refer to https://andrew767.wordpress.com
or https://griffithlawjournal.org/index.php/gjlhd/article/view/1078
for a more indeep explanation of the legal situation that the UN and Indonesia have been concealing.

I would like to condemn the anti-Indonesian tone of this article. Two Indonesian soldiers have been stabbed to death by the so-called 'peaceful' demonstrators. Hundreds of shops and buildings have been looted and torched.

These violent protestors are provoked by online hoaxes about non-existent 'murders of Papuans' in Java, calling for revenge attacks against non-Papuan residents. The peddler of lies being the separatist propagandists.

No wonder Indonesian government has shut down the internet to kill-off spread of provocative hoaxes. The new cybersecurity team, highly experienced in defeating recent massive internet hoax campaign by radical Islamic elements, is setting its sight on the separatist hoax makers. Given its experience, in no time the entire separatist propaganda team will be in custody.

The police and army has successfully restored order, while the population has set-up self-defense groups that deterred further looting.

Indonesian government will continue its mission in developing Papuan infrastructure and economy. Under current administration, Indonesia has pumped in billions of dollars, built 4,000 kms of roads, dozens of new airports, and new port facilities to bring the region at par with rest of Indonesia. Indonesia will not tolerate behavior of violent looters and the separatist provocators who offer nothing to advance Papuans' lives.

Western Papua, expansionist colonist Indonesia's Tibet!

Simply put, there has to be a new (UN-supervised) fair dinkum referendum and only for native-born Papuans! Otherwise, Indonesia can repeat what happened last time where new migrant settlers swung the vote!?

And just turned an alleged democratic outcome into a travesty!

Yes sure, they've poured in billions, but for Indonesia migrant, new settlers! And on patently purloined Papuan land! That makes it right!?

A halfway decent settlement would give the native population regional Autonomy and exclusive land rights! If Indonesia wants any? Let them barter and trade for it, in outcomes that pass a rudimentary, no disadvantage test!
Alan B.

It's kind of funny when you get all these third world countries going on and on about European colonisation, and then like Indonesia do a bit of colonising themselves when they get the chance.

Mind you, I am not necessarily against colonisation. There exists in the world ethnicities with very low intelligence and if a smarter race takes over their territory and tries to administer the place that benefits both races, what's the problem? Australia once had PNG as our colony and it was so well run that everybody was happy and the place actually turned a profit. Australian District Officer's stopped the inter tribal wars involving cannibalism and head hunting, and as one book I read on New Guinea claimed, "there was much relief over this." It was because of the respect that native people had for the fair, white administrations that Australia largely kept the loyalty of the native people during the Japanese invasion in WW2.

My take on the Indonesian colonisation of Irian Java is, good luck to you. It is obvious that the people of New Guinea do not have the collective intelligence to run their own affairs, and even Islam is an improvement on total tribal anarchy. One only has to look over the border in PNG where the government has attained a reputation for total dishonesty, and that from a part of the world where such behaviour is so normal it barely attracts comment.

Instead of turning a profit, PNG now costs the Australia taxpayer $500 million PA, much of it sticking to the palms of government officials. Meanwhile, inter tribal warfare has broken out again and "witches" are being burned to death. If Indonesia wishes to take over PNG and save the Aussie taxpayer a motza, you have my blessings.

The troubles in West Papua continue

Naturally the Indonesians colonising it are trying to shout down the reports of the troubles

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/13/west-papuan-leader-taken-into-custody-in-dramatic-arrest

@AlanB:

Disenfranchising voters based on their race sounds like something the Nazis or the Confederate States of America would do.

Indonesia never prohibit Papuans from voting or settling in other parts of Indonesia, it would be grossly unfair to do such reverse discrimination as you propose.

Not to mention there are hundreds of tribes in Papua with totally different languages, as well as intermarriages between Papuans and other Indonesians.

FYI, Indonesia already granted special autonomy to Papuan provinces since 2001. Governors, district chiefs, and certain percentage of employment positions are reserved for native Papuans. On average 80% of all taxes collected will go to local provincial administration.

Indonesian govt also stopped funding migration program in late 1990s, most of the migrants to Papua are self-funding/self-motivated. Most of the migrants were also born and raised in Papua most of their lives.

Lands used by migrants, govt infrastructure, and private investments are properly purchased from its previous owners. In fact, land acquisition in Papua is the most difficult in Indonesia due to need to respect the various tribal aspects of land ownership there, and total lack of individual land ownership concept under their culture. It is very difficult to ascertain which land belong to which tribe, and often different tribes would lay claim to same piece of land.

One only has to look over the border in PNG
LEGO,
There's a bitumen road from the West to the PNG border & from there a 1 metre wide jungle path continues in PNG. Yes, the Australian Taxpayers money to PNG is at work alright, in all the wrong pockets.

One commentary is provided here, a bit of a Simple Person's Grand Tour of Aussie History since the year dot :)

but has some useful evidence for how grateful Papuans feel about their Indonesian masters

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335489587_CAN_AUSTRALIA'S_NEIGHBOURS_BECOME_GOOD_FRIENDS

Benny Wenda- profile on NITV tonight Friday

Meanwhile -why is Australia helping train these Indonesian troops?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/13/west-papuan-leader-taken-into-custody-in-dramatic-arrest

@Waverly:
Of course criminals who provoke and organise violence will not be given immunity. They will be arrested, nobody in Indonesia is trying to hide this fact.

