Local activists will raise the Morning Star flag, a symbol of West Papua people’s independence aspirations, in the Octagon to draw attention to the region’s ongoing occupation by Indonesia.
The event, to be held in the upper Octagon at 5pm next Monday, December 1, will feature speakers on the issue, including Councillor Marie Laufiso — a long-standing member of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific movement.
West Papua Action Ōtepoti co-convenors Suzanne Menzies-Culling and Barbara Frame said, in a statement, the action was part of international efforts to draw attention to the fact West Papua had been illegally occupied by Indonesia since the 1960s.
Human rights in West Papua were largely disregarded and owning or raising the Morning Star flag could lead to lengthy prison terms, the statement said.
In addition, there were serious concerns over land and forest seizure to grow crops, including rice, contributing to environmental destruction and climate change in the Pacific and leading to forced displacement of indigenous people.
West Papua Action Ōtepoti, a member of the West Papua Aotearoa network, had repeatedly asked the New Zealand government to raise the issue of West Papuan self-determination with the Indonesian government, but such requests had met with little or no response, the statement said. — Allied Media
