while PNG/ PAPUA NEW GUINEA achieved its independence from Australia in 1975, the western half of the island of New Guinea, WEST PAPUA, continues to be occupied by INDONESIA since 1963, after the Dutch colonists pulled out. we will have a screening of our film Wantoks: Dance of Resilience in Melanesia, 2020 Jan 25th, in the NETHERLANDS/THE HAGUE in conjunction with our partners against occupation, Free West Papua Campaign!
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‘Protests and ceremonies by Papuans raising their flag for independence or federation with Papua New Guinea accuse the Indonesian government of indiscriminate violence and of suppressing their freedom of expression. Indonesia has been accused of conducting a genocidal campaign against the indigenous inhabitants. According to De R. G. Crocombe, it is estimated around 100,000 Papuans have been killed in the violence, and the Indonesian governance style has been compared to that of a police state, suppressing freedom of political association and political expression. Indonesia continues to restrict foreign access to the region…’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papua_conflict
[Photo courtesy of the Free West Papua Campaign.]