NB: For daily updates, on the web or in your inbox, also digests, click on:
West Papua News

Extract: West Papua office upsets Jakarta
By Greg Poulgrain
The Australian
April 05, 2003

Indonesia has protested about Vanuatu's decision to support West Papuan separatists by allowing them to set up an office on its territory.

It has threatened to downgrade or sever relations and review its annual imports of 30,000 cattle from the Pacific island state.

Indonesian Ambassador to Australia Imron Cotan said this week the action could be seen as interference in his country's internal affairs.

But Vanuatu's Deputy Prime Minister Serge Vohor has defended the decision to allow the West Papuan People's Representative Office to open in Port Vila last week.

"No money in the world can buy off our right to speak out against injustice and the right of self-determination of oppressed indigenous people," he said.

Papua Leaders defy orders and welcome John Mambor home

24 and 25 March 2003
From reports received from ELSHAM, via Tapol

[Pictured: John Mambor, who spent 17 years in prison, and who represented prisoners in the Papua Presidium Council]

Members of the leadership of the Papuan Presidium Council (PDP) defied an instruction from the police in Papua that they should not welcome home the body of John Mambor on its arrival in Sentani airport from Jakarta. A senior member of the PDP leadership, John Mambor died earlier this week in
Jakarta, after a long illness.

Among those who were present at the airport to receive the body were PDP general secretary Thaha Al Hamid, the Rev. Herman Awom, Eliaser Awom, Melkias Mandosir and a number of PDP Panel members. Hundreds of people who had travel from miles away were also present at the airport.

The Rev Awom announced that John Mambor would be buried on Wednesday 25
March, but he would not be buried alongside the late Theys Eluay, because
the security forces had threatened to break up the funeral gathering.
Instead he would be buried at the Christian cemetery in Abepura.

A spokesman for the police also said that the remains of the late John
Mambor, who died in a hospital in Jakarta after a suffering from cancer for
two years, should not be buried in the Papua Heroes' Cemetery in Sentani,
alongside the remains of PDP leader, Theys Eluay, who was murdered in
November 2001. The police officer, Slamat Supandi, warned that troops would
be used to disperse the crowds if these instructions were ignored.

He said the authorities were afraid that such an occasion might be used by
Papuans to raise the Morning Star flag.

Before his death, John Mambor headed the political prisoners section of the
PDP. During the Suharto era, he spent 17 years in Kalisosok Prison, East
Java, along with other Papuan leaders. He was also one of five PDP leaders,
including the late Theys Eluay, who were held in detention and brought to
court in 2001 for activities relating the unfurling of the Papuan flag in
December 2000.

The discomfort shown by the authorities is reminiscent of their anger when
huge crowds welcomed the return to Jayapura in 1996 of the body of Tom
Wanggai who died in mysterious circumstances while still a prisoner in
Tanggerang Prison, Jakarta.

West Papuan Dancers, Singer, Hothouse Flowers Inspire

West Papua dance group Sampari, West Papuan singer and activist Sem Karoba, and popular Irish band The Hothouse Flowers performed for over three hours to about 300 people at the University of Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland on Friday, March 22nd 2003.

It was a great night and everyone was buzzing!!!

For more see: http://www.onebigtribe.org

Over 2,000 attend Melbourne concert for West Papua

The Morning Star Concert for West Papua was held in Melbourne on Feb 28,
2003. It was held at the Concert Hall and over 2000 people attended the
event.

Report from Kel, Australia West Papua Association, Melbourne:

The concert last night was fabulous. Over 2000 people cheered and clapped
as great performer after great performer came on stage - and the biggest
cheers went up evey time independence was mentioned. The stars were
undoubtedly the great Papuan traditional band, Black Paradise, who brought
the Concert Hall alive with their haunting and joyful songs.

It has been a almost a year in planning, and everyone involved in the
organisation and the performers have to be thanked - especially David and
his partner Lyn, the driving forces behind the concert, and also all
Melanesian people from across the Pacific who performed or gave their
support. And also thanks to the people of Melbourne and around the country
who stood up to be counted, and told Howard and Megawati (who tried so
hard to scuttle the concert) that we will not be bullied or dictated to.

