27 Nov 2014

Lofty aims at West Papua meeting in Vanuatu

5:20 pm on 27 November 2014

Vanuatu's West Papua Unification Committee says it is aiming to ensure all opinions will be well represented at its summit next week.

The meeting hopes to form a united bid for Papuan membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

A formal membership application by the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation was knocked back by the MSG earlier this year, whose leaders called for a more representative bid.

The chairman of the committee Pastor Allan Nafuki says it is also hoped that the conference can produce an autonomous decision on self determination for independence.

"We are asking every group, whether pro, or not pro, we are expecting them to come, so that at the end of the summit, nobody will say the Vanuatu summit was not well represented. So we want to give everybody an opportunity at this summit."

Pastor Allan Nafuki says he has not heard of any West Papuans facing difficulties leaving Indonesia for the summit.

About 200 West Papua representatives from around the world are expected to attend, with some of them arriving from today.

The conference will begin from the 1st of December, following a march of solidarity for the West Papuan people in Port Vila.