PIF leaders should put the issue of West Papua on agenda at PIF Summit in Koror

The Australia West Papua Association in Sydney has written an open letter (below) to the PIF leaders asking that they discuss the issue of West Papua and the ongoing human rights abuses in the territory at the PIF Summit in Koror, Palau at the of July.

Joe Collins of AWPA said “they are a number of ways the Forum leaders can help the West Papuan people and firstly is by not ignoring the issue and actually putting the human rights situation in West Papua on the agenda at the coming summit in Koror. We would like the PIF leaders to acknowledge concerns about the human rights abuses committed by the security forces in West Papua in the official communiqué as did the MSG leaders in their official Communiqué in Noumea in 2013.

AWPA has also noted over the years the granting of various types of association to non-self governing territories and organisations at the PIF. The most recent being the US territories of American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas in 2011. We believe that it is now time to bring the Melanesian people of West Papua back into the Pacific community by granting observer status to genuine representatives of the Melanesian people of West Papua who are struggling for their right to self-determination.

Full letter at
http://awpasydneynews.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/open-letter-to-pacific-islands-forum.html
Jo Collins, Anne Noonan, Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)