West Papuan human rights advocate speaks in Wellington 

Press release: Peace Action Wellington

13 August, 2003



        A representative of one of the least-known corners of the Pacific speaks in Wellington 

next Monday night.



        John Rumbiak of West Papua, the western half of the island which includes Papua-New Guinea, 

is attending the Pacific Island Forum which opens in Auckland on Thursday. 



He will also speak at main centres, including Wellington, about how New Zealanders can support 

his peopleıs 40 years of resistance against Indonesian armed forces.



Since April this year, the situation in West Papua has worsened considerably with the deployment 

of Indonesian special forces and other army units.



Around 1,000 people in the central highland town of Wamena have been forced to flee their homes 

and gardens, and hide in the forests. The Indonesian military are refusing to allow church, 

humanitarian and human rights workers any access to the area. They are now creating armed 

militias similar to those responsible for massacres in East Timor.



Johnıs organisation, the West Papua Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy, has been at 

the forefront of efforts to establish Papua as a Zone of Peace, an initiative involving Papua's 

governor, church leaders and other senior officials. It is internationally respected for its 

human rights monitoring work but has been under strong pressure from the Indonesian military. 

Its staff, including John, have received death threats and harassment.



Mark Derby, one of the organisers of Johnıs visit to Wellington, says "Everyone knows the 

outcome for the people of East Timor of the lack of action by the world community in 1999. 

It's our responsibility to ensure that the people of West Papua donıt have the same fate 

inflicted on them. It's time to change West Papua from the forgotten Pacific country to the 

country which the world is watching."



John Rumbiak speaks at the Peace Action Wellington meeting, 7pm Monday 18 August at Athena 

College, 203 Willis Street. He will be introduced by Professor Rod Alley of Victoria University 

and Francesca Pauwer, a West-Papua-born Wellingtonian.



For more information contact Mark Derby, NZ-West Papua Association, tel (04)939 1215 (mob.) 

027 279 0491

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