Transparency Vanuatu welcomes government position
Transparency Vanuatu has welcomed Prime Minister Sato Kilman's clarification over the weekend of his government's position on West Papua's recent membership bid to the Melanesian Spearhead Group.
Transcript
Transparency Vanuatu has welcomed Prime Minister Sato Kilman's clarification over the weekend of his government's position on West Papua's recent membership bid to the Melanesian Spearhead Group.
Last month the MSG leadership made the United Liberation Movement for West Papua an observer while Indonesia was made an associate member.
Mr Kilman had been scathing in his criticism of Transparency Vanuatu calling for the government to make its position on West Papua known.
The Chairman of Transparency Vanuatu, Willie Tokon told Koroi Hawkins the Prime Minister should have kept his criticism to social media and radio talk back..
WILLIE TOKON: So we basically wanted the Prime Minister to come out and state in clear terms what the present government's stand was in relation to this decision. Because he did not really attend the meeting and there was nothing really clear coming out. So it was basically to ask him you know, what was the government's stance?
KOROI HAWKINS: And the government has since come out in response to this, what did the Prime Minister say recently?
WT: Okay the newspaper article came out on Friday and we are very happy that on Saturday morning during a prayer breakfast for Church leaders at the Le Lagon Hotel he came out very clearly that the Vanuatu Government is very happy with the set up, with the acceptance of West Papua as an observer to the MSG and also with associate membership of Indonesia into the MSG. So we are happy that he has came out and made that statement because now everybody knows where our government stands.
KH: His initial article also criticises TSI and says that TSI should not talk about West Papuan issues because it might incite riots or violence in Melanesia is this a perception that TSI is getting with West Papua?
WT: No that is not the perception we are getting. I think he is not happy about a lot of the talk that is coming into the media. The umi tok tok stret on social media on Facebook and also the radio talk back shows. Some people are using very harsh language, some of them threatening language, some vulgar language. But there is a way to deal with those kind of issues you know you can tell them to stop or make sure they don't come out into the media. Or you can last resort you can sue these kind of people. But people need to be heard so It think with his statement on Saturday morning it has you know put everybody in clear picture of where we stand.
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