PNG 'out of step' on Papua says Vanuatu MP

A Vanuatu MP has accused Papua New Guinea of being out of step with Melanesian opinion on the legality of Indonesia's Papua province.

Vanuatu's parliament has unanimously passed a motion calling for the International Court of Justice to investigate the legality of Papua province, often called West Papua, becoming part of Indonesia in the 1960s.

Papua New Guinea shares a land border with Indonesia and has been reluctant to raise the issue of Papua with Jakarta and at regional forums.

MP Ralph Regenvanu, who strongly backed the parliamentary motion, says other pacific countries including Fiji, New Caledonia and Solomon Islands are all sympathetic to the Papuan separatist movement.

"It is more that Papua New Guinea is the only Melanesian country that consistently has prevented this support for West Papua being suppressed," he said.

"For example at the Melanesian Spearhead Group forum [PNG] have always advocated very strongly for it not to be raised, against the wishes of other Melanesian countries."

Source: http://australianetworknews.com

Posted in: Decolonisation,Dialog,English