MSG's stance on West Papua may be wilting

Transcript

It's feared that the Melanesian Spearhead Group's stance on the issue of independence for West Papua is wilting.

Supporters of West Papua say Indonesia is trying to divide members of the MSG, highlighted by a delegation last week to Indonesia, which was boycotted by Vanuatu.

They say recent events will make it more difficult to push for the admission of a West Papuan group into the MSG.

Bridget Tunnicliffe reports:

Vanuatu's foreign minister pulled out of the long planned visit by the MSG foreign ministers to Indonesia because the itinerary did not include meetings with groups concerned about alleged human rights abuses in West Papua. Edward Natapei says the trip was meant to be a fact finding mission to discover more about the West Papuan National Coalition for Liberation, which wants to become a full member of the MSG. He says the visit failed to carry out the mandate approved by MSG leaders during its last summit in New Caledonia and was a waste of time.

EDWARD NATAPEI: We knew that after the visit it would not help MSG decide on whether or not to admit the West Papuan National Coalition for Liberation into the membership of the MSG so it was going to be meaningless.

Edward Natapei says the programme was hijacked by the government of Indonesia to promote economic ties and development co-operation. The chairperson of the Vanuatu Free West Papua Association, Pastor Alan Nafuki, says foreign ministers from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands should have followed Vanuatu's lead and stayed home. He believes Indonesia is trying to divide members of the MSG and weaken their stance on West Papua.

ALAN NAFUKI: I see Indonesian government come in to divide and rule, to divide MSG as the Melanesian coordinating body and try to rule us from our perspective, from our point of view within the region of Melanesia, this is very bad for our future.

In a joint statement produced during the visit, Indonesia and the MSG said they support respective sovereignty and the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs. The West Papua National Coalition for Liberation says while Indonesia shifted the purpose of the visit, the foreign ministers would have seen first hand Indonesia's suppression of the Papuans. There have been reports that Indonesian police arrested and intimidated dozens of people in Jayapura when the MSG ministers briefly visited. The Coalition's Vanuatu-based vice-chairman, Otto Ondawame, says the ministers' lack of access to Papuan civil society was obvious.

OTTO ONDAWAME: It has become clear that Indonesia kills or suppresses the people on the ground for demanding political change. So they are very happy they witness the true colour of the Indonesian government as the colonial master.

Edward Natapei says after the failed mission, the MSG may have to meet Papuan civil society leaders elsewhere.