14 March 1996

PRESS RELEASE

The human rights report of Monsignor Herman Munninghoff in West Papua 1995, the human report of the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights 1995, the human report of Amnesty International 1995 and the hostage-taking in West Papua in the beginning of 1996 have brought the West Papuan issue into the mainstream of the world press.

The European Parliament passed a resolution today on the hostage-taking and the initiative of the President of the European Parliament to start communications with the Free Papua Movement in order to end the taking of hostages and to raise the difficult human rights situation, environmental destruction and the pressure on maintaining West Papuan culture and heritage in the European Parliament.

This is the first time in the 26 years since West Papua was transferred by the United Nations to the Republic of Indonesia that such a resolution has been adopted.

West Papua did not become part of the new independent state of Indonesia in 1949 but instead remained a Dutch colony until 1962 when the Netherlands ceded control of the territory to the UN under the New York Agreement. In 1963 the de facto authority was transferred to the Indonesian Goverment under the condition that a plebiscite would be held on the future political status of West Papua in mid-1969 under UN supervision. However, this Act of Free Choice gave rise to strong concerns of unfairness also expressed by UN observers since out of a population of 700,000 only 1025 traditional leaders were allowed to vote. This travesty of a plebiscite resulted in a vote for integration into the Indonesian state.

The West Papuan people rejected the outcome of the so-called Act of Free Choice of 1969 and are still struggling for an independent West Papua outside Indonesia.

Many NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations) in the world have been supporting the struggle of the West Papuan people for the right to self-determination.

One of the West Papuan leaders, Dr Thomas Wainggai, who led a peaceful demonstra- tion in Numbay in 1988, the capital city of West Papua and now called Jayapura (capital city of the province of Irian Jaya (West Papua)) was found dead in the police hospital in Jakarta on 13 March 1996.

The West Papuan people in Timika started to become more actieve in the struggle last Sunday, 10 March 1996, against the giant copper and gold mine Freeport-RTZ. It has been reported that many buildings and cars have been destroyed. Three indigeno- us West Papuan have been killed in that struggle.

13(f) B4-0332/96

Resolution on the situation in West Papua

The European Parliament,

1. noting that 13 people, 6 of them from EU Member States, have been held hostage since 8 January 1996 by the military wing of the Free Papua Movement in the Lorentz nature reservation in the inlands of West Papua,
2. noting that the hostages have repeatedly stated that they have been treated well but fear the worst in the event of an assault by the Indonesian armed forces,
3. supporting the initiative of its President to start communication with the Free Papua Movement in order to end the taking of hostages and to raise the difficult human rights situation, environmental destruction and the pressure on maintaining Papua cultures and heritage in West Papua in the European Parliament,
4. stressing that it cannot condone the holding of innocent civilians against their will for whatever purpose,
5. welcoming the decision of the chairman of the Free Papua Movement to call for a release of the hostages in response to the initiative of the President of Parliament,
6. considering the reported human rights violations against the population of West Papua during the last 34 years carried out by the Indonesian army,
7. concerned at the massive environmental destruction, such as the destruction of the tropical rainforest in West Papua and the pollution of rivers in particular by the Freeport McMoRan/Rio Tinto Zinc mining operation,
8. alarmed by the fact that the Indonesian army has moved heavily armed troops into the area which is also a threat to the local Papua villages with a population of about 5 000 people,

1. Calls for the immediate release of the hostages;
2. Urges the Indonesian army to remove its troops as a step towards the release of the hostages and not to take military action under any circumstances;
3. Calls for international monitoring of this process to ensure the safety of the hostages and the Papua villagers and supports in particular the continuing presence of Dutch and British official observers in the region;
4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Indonesian Government and the Free Papua Movement.