People not already cynical in their attitudes to the 42 Papuan ‘refugees’ might like to read “Papuan refugees were hand-picked” in today’s (25/9/06) ‘The Australian’, in which it is admitted by the illegal entrants that they knowingly set the whole thing up to cause a rift between Australia and Indonesia.

It’s all there to be read, so I will not re-produce it. See if you feel the same way about these ‘poor, endangered asylum-seekers’ after reading it, and whether or not you feel that it is OK for Australia to take in coldly calculating political activists who find want to sour our relationship with our largest neighbour

As well as this gang of 42 now showing themselves not to be desperate asylum seekers fleeing from a harsh regime but, on their own admission, a deliberately scheming bunch of political activists trying to drive another wedge between Australia and Indonesia, there are more points making suspect all other claims we have heard about West Papua: -

1. Wanngai, the ringleader of the plot is obviously well known to the Indonesians as a troublemaker, but he got away with moving around, for two whole years, all over the country under the noses of the Indonesians without discovery, as he recruited his gang.

2. His recruits all needed connections with independence activists, yet the Indonesian regime, which is supposed to be keeping them down, did not notice any approaches to them in all that time.

3. Edison Waromi, a lawyer who would automatically come under the suspicion (activist/lawyer), was able to carry out his plans without interference. Just how brutal and oppressive are the Indonesians in West Papua? How capable are they of carrying out the evils accredited to them?

4. They wanted to ‘show the world a small picture or the terrible human rights situation across all of Papua’. They certainly showed us how easy it is go get out of Papua.

5. Waromi said that ‘ conditions and funding limited the project’. It is quite possible that they could not find the desired 200 people willing to act as stooges for the leaders who are obviously liars and schemers – nothing like the people DIMIA and the Government fell for. Can anything these people say be believed? Will we fall for such a con trick in the future?

I don’t know what goes on in West Papua, but with the Stephen Kilpatrick’s revelations of what is an aggressive act against Australia, there might be reason to believe that the Indonesians are nowhere near as bad as they are said to be. This would be in line with a recent, non-aligned group who has assessed the situation and found that there is much exaggeration by some West Papuans

Leigh, you certainly seem to hate these Papuans and twist any story you can to further a promotion of anti-Papuan attitudes.

I read what the journalist actually wrote, Herman Wanggai's uncle had died in jail, his "crime" was raising his nation's Morning Star flag in 1988. Herman himself was also thrown in jail twice for daring to talk about West Papua's legal right to Decolonization as per UN GA Resolution 1514 and 1541.

It appears that you would prefer the Papuan race to be killed at the hands of the TNI military and Laskar Jihad and the other jihadist camps currently training with TNI forces along the PNG border.

Like East Timor, Australians are ashamed of the murder and rape their government has allowed Indonesian TNI Generals and their US business partners conduct in their greed to steal Papua's gold and copper, to cut down and sell its forests, and all the rape and murder which were the grounds for the Yale University Law School for declaring that Indonesia has been committing genocide in West Papua.

Leigh, I don't care what nationality you are, but I an sicken you calls to attack people who have been victims of colonization.

Yes, I read the piece in the Oz as well - and Leigh's comments above seem to me to constitute a severe distortion of what was actually written. If Leigh bothered to conduct even the most cursory research about West Papua he would know that the Indonesians have been guilty of the grossest violation of human rights against the indigenous population there for decades, with the acquiescence of Australian, US and UN authorities.

That is why the West Papuan activists were forced to act as they did. Any other strategy of resistance would undoubtedly have resulted in very real risks to life, limb and liberty.

Daeron and CJ Morgan,

You are entitled to your opinions, I just happen to disagree with them. I said that I don't really know what goes on in Papua. You don't either. Your attitude suggests that you are people of the 'touchy-feely' sort who don't seem to appreciate the mischief these people were out to cause between Ausralia and Indonesia. I don't 'hate' them, Daeron (it's simple love or hate with you, is it?). The are simply users, cheats and liars, intent on their own political agenders without thought for their fellow Papuans who, clearly, do not feel the need to flee from the Indonesians, even though it is so easy to get away from the country.

Think. Don't emote.

As you said leigh ,"I don't know what happens in West Papua ".

If you wanted to go over and chase up a few Separatists for an interview to get the truth ,you would out of luck cobber the Indonesians don't want the reality out in the open .
Perhaps you missed that interview on tv some years ago that was secretly filmed with some Indonesian officials in West Papua who said that the West Papuans would continue to be the losers in the relationship as they did not have the Education of the Indonesians ,not to mention the guns .