West Papua News is always interesting to know. This region offers beautiful tourism destinations and unique culture. Despite the beauty of the region, Western Papua also faces several problems. The following list is some of the latest West Papua News to get the updated condition. It is a good reference for those who want to visit West Papua and know more about the difference between West Papua New Guinea and Papua New Guinea.
The Host of National Sports Week or PON 2021
West Papua New Guinea got an honor to be the host of the 2021 National Sports Week or PON. This National event started from October 2, 2021, to October 5, 2021. It is a good opportunity for West Papuans to introduce things that West Papua has.
Now, people know that this region has a great stadium known as Lukas Enembe stadium after seeing the opening and closing ceremonies. They can also introduce West Papua New Guinea tourism in several areas, such as Jayapura City, Jayapura Regency, Merauke Regency, and Mimika Regency through this event.
It was the first PON held in the Western New Guinea region. West Papua even showed that they have high-quality athletes by gaining 93 golds. It brought West Papua in fourth position after West Java, Jakarta, and East Java.
Independence Movement
Free West Papua campaign is another hot West Papua News. It is an independence movement, so West Papua can be an independent region and not be a part of Indonesia anymore. This movement started in the 1960s when Indonesia received its independence.
West Papua was one of the Dutch colonies, whereas Papua New Guinea was the Australian colony. Dutch had an agreement to release all its colonies in Indonesia after the independence of Indonesia, including West Papua.
It is the reason why West Papua New Guinea is part of Indonesia, whereas Papua New Guinea is not. Yet, it triggers a variety of conflicts between West Papua and Indonesia, such as in economy, history, development, and racism.
During this conflict, Papuans started to develop some organizations to support the independence movement, such as the OPM or the Free Papua Organization, United Liberation Movement for West Papua or ULMWP, TNPPB-OPM or West Papua Liberation National Army, and West Papua Federal Republic. On the other hand, the latest President of Indonesia, Jokowi can’t quell the growth of the Papua Independence Movement. It means that Indonesia remains to hold West Papua as part of Indonesia.
Internal Conflict
West Papua also faces internal conflict, such as a tribal war. It is a common conflict since there are a lot of ethnic groups in West Papua with their own beliefs and culture. Until today, this region has up to 312 different tribes.
Huli Wigmen is the biggest tribe in Western Papua New Guinea with over 250.000 members. Other tribes in this region include Asmat, Dani, Biak, Ansus, Komoro, and many more. A tribal war often happens because tribes in West Papua New Guinea think that war is the only way to solve a problem. At the same time, West Papua New Guinea also has low social well-being.
Health Problems
As a low-middle-income region, Western Papua New Guinea also has a variety of health problems. Health access is difficult because 90% of Papuans are living in rural areas. Based on the World Health Organization, the major health issues in Western Papua New Guinea are including morbidity and mortality caused by malaria, tuberculosis, and acute respiratory disease, and the HIV epidemic caused by heterosexual transmission.
Reproductive Health West Papua is another topic since it has the most serious HIV issue of the 22 Pacific Island countries. This region still struggles with Sexually Transmitted Infections caused by trichomoniasis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and more. The rate of the case is the highest in the Pacific region.
The population of West Papua New Guinea is around 7.6 million people. 5.9% of the female sex workers are HIV-positive and 4.3% of men who have sex with men or MSM are also suffered from HIV-positive.
Tourism Industry in West Papua New Guinea
Tourism becomes one of the primary sectors that keep West Papua New Guinea alive. Let’s say people are always curious about visiting this region after knowing about Raja Ampat Islands West Papua. Travelers can explore the exotic islands there, including Salawati, Batanta, Waigeo, and Misool islands.
Imagine that Raja Ampat has over 1.500 small islands, along with thousands of species, including coral reef fish, sea turtles, hard corals, marine mammals, and many more. You can also go to a specific tourism village, such as Arborek. Most women in this village are crafters and create a variety of plait crafts. It is a great village to visit for travelers who love to buy unique gifts from various areas.
Beach lovers will always want to come back to Western Papua New Guinea because this region has several wonderful seas. The seas around West Papua New Guinea with fantastic views and atmosphere include Panasia, Kokopo, Buka, Bramble Haven, and Harlen Beach.
Some travelers are also curious about the Sepik tribe and ask if are there Sepik people in West Papua New Guinea. Yes, you can see Sepik people there. This region consists of two provinces, which are East Sepik and West Sepik. You are about to explore one of the largest rivers in the world known as the Sepik River. The condition of this river is similar to the Amazon and the Niles.
West Papua New Guinea is a complex region, where you can find beautiful tourism destinations, strong culture, and even conflicts. It will be good if you follow the latest West Papua news to get closer to this region. The news helps a lot for travelers who want to visit this region.
At least, you know what kind of region you are about to explore and the best preparation you can do before exploring it. You also finally know why West Papua New Guinea has a conflict with Indonesia, and why it is different from Papua New Guinea, although both regions are on the same island.
