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In the midst of renewed violence in West Papua, between proponents of political self-determination and the Indonesian military, The West Papua National Committee KNPB announced plans to re-organize the people of West Papua, for the purpose of demanding that the United Nations pursue a referendum in West Papua.
KNPB Vice-Chairman, Mako Tabuni, stated that a referendum, which would enable the people to exercise their political right of self-determination, is the only legitimate and peaceful means of solving the ongoing conflict. KNPB and other West Papuan freedom movements were encouraged by a statement by United Nations Secretary-General, Ban ki-Moon, at a media event in Auckland, New Zealand, on September 7, 2011, that West Papua should be discussed by the Decolonization Committee of the United Nations.
The Secretary General-s statement may represent more of the same political ineffectiveness that has characterized the dispute for the past 48 years, but it-s evident that the freedom movement isn-t going away. According to Joe Collins, of the Australia West Papua Association, security in West Papua is deteriorating, due to a crackdown by the Indonesian military.
Fifteen human rights groups in Australia and New Zealand called upon the UN Secretary-General to appoint a representative to investigate alleged human rights violations in West Papua, as well as its political status. Clearly, the time has arrived for those who favor a peaceful resolution to the West Papua conflict, to add their voice to the urgent need for high-level dialogue with the Indonesian government.