FYI Indonesia is an independent country and not your colony. Thus Australia or Australians have as much influence on Indonesian affairs as Indonesians have on Australian affair, which is zero.

Australian govt would have realized this ages ago. It is time you upgrade yourself and realize the same.

In my book Activists do not fit the criteria of decent people, they're more aligned with hypocrisy !

You have to remember Indonesians are moslems and that distorts
everything they say and do. They can lie and be happy about it if it
is to the benefit of moslems.
Taking the children away to give them an Islamic education is a direct
attack on their parents.

Bazz,
Indoctrinating children to become Leftists is no different !

Indonesians consist of several religions where non-Muslims makes up 15% of the population. That's around 35 million non-Muslim Indonesians, much more than entire population of Australia.

They are denied access to their own country's wealth.
Waverley,
Aren't there any West Papuans employed in the mines ?

Proud, that still means moslems call the tune.
They are bad news which ever way you look at it.
Always a problem wherever they go.

Always a problem wherever they go.
Bazz,
That can't be disputed hell, they even openly say say they want to to take over the world & kill those whom they consider infidel. If that rhetoric isn't a wake up call then what is ?
I think the term infidel should be replaced by the term educated stupid !

@Bazz:

The current Jokowi administration is committed to equal treatment between races & religions as he realized this is vital for Indonesia which consists of six major religions and over 700 ethnic-groups. Not to mention the billions of dollars of investment the administration has pumped-in for Papuan infrastructure in recent years alone.

Thus, the administration has become sworn enemy to the radical Islamic elements who want Islamic superiority over 'infidels'. The radicals launched massive hoax and online provocation campaign to defeat Jokowi re-election this year. Despite all the religious-themed provocations, Jokowi still won the election on a landslide, indicating majority of Indonesians still believe in equality principle.

The Papuan riots was an unnecessary nuisance for the country. If allowed to grow out of control, it would play into the hands of radical Muslims' narrative of non-Muslims as 'disloyal citizens' and weaken the appeal of religious equality concept for the majority of Muslims who voted for Jokowi.

OK Proud, there is a simple test;
Ask if Jokowi and others if they will deny the verses in the Koran
such as;

Kill disbelievers wherever you find them. If they attack you, then kill them. Such is the reward of disbelievers. (2:191)

Do not hope for peace with the infidels - behead them when you catch them. (47:4)

and so on and on. Dozens of such verses.

Of course they won't because it is blasphemy. Punished by death.
How is Archae Province these days ?

Oh yes, what happened to the Chinese decent Mayor of Jakarta ?

Oh yes, what happened to the Chinese decent Mayor of Jakarta ?
Bazz,
That's what Jokowi is trying to undo after all, it was him who made him Governor.
That's why Jokowi sees the need to move from Jakarta.
You seem to expect from him what no other leader has achieved let alone had to face.
How about you trying to get Greens voters to see sense ? That's what Jokowi is working on with Muslim hardliners. Looks as though he'll be successful whilst you'll still be struggling & wasting taxpayers dollars.
Just hope that Jokowi gets in again next election.

Jokowi administration has banned radical organisations, is purging the government/civil service from radicals who have been infiltrating since 1998, jailed/create legal problems for clerics who spread hate against 'infidels', and promote tolerant clerics.

On Ahok, he has been free for a while now and he seems being plotted to head the new capital's government.

The government has done a lot to hit the radicals, short of assuming dictatorial powers like Suharto (who simply machine-gunned Islamic radicals when they create trouble). This 'nuclear-option' is considered not yet commensurate to the threat and pose more risks than benefit.

Thus, the government has to be even-handed in not letting Papuan separatists getting away scot-free when they make trouble. That would play into the hands of radicals with their narrative of the government being selectively 'oppressing Muslims' or 'giving special treatment to non-Muslims'.

Proud, your reply points up the problem.
No matter what official government policy is implemented the religious
will ignore it as it is contrary to the call for Jihad.
Despite such acts being illegal here the killing of non moslems has happened.
A considerable number of plots have been stopped before they got started.
They only have to be lucky once, we have to be lucky every time.
So why should we take the risk ?

I'm not sure what risk you are talking about.

So far, Indonesia has managed to maintain its Pancasila (non-sectarian) nature for almost 80 years through various politico-economic cycles. The recent presidential election results only reinforce it.

On the macro level, it is much easier to maintain Indonesia in non-sectarian nature compared to the huge insurmountable challenge for the radicals to take-over the country.

On micro level, Indonesian ability to nip terrorism in the bud is rated higher compared to say, Europe, which seems to suffer from major terrorist incidents every other month.

The Jokowi administration is doing what no Western Govt is thinking of, they're planning ahead for decades ! They're focussing on society rather than just short-term profits. Apart from hardliners they also have to deal with the rise of Leftism which really is an even bigger threat.
It's all but destroyed the West. The problem is that when you can't or refuse to see a problem because you're part of it then eventually it will be insurmountable. The thinking are gradually diminishing in number !

Proud;
I'm not sure what risk you are talking about.

Oh Dear, the risk of being killed by some mad moslem.
After marrying their cousins for 2000 years plus rational thought
is long gone. They are mentally unable to compromise, hence the
reaction to the Mohammad cartoons and similar other over reactions.

Do Indonesians have a custom of marrying their cousins ?

Shouldn't confuse Indonesians with 'em Arabs.

I don't confuse them, that is why I asked the question.