The 28 February 2003 will be remembered as an important day in the history
of the WP struggle - all the WP supporter's here in Australia hope it is
turning point. The path to self-determination for West Papua looks a
little brighter thanks to the light from the Moning Star Concert. Papua
barat merdeka!!

............................

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=42986&group=webcast

Video Extract - Morning Star Concert for West Papua: realmedia video extract features music from Black Paradise and a small speech by human rights campaigner, John Rumbiak.

For more details, see
http://www.morningstarconcert.com/

More videos will be released, see:

http://www.freewestpapua.com/

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=42985&group=webcast
[3 photos]

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=42983&group=webcast
Still video grabs from the Morning Star Concert for WEST PAPUA [4 photos]

The Irish Times, Wednesday, February 26, 2003

Octo Mote: working to highlight the ongoing abuse of West Papua by Indonesia. Photograph: Bryan Meade

An Irishman's Diary

David Shanks

AS WE wait to assess whether the authority of the United Nations will
ultimately be enhanced or diminished by the crisis over Iraq, it is easy to
forget the many other parts of the world where its influence has been, and
continues to be, crucial. The UN has much to be proud of in East Timor, for
example, now in its ninth month of independence after 23 years under the
Indonesian yoke. But another Indonesian territory - West Papua - has been
less fortunate: its subjection to Jakarta has now lasted 40 years, with
little sign of a happy ending and little attention from the outside world.

An estimated 30 per cent of the population of West Papua has been wiped
out by the Indonesian military and by diseases over the years and now the
Papuans "may already be a minority in their own land", a Papuan academic
and journalist said in Dublin last week. Octavianus (Octo) Mote, who fled
Indonesia when he discovered he was on a death list, is now a visiting
fellow at Yale University working on a genocide database on Papua.

Massacre in Bali

He expressed the shocking view that the Indonesian military and not an
Islamic fundamentalist group may have planned the bomb massacre in Bali last
October. "It is hard to believe that in a controlled society like
Indonesia's that fundamentalists could pull such a thing off," he said. This
suspicion is also shared by a well know expert on Indonesia, Prof Benedict
Anderson of Cornell University, who points to a certain military group with
"a long experience of black operations".

Indeed one of the suspects in the investigation of the atrocity is
reported to have said that one of his reasons was anger against the
international community, particularly Australia for wresting East Timor from
Indonesia. Many of the 180 victims were Australians. This anger reflects
that of many senior Indonesian officers.

In the 1960s it seemed likely that West Papua would become a new-born
independent state with the UN as midwife. Since the early 1950s the
Netherlands had been grooming its colony for independence. A parliament,
flag, and provisional administration had already been agreed. But Indonesia,
already free from the Dutch in 1949, came to military blows over its claim
to the mineral-rich region.

UN-brokered talks yielded the 1962 New York Agreement, awarding the
territory to Indonesia - but subject to the Papuans' agreement six years
later in a free and fair consultation. "The Act of Free Choice" of 1969 by
1,022 elders was, however, a sham, marked by heavy intimidation. There is
plenty of evidence it was often a pistol-to-the head job and "UN
supervision" of the process, run by the Indonesian military, was almost
invisible.

As Desmond O'Malley remarked recently, "the UN failed in its obligations to
assist in the act of self-determination in accordance with international
best practices." He was launching a new book on the origins of this
tragedy - The United Nations and the Indonesian Takeover of West Papua: The
anatomy of betrayal by Dr John Saltford - which draws on recently
declassified UN, British and Australian documents.

Killing of US teachers

Today West Papua's struggle is becoming confusingly implicated in the
"war on terror" because of an investigation into an ambush of two vehicles
resulting in the deaths of two Americans, travelling with an Indonesian
colleague. They were teachers employed by the massive US-owned PT Freeport
gold and copper mine in West Papua.

The Washington Post reported that before the ambush Indonesian officers,
including Gen Endriartono Sutarto, discussed an operation against the mine,
which is guarded by the military. The alleged aim was to discredit
separatist guerrillas of the Free Papuan Movement (OPM). In response to the
report, Indonesia has threatened the Washington Post with a $1 billion
lawsuit.

