BY David Lynch
From Daily Ireland, Monday 5th June 2006
The Australian singer Kelly Newton-Wordsworth threw herself into highlighting the plight of the people of West Papua just over a year ago.
The high-profile arrival of 43 West Papuan refugees on the Australian coast in January last year sparked this interest.
“I was on holidays, and a guy who knew my music came up to me with an Australian newspaper,” she told Daily Ireland.
“On the front page was the picture of the refugees holding a banner saying there was genocide taking place in West Papua. That guy asked me to write a song about it,” she said.
The singer later wrote Song for West Papua.
Ms Newton-Wordsworth was in Ireland at the weekend as a guest of West Papua Action.
West Papua is located just north of Australia. It forms the western part of the island of New Guinea, alongside the independent state of Papua New Guinea.
A former Dutch colony, West Papua came under Indonesian control in the 1960s, with a controversial “referendum” being held in 1969.
According to solidarity campaigners, the people of West Papua have suffered ongoing human-rights abuses, ecological destruction and democratic violations at the hands of the Indonesian military for almost 40 years.
The Indonesian forces have terrorised the civilian population and thousands of people have been killed, tortured or jailed through extrajudicial actions.
Ms Newton-Wordsworth said: “I want to do everything I can to raise the profile of this illegal occupation of West Papua by Indonesia, especially in my country where the government are sadly acting disgracefully.
“The people of Australia are different. A recent opinion poll showed that 75 per cent of Australians did not recognise Indonesian control over West Papua.
“We do not get all the information out of West Papua because it is under brutal military occupation.
“The world is turning its back on the people there and that nation.
“That is one of the reasons I am here in Ireland. I want to raise the profile of the fight for West Papua freedom.
“I have Irish connections and I admire the Irish fight for freedom.
“I think there are similarities between all people who fight against occupation and oppression and for their freedom.
“I would love to work with Irish singers and maybe record my song with them.
“Also I am trying to organise a number of concerts here for the next time I am over here,” she said.
For more information about West Papua, contact West Papua Action at 134 Phibsborough Road, Dublin 7. Tel: (01) 860 3431.
