West Papua | The Melanesian Independence Movement in Indonesia | 18 Jun 2021

West Papua is one of the longest running independence movements in international politics. It is also one of the least known. For almost sixty years, the native Melanesian community has fought for independence from Indonesia. However, while the West Papua conflict is often thought of as a case of attempted secession, and is classed as such by most governments, it can also be thought of as a case of colonial self-determination.

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Although West New Guinea had been a part of the Dutch East Indies, it did not form a part of Indonesia when it became independent, in 1949. Instead it remained under the Netherlands, which argued that the Melanesian roots of the population meant it should have a separate right to statehood. However, over the following decade, the Indonesian Government exerted ever more pressure to have the territory put under its sovereignty. In the end, the Dutch capitulated. In 1962, the New York Agreement saw the creation of a temporary UN administration (UNTEA) over West New Guinea, or West Irian as it was also known, before it was passed on to Indonesia. As part of this agreement, a referendum was meant to have been held in 1969 to decide on whether West Papua would remain part of Indonesia or become independent. However, the eventual vote - the so-called Act of Free Choice - was deeply flawed. Despite this, the outcome was endorsed by the UN General Assembly. Since then, and against the backdrop of serious human rights abuses, West Papuan independence movement has campaigned and fought for another referendum. Although most of the world still regards the territory as part of Indonesia, it does seem that support is potentially growing.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction and Titles
0:38 Secession, Self-Determination and West Papua
1:50 The Geography and Population of West Papua
2:47 The Historical Roots of the West Papua Dispute
4:25 How West Papua Became Part of Indonesia
6:02 West Papua under Indonesia Rule
7:35 The West Papua Independence Campaign since 2000
9:31 Emerging Tensions in West Papua
10:45 West Papua: Secession or Self-Determination?

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FURTHER READING & USEFUL SOURCES

New York Agreement (1962) https://undocs.org/pdf?symbol=en/A/5170
UN Resolution 2504 (XXIV) 1969 https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/657429?ln=en
United Liberation Movement for West Papua https://www.ulmwp.org
Free West Papua Campaign https://www.freewestpapua.org
Indonesia Ministry of Foreign Affairs https://kemlu.go.id/portal/en
The Road: Uprising in West Papua https://amzn.to/3xCoKTn
West Papua and Indonesia Since Suharto https://amzn.to/3xxajjf

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KEYWORDS

#WestPapua #Indonesia #Independence
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#Secession #Statehood #Independence
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