But the case has much wider implications. It threatened President Bush's
recent successful move in Congress to have military training programmes for
the Indonesian military restored, as a means of drawing Indonesia onside in
the "war on terror" and the drive to achieve "regime change" in Iraq.

To reassure doubtful Congress members the administration sent two FBI
agents to assist the Indonesian investigation. But their findings may have
the opposite effect. Preliminary FBI findings tend to support the Washington
Post version of the affair. According to the New York Times, the finding is
likely to "muddy relations" between Washington and Jakarta.

Conspiracy theories

In this smoke and mirrors realm conspiracy theories abound. Mr Mote
believes that if military involvement in the murder of the Americans is
confirmed, the Bush administration will offer a trade-off: Support an attack
on Iraq and we will not make a fuss. Lower ranking "rogue element" soldiers
may even be offered up, he speculates. Most Papuans would dread such a
"solution" as it would allow the Indonesian military to continue conducting
itself with impunity.

Meanwhile, here in Dublin a small band of West Papua Action activists
regularly holds vigils at the Netherlands Embassy in Ballsbridge, calling on
the Dutch to stop sitting on their hands "as the Indonesian military kill
and torture West Papuans" and to "seek a proper act of self-determination as
they agreed to at the United Nations 40 years ago".

The Age (Melbourne)
The exile who fights for the rights of all Papuans
February 27 2003
By Martin Flanagan

Human rights advocate John Rumbiak fled Papua a year ago. Local police had
warned him that his investigation into the assassination of Papuan independence
leader Theys Eluay in November 2001 had put his life in danger.

After he was alerted to this, a group of armed men Rumbiak believes belonged to
Kopassus, the Indonesian paramilitary group, took up residence in a house near
his own and began monitoring his movements.

Since he left the troubled Indonesian province, Rumbiak says one of the
directors of Els-ham, the human rights organisation for which he works, had
been attacked and shot along with a member of her family.

Rumbiak, who comes from the island of Biak off the north-west coast of Papua
and is now a visiting scholar at the University of Columbia in New York, is in
Melbourne for tomorrow night's Morning Star Concert at the Victorian Arts
Centre. Rumbiak says the concert, organised by musician David Bridie, is an
opportunity for Australians "to be really educated about what's going on in
West Papua. They're going to learn about Papuans as people, that they have a
culture, and the problems they're facing."

Rumbiak says the Papuan people will cease to exist as an independent identity
within 10 to 20 years if the present rate of assimilation in the province
continues. "Their culture will be extinct," he says. As such, he believes
Indonesian Government policies in the area come within the definition of
genocide.

Els-ham estimates that there have been 100,000 extrajudicial killings in Papua
since the province was taken over by Indonesia in the 1960s. "That number
doesn't include rapes and people who have disappeared. These are only confirmed
deaths."

Rumbiak says Papuan culture is also threatened by transmigration, which has
brought a million people to the province from other parts of Indonesia, the
degradation of indigenous culture, and the accelerating rate of HIV-AIDS. A
recent addition to the Papuan scene has been an Islamic militia called Laskar
Jihad which, Rumbiak says, has connections with the Indonesian military. "The
Muslim community is being manipulated to create conflict."

Rumbiak says his inspiration is Tuarek Narkime, chief of the Amungme people who
were the original owners of the land now occupied by the giant Freeport gold
and copper mine.

The impact of the mine and the local activities of the military led an outraged
Narkime to paint his body with mud, don his penis gourd and walk from his
village to Freeport's company town, Tembagapura, and make a statement of
protest.

Rumbiak quotes him as having said: "Gentleman, I am angry with God! Why has He
created such beautiful mountains, valleys and rivers, rich with minerals and
placed us - the indigenous peoples - here in this place that attracts so many
people from around the world to come, exploit our resources and kill us? You
had better kill me now, kill all of my people, all our livestock, dig a big
grave and bury us all, and then you can do whatever you want on our grave!"

Rumbiak says Chief Narkime once told him that, as great as the provocation to
the Papuan people has been, "our minds and hearts have to be as clean and white
as Nemankawiarat (the glacier-capped Carstenz mountain peak) when you fight for
truth and justice for your people and your land".

