State urged to do more for West Papuans

TheNational – THE Government has been urged to do more about the plight of West Papuans and to assist them obtain full membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop made the call while celebrating the International Humanitarian Day with the West Papuan refugees at Vabukori in the National Capital District on Saturday.

“I call on our people and our Government not to abandon the West Papua people,” he said.

“Let us be brave and allow moral righteousness to prevail by allowing West Papuans to full membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.”

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill in May said PNG was concerned about what was happening in West Papua and expressed this directly to Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

He said West Papuans were welcomed in PNG.

“We are equally concerned about what is happening in West Papua,” O’Neill said.

“We have expressed that directly to the highest authority, including the president (Widodo), this year, particularly the human rights issue and for autonomy.”

Parkop said a humanitarian right issue facing PNG was the denial of the West Papuan people to properly and legally exercise their rights to self determination.

“These are fundamental human rights  expressed clearly in the United Nations  Human Rights Charter,” he said.