Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Pacific churches put spotlight on plight of Papuans in Indonesia

Posted at 03:29 on 12 September, 2007 UTC

The Pacific Conference of Churches 9th Assembly in American Samoa wants the international community and the World Council of Churches to look in to human rights violations and denials of self-determination in Indonesia’s Papua region.

A resolution approved by the assembly expresses the PCC’s solidarity with the people of West Papua.

The resolution deplores the ongoing denial of self-determination for the indigenous peoples of Papua and specifically the violation of the basic rights of those peoples by the Indonesian government.

The resolution also highlights the widespread exploitation and destruction of Papua’s natural resources by the administration and by foreign investors, without consent and against the interests of the peoples of West Papua.