Rumbiak says for this reason the Papuan struggle has been built around
integrity, non-violent direct action and compassion.

Greens senator Bob Brown refers to the Papuans as "our invisible neighbours".
Rumbiak agrees. He says the world simply doesn't know about Papua.

"To begin with, Papua is isolated. The only way to get there is a six-hour
flight from Jakarta. Diplomats say it is too hard to visit. If you're a
journalist, you can't get there without a permit from the Information
Department in Jakarta and when you arrive you have to go to the police for a
pass permit."

Rumbiak says the international perception of the Papuans is of a primitive
Stone Age people. Laskar Jihad calls Papua "the Land of No Religion".

At the same time, multinational corporations have been given access to the
region's forestry and mineral riches. Rumbiak says these industries have
brought with them prostitution, which has inflamed the region's AIDS epidemic.

Rumbiak says Australians have a moral responsibility for what is happening in
Papua. "Australia is one of the countries that has benefited politically and
economically from what is going on in West Papua," he says.

Rumbiak believes this is not the struggle of Papuans alone. "This is the
struggle of anyone, no matter where they are in the world, who believes in
respect for other human beings and their cultures, and for the beautiful
natural planet upon which we all depend for life."

Public Meeting

West Papua:

Human Rights, Self-determination denied

Speaker: Octo Mote, West Papuan Journalist and Academic

Venue: Earl of Kildare Hotel, 47 Kildare Street, Dublin 2

Time: 8.00pm

Date: Thursday, 20 February, 2003

Organised by West Papua Action

This event is part-sponsored by

Trócaire and Ireland Aid at the Department of Foreign Affairs

DIVISION OF PAPUA INTO THREE PROVINCES SOWS CONFUSION AND UNDERMINES PAPUAN RIGHTS

Memorandum
11 February 2003
Issued by TAPOL

The Presidential Instruction 1/2003 announced on 27 January which will split Papua into three provinces has provoked a storm of protest in Papua and widespread incomprehension about the intentions of the central government. The Instruction harks back to a law enacted in 1999 providing for the division of the province. Although it has remained on the statute books, the law was not implemented because of the strong opposition it provoked among the Papuan people who saw it as a divisive move to split them and undermine their calls for dialogue on the future status of West Papua. As recently as mid-December, the governor of Papua, Jaap Salossa, pleaded with President Megawati not to split up the province, arguing that 'we have to consider people's readiness for such actions'. [The Jakarta Post, 14 December 2002].

Given the opposition the 1999 law provoked, it was not implemented. Instead, a law was enacted in 2000 to grant Special Autonomy to Papua (formerly called Irian Jaya) which came into force in January 2002. The decision to go ahead with Special Autonomy was not popular among West Papuans who saw it as a move to quell their support for eventual independence. Underlying their opposition to integration is the widely-held view that the Act of Free Choice in 1969, which led to Papua's formal integration into Indonesia, was a fraud because it involved just over one thousand handpicked individuals who decided, without a dissenting voice and under strong military pressure, to accept integration.

The law on Special Autonomy as adopted by Parliament was a watered down version of a draft drawn up by academics at Cendrawasih University, Jayapura. This would have given far greater rights and protection to the population than the law as enacted by Jakarta. One of the crucial elements retained in the law provided for the establishment of a special Papuan assembly, the Majelis Rakyat Papua (MRP), a body composed entirely of Papuans with powers on a variety of issues pertaining to the governance of the province. However, although Special Autonomy has been in force for over a year, the MRP has not yet been set up.

Along with religious leaders and tribal leaders, the leadership of the Papuan Presidium Council (PDP) has strongly denounced INPRES 1/2003. Following a meeting with the chairman of the regional assembly, the DPRD, Tom Beanal, deputy chairman of the PDP, accused the government of deliberately seeking to sow confusion among the Papuan people. The secretary-general, Thaha Al Hamid, said on the same occasion, that if the government wants to know the opinion of the Papuan, the best way would be to hold a referendum. [Cendrawasih Pos, 8 February 2003] To our knowledge, this is the first time that the idea of holding a referendum in Papua has been raised by any Papuan leaders.

