West Papua tribal leader meets president

TIMES INT'L

Inspired by Guyana’s struggle for independence and advocacy for the poor and oppressed, Benny Wenda, a native and independent political leader of West Papua, has returned to Guyana in his efforts to “cry for freedom for his people”.
Carrying the flag of West Papua, an emblem that can land him 25 years in prison if seen by the Indonesian military in West Papua, Wenda was filled with gratitude for the warm welcome he received on his second visit to the country.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, Wenda, who is meeting a country’s head of state for the first time, accompanied by his legal adviser Malinda will be meeting with indigenous people and parliamentarians during his visit to Guyana.
West Papua located 500 kilometres from Australia has been subject to Indonesia since 1961, shortly after it gained independence on December 1 that year.
Intervention by the international community on the matter was subverted by Western governments appeasing Indonesia.

West Papua native and political leader Benny Wenda presents a gift to President Donald Ramotar in the company of his legal representative Malinda and Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy

A Free West Papua campaign claimed that the Indonesian occupiers announced that the Papuans were too backward to cope with democracy and coerced 1026 representative Papuans at gunpoint to vote to join Indonesia.
Wenda shared his experiences in a Free West Papua pamphlet of seeing his village bombed by the Indonesian military and family killed while he was a child and later, of being arrested, imprisoned, and tortured by Indonesian soldiers.
In 2004, a Free West Papua Campaign based in Oxford, England was set up to support the call for democratic and non-violent campaigns for independence.
The campaign lobbies politicians and governments, organises public meetings and events, and even engages in fund-raising activities to gain support.
West Papua is bordered to the east by Papua New Guinea, which gained independence from the British. West Papua has 250 tribes, each with their own language and culture.

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