An Australian businessman has funnelled thousands of dollars into a TV advertising campaign attacking Australian prime minister, John Howard, accusing him of ignoring human rights abuses in Indonesia Papua region.
This is the second commercial funded by millionaire Ian Melrose on the plight of Papuans.
His first was released last month.
The new ad, airing for the first time today, calls for the new Australia-Indonesia security treaty to be amended to ensure human rights are monitored and foreign journalists allowed into Papua.
It will initially be aired across Australia and then overseas on ABC Asia-Pacific and potentially on Indonesian television.
The Australian government has signed the security treaty with Indonesia, but it is yet to be ratified and is currently before a parliamentary inquiry.
Mr Melrose says he is determined to alert Australians to the plight of Papuans and is not concerned about the cost of the campaign.