The strong views expressed in Papua since INPRES 1/2003 was announced last month have condemned in particular the failure of the central government to take steps for the establishment of the MRP. Under the Special Autonomy Law, the MRP is not merely a consultative body. Its approval is required on many key decisions, including any decision to divide the province into several provinces. Hence, INPRES 1/2003 is clearly in breech of the Special Autonomy law.

The MRP's approval is also required for:

- the appointment of the governor and deputy governor of the province,
- joint accords between the central and local government and third
- parties, particularly with regard to protecting the rights of the Papuan
people,
- channelling the aspirations of traditional groups, religious groups,
- women and society in general, along with powers to ensure implementation of these aspirations.

Moreover, it is the responsibility of the MRP to issue all the implementing regulations of the law on Special Autonomy. Hence, until such time as the MRP has been established, it will not be possible to implement the Special Autonomy law.

However, within days of the announcement of INPRES 1/2003, a ceremony took place in Manokwari to appoint the acting governor of the 'Province of Western Irian Jaya'. The Presidential Instruction throughout uses the term 'Irian Jaya', not 'Papua', the name established for the province in the 2000 Special Autonomy law.

Given that the central government has failed to make provisions for the MRP, it is small wonder that Papuans who went along, albeit unwillingly, with the decision to confer Special Autonomy on their province now feel betrayed and embittered.

One inevitable consequence of the creation of three provinces in Papua will be a significant increase in the number of troops in the territory. Each of the separate provinces will have its own regional military command, KODAM, with its network of district and sub-district commands, KODIM and KOREM, at a more substantial level than may at present exist. This can only create a more effective system of repression throughout the territory and arouse the suspicion that this may have been one major reason for dividing up Papua. In recent months, senior armed forces officers have expressed frustration at their inability to handle the security situation in Papua and appear to be unhappy with the Special Autonomy status granted to the province. According to The Jakarta Post [7 February 2003], 'the military has fully supported the formation of the new two provinces in order to weaken the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM), which has long been fighting for the territory's independence from Indonesia'.

Apart from arguing that a province the size of Papua is unmanageable, ministers have as yet failed to provide any explanation for the decision to go ahead with a move to implement the 1999 law by introducing INPRES 1/2003 or account for its contravention of the Special Autonomy law. In a statement on 5 February, Minister-Coordinator for Political and Security Affairs, General (ret'd) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sought to justify the presidential instruction by saying that the law on Special Autonomy and INPRES 1/2003 which is based on the 1999 law were both 'constitutionally based' and therefore not incompatible. He also stressed that the government was determined to 'deal with elite politicians who want to separate from Indonesia, and to engage in intense diplomatic activity to uphold NKRI (the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia)'. [detik.com, 5 February 2003]

What this statement reveals is that the central government is well aware of the strength of feeling in Papua with regard to the territory's incorporation into Indonesia. However, it seems to be oblivious of the fact that by effectively aborting its own unpopular decision to confer Special Autonomy, it has only intensified Papuan anger and confusion regarding the government's intentions. INPRES 1/2003 is bound to cause political upheaval in Papua in the months to come.

TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon CR7 8HW, UK.
tel +44 (0)20 8771 2904 fax +44 (0)20 8653 0322
tapol@gn.apc.org http://tapol.gn.apc.org

Religious leaders reject presidential decision to split Papua into three

Leaders of the main religions in Papua - Catholic, Protestant, Muslim,
Buddhist and Hindu - have written to President Megawati expressing their
concern about her Presidential Instruction to split Papua into three. The
following is a slightly abbreviated translation of their letter:

Jayapura, 5 February 2003
We were heartened recently to hear that the Central Government was anxious
to find a 'civilised and just solution' to the Papua problem. Coordination
minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that Special Autonomy would be
enhanced to promote the prosperity of the people. Of course we all agree
that Papua's problems should be given serious attention and feel that this
needs wisdom and transparency from all sides to find one that conforms with
the aspirations of the Papuan people. This requires dialogue and mutual
understanding and we stand ready as religious leaders to help promote this
dialogue. This also finds expression in the Law on Special Autonomy (Law
21/2001) which has been enacted by the Central Government.

