PNG grants citizenship to 138 West Papuan refugees

8:33 pm on 19 June 2017

Papua New Guinea has granted citizenship to 138 West Papuan refugees.

They were joined by four others at the ceremony on Sunday at the Sir John Guise Stadium.

EMTV reports the acting Chief Migration Officer, Solomon Kantha, saying he is proud this government is the first to take steps to see West Papuans get legal status in PNG.

People from Papua New Guinea make frequent trips across the Indonesia border at Wutung

People from Papua New Guinea make frequent trips across the Indonesia border at Wutung Photo: RNZ / Johnny Blades

He also says the government did not require the West Papuan refugees to pay the $US3045 dollars fee for citizenship.

There are more than 10,000 West Papuan refugees living in PNG, some of whom have been in the country for more than 30 years.

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