PCC, Youngsolwara lead candlelight vigil for West Papua

Youngsolwora students from USP stand in solidarity with West Papua during the candlelight vigil at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Suva on Friday. Picture: HARRISON SELMEN

By HARRISON SELMEN

The Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) and YoungSolwora students at The University of the South Pacific led a candlelight vigil at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Suva on Friday to support West Papuan’s call for a referendum and independence.

The event was a show of solidarity to share and pray for West Papua as recent media reports revealed escalating tension, unrest and alleged deaths of indigenous West Papuan protestors.

According to media reports, the tension stemmed from alleged racial abuse from Indonesian soldiers and civilian militia, calling Papuans ‘monkey’.

PCC’s Reverend James Bhagwan shared an appeal for solidarity by the churches in Papua and urged Pacific communities to raise awareness on the deteriorating human rights issues in Papua.

“Our aim is to outline the current situation in Papua as well as over the context of injustice and conflict facing our communities,” he said.

Rev Bhagwan said PCC also echoed the call by the Ecumenical Forum of Papuan Churches and the World Council of Churches for an immediate visit by the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, to Papua.

However, an online report by Radio New Zealand yesterday suggested that visit might take some time as Ms Bachelet revealed her office had been unable to secure a trip to West Papua so far.

Over the past week, civil society organisations in different Pacific Island countries such as Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu assembled to show support for West Papua.

Winston Tarere, a priest from Vanuatu serving at St Christopher’s Church in Nakasi, echoed similar sentiments by former father of independence, Walter Hydi Lini.

“Melanesia is not free until West Papua is free,” he said.

USP students representing Youngsolwara, a regional movement of a collective of activists from the Pacific, presented two powerful poems at the vigil.

The poems reflected the challenge and long-time cry of West Papuans for freedom.

“Youngsolwara calls on the Pacific leaders to uphold and protect human rights in West Papua,” the organisation said in a recent Twitter feed.

On September 6, neighbouring Big Brother New Zealand also expressed concern over the recent violence in West Papua.

The RNZ media report highlighted as many as 10 people were killed in separate clashes between Papuan demonstrators, security forces and vigilante mobs.

It said New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry was closely monitoring the security situation and expressed these concerns to Indonesian authorities.

Read more: RNZ Report – Human Rights Watch calls for Indonesia to investigate Papua killings

*Harrison Selmen (Vanuatu) is a final-year journalism student at The University of the South Pacific’s Laucala campus. He is also a reporter for Wansolwara, USP Journalism Programme’s student training print and online publications.