Presidential Instruction 1/2003 was issued without any consultation with
the people. It came as a shock to the people who have been waiting for
implementation of the Special Autonomy Law in a way that conforms with the
democratic process, which means that society was involved. Instruction
1/2003 is a de facto rejection of that Law, Article 76 of which states that
any separation within the province should have the prior consent of the
regional assembly - DPR of the Papua Province - and the Papuan Peoples
Council, the MRP, the establishment of which is still awaiting the approval
of the Central Government. The law also establishes the need for careful
study and consideration of cultural factors, infrastructure and human
resources in preparation for any such separation.

The Presidential Instruction has caused great disquiet and insecurity and
has undermined tranquillity. It has also intensified people's lack of trust
in the good intentions of the Central Government to resolve problems in
Papua peacefully and democratically.

The announcement of the Presidential Instruction has provoked a sense of
pessimism among the people and will also come as a shock to foreign
countries and international agencies which have stated their support for
Special Autonomy as part of the efforts to find a peaceful resolution to
the conflict in Papua. The international community will certainly question
the intentions of the Central Government in resolving the Papuan problem.

We therefore wish hereby to make the following remarks and recommendations
in response to the enactment of the Presidential Instruction:

1. We hope that the Government will fully support our efforts, as religious
leaders, to create a 'Peaceful Papua' as the essential pre-requisite for
resolving the Papuan question.

2. We hope that the Government will, first and foremost, give every support
to implementing Special Autonomy consistently and constructively, in
particular by speeding up its approval of a Government Regulation regarding
the establishment of the MRP, which was submitted to the Government a long
time ago.

3. We hope that the Government will show a determination to prevent actions
that might open up the way for internal conflict in Papua and which would
disrupt efforts to establish democratic governance in the Province of Papua.

4. We believe that the decision to issue Presidential Instruction should be
revised because it was not preceded by negotiations as required by Law
21/2001 on Special Autonomy.

Signatories:

Mgr Leo Laba Ladjar, Ofm, Archbishop of Jayapura

The Rev. Herman Saud, M.Th, Chairman of the Council of Churches in Papua

Drs Zubaer D. Hussein, Chairman of the Muslim Council in Papua

Irianto Setiawan, Chairman of the Buddhayana Council in Jayapura

I. Dewa Putu Mustika BA, Deputy Chairman of Parisada Hindu Dharma for the
Province of Papua

Jayapura, 5 February 2003

Relgious leaders in Papua renew publicly their commitment to build peace in Papua

Today, the 5th of February has been celebrated for the second time as a provincial public holiday; the 5th of February marks the start of the Protestant Mission in Papua way back in 1855. Since last year this day has been proclaimed by the Provincial Government as a public holiday. The most important event during the celebration was the ecumenical gathering in the sports hall of Jayapura. This part of the celebration was attended by leading government people (among them the governor, the head of the parliament, and the rector of the university), a representatibve of the central government (minister for development coopeartion in East Indonesia), religious leaders in Papua (among them the Bishop of Jayapura, the Chair of the Synod of the Protestant Church, the Chair of the MUI, Islam community, the Chair of the Buddha Community, the Chair of the Hindu Community, and a big number of other local religious leaders in Papua), religious leaders in East Indonesia (especially invited for the celebration as well as for a three day workshop which will take place on 6-8 February), and a large number of prominent figures in the local community. Two thousand people filled the sports-hall.

A central element in the celebration was a key-note reflection by the Bishop of Jayapura, Mgr. Leo Laba Ladjar OFM. The bishop dwelled largely on the actual situation in Papua, on one hand drawing attention to the potential sources of conflict (economical disparity, difference of political aspirations, questionable security actions, tension among ethnical groups, tension among religious groups, the lack of justice related to several cases of gross human rights violations, conflicting central government policies including the recent issued Inpres 1/2003 on the division of Papua Province, factionalism in provincial government circles), while on the other hand underlining the basic will of the Papuan community to have their problems handled in a peacefull and democatric way. Therefore the need for a strong commitment of all the parties to build up peace in the province, in line with the message from the Gospel as proclaimed since 1855.

