Launched in the UK in 2004 by exiled West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda, the campaign fights for the self-determination of the West Papuan people. West Papua, together with Papua New Guinea, comprises the second largest island in the world. Located just north of Australia, it is one of the most culturally and biologically diverse places on earth, with over 1,000 indigenous languages and the third largest rainforest on earth.
A former Dutch colony, West Papua was set to gain independence in the 1960s, when the Indonesian military invaded. In 1969, they held a sham vote where about 1,000 people were forced to vote for integration with Indonesia. The resulting violence and bloodshed has continued to this day: Before the Indonesian invasion, the indigenous West Papuans comprised 98 percent of the population. Today, they comprise less than half.
Join the campaign here: https://www.freewestpapua.org/
[Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.]