Thanks, Individual.

ybgirp,
You might want to look into how to get the West Papuans off their Beetle Nuts to stop them from going bananas & shooting up Cop shops & Army Posts which inevitably results in retaliation & then the beetle nut brigade wants revenge for the retaliation & so the wheel keeps turning.
Meanwhile only the outsiders make money from the resources because only the outsiders have the means to dig just like here in Australia.

Why the hush about this thread ? Is it perhaps too close to home in every which way ?

Thanks very much for the input about petitions, I've not been aware of what the official rules might be in Australia as I've mostly written letters to our politicians and directed petitions towards UN officials. If you can remember where you saw that I'd appreciate hearing, its good to know what the legal and protocol ruling are that are meant to be followed.

Regards the vectors to spread Indonesian disease and pests, human disease would normally spread from WP to PNG and then to the Torres or to the mainland. But other environmental pests can be readily carried by birds, bats. The poor flying fox just seemed the topical vector to mention by name after the recent 60-minutes program about the boy that got scratched by one. I have no idea that disease originated from the one million Indonesian settlers and their livestock, but there's no way to stop spread of Indonesian pests spreading to the rest of the continent if they are allowed to persist in the WP corner.

Daeron,
No need to go to West Papua if you're looking for unsavoury deceases. Just go along the southern coast of New Guinea & if you get a chance have a couple of days on Daru. Visit the jail while you there if you want to see life at it's poorest. It will be a many years yet before a dent can be made into the health related issues up there. It's mentality that needs improving, money alone will not do anything. Work on superstition related causes first & you might, just might get the proverbial foot in the door. 1.25 million Dollars a day from Australia since 1975 hasn't made the situation any better at all. When the outsiders were in New Guinea things were on the up but since Goaf so generously left them to their superstitions with our money it all went wobbly.
No real difference in the West except a different language.