De facto and legally, West Papua is a part of Indonesia. Free West Papua news frequently shakes this region, which is divided into two provinces. However, this debate will not end soon. Is it true that the West Papuan population wants independence from Indonesia?
Incorporation of West Papua into Indonesia-Free West Papua News
The establishment of West Papua between Indonesia and the Netherlands, a country that colonized Indonesia, started on December 27, 1949, at the Round Table Conference.
However, these two nations felt entitled to West Papua. The Dutch ultimately raised this matter to the United Nations (UN) forum because they still wanted West Papua to become their nation.
The Dutch were ready to reopen negotiations with Indonesia, which eventually led to the New York Accord. Through this agreement, the Netherlands agreed to transfer the authority of Papua or West Irian to UNITEA on October 1, 1962.
Under the supervision of the United Nations, Indonesia assumed legal control of Papua on December 31, 1962. Indonesia also replaced the Dutch flag with the Indonesian Red and White flag. On May 1, 1963, West Papua was transferred in its entirety to Indonesia.
The West Papua’s Act of Free-choice Referendum
Throughout the conference with UNTEA, the Netherlands demanded that Indonesia hold a vote on the act of free choice. The referendum indicated that the majority, or 1,025 individuals, of West Papua want to remain a part of Indonesia.
Then, the Act of Free Choice results were presented to the General Assembly of the United Nations. The United Nations General Assembly acknowledged and adopted the act’s outcomes on December 19, 1969. Subsequently, the president of Indonesia renamed West Papua Irian Jaya.
Afterward, West Papua Province, or Irian Jaya, became Papua Province. In 2004, the Indonesian government split Papua into two provinces: the eastern portion, which retained the name Province of Papua, and the western part, which was renamed Province of West Papua.
Free West Papua Movement
Since West Papua’s formal admission into Indonesia, there has been internal strife among the inhabitants. Free West Papua activists such as Benny Wenda are often active in voicing their views on Papua through several free West Papua news platforms.
Benny Wenda is an activist for the liberation of West Papua who resides in Europe. He initially fled from jail in Papua in 2002 because of the mobilization of the populace to burn down the police station.
The man born in Baliem Valley said that the results of the Act of Free Choice, which backed the integration of West Irian into Indonesian territory, were unacceptable.
Since then, Benny Wenda has carried his goals to worldwide venues. Indonesia finds Benny’s movement to be quite problematic.
Indonesia’s Stance on the West Papua Independence Movement
Indonesia is far from ideal. Despite the Free West Papua movement, the Indonesian government’s commitment to constructing the Indonesian state has not waned.
In recent years, the Indonesian government has devoted significant attention to regions outside of Java, such as West Papua. Massive infrastructure building has been undertaken to revitalize the Indonesian economy.
In addition to infrastructural development, Indonesia has acquired Freeport, a mining corporation whose majority of its shares were sold to the United States. The acquisition of Freeport shares is intended to guarantee that Indonesians benefit from all-natural resource advantages.
Special Autonomy Funds
Since Papua was granted special autonomy in Indonesia, the government has invested heavily in West Papua. The money is expected to be used for the benefit of all residents.
The Indonesian government has made development efforts in West Papua for the wellbeing of its people. So, is all free West Papua news concerned with West Papua’s wellbeing or merely a weapon to bring Indonesia into disrepute? Time will tell.
