---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ and click banner our sponsor ---------------------------------------------------------- From: John M. Miller PRESS RELEASE NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 15, 1999 FREE PAPUA MOVEMENT (OPM) SPOKESPERSON VISITS USA Mr John Ondawame, International Spokesperson for the Free Papua Movement (OPM) is visiting the United States of America (USA) from Wednesday, February 10, 1999 raising public awareness regarding political, human rights and environmental abuses in West Papua. He is addressing students at New York University on Thursday, February 17th (121 Meyer Hall, Broadway & Washington Place) and will hold public meetings with diplomatic representatives to the United Nations, the US Congress and with non-governmental organizations concerned with human rights and environmental issues. He also has various other engagements around the country in Washington DC, Austin and New Orleans. Mr.Ondawame, who is currently studying for a PhD at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia is a former guerrilla leader in the OPM army which has been fighting the Indonesian military since it was formed in 1965. Under pressure from Indonesia, he was arrested in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and deported to Sweden where he was accepted for political asylum in 1979. Mr Ondawame is also a member of the Amungme people on whose lands Freeport/RTZ operate the largest single gold and copper mining operation in the world. Opposition to the environmental destruction caused by the company has been intense; there have been ongoing human rights abuses, including extra-judicial killings in the area, which have intensified in the past five years. Mr Ondawame said: "The Amungme and the people of West Papua will continue to fight back against Freeport-McMoRan and the colonial government of Indonesia. The presence of Freeport-McMoRan has already destroyed our land, our secret mountains, rivers, and forests and removed our people, crimes which have serious social, economic, political and ecological implications. Freeport must change its current policy if it would like to continue to operate in West Papua. I call the on the government of the USA to take the strongest possible action against Freeport-McMoRan/RTZ in order to stop the further escalation of human rights abuses, environmental degradation and injustice." Under the supervision of the United Nations, the USA, during the presidency of John F. Kennedy, forced the Dutch government to transfer West Papua to Indonesia at the New York Agreement on 15 August 1962. West Papua has been under Indonesian military control since 1963. In 1969, the Indonesian administration organized a fraudulent referendum, which it called the "Act of 'Free' Choice". United Nations records state that only 1,025 people voted, out of a population of some one million Papuans. A UN witness expressed his regret that Indonesia "exercised a tight political control over the population" at the time of the so-called plebiscite. West Papua was renamed "Irian Jaya" by Indonesia in 1973. Regarding these events, Mr Ondawame said: "The government of the USA and the United Nations have a moral obligation to end the political conflict in West Papua. These bodies denied the rights of self-determination and independence to the people of West Papua. They aided the illegal transfer of West Papua to Indonesia during the cold war. This was a crime against humanity. Now, in the post cold war era, these bodies must intervene to end the conflict. I call on the Habibie government of Indonesia to immediately implement national dialogue between Jakarta and the people of West Papua." To arrange an interview with Mr Ondawame or for further information, tel. Professor Steven Feld, phone 212-998-3757 or 253 6977 or Alyn Ware 212-818 1861. Steven Feld Dept. of Anthropology New York University 25 Waverly Place New York, NY 10003 212-998-3757; 212-995-4014 fax ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 16 Feb 1999 jam 08:58:10 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