After the bishop's reflection, the leaders of the five main religions in Papua (Protestant, Catholic, Islam, Buddha and Hindu) took the floor to express in a simple but very strong way their common commitment to build "Papua Tanah Damai" (Papua, Land of Peace). The five religious leaders, while united by a ribbon and holding their hands high, briefly expressed verbally their commitment, while a traditional dancing group and an impressive choir underlined the commitment with their song and movements. The audience received the commitment with an enthusiastic applause.

After the celebration a statement by the five religious leaders addressed to President Megawati and related to the recently issued Inpres 1/2003 was handed over to the leading government figures present.

SKP Jayapura

ALL-STAR GATHERING FOR WEST PAPUA BENEFIT CONCERT

Starring Alex Lloyd, Lisa Gerrard, Paulmac, "Not Drowning, Waving", and more

8pm Friday, February 28 at the Melbourne Concert Hall

MELBOURNE, January 28, 2003 - The Morning Star Concert for West Papua, a special benefit concert presented by Victorian Trades Hall featuring performances by Australian and international musicians, will be staged for one night only at the Melbourne Concert Hall at 8pm, Friday, February 28, 2003.

The concert will include performances by Alex Lloyd, Lisa Gerrard, Paulmac, The Dili Allstars, Pnau and comedians John Clarke, Bryan Dawe, Sandman, Dave O'Neil and Andrew Denton. They will be joined on stage by a special one-off reformation of Not Drowning, Waving, together with Bangarra Dance Theatre. International guest performers will include Papua New Guinean artist, Telek, traditional West Papuan musicians, Black Paradise and West Papuan musicians in exile, Black Brothers.

The Morning Star Concert for West Papua was conceived by the extraordinary Melbourne musician, David Bridie (My Friend The Chocolate Cake and Not Drowning, Waving) and has gained the support of many musicians, artists, politicians, church leaders and environmental activists including Senators Bob Brown and Andrew Bartlett, John Rumbiak, Peter Garrett, Bishop Hilton Deakin and Sharon Burrowes to bring it to fruition. The Melbourne Concert Hall has been donated by the Victorian Trades Hall for the event. All proceeds from the concert will go to ELS-HAM, an Amnesty International-based organisation in Jayapura, West Papua.

"For three decades, West Papuans have endured an illegal and often brutal occupation by Indonesia's military forces. The plight of the West Papuan people is similar to that of the East Timorese who voted for independence in 1999. The human rights violations will continue until the plight of West Papua becomes front page news," said David Bridie. "In 1999, Australian's stood up for the East Timorese. It is time we did the same for the West Papuans."

The concert is part of a broader campaign to raise awareness about the plight of the West Papuan people. A book and CD will be published to coincide with the concert. Featuring work by Ben Bohane, Liz Thompson and Jim Elmslie, the photo-essay book deals with the cultural, political and historical aspects of the West Papuan story. The CD will feature songs about West Papua by the Warumpi Band, Not Drowning, Waving, My Friend the Chocolate Cake, Ireland's Andy White and traditional Papuan music as well as remixes by Australian artists including, Paulmac, Biftek, Pnau, fROST, Snog, Tim Cole, High Pass Filter and Darren Steffan. For more information regarding the concert, visit http://www.MorningStarConcert.com/

The Morning Star Concert for West Papua will be at the Melbourne Concert Hall at 8pm Friday, February 28. Tickets $41/$31 (includes booking fee) now on sale at Ticketmaster7 outlets, phone 1300 136 166 or visit http://www.ticketmaster7.com/

Further information:
Maureen Devlin: (03) 9654 8095 , 0402 153 764
Rée Izett: (03) 9654 3133 , 0418 35 8585

Media Office:
Rée Izett Pty Ltd, Level 2, 19 Meyers Place, Melbourne, Victoria 3000,
Australia
Telephone +61 (0)3 9654 3133
Facsimile +61 (0)3 9671 3535
info@reeizett.com.au

Frequently Asked Questions (+Answers) about West Papua can also be found @
http://www.MorningStarConcert.com/

